Wine Tasting on the Grand Strand: Vineyards and Wineries Near North Myrtle Beach

Most people don’t pack a corkscrew when they head to North Myrtle Beach. They pack sunscreen and sandals, maybe a good novel, and the kind of loose intentions that belong to a place where the main agenda is the ocean and the rest is negotiable. The wine can wait. Or so the thinking goes.

And yet, tucked between the golf courses and the seafood shacks and the long afternoon light on the water, the Grand Strand has quietly built a wine scene worth knowing about. Not Napa, not the Finger Lakes — but genuine, rooted, often surprising: working wineries producing muscadine wines from vines that have been in the ground for generations, tasting rooms staffed by people who take real pleasure in walking a stranger through a pour, and a vineyard in Little River that has spent more than two decades turning a former tobacco plantation into one of the most beloved afternoon destinations on the Carolina coast.

Whether you are staying in Cherry Grove Beach, Ocean Drive, or anywhere along the coastline, a wine afternoon is easier to arrange than you might think — and a good deal more memorable than another round of mini-golf. Here is a complete guide to the vineyards and wine tasting venues on the Grand Strand.

The Muscadine: The South’s Native Grape

Before you visit a single tasting room, it helps to know the grape. The muscadine is the wine grape of the American South — thick-skinned, deeply aromatic, and specifically adapted to the heat and humidity of the coastal Carolinas. It does not want to be Cabernet Sauvignon. What it wants to be, and what it does exceptionally well in the right hands, is itself: fruit-forward, often sweet, unmistakably Southern in character.

Muscadine wines have been made in the Carolinas for centuries — they are what the early colonists drank when European varietals refused to take root in this climate. That history gives them a legitimacy that has nothing to do with Napa or Bordeaux and everything to do with a landscape that has its own logic. The wines produced from muscadine grapes today range from bone-dry to dessert-sweet, from light and crisp to dark and jammy, depending on the winemaker’s approach and the specific cultivar. What links them is a sense of place that is genuinely and unmistakably regional.

A visitor who arrives expecting Napa will be confused. A visitor who arrives curious and open-minded will almost certainly leave with a bottle — or two — of something they have never tasted anywhere else.

La Belle Amie Vineyard — Little River

If there is one wine destination on the Grand Strand that demands its own category, it is La Belle Amie. Located at 1120 Saint Joseph Road in Little River — about 30 minutes north of Myrtle Beach — this 40-acre property was once a tobacco plantation and is now one of the most beloved afternoon destinations on the South Carolina coast. The name means “the beautiful friend” in French, a nod to the Bellamy family’s origins, and the property has been in the family for generations. It opened as a vineyard in 2000 and has been drawing visitors from across the Grand Strand ever since.

The vines themselves are the foundation. Some of the muscadine vines on the property are more than 150 years old, which is a remarkable thing to stand next to while holding a glass of something made from their fruit. La Belle Amie produces its wines under the Twisted Sisters label — a lineup that leans playful in its naming (you will find bottles called “Bless Her Heart,” “Southern Gentleman,” and “Island Mama” alongside more traditionally styled selections) while taking the winemaking itself seriously. The range runs from dry reds and whites to dessert-sweet varietals, with something for nearly every preference.

What distinguishes La Belle Amie from a tasting room is the event experience built around it. The vineyard is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday brings Wine on the Decks — a relaxed midday gathering with wine, shade, and an acoustic performance in an intimate setting. Saturdays feature live Festival Concerts under the property’s ancient oak trees, with full bands covering everything from classic rock to beach music, food vendors, and the kind of loose, unhurried afternoon that the South does better than anywhere.

Both events are family-friendly and welcome guests of all ages, with non-alcoholic beverages available for non-drinkers and younger visitors. Wine tastings are available throughout the day for an additional fee. Wednesday admission starts at $4; Saturday admission starts at $12, with tickets purchased online in advance running cheaper than gate prices.

A few things to know before you go: bring a lawn chair, bring your own wine glass (the vineyard does not provide disposable drinkware, though glasses are available in the gift shop), and arrive early — parking is free but fills quickly on busy Saturday afternoons. Outside food and beverages, including water, are not permitted on the property, and the policy is consistently enforced. The vineyard typically closes for part of the winter season, so check the official website at labelleamie.com for current hours before making the drive.

Address: 1120 Saint Joseph Road, Little River, SC 29566  |  Phone: (843) 399-9463  |  Hours: Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (seasonal)

Duplin Winery — Barefoot Landing, North Myrtle Beach

If La Belle Amie is the pastoral heart of the Grand Strand wine experience, Duplin Winery is its most polished expression. The flagship operation is in Rose Hill, North Carolina, where two brothers named Dan and David Fussell began making wine in the 1970s and built what became the oldest and largest winery in the South. The North Myrtle Beach location, opened in 2015 by the second generation of Fussell brothers, brings that heritage to a 15,000-square-foot facility adjacent to Barefoot Landing — with multiple tasting rooms, a hand-bottling area, a retail shop, and an outdoor patio overlooking a pond.

The wine lineup runs close to 40 varieties, almost all muscadine-based, with names that range from the evocative — Hatteras Red, Midnight Magnolia, Queen Anne’s Revenge — to the outright whimsical. The wines lean sweet, which is a feature rather than a flaw for most visitors; Duplin has built its following on muscadines that taste like the South on a warm afternoon, approachable and generous and not remotely interested in challenging anyone.

