Located on Sheep Creek Road in Bedford, Bedford County, Peaks of Otter is a small, fruit-wine oriented winery opened in 1995 on Danny and Nancy Johnson’s long-time family farm.
Wine. Tier III. Extensive list of fruit-based wines, including Apple Truffle, Blackberry Cobbler, Blueberry Muffin, Mango Tango, Puff (apple and dragonfruit), and Strawberry Shortcake, among others. The Blue Ridge Mountain Grape wine uses Concord grapes. Two wines you won’t find anywhere else: Chili Dawg (made from chili peppers and apples) and Kiss the Devil (made apparently from thirty kinds of peppers).
Setting. Wine tastings are in the farm store, set in the farm’s extensive orchards. Low-cost wine tastings: free for a taste of three, or $5 for up to twenty. Danny Johnson is said to be a good storyteller. Everyone likes the winery’s historical marker (“On this site in 1897, Nothing Happened”). The winery offers its own jams, jellies and sauces. There is guesthouse, Elmo’s Rest, available for rentals.
Stories. Natural Virginia: the Peaks of Otter. The Peaks of Otter are three mountain peaks in the Blue Ridge, overlooking the town of Bedford: Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill. Manmade Abbott Lake lies in the valley between the three peaks, behind the Peaks of Otter Lodge and restaurant. These iconic mountains are among the best-known in Virginia today. Archaeological evidence under Abbott Lake indicates that Native Americans have been visiting the Peaks of Otter for at least 8,000 years for hunting, travel, and rest. The Otter River, for which the peaks are probably named, starts nearby. The Johnson family arrived in the 1870s, when the first resort lodge was built here. Stones from the peaks were sent to Washington and became part of the Washington Monument. The Peaks of Otter had become a popular tourist destination by the early 1900s. The National Parks Service preserves the peaks and lake as part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Today the Peaks of Otter is best known as a hiking destination along the Blue Ridge, with the Peaks of Otter Trail offering 12 miles of hikes and taking one to a 360-degree view atop Sharp Top Mountain. The cliffs at Buzzards’ Roost also offer spectacular views. The National Parks runs a small visitor center at the old Johnson Farm on the reserve; Danny Johnson, on whose farm Peaks of Otter Winery sits, is a descendant of this family. Lodging can be had either at a campground, or at the Peaks of Otter Lodge.