Published by Ashe County Livery — the High Country transportation company that drives these roads every week
This guide isn't run by a tech startup or a tourism board. It's published by Ashe County Livery — a family-owned transportation company based in West Jefferson, NC, that's been moving people safely through these mountains since 2022.
Founded by James and Dana Armstrong, ACL started with airport transfers and quickly grew into the High Country's go-to transportation service for wine tours, weddings, and everything in between.
We drive visitors to these wineries every week, so we know which roads are gravel, which tasting rooms close early, and which weekends are packed. This site is where we put that down in writing — free, no booking required.
"We've been driving these mountain wine roads for years. Most visitors have no idea this wine country is up here."
— James Armstrong, Founder
After hundreds of private wine tours through the High Country, we kept hearing the same thing from visitors: "We didn't know there were wineries up here," and "We want to visit more than one, but the mountain roads make it hard to get around — especially after tasting."
The problem was clear. The NC High Country has seven incredible wineries, but there was no safe, easy way to visit multiple wineries in a day. No Uber up here. No taxis. Winding two-lane roads with no cell service. Visitors were either limiting themselves to one winery or designating a driver who missed the experience.
So we wrote the guide we wished existed: every winery in the Appalachian High Country AVA, what the region is actually like, when to come, and how to get between tasting rooms on roads with no rideshare coverage. When a group wants a driver, we run private wine tours — but the information here is free either way.
"We get you there safely. The wineries pour the magic."
From airport runs to the High Country's busiest private wine tour operation.
James and Dana Armstrong launch ACL in West Jefferson, NC, starting with premium airport transfer service to Charlotte, Asheville, and regional airports.
Guests start asking about wine country. We add private wine tours to the Yadkin Valley and local High Country wineries — groups of 2 to 14 in luxury SUVs and Sprinter shuttles.
ACL becomes a top wedding shuttle provider in the NC mountains — serving 40+ venues from Mount Airy to Leicester with guest shuttles, bridal party transport, and getaway cars.
After hundreds of private wine tours through these mountains, we publish the Appalachian High Country Wine Trail as a visitor's guide to the region — the wineries, the roads, the seasons — because most people still don't know this wine country exists.
This guide is published by a full-service transportation company — here's everything else we do.
Custom wine tours for 2–14 guests. Yadkin Valley, High Country, and Asheville area wineries. Your itinerary, your pace.
Learn more →Guest shuttles, bridal party transport, and getaway cars for 40+ NC mountain venues. Booked by the best planners in the region.
Learn more →Premium transfers to Charlotte (CLT), Asheville (AVL), Greensboro (GSO), Tri-Cities (TRI), and more from anywhere in the High Country.
Learn more →Executive transportation and group shuttles for business events, retreats, and corporate outings in the mountains.
Learn more →Blue Ridge Parkway tours, night-on-the-town packages, holiday shuttles, and custom transportation for any occasion.
Learn more →Every ride — whether it's a private wine tour, an airport transfer, or a wedding — is operated under full North Carolina for-hire passenger transportation compliance.
Every vehicle in our fleet carries North Carolina For-Hire license plates — registered and inspected for commercial passenger service.
Every passenger on every ride is covered by $1.5 million in CSL insurance. No gaps. No exclusions.
We pay the NC Transportation Commerce Tax required of legitimate for-hire carriers.
For wineries and venues: partnering with an unlicensed or improperly insured transportation provider is a liability risk. If a company uses personal plates and a personal auto policy, the insurer may deny coverage after a serious incident — leaving your guests and your reputation exposed. ACL eliminates that risk entirely.
The family behind Ashe County Livery and this guide.
James Armstrong brings 30+ years of corporate experience and prior experience running a luxury transportation service in South Florida. When he and Dana moved to the NC mountains, they saw a clear gap — visitors and locals alike needed reliable, professional transportation in a region where rideshare barely exists and mountain roads demand experienced drivers.
What started as airport runs quickly grew into a full-service operation covering wine tours, weddings, and corporate events. This guide grew out of that work — hundreds of private wine tours through mountains most visitors never knew held vineyards.
Based in: West Jefferson, NC (Ashe County) · Serving: The entire NC High Country and beyond
Corrections to this guide, a winery that belongs on it, or a trip you want driven — we'd love to hear from you.