On a warm Saturday in January, we decided to work on our New Year’s Resolution to hike more and set out to hike bluff trail on Lookout Mountain. Then, I though to continue the fun day we could have pizza and wine at Lookout Mountain Winery. I had no idea that the winery wasn’t on Lookout Mountain, but a short drive away in Guild, TN. The first thing you notice when you get to the winery, after you drive up a narrow driveway, is the gorgeous view. Unfortunately there was cloud cover they day we dined there, I can just imagine how gorgeous the sunsets are here.
We walked through the inside dining room area and past the tasting room for a table out on the balcony. We began to peruse the menu. I love that they keep it totally simple, you get wine, you get pizza, you get gelato for dessert. What more do you need? I also love that the wine comes by the bottle, they offer to seal it for you if you don’t finish it, so that you can take it home. We settled on The Italian Trio bottle of red and had The Tuscany as our pizza.
First the wine. I have to admit that we weren’t expecting much from a little winery in a small town in Tennessee. We’ve traveled to California, Oregon and Washington and have had our share of very nice wine. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the wine was excellent!! I think I overheard the server tell another customer that they source their grapes from the central coast, though I’m not positive. The wine was the perfect accompaniment for our pizza.
Next the pizza. One look and I knew it was going to be amazing. As you walk in (or out) of the restaurant, you walk by the pizza oven with it’s deep orange flames. That oven leaves it’s mark on the pizza with big uneven blistered bubbles on the dough. The pizza an imperfect hand shaped crust. The crust was thin, crispy and flavorful. The toppings were perfect, not too much, just right. The pizza, the wine, the view all add up to an amazing experience.
Right before we left, we snapped one more photo of the view. The sky was darkened with just a hint of pink. The perfect way to end the evening.
Nancy Frye says
September 18, 2018 at 5:10 pmPam I wish I could agree with you on this one.
My birthday was Saturday so my husband and I met my daughter and her husband there for dinner. I wish I could tell you the name of the young man who should have greeted us, but chose to continue washing glasses behind the bar and left us standing there for several minutes. When he finally acknowledged our presence, I explained that we were there for the first time and were waiting on another couple to arrive. He responded, so do you want the wine tasting? He did not smile, did not offer to show us to a table, acted like we were bothering him if anything. We walked out on to the deck and waited for our daughter and husband. We had to ask for ice water and he came back with 2 bottles of Deer Park and our dining experience went downhill from there. We ordered a bottle of Pino Grigio which was awful and 2 pizzas. Thank goodness a very sweet young lady came and took our orders. Pizza was mediocre, brick oven or not and it was served on cheap paper plates.
The view is beautiful but that is the only thing this place has going for it. With a little work and training for employees, this place could be an asset to this area. Unfortunately, I was scouting for a nice venue for our car club out of Atlanta and the owner just lost dinner for 60 people.
Pam Greer says
September 24, 2018 at 8:21 amIt’s been awhile since we went, it sounds like it went downhill!