Wedding DJ at Sanders Ridge Vineyard & Winery in Boonville, NC

The Space

The Shore family has owned this farm since John Benjamin Shore settled it in the 1840s, which makes Sanders Ridge a working farm with more than 180 years of continuous family history rather than a property bought for events. Neil Shore, the fifth generation to farm the land, planted a 15-acre vineyard in 2001, the same year he grew his last crop of tobacco, a real turning point for the farm’s direction.

The post and beam winery building opened in June 2009 and was built from lumber and stone harvested right off the farm, so the structure itself is made of the land it sits on. Inside and out, the winery grows eight grape varieties, from Viognier and Chardonnay to Cabernet Franc and two muscadine varieties, and the farm also runs a certified organic vegetable, herb, and flower operation that began in 2006.

Capacity & Layout

Sanders Ridge can host events from 25 up to 150 guests, a wide enough range to cover an intimate elopement and a larger wedding on the same property without changing venues. The ceremony site is a waterfront gazebo with amphitheater seating, positioned just steps from the winery reception space, so guests are not walking far between the vows and the party, even at the higher end of that headcount.

The 150-acre property, designated century farmland, has room to spare beyond the ceremony and reception spots, with old growth forest, creeks, lakes, and open fields shaping the setting and the photos. A covered pavilion hosts a monthly live music series with wine, beer, and food, which shows the reception space is already built and proven for live sound, tables, and a working crowd rather than sitting unused most of the year.

Amenities

A bridal suite handles day-of preparations, and a honeymoon cabin, a 400-square-foot space that sleeps up to four, gives the couple somewhere to stay the night without leaving the property, available year-round rather than just on the wedding date. In-house catering and open bar packages mean the food and drink program is run by the same team that runs the winery, not handed off to an outside vendor for the day.

The tasting room pours flights daily from noon to 4:30, choosing five wines out of 16 estate-grown varieties, and the on-site restaurant runs a seasonal lunch menu plus a Sunday brunch, so there is a real food and wine program on the property outside of wedding season too. That track record earned Sanders Ridge Wedding Wire’s Couples’ Choice Award in both 2019 and 2020, back to back years of couples rating the experience highly.

Location & Getting There

Sanders Ridge sits about 25 minutes west of Winston-Salem, close enough for a city guest list without losing the working-farm feel that defines the property. The 150 acres of century-designated land carry that same character all the way to the road, so the drive in already sets up what guests find once they arrive: forest, water, and open fields rather than a paved commercial lot.

We have played a wedding at Sanders Ridge, and the post and beam winery room does exactly what timber-frame construction usually does for sound: the exposed wood beams and stone give the reception space a warm, present tone rather than a flat, sterile one, while the open waterfront gazebo across the property handles the ceremony sound completely differently, out in the open air with the lake as backdrop.