Associate Editor, Jenna Kelley, at a North Carolina winery. Right: A champagne flute at a Miami winery.
This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Wineries in North Carolina are pretty abundant due to the lay of the land, and when I visited the small town of Franklin, I made the trek out to a vineyard.
As a self-proclaimed wine enthusiast (and Floridian), I realized there was also a winery in Florida.
Growing up near beaches, I almost forgot a lot of areas in the Sunshine State make for the perfect farmland, and since I live nearby Miami, I had to see which state does it better.
I previously visited Deep Creek Winery, located at 405 Johnathan Walk, Bryson City, NC, and recently went to Schnebly Redland's Winery & Brewery, located at 30205 Southwest 217th Ave., Homestead, FL.
I'll tell you right now, Deep Creek Winery took the crown by a landslide, and there are so many reasons why Schnebly Redlands Winery & Brewery just didn't make the mark.
Let's start with the views.
Deep Creek Winery. Right: Schnebly Redland's Winery & Brewery.
Jenna Kelley | Narcity
The views in North Carolina were incredible. Of course, it has more to do with the terrain of the state, but the winery was placed uphill and it overlooked breathtaking mountains that had a picturesque sunset I'll never forget.
The establishment in Florida did the most with what they had to work with. It was just as pretty, but it looked more like a rainforest with a ton of tropical huts than a vineyard in the countryside.
The venue in Homestead also felt extremely man-made and more modern, whereas the one in Bryson City felt like you were at a place built into the woods that was comfortable and cozy.
While both places were beautiful, if I had to choose one, I'd choose North Carolina.
The ambiance at Deep Creek was intimate.
Both spots are family-owned, but you'd never guess Schnebly's Redlands Winery & Brewery was. It just seemed like another corporate company. There were so many people there, it felt more like a resort than it did a winery.
It also had a brewery and separate restaurant on location, as well as a movie theatre, so it lost the focus of what a winery is.
Deep Creek had that friendly, intimate vibe that felt like you walked into a relative's vacation home. It also was more romantic.
Schnebly's seemed like it was built for an Instagram photo.
The wine at Deep Creek tasted more like...well, wine.
Associate Editor, Jenna Kelley, drinking wine in North Carolina.
Jenna Kelley | Narcity
When I indulge in adult beverages, I typically go for a nice crisp dry glass of red wine.
Deep Creek had a variety of offerings, some sweet and some bitter, and it seemed to have a happy medium.
Schnebly's, being that it is located so close to Miami, seemed to only have tropical fruit-flavored wine. They had lychee wine, mango wine and there even was an avocado-based wine. A lot of their products were spritz-y and sweet, which wasn't making my taste buds happy.
Although they get an A+ for creativity, the taste didn't back up the product. They only had two wines that seemed to be drier, one of them was a simple cabernet and the other was a malbec.
The service was faster at Deep Creek.
Since Deep Creek was smaller and more intimate, they filled your glass as soon as it was empty. The staff seemed to be extremely knowledgeable about the farming of the wine, as well.
Schnebly's staff had trouble opening some of the wine bottles at our table and they took forever in between each tasting, we almost forgot how many different sips we had left.
Overall, Schnebly's excelled in aesthetics, but the small town in North Carolina seemed to have a better understanding of the farm, products, and atmosphere.
Narcity does not condone the overconsumption of alcohol. If you're going to drink alcohol, please do so responsibly and only if you're of legal age.