Traveling along the road for more than a few hours can be very boring and can lower your energy level. Thank goodness for podcasts, music and the occasional stop at a winery to try some of the wines in a new region of the US. I recently made such a trip and my first stop for the evening was in Hamburg, a small town in upstate New York.
The winery is Ten Thousand Vines and is located on Main Street in the center of Hamburg. According to Mike Ditonto, “Chief Bottle Washer”, the winery is a micro winery. He imports his grapes from around the world and has a small winery where he makes his wine. He produces over 50 unique varieties. The winery itself is housed in an old firehouse and jail. Mike offers winemaking classes a few times a year and sells winemaking kits in the retail store. The tasting room is set up with small tables and a bar. I got a wine tasting flight of dry wines along with a locally sourced charcuterie plate. The pairings were great, and the wine was an interesting combination of whites from New Zealand to California and the reds were from Italy, Australia and California. In your travels, if you find yourself in Hamburg, NY, check out Ten Thousand Vines for a unique tasting experience!
The next winery I visited was more of a traditional vineyard with winery and tasting room located in Overland Park, Kansas. Aubrey Vineyards was a wonderful wine tasting experience. They recently completed a new tasting room complete with outdoor seating, an indoor tasting room with couches and tables, and an array of their locally sourced wines. The reds ranged from a semi-sweet Catawba to a dry Norton. On the white end of the spectrum, a semi-dry Vidal Blanc to a sweet Honey wine. They also offer a dry rosé made from Chambourcin grapes. If you have a sweet tooth, try their dessert wines or the semi-sweet sparkling wines.
The day that I was there was beautiful weather so sitting outside with my tasting was definitely the way to go! It was a relaxing, fun tasting, and the wines were complex and each one had a different personality. It’s interesting to think about the different varietals of grapes that grown in the US and how the terroir comes through in each wine. Try and not relax at this oasis in Kansas…I dare you!
The last winery I visited was Cooper’s Hawk winery in the center of the Plaza area of Kansas City, Missouri. This particular winery has over 35 tasting room locations! The winery itself is located in Woodridge, Illinois. The winery sources grapes from all over the world in order to create over 50 varietals of artisanal wines! The Cooper’s Hawk winery locations not only house their exceptional tasting rooms but also modern restaurants that offer American cuisine from their scratch kitchens. I’ve been to the Cooper’s Hawk winery several times and I’m always impressed with their wines, food and ambiance. My favorite wine is the Lux Pinot Noir, a light, dry peppery Pinot that is a lovely garnet color. It is amazingly delicious with their grilled salmon!
If you find a Cooper’s Hawk winery near where you are or where you’re traveling to, definitely go do a tasting and stay for the delicious meal. By the way, if you’re a chocolate lover, they have an amazing array of chocolate truffles!
Enjoy your travels!