A slice of paradise: A refined resort featuring a winery, restaurant, miniature zoo and more nestled in Bladen County

By Stephanie Meador, posted Jul 18, 2023 on BizFayetteville.com

Cape Fear Vineyard & Winery launched their first distilled spirits in 2017 - PHOTO PROVIDED BY CAPE FEAR VINEYARD & WINERY

Alex Munroe is the owner of Cape Fear Vineyard & Winery, a 14-acre resort featuring a winery, distillery, museum, restaurant, tasting room, spa, event space and an art gallery located at 195 Vineyard Drive in Elizabethtown.

After keeping an eye on the unused property for a while, Munroe approached the head of economic development for Bladen County, Chuck Heustess, and ended up acquiring the property a day before its foreclosure.

Unsure of next steps for his new piece of land, Munroe asked Heustess what the community could benefit from: “He [Heustess] said Elizabethtown needed a great restaurant and more lodging, events facility and that type of thing. So that’s kind of what I started doing,” remarked Munroe.

Munroe shared that they actually won a national award for renovation of a rural property following their efforts to rehabilitate the original building on the land.

Munroe opened Cape Fear Vineyard & Winery in 2014 and the space has been growing ever since.

“I started off with the restaurant and three cottages and said, ‘Well, if it doesn’t work, at least I’ll have a place to bring my friends and hang out at a beautiful property,’ and so I built three [cottages] and I started working and people started coming and we started doing weddings and events and it caught on and now I’m up to 19 rooms with more on the way,” shared Munroe.

They have a team of about 55 people composed of both full-time and part-time employees. The venue boasts a number of attractions with activities and amenities that cater to all ages.

“It’s kind of become a little resort–a little boutique resort. We have a great day spa. We have a beautiful art gallery and gift shop …We’ve got 19 rooms now. [We] have the beautiful gazebo down on the lake that’ll hold about 250 people for weddings. And we have an award-winning restaurant, the distillery, where we do day tours and tastings, and we’ve got an event center–a 4,000 square foot event center, indoor and outdoor dining and one of the largest celebrity art collections anywhere in the country…”

There is also a petting zoo where guests can pet and feed animals like miniature horses, miniature donkeys, miniature llamas, peacocks, geese, ducks, rabbits and even a little wallaby named Gracie. A lot of people come from neighboring counties and cities for a fun getaway, whether that be a day trip or an overnight stay in one of the cottages.

In 2017, the business expanded to launch their distilled spirits. Munroe shared that they came out with a gin first because it was relatively easy to make and ended up submitting it to national competitions and winning several awards for it. Since then they’ve added to their supply and now offer rum, whiskey, bourbon and more.

Their Gamefish Vodka™ is the result of a partnership with international marine wildlife artist, Steve Goione who designed the label. In keeping with their maritime theme, the company also launched BillFish Tequila™. For this spirit they partnered with The Billfish Foundation to dedicate a percentage of their proceeds to the foundation which is the largest Billfish tag and release program in the world.

In addition to selling their spirits on site, customers can also purchase Cape Fear Winery’s drinks at most ABC Liquor stores across the state.

As Bladen County continues to grow as a whole, Munroe shared some plans he has to continue expanding his business.

Munroe confirmed that they plan to build a second distillery that is even larger than their current one within the next two years. With working drawings for the facility already made, Munroe said that just a few final decisions remain before they can move forward with the action. They also hope to build about 15 more cottages with construction on the first of these beginning this coming fall.

The summer season is always busy for those in the hospitality industry. Munroe shared about some of the events they’ve got coming up for guests to enjoy.

“We have some great concerts coming up. We have the Roots and Boots tour, featuring Sammy Kershaw and Aaron Tipton. They’re coming in on July 23. Then we have Uncle Kracker coming at the end of the summer,” shared Munroe.

In addition to these pop up events they’ve got weekly specials related to food and drinks that guests can enjoy.

Their offerings change almost weekly and guests can keep up with special events and offers on the company’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/ capefearwinery.

When he first started out, Munroe said he could not have predicted the growth and success his business would have.

“...People look back on it and sometimes, I look back on it and people say ‘When you started doing this, I thought–we thought you were crazy.’ But nobody told me at the time of course…But as I look back on it now I say ‘It was kind of crazy,’ but it’s been working so I’m blessed in that regard. Had a lot of local support and business support, that type of thing. So it’s meant a lot,” remarked Munroe.

The company’s website www. capefearwinery.com includes more information about amenities provided at the resort as well as further details about the company’s history and how to book a visit to this Bladen County gem.

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