Shelton Vineyards

What Shelton Vineyards does

Shelton Vineyards is a family-owned estate winery founded in 1999 by brothers Ed and Charlie Shelton, operating from a single 83-acre property in Dobson, North Carolina, within the Yadkin Valley AVA — the first federally recognized American Viticultural Area in North Carolina. The company produces award-winning Vitis vinifera wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, among others) from estate-grown grapes grafted onto Native American rootstocks, processed through a 30,000-square-foot state-of-the-art Craft to Cork Custom Crush facility utilizing gravity flow winemaking and three temperature-controlled barrel rooms with French, American, and Hungarian oak.

The business is structured as a vertically integrated hospitality and wine platform spanning seven primary revenue streams: direct wine sales (bottle/case, e-commerce, library collection), Madison Lee Wine Club subscriptions (three tiers with quarterly shipments), tiered tasting experiences ($19–$125/person), Harvest Grill farm-to-fork restaurant, an 83-room Hampton Inn & Suites (the only Hampton Inn in the chain with an on-site wine bar), private event venues (weddings, corporate retreats, The Farm House), and gift/merchandise sales. Distribution is direct-to-consumer-dominant (estate tasting room, online, wine club shipments) supplemented by trade distributors. The company is currently in second-generation family leadership under Co-Presidents Mandy Shelton Houser and Chip Shelton, with recent commercial expansion signaled by an Outside Sales Manager hire focused on markets outside North Carolina.

Name

Shelton Vineyards

Legal name

Shelton Vineyards, Inc.

Website

https://sheltonvineyards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shelton Vineyards is a family-owned North Carolina estate winery in the Yadkin Valley AVA producing award-winning Vitis vinifera wines from 83 acres, operating a tasting room, Harvest Grill restaurant, Hampton Inn & Suites, Madison Lee Wine Club, and Craft to Cork custom crush services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Winery & Vineyard

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Grape Vineyards (111332)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine Grape Vineyard Operations (Varietal/AVA Practices, Yield & Quality Targets) (AFAGAJAJ), Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

Keywords

• Estate winery wines
• Wine club subscription
• Vineyard tasting experiences
• Winemaking hospitality
• Yadkin Valley vineyards

Headquarters

HQ city

Dobson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine Sales: Estate wines sold by bottle and case directly to consumers at tasting room and online. Includes featured wines, reserve wines, library collection, and specialty collections.
2. Wine Club Membership: Madison Lee Wine Club with 3-bottle, 6-bottle, and Select tiers providing quarterly shipments with member benefits including discounts, exclusive events, and priority access.
3. Tasting Experiences: Paid tasting experiences ranging from $19 Classic Tasting to $125 Gazebo Tasting, including Grand Reserve and Signature tastings by reservation.
4. Harvest Grill Restaurant: On-site farm-to-fork bistro dining with upscale cuisine paired with estate wines. Lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch service.
5. Hampton Inn & Suites Hotel: 83-room newly renovated hotel with on-site wine bar, the only Hampton Inn in the chain featuring its own wine bar. Room packages and add-on baskets available.
6. Private Events: Venue rentals for weddings, corporate retreats, and celebrations at venues including The Farm House. Includes catering services from Harvest Grill.
7. Gift Collection: Curated gift bundles, rare library wine selections, specialty packages, and gift certificates available for online purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shelton Vineyards produces and sells estate-grown Vitis vinifera wines from its 83-acre vineyard in the Yadkin Valley AVA, offering a full portfolio of red, white, sparkling, reserve, library, and specialty wines. The company complements its core wine production with on-site tasting experiences, the Harvest Grill farm-to-fork restaurant, the Hampton Inn & Suites hotel with its own wine bar, the Madison Lee Wine Club subscription, and the Craft to Cork Custom Crush winemaking facility.

Product overview

Shelton Vineyards is a single-property estate winery offering a unified hospitality experience centered on its award-winning wines produced from Vitis vinifera grapes grown in Yadkin Valley. The product portfolio consists of the core estate wine production complemented by on-site dining at Harvest Grill, accommodations at the Hampton Inn & Suites, and membership through the Madison Lee Wine Club. Additional revenue streams include tasting experiences ranging from Classic ($19) to Signature ($95) and Gazebo ($125) tastings, private event venues, the Craft to Cork custom winemaking facility, and seasonal events including concerts and culinary experiences. The company operates vertically integrated operations from grape cultivation through wine production and direct-to-consumer sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Harvest Grill: On-site farm-to-fork bistro-style dining restaurant located on the grounds of Shelton Vineyards.
• Hampton Inn & Suites at Shelton Vineyards
• Madison Lee Wine Club
• Craft to Cork Custom Crush

