This winery is home to ‘Pinot the Pig’ — and it was named the best in SC. Here’s why

Screengrab from the City Scape Winery Facebook page

The South Carolina countryside is home to the state’s top-ranking winery — and a mascot with a pink snout.

City Scape Winery in Pelzer was named the best place for wine production in the Palmetto State, according to results published June 15.

The winery boats the mascot Pinot the Pig, a swine that has gotten decked out for special occasions, shown up to a wine tasting and delighted visitors who later left reviews on the restaurant review website Yelp.

To create the winery rankings, Yelp studied wine-making businesses in each state. It “then ranked those spots using a number of factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews” over time, results show.

City Scape was the highest-scoring place in South Carolina after it earned five out of five stars on Yelp. Some users raved that the business offered quality customer service in a setting that overlooks grapevines. Others couldn’t get enough of the more than a dozen types of wine, including Pinot Grigio.

“Our Pinot Grigio is dry and delightful with hints of citrus fruits and peaches,” the business wrote on its website. “Crisp, refreshing, and so good that we named our winery mascot Pinot the Pig after it!”

If you’re not a fan of white wines, the City Scape website also lists red and dessert wines. The winery describes itself as a “craft winery and vineyard focused on producing high-quality small batches of local, innovative wines you can’t find anywhere else.”

The family-run business — which also offers wine-making tools — is based in Pelzer, roughly 15 miles southeast of Greenville.

“City Scape Winery was started as a small urban winery overlooking the Greenville Skyline,” the business wrote on Yelp. “In 2008 the winery was bought and moved out to the country, where a vineyard could be planted.”

Josh and Deb Jones had a wine-making pastime before taking over the winery in 2015. The move made them the “youngest winery owners in the southeast,” according to the City Scape website.

It’s not the first time a hobby led someone into a venture that earned statewide recognition.

In May, a Charleston-area brewery was named No. 1 in South Carolina. Its owner started brewing years earlier in a fraternity house, McClatchy News reported.

This ice cream shop ranks as best in SC. Why North Myrtle Beach fans can’t get enough