The tasting experience here is more structured than La Belle Amie’s — Duplin’s Deluxe Tasting ($18) walks guests through at least eight preselected wines with the guidance of a knowledgeable associate, includes gourmet cheese dip and crackers, and finishes with a full pour of your favorite selection. A wine flight of four wines runs $20; a wine and cheese flight is $28. For those who want to go deeper, Duplin offers a virtual tour of its Rose Hill wine-making facility followed by a hands-on hand-bottling experience ($25), where you bottle and seal your own keepsake to take home. No reservations are required for tastings or tours.

Non-drinkers and younger guests are not left out — Duplin produces alcohol-free frozen Sweetzers that let everyone participate in the experience. Live music plays on the outdoor patio on Fridays and Saturdays and daily during peak summer season.

Address: 4650 Highway 17 South, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582  |  Phone: (843) 663-1710  |  Hours: Monday–Thursday noon–6 p.m., Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday closed (verify current hours at duplinwinery.com)

Carolina Vineyards Winery — Barefoot Landing, North Myrtle Beach

Just steps from Duplin Winery within Barefoot Landing’s waterfront complex sits Carolina Vineyards Winery — a genuinely working winery that relocated from Chester, South Carolina in 2005 and brought four decades of winemaking tradition with it. Founded in 1985 by Tim and Carrie Walker, Carolina Vineyards produces wines from a wide range of South Carolina-grown fruits: muscadine and scuppernong grapes, yes, but also peach, blueberry, elderberry, and more, alongside traditional varietal wines including merlot and chardonnay.

The breadth of the lineup is one of Carolina Vineyards’ strongest calling cards — the selection runs to more than 65 wines covering a full spectrum from bone-dry to sinfully sweet, which means visitors with varying palates are more likely to find something that genuinely suits them than at venues with a narrower range. A tasting of seven wines runs $6, an honest price for the introduction it provides. Military personnel and first responders receive a 10% discount.

Reviews consistently mention the warmth and personality of the staff — regulars become attached to specific pourers, and the tasting room atmosphere leans more like a neighborhood gathering than a formal wine education. Walk-ins are welcome. Located at Windy Hill‘s doorstep, it makes a natural pairing with the rest of Barefoot Landing’s shops and restaurants for a full afternoon out.

Address: 4992 Highway 17 South, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582  |  Phone: (843) 361-9181  |  Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–7 p.m.

Coastal Wine Boutique — Barefoot Landing, North Myrtle Beach

The third wine venue within the Barefoot Landing complex is Coastal Wine Boutique — a wine bar and tasting room at 4884 Highway 17 South that takes a broader, more global approach than its neighbors. While Duplin and Carolina Vineyards are rooted in Southern muscadines, Coastal Wine Boutique’s selection spans a wider range of styles and regions, making it a natural stop for visitors who want to explore beyond the regional signature grape.

Tastings here are affordable — seven pours for $5 — and reviewers consistently highlight the cozy atmosphere and the staff’s ability to read a visitor’s preferences and guide their selections accordingly. Wine slushies, including a chocolate raspberry variety that has developed something of a cult following, add a coastal-vacation playfulness to the experience. The boutique is open seven days a week, making it the most consistently available option in the Barefoot Landing wine corridor and a reliable choice for guests who happen to be browsing the complex and want to add a tasting to their afternoon.

Address: 4884 Highway 17 South, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582  |  Phone: (843) 273-0969  |  Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–7 p.m.

Coastal Vino — The Market Common, Myrtle Beach

For the wine lover who prefers something quieter and more curated, Coastal Vino at The Market Common is a different kind of experience entirely. This is not a working winery or a tasting room in the regional tradition — it is a specialty wine shop run by an owner who knows his wines with a depth that reflects years of focused sourcing rather than volume production. The selection is built around small family estates and independent vineyards from around the world, with an emphasis on genuine value and interesting varietals that don’t typically turn up in the standard beach-vacation retail orbit.

Located at 926 C Iris Street in the Soho District of The Market Common — Myrtle Beach’s urban walkable district built on the grounds of the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base — Coastal Vino hosts free Saturday tastings, a monthly wine club dinner held at a rotating restaurant in the Myrtle Beach area, and private wine events including tastings at your rental, home, office, or event space. For guests staying in an oceanfront home or oceanfront condo and looking for a private tasting experience to bring to their group, Coastal Vino is the most natural contact to make.

Hours are more limited than the Barefoot Landing venues, so planning ahead is advisable. But for guests who love wine with the same seriousness the owner brings to selecting it, this shop repays the planning.

Address: 926 C Iris Street, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577  |  Phone: (843) 808-9689  |  Hours: Wednesday–Saturday 2–7 p.m., closed Sunday–Tuesday

Planning Your Grand Strand Wine Day

The simplest Grand Strand wine itinerary divides neatly into two geographic nodes. Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach — close to Crescent Beach and easily accessible from all points along the Grand Strand — puts Duplin Winery, Carolina Vineyards, and Coastal Wine Boutique within easy walking distance of each other. Visitors who enjoy exploring multiple styles in a single outing will find a natural self-guided tasting trail within the complex, pairing well with lunch at one of Barefoot Landing’s many restaurants.

For guests who want the vineyard experience — the actual land, the old vines, the outdoor music, the sense of being somewhere that has been doing this for generations — La Belle Amie in Little River is the destination. Plan for a Wednesday or Saturday, buy your tickets online in advance, pack your own glass and a lawn chair, and allow an entire afternoon. The drive north from North Myrtle Beach takes under 30 minutes and passes through some of the quieter, more rural portions of the Grand Strand that most vacationers never see.

A few practical notes: all tasting venues require participants to be 21 and older with valid ID. Parking is free at all Grand Strand wine locations. Hours vary by season at La Belle Amie especially, so confirming before you go is worth the two minutes. And if you fall genuinely in love with a bottle, several venues will pack it carefully enough to take home — or ship, for those who plan ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions