Denny and Shannon Lazar started the Elkin Vine Line in early 2020. A Navy fighter pilot in his former life, Denny leverages a robust background in operations and logistics in running the Vine Line. Shannon, besides being a loving wife and mother, has also shouldered the weighty responsibilities of the default “Mom” to hundreds of families during extended deployments. A consummate hostess, Shannon tends to everyone as if they were her own family while bringing a radiant, hospitable energy to the Vine Line when greeting newcomers at their Station in downtown Elkin.

Together, Denny & Shannon saw a great opportunity to do three things with the business they started:

1. Take care of the people visiting the area and help them safely explore wine country.

2. Help the local wineries and owners they appreciate by bringing customers to their front doors.

3. Promote their awesome little town of Elkin and help highlight it as the centerpoint of North Carolina’s fastest growing wine region.

In their own words:

“We met so many people out and about in wine country that shared the same challenges we did when we first arrived; not knowing where all the wineries were in relation to each other and how best to visit them all along the beautiful but unfamiliar back roads in the area. Of course, there was the big safety issue of driving to them ourselves and it usually meant one of us would have to be the designated driver. Those factors, and our desire to help other people with these issues, helped hatch the Elkin Vine Line concept; an idea that took shape (as many of the best ones do!): on the back of bar napkins, among several enthusiastic friends, and, as you would expect, over many glasses of excellent NC wine!

We decided early on that we wanted to operate differently from other wine tour services. There are already plenty of great businesses out there that offer private tour packages for larger groups and visit the wineries of their choice. We wanted to create more of a standardized, all-inclusive transportation model that efficiently moved amongst the wineries and accomodated larger numbers of people regardless of group size.

So we created a little transportation system that runs on a timetable along preset Lines - very much like a train, trolley or bus. This makes it easier and more predictable for everyone. Our riders simply select the Line they want without figuring out or negotiating a route and itinerary, our drivers are completely familiar with their Lines, and our wineries know when and how many to expect.

The Elkin Vine Line and its Winery Hopper operating model is the result of those efforts. Since our start in 2020, we’ve had over 4,000 people explore this gorgeous wine country with us. We hope you also enjoy what we’ve created and join us for your own winery hopping adventure!

Cheers!”