Gatlinburg Goes Full Fruit-Forward, No Apologies
· Gatlinburg · Winery and Tasting Room · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Bootleggers Homemade Wine’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list at Bootleggers is exactly five wines deep, all made in-house, and none of them are pretending to be anything other than what they are: homemade fruit wines from the Smokies. If you walked in expecting a Burgundy flight, you took a wrong turn somewhere around Pigeon Forge. But if you're curious and open, there's something genuinely fun happening here.
All five labels are Bootleggers originals — Redneck Reserve, Red Raspberry Moscato, Blackberry Wine, Blueberry Pie, and Carnival Candy. This is unambiguously fruit wine country: no vinifera varietals, no appellations, no vintage dating. What it does offer is a coherent, house-made identity that most tourist-strip tasting rooms completely lack. The range hits sweet, sweeter, and sweetest, so if you're hunting for a dry red, this isn't your stop — but that's not the point.
Glass pour options and pricing aren't publicly documented, so we can't verify the pour program in detail. Given the tasting room format, expect some version of a flight or sample setup alongside bottle sales — standard for this style of operation.
The Bottom Line
Bootleggers is a Gatlinburg curiosity worth a stop if you're already in town and in the right headspace — which is to say, relaxed, not taking yourself too seriously, and maybe still a little sunburned from the afternoon. Don't come looking for a serious wine program; do come if you want to try something local, weird, and made with actual intent.
Downtown Parkway · Gatlinburg · Cajun, Seafood, American
Come for the crawfish and the balcony view, skip the wine list entirely — or grab a $6 Pinot Grigio and make peace with it. This is a cocktail-and-beer spot that happens to have a few bottles of grocery store wine on the menu.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Parkway Rooftop · Gatlinburg · Mexican, Tex-Mex
Loco Burro is a great spot for a frozen margarita on a Smoky Mountain rooftop — the wine list is just not the reason you're here, and no one pretends otherwise. Order a cocktail, enjoy the view, and save your serious wine curiosity for a different night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Parkway · Gatlinburg · Pizza, American, Bar
Mellow Mushroom Gatlinburg is a genuinely fun spot for pizza and a cold beer — lean into that and you'll have a great time. The wine list, though, is an afterthought dressed up as a menu section, and no amount of hippie décor changes that math.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Newman Road / Hillside · Gatlinburg · Upscale Steakhouse & American Fine Dining
The Greenbrier is doing exactly what a fine dining steakhouse in a national park tourist corridor should do with wine — keeping it approachable, stocking names people recognize, and not getting too weird about it. It's not a wine destination, but it won't embarrass itself either; send a friend who wants a solid Cab with a great steak and a mountain view.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Parkway / Elks Plaza · Gatlinburg · Italian
The Best Italian's wine list does exactly what it needs to do: keep casual diners happy, not drain wallets, and get out of the way of the garlic knots. We wouldn't drive to Gatlinburg for the wine, but if you're already there and want something decent with dinner, you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Parkway · Gatlinburg · Winery Tasting Room
Tennessee Homemade Wines isn't trying to be a serious wine destination and it's better for it — this is a fun, honest, local-first tasting room that delivers exactly what Gatlinburg visitors are actually looking for. Send your friends here if they want a taste of Appalachian winemaking culture, not if they're chasing a Riedel-and-Rhône experience.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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