The beauty and rich history of Norris Lake have continued to bring new community members to Union County and the surrounding area for years. Many newcomers bring new opportunities and added beauty to the area that holds many summer memories from years past.
For Matt and Jodi Fleck, this is just the beginning of a story they share with many others. Matt grew up visiting Norris Lake with his family as a child and later began to visit with his wife and children.
Just a little over two years ago, the Fleck family decided to make their mark here in Tennessee by purchasing a piece of property that they like to call a hidden gem in the heart of East Tennessee.
The purchase of what is now known as Copper Top Estates on Loyston Point Road came with a vision of building a destination farm winery and venue. They will be sharing East Tennessee with visitors in their tasting room as well as allowing couples to make lifelong memories on their wedding days.
“Our winery is unique in that it offers amazing 360-degree views of Norris Lake and the Smoky Mountains,” Matt said.
“When you’re on the property with the views and contour of the land it gives you a Tuscany feel. It’s a special place.”
Currently, Fleck is anticipating his first grape crop which was planted in April of this year. Their first acre of vineyard includes catawba and cuyahoga varietals. Once the grapes are harvested the Flecks plan to make their first wine. In the next few years, they plan to use outside grape sources for production.
Typically the type of grape that is used to make a wine gives the wine its name, for instance, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, while some wines are blends of various types of wines such as Semillon Chardonnay.
“The blending of various wines to produce a given flavor is a part of the art of winemaking,” Fleck said. “Every bottle of wine is unique, and every person has a different taste for each variety of wine. Making the first bottle of wine from our vineyard will be very special.”
Once becoming established, they plan to sell and provide tastings in their tasting room as part of their venue. To start, the Flecks plan to have a variety of four red and white wines available to visitors.
Along with the vineyard, they plan to have an orchard and produce fruit that can be sold onsite and used in their wines.
The Loyston at Copper Top Estates, named after Loyston Point, offers a spacious venue facility for celebrations visitors will remember for many years. For more information on visiting the winery or scheduling an event, community members can visit https://www.theloystonatcoppertop.com/.