Meet Vickie Redgrave | Lawyer & Winery Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vickie Redgrave and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vickie, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Two lessons to share.

First, remember to step back and be grateful for what we have and what we, as a team, have accomplished. Not everything has gone the way I planned, and in many ways the mistakes and challenges I have made and encountered were more than I could imagine. But despite the detours and disappointments, when you give yourself space to gain perspective, you see the amazing positive impact that a business can have on its employees, its guests, and its community.

Second, remember to also extend grace as you run your business. You don’t always know what is happening in the lives of others, whether they are strangers, guests, employees, or families. Don’t assume the worst; assume the best. Give second chances even though you hold people accountable. And always be kind, even if you need to make difficult decisions.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Mountain Brook Vineyards is different from other wineries in the area in terms of mission, scale, and vision.

First, as to our winery, we source grapes not just from North Carolina but also from the finest vineyards on the East Coast of the United States. Just like great California wine does not all come from an isolated set of two counties north of San Francisco, great wines from the East Coast have their genesis in the extraordinary viticulture of different regions on the East Coast. Accordingly, we are not limiting ourselves to our estate, our backyard, or even the state of North Carolina.

Second, we have created outdoor and indoor tasting experiences at the estate property that are at a scale exceeding those found at most wineries on the East Coast. Notably, our outdoor tasting room (known as “The Lawn”) can seat hundreds of people in theatre style tiers that makes the land the star of the show. The Lawn also hosts live music and food trucks on the weekend. In the cooler seasons, guests can enjoy our large firepit and outdoor fireplace. Our main indoor tasting and event space (known as “The Experience Center”) doubles as an active barrel room, bringing guests into contact with the winemaking process while enjoying our elevated tasting options and private occasions.

Third, we have a grand vision of making fine wines and the wine culture accessible to everyone. We are not snooty. We welcome families, including children and dogs, to The Lawn. We equally enjoy engaging with first-time winery visitors, as well as sitting down with guests who have travelled the world visiting hundreds of wineries. All are welcome.

As for lessons learned? Hats off to all farmers and anyone involved in agriculture. We have learned about how hard this business is, and how you are always subject to factors (like the weather) that you do not control. You learn to be humble in such circumstances, as you remember that your success is not a single thing that you did, but a combination of efforts from the entire team and good fortune of circumstances.

We also learned to recover from mistakes. We have made many, and some have set us back both in terms of money and timetables for success. Yet each time we step back and learn, making sure that as we move forward that we get better and avoid the same errors.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Western North Carolina has an abundance of treasures, so it is very hard to create “the” definitive itinerary of where to go and what to do. That said, here are some of my favorites:

Take a day (and a picnic) and drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway – stopping at the many outlooks along the way

Take the time to visit Biltmore House and Gardens – and make sure you take the time to experience the entirety of the property and the vision of renowned landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmstead (who also designed Central Park in New York)

When it reopens in 2026, come to Lake Lure and experience one of the most beautiful man-made lakes in the world (don’t take my word – look it up in National Geographic)

And, of course I’d recommend an afternoon hanging out at Mountain Brook Vineyards to enjoy the wine, live music, and food from local food trucks

For food, I’d send people to some of my favorites:
Topsoil (Travelers Rest SC)
Pure & Proper (Black Mountain NC)
Hillman Brewery (Old Fort NC)
Appalachia Restaurant (Located at the Lodge On Lake Lure)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My thanks to my husband Jonathan, my sons, Andrew & Nathan and our dog Cooper, who help make my life so beautiful….

Website: https://www.mountainbrookvineyards.com

Instagram: mountainbrookvineyards

Image Credits
Ryan Watts Photography for the facility images; Jack Robert Photography for the personal photo image