Old Homeplace Vineyard

Old Homeplace Vineyard is a family-owned winery on a former tobacco farm just outside Winston-Salem, NC — 48 acres of rolling pasture set between the vines and the 1,200-acre Lake Thom-A-Lex. The land has been in the same family for more than 75 years, and the lakefront tasting room is the actual farmhouse where the current owner’s father grew up, which is where the “Old Homeplace” name comes from.

Opened in 2017 by David and Jill Stone (along with Jill’s parents), the vineyard pours a lineup of roughly 17 to 19 award-winning wines — sweet to dry, white to red — with a 5,600-square-foot event barn next door hosting concerts, comedy nights, murder mystery dinners, and weddings overlooking the lake.

Be sure to check out the pictures below to get a feel for Old Homeplace Vineyard before you go — or to relive the visit after.

From Tobacco Farm to Family Vineyard

The land tells the story. The 48 acres surrounding the vineyard have been in Jill Stone’s family for over 75 years, originally worked as a tobacco farm — the crop that built this whole region, and the same heritage that gave nearby Winston-Salem its Camel City nickname. When the family decided to give the land a new purpose, they transitioned it from tobacco to grapevines, and Old Homeplace Vineyard opened in 2017.

The name is literal. The tasting room is the house Jill’s grandparents owned and her father grew up in — the family’s old home place, now serving flights of North Carolina wine where the family once lived. That kind of direct continuity between the building and the family is unusual even among small family wineries, and it gives the tasting room a genuinely personal character rather than a manufactured one.

The vineyard is a true family operation. Jill and her husband David Stone are co-owners along with Jill’s mother and father, and Jill often works the tasting bar herself — pouring the wines, talking through each one, and answering questions across the bar. Two decades into North Carolina’s wine boom — the state is now the country’s 11th-largest wine producer, with more than 500 vineyards — Old Homeplace is exactly the kind of small family operation driving that growth.

The Wines, the Barn, and the Lake

Old Homeplace produces roughly 17 to 19 wines, spanning the full range from sweet to dry and white to red, with a collection of award winners among them. There are two ways to taste: the standard tasting, which pours about seven small tastes in a souvenir glass while a host walks you through each wine over the bar, and wine flights, which offer heavier pours of four different wines. Either way, the emphasis is on finding something for every palate — the lineup deliberately runs from very sweet through fully dry so nobody leaves without a wine they like.

Next to the tasting room sits The Barn, a 5,600-square-foot event venue with central heat and air that seats up to 200. Beyond weddings, the Barn keeps a full community calendar — concerts, comedy nights, murder mystery dinners, and a recurring Track 5 singer-songwriter series where local musicians perform in the Barn or just outside overlooking Lake Thom-A-Lex. The lake views are the setting’s real draw, and the outdoor space is built to take advantage of them.

The vineyard is a working agricultural property, and the guest policies reflect that. Leashed, non-aggressive dogs are welcome, and coolers with food are allowed (subject to inspection), but outside beverages are not — wine, beer, sodas, and water are available for purchase on site. Children are welcome with supervision.

Good to Know

• Location: 623 McGee Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27107, just outside the city on Lake Thom-A-Lex
• Phone: 336-399-7293
• Hours: Open Friday through Sunday afternoons (closed Monday through Thursday); last tastings 30 minutes before closing — check the Old Homeplace Vineyard website for current hours and after-hours events
• Opened: 2017, by David and Jill Stone with Jill’s parents
• The land: A former tobacco farm in Jill Stone’s family for more than 75 years
• The name: The tasting room is the farmhouse where Jill’s father grew up — the family’s old home place
• The setting: 48 acres of rolling pasture between the vines and the 1,200-acre Lake Thom-A-Lex
• The wines: Roughly 17 to 19 award-winning wines, sweet to dry and white to red
• Ways to taste: Standard tasting (about seven small pours with a guided walk-through) or wine flights (heavier pours of four wines)
• The Barn: A 5,600-square-foot event venue seating up to 200, with central heat and air; hosts weddings, concerts, comedy nights, murder mystery dinners, and the Track 5 singer-songwriter series
• Guest policy: Leashed, non-aggressive dogs welcome; food coolers allowed (inspected); no outside beverages; children welcome with supervision
• Best for: Wine tasting, lakefront relaxing, live music, weddings and private events, dog owners, and a scenic day trip just outside the city
• Pair with: The full Winston-Salem food and beverage cluster; Broad Branch Distillery for the spirits side of the local scene; or a full day pairing the vineyard with Salem Lake and The Quarry at Grant Park on the same side of town

A Winston-Salem Highlight

The name says everything about the place. The tasting room at Old Homeplace Vineyard is the actual farmhouse where owner Jill Stone’s father grew up, on land her family has held for more than 75 years. It was a tobacco farm first — the crop that built this whole region — and the transition to grapevines is a quiet echo of the bigger story playing out across North Carolina, now the country’s 11th-largest wine producer.

The setting is the draw. Forty-eight acres of rolling pasture, the 1,200-acre Lake Thom-A-Lex spread out below, and a lineup of 17-plus wines that runs from very sweet to fully dry so there’s something for every palate. Take the guided tasting if it’s your first visit and let whoever’s behind the bar — often Jill herself — walk you through the range, or go straight to a flight if you know what you like.

Check the calendar before you go. Next to the tasting room, the Barn hosts concerts, comedy nights, murder mystery dinners, and the weekly Track 5 singer-songwriter series, with the lake as a backdrop. Bring the dog, pack a cooler of food, and plan to stay a while — it’s the kind of family winery built for an unhurried afternoon just outside the city.

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Resources

Old Homeplace Vineyard Website

Old Homeplace Vineyard Facebook

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Location

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