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Wine Tasting in Myrtle Beach: La Belle Amie Vineyard!

by Nadeen
October 11, 2016
A A
Wine Tasting in Myrtle Beach: La Belle Amie Vineyard!

Introduction: What if I told you there was a lovely vineyard and winery in North Myrtle Beach South Carolina? A place so unique, that it transports you from the loud, crowded tourist areas to a serene beautiful farm only 20 minutes away? That place is La Belle Amie Vineyard. When I mentioned to friends and family that I was going wine tasting in Myrtle Beach they found it hard to believe. Well believe it! I am thrilled to share the story of La Belle Amie Vineyard and Winery with my readers. It is the home of the “Twisted Sisters” wine label. During my recent visit to Myrtle Beach, my husband and I spent an afternoon on the property with the owner Vicki and her story is amazing.

La Belle Amie Vineyard
Beautiful archway seen on arrival to La Belle Amie Vineyard

The Story: La Belle Amie Vineyard resides on a farm in Little River SC. Little River SC is known for fresh seafood, its annual blue crab festival and historic oak tress. On arrival you are struck by how close the vineyard is to the highway and suburban homes yet as soon as you pull into the driveway it feels like you are a million miles away. The farm belonged to Vicki’s grandparents who settled there in the 1800s. Vicki’s Uncle Gifford planted grapes and made wine on the farm in the early 1900s. These “old grapevines” are still in existence today and some are over 100 years old! When you are entering the gift shop, take note of the wine barrel on the porch. This is the barrel Uncle Gifford made wine in all those years ago.

La Belle Amie Vineyard
Wine barrels on the porch of the wine and gift shop

Vicki’s mother Berta returned to the farm to take care of her brother Uncle Gifford. As the years passed and Uncle Gifford passed away, Vicki then returned home from Texas to take care of her mother. On her mother’s passing she inherited 38 acres of what was a smaller fraction of the original family farm. Relics of the original farm still exist today which adds to its charm. By 1995 Vicki realized her dream of starting a vineyard on the farm. Although she started planted vines in 1995 and 1996, hurricanes derailed her progress for several years. Vicki and her team stayed the course. After just a few hours with her, I am not surprised. In 1999 the wine and gift shop were built and opened in 2000. The rest as they say is history…

La Belle Amie Vineyard
The Wine and Gift Shop

The Wines: So, why is the name “La Belle Amie Vineyard” but the wine label is “Twisted Sisters”? Vicki told us a very funny story about this. As it turns out, she initially did sell her wine under the La Belle Amie label. However, since sales were not what she expected she decided to try a more relatable, fun label. She served the same wine at tastings in “La Belle Amie” wine bottles and “Twisted Sisters” wine bottles. People preferred and bought more of the Twisted Sisters wine so she stuck with that label! Pretty genius if you ask me.

La Belle Amie Vineyard
The wide variety of Twisted Sisters wines available in the wine shop

La Belle Amie Vineyard

The label is very creative as are the names. How about a glass of “Babe Magnet” Syrah or “Classy Lady” which is a Chablis style Chardonnay or “Southern Gentlemen” which is a soft dry red wine made from Muscadine grapes? There are also the Twisted Sisters-At the Beach Wines all made from Muscadine grapes. Try the “Bikini Blush” which is a medium sweet exotic blend or the “Island Mama” which combines pineapple and orange flavors with Southern grapes.

La Belle Amie Vineyard
The lovely ladies of La Belle Amie Vineyard. Nan on the left who conducted our informative wine tasting and Vicki, the owner, on the right.

All of the Twisted Sisters wines have 12-15% alcohol with the Merlot at 15%! We sampled dry white and red wines, semi-sweet wines, Southern style wines and At the Beach wines. In addition, we were treated to their mulled wine and wine slushie both of which were delicious! They also offer Blueberry wines such as “Bunny Berry” and “FruitGria”. I don’t think you will believe me when I tell you this part. The cost of the wine tasting is $5 + tax for any 6 wines. That is less than $1 per tasting! When was the last time you paid $5 for a wine tasting?

The Gift Shop: As a wine enthusiast I have been to my share of wine shops. I can honestly say I have never seen so many creative wine gifts before! The gift shop at Belle Amie Vineyard also has dipping sauces, dressings and mustards for sampling.

La Belle Amie Vineyard

 

La Belle Amie Vineyard

La Belle Amie Vineyard

The Vineyard: Vicki took us on a tour of La Belle Amie Vineyard. We sampled different types of Muscadine grapes right of the vines! Vicki’s passion and knowledge for wine making was evident on the tour. The vineyard is filled with beautiful sculptures, trees and trellises. There is also large outdoor entertainment area where events are held almost daily!

La Belle Amie Vineyard
Touring the farm with Vicki
La Belle Amie Vineyard
A view of the vineyard
La Belle Amie Vineyard
White Muscadine grapes
La Belle Amie Vineyard
Red Muscadine grapes
La Belle Amie Vineyard
A fountain on the vineyard
La Belle Amie Vineyard
The beautiful grounds of the vineyard

The Events: There is live music every week at La Belle Amie Vineyard. Wine Wednesdays, Oldies Thursdays, Wine Down Fridays and Music Saturdays take place from 1-5pm. There are also bonfires, musical festivals and special Holiday themed events. Vicki mentioned to us that at any of these events hundreds of people can be in attendance drinking and dancing under the moonlight. Weddings are often held there are as well. I can see why!