Products and services

• Shelton Vineyards Estate Wines Award-winning estate wines grown, harvested, and bottled on site in Yadkin Valley, North Carolina, featuring reds, whites, sparkling, dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and reserve varieties from 10+ Vitis vinifera grape varieties on an 83-acre vineyard.
• Harvest Grill Restaurant On-site farm-to-fork bistro-style restaurant offering lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch paired with estate wines, serving wine country visitors and the local community.
• Hampton Inn & Suites at Shelton Vineyards Newly renovated 83-room hotel located on the estate with an on-site wine bar, the only Hampton Inn in the chain with its own wine bar, offering 'sip and stay' experiences and special rates for wine club members.
• Madison Lee Wine Club Subscription wine club with three tiers (3-Bottle, 6-Bottle, and Select) offering quarterly shipments, exclusive wines, member-only events, preferred pricing, complimentary tastings, and priority access to new releases for individual wine enthusiasts.
• Classic Tasting Experience Daily $19/person wine tasting featuring six wines from the Classic tasting list, available without a reservation at the estate.
• Reserve Tasting Experience Daily $34/person wine tasting featuring six wines from the Reserve wine list including white, red, and sparkling selections, available without a reservation.
• Grand Reserve Tasting 60-minute $60/person intimate barrel cave tasting featuring six preselected Reserve wines with a cheese tasting board and vineyard/winemaking insights, by reservation only (48 hours advance, minimum 2 people).
• Signature Tasting Experience 90-minute $95/person premium experience including nine Reserve wines (sparkling included), a tasting board of meats, cheeses, and chocolate truffles, a winery tour, and a souvenir wine glass, by reservation only.
• Gazebo Tasting Experience 90-minute $125/person tasting held at the vineyard gazebo featuring nine Reserve wines and a premium tasting board with meats, cheeses, fruit, chocolate-covered espresso beans, truffle honey, and caviar.
• Riedel Wine Glass Experience Educational guided tasting comparing seven wines in specially designed Riedel stemware to demonstrate how glass shape influences aroma, texture, and flavor.
• Private Events and Weddings (Including The Farm House) Event hosting services for weddings, corporate retreats, and milestone celebrations across multiple venues including The Farm House, with customizable catering and estate wine options.
• Craft to Cork Custom Crush 30,000 sq ft state-of-the-art gravity flow winemaking facility offering custom production services including fruit and juice sales, fermentation guidance, aging and blending, and custom bottling for other wineries and wine brands.
• Village Market at Shelton Vineyards On-site retail location offering Shelton Vineyards merchandise, wine accessories, and local products for winery visitors.

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Biltmore Winery: Biltmore Estate's winery in Asheville, NC — the state's largest winery — operating within a destination hospitality estate with vineyard, tastings, dining, and lodging. Directly comparable as an estate winery integrated with a major hospitality destination, but at significantly larger scale.
• Childress Vineyards: Lexington, NC estate winery founded by NASCAR figure Richard Childress with restaurant, event venue, and on-site hospitality. Directly comparable as a North Carolina estate winery combining wine production, dining, and private events on a single estate.
• Junius Lindsay Vineyards: Yadkin Valley boutique estate winery with tasting room and private events. Comparable as a small-scale Yadkin Valley AVA estate peer competing for similar DTC and tourism customers.
• Old North State Winery: Mount Airy, NC winery with on-site tasting room, bistro, and live music events. Comparable as a regional NC winery combining estate wine production with casual dining and entertainment-driven visitation.
• Raffaldini Vineyards: Yadkin Valley estate winery specializing in Italian-varietal wines with tasting room and event space. Comparable as a Yadkin Valley AVA estate peer offering tastings, tours, and private events in the same regional category Shelton helped establish.
• Duplin Winery: North Carolina's largest wine producer with a Rose Hill estate, multiple tasting rooms, and broad DTC distribution. Comparable as a regionally dominant NC winery with tasting rooms, gift shop, and tourism-driven model; larger production volume but similar Southeast DTC focus.
• RayLen Vineyards & Winery: Yadkin Valley estate winery producing Vitis vinifera wines with tasting room, events, and on-site bistro. Comparable as a same-region estate peer with direct DTC tastings and event-driven revenue in the Yadkin Valley AVA.

Broad incumbents

• Wente Vineyards: Fifth-generation family-owned California estate winery with vineyard, tasting room, restaurant, and event venues. Comparable as a multi-generational family estate combining wine production with hospitality experiences, though at significantly larger scale and California location.
• Ste. Michelle Wine Estates: Largest wine producer in the Pacific Northwest with national distribution and a broad portfolio. Comparable as an established wine producer, but operates at vastly larger scale with three-tier national distribution rather than estate hospitality focus.

Regional players

• Bold Rock Hard Cider: Regional hard cider producer with estate-style tasting rooms in North Carolina and Virginia. Comparable as a Southeast beverage producer with destination tasting rooms targeting similar tourism customers, though operating in cider rather than wine.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/103783586326707

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shelton Vineyards