Visiting Biltmore & A Box of Wine

Catching up? I’m blogging about my vacation to Asheville, NC, and here are some of the posts so far:

I’ll return to recipe blogging next week, so if the vacation/life posts aren’t your thing, check back then. 😉

Tuesday began at the B&B.

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Since we had so many people, we enjoyed breakfast inside.

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We had fresh fruit, cranberry muffins…

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…and an egg souffle-type thing that reminded me a bit of one of my egg bakes with Canadian bacon and a croissant.

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After breakfast, we relaxed at the B&B for a bit and then headed over to the Biltmore house to see the inside of the house (since we saw the gardens yesterday).

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{Alphie?}

Dad wanted to go on the architect’s tour, which wasn’t available for another hour and a half after we got there. So, we decided to go ahead and have lunch. We had originally planned to have lunch outside of Biltmore, but since we were already there, we decided to stay.

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We ended up going to the Stable Cafe at Biltmore, which was right next to the house. I’d read about the place on Yelp and heard that it was pretty good, but touristy. It was definitely touristy, reminding me a bit of Disney.

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Sis and I had cheeseburgers, which were made with grass-fed Angus beef from the Biltmore house.

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We had to wait about 30 minutes for our table, and the environment was a bit crowded and loud for me, but considering the convenience of it all, it was a good choice. Our waitress took great care of us, ensuring my dad’s entree was expedited since he was the one who had to make a tour. She was also really friendly and made sure we always had what we needed. Even though the place was touristy, our food was really good. Dad really liked his chicken salad sandwich, and Sis and I enjoyed our burgers. I can see why people recommend going to Books & Breadboard (which we loved and really is just next to the Biltmore entrance/exit), but since it can take awhile getting in and out of Biltmore (parking, plus a shuttle or 5 minute-ish walk to the house, plus the winding road in and out), the Stables are a good choice, too.

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After lunch ended, we came outside to see it was raining. We all ran to the house and went on tours to wait out the rain. Dad really loved the architect’s tour, which I’d love to do next time I visit.

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After a quick shopping trip, we decided to head to Antler Hill for more Biltmore fun.

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{Shuttle line}

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We went to the place I was most interested in visiting – the winery. We went on a tour.

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{Clock tower}

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{WIP – wine in process}

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And the tour ended in my favorite room – the tasting room.

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Here you sampled some of the popular Biltmore wines (premium wines being available for tasting for a price in another room). I really liked how they gave you a list so you can add remarks and check the ones you wanted to buy.

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I sampled several of the whites and reds and discussed favorites with hubby so we could decide which to purchase. I warned him that I wanted to leave Biltmore with a box of wine.

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The last time I came here, I was a broke college student and couldn’t afford any of the wine (a friend even bought my ticket). I remember watching the people load up their cars on their way out with boxes full of delicious Biltmore wine (I remember really loving them when I sampled them the first time). So, I promised myself the next time I went, I’d leave with a box.

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Voila!

Okay, one box is for my parents and one box is for hubby and me. Still, mission accomplished!

Reader question: What is your favorite wine or who is your favorite wine maker?

4 thoughts on “Visiting Biltmore & A Box of Wine”

  1. Haha, I love that you put Alphie in there…Ben makes fun of me because I always call those lions at Bmore Alphie 🙂 Also glad to see you blogging again!!

    Reply
  2. Franklin Hill Vineyard in Bangor PA. It’s run by a lovely woman and her family along with a staff of mostly women. The wine has a very low sulfite level as it’s consumed mostly locally, so it doesn’t need the preservatives as much. I like the lack of the big red sulfite nose I get from other wines, plus it doesn’t have that chemical taste. Overall I get a woman-centric vibe when I’m there and I know they built the place themselves over time. Very relaxed and granola-y. Bonus; they have a wine called “Fainting Goat” because they have a bunch of, yup, fainting goats!

    Reply
    • Hi Beth! Thanks for the tip. I added Franklin Hill Vineyard to my list of places to visit! I’d love to try their wines and see those fainting goats! lol

      Reply

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