La Belle Amie Vineyard
Looking towards the event area. Bands often play underneath the tents
A large deck with tables for entertaining
A large deck with tables for entertaining

As you can tell, we had a wonderful afternoon at La Belle Amie Vineyard in North Myrtle Beach South Carolina. For more information on La Belle Amie Vineyard please visit their website. Better yet, visit the vineyard on your next trip to Myrtle Beach!

This is the first in a series of posts on my recent visit to Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Stay tuned to the blog for information on unique dining experiences as well as hidden gems you should visit. Although I received a complimentary wine tasting and this was part of a press trip by Visit Myrtle Beach, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Have you been to La Belle Amie Vineyard? If so share your thoughts with us below!

La Belle Amie Vineyard
Vicki’s dog made a great photo model! lol

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Tags: food and wineLa Belle Amie Vineyardmyrtle beachsouth carolinatwisted sistersvineyardwine bloggerwine tasting
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Nadeen

Nadeen

Dr. Nadeen White is a "Blogger by Day, Physician by Night". She is an award-winning travel blogger, Amazon bestselling author and speaker. The Sophisticated Life Blog covers affordable luxury travel, culinary travel and wine. Her domestic and international travel guides gets people to the destinations of their dreams. So, if you are living the sophisticated life or desire to do so, this is the blog for you!

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Comments 16

  1. STACIE says:
    4 years ago

    Looks like a beautiful place to visit. I don’t drink wine but I’d love to pick some grapes if they’d let me lol.

    • nadeen says:
      4 years ago

      lol I am sure they would! The gift shop alone is worth a visit!

  2. carlana charles says:
    4 years ago

    I absolutely love wine and all things wine so I really appreciated this post. Looks like a beautiful place to spend some time, the kind of place away from the hustle and bustle. Loving the ‘girls night out fund’ piggy bank. I think I’ll have to get me one of those.

    • nadeen says:
      4 years ago

      Thank you Carlana! it is as beautiful as it looks and the gift shop items were very unique!

  3. Tanya Barnett says:
    4 years ago

    I love Twisted Sisters Wine but had clue they were in SC. I will definitely add this winery to our to-visit list since hubby and I love to go to vineyards.

    • nadeen says:
      4 years ago

      That is great Tanya! I am sure you will enjoy your visit!

  4. foodfashionandflow says:
    4 years ago

    I am not a big wine drinker anymore, but this place looks like a lovely spot to visit.

    • nadeen says:
      4 years ago

      Yes it is! The history and gift shop along with the weekly events makes it a great place to visit even if you are not a wine drinker!

  5. Nay says:
    4 years ago

    The gift shop has so many colorful items, the piggy bank “girls night out fund” is so essential. Myrtle Beach has so many great places.

    • Nadeen says:
      4 years ago

      Yes I loved the gift shop! Thanks for reading!

  6. Nan Hasting says:
    4 years ago

    I so enjoyed doing your wine tasting Nadeen. Thanks so much for the beautifully written blog. Please come back and visit soon!

    • Nadeen says:
      4 years ago

      Hello Nan, I hope you are all doing OK after the hurricane. I am so sorry to hear that it passed by that area! We enjoyed the wine tasting as well and look forward to returning to La Belle Amie!

  7. Holly says:
    4 years ago

    You are the queen of wine. Every time I hear or see anything about wine I automatically think of you. I have never heard or learned so much about it until I started reading your posts. I would like to visit Myrtle Beach, hopefully I can get there soon and try this place out.

    • Nadeen says:
      4 years ago

      Thank you Holly! I love learning about it as well and of course drinking it lol. Happy to pass along the information. I am sure you would enjoy visiting La Belle Amie Vineyard!

  8. Natalie says:
    4 years ago

    How fun! My dad is from North Myrtle Beach, and so I’ve always associated it with laid back family gatherings and the farm they have there. Plus, with the super touristy focus that MB and NMB now have, I am surprised to find such a hidden gem! Definitely adding this to my list the next time we’re in town. 🙂

    • Nadeen says:
      4 years ago

      I remember reading about your father and his cameo in a movie in South Carolina! There are definitely hidden gems in Myrtle Beach which will be the focus of an upcoming post. I am sure you will enjoy a visit to La Belle Amie!

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Let’s talk about allyship for a sec. What does it mean to you? Have you seen true examples of this in the past year? I know this word has been overused and beaten into the ground since last year followed up by being a “performative ally”. But when I see someone making an effort and doing something to make a difference, it’s worth applauding. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

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Andrea has picked stellar wine professionals as mentors for the scholarship students taking this course. They are from all different backgrounds & experiences across all niches in the wine industry. I am sure they are having an amazing experience!!!! This is what being an ally looks like. Using your privilege, connections, and experience to open doors and provide opportunities for others. The wine industry, like so many other industries, is lacking and needs more Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. So Thank You. 

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Could it be because I’m female? Black? Both? 😡🤬

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When I first started my blog over 6 years ago I always had a WINE section. I have also always supported and blogged about Black-owned wines and winemakers from @mcbridesisters @houseofmandela early on to 5 1/2 years ago when I had the pleasure of visiting the first Black-owned winery in Napa Valley @brownestate during my Bachelorette weekend 
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