My final stop on my way to Kansas City was in the town of Hermann in Missouri. It’s a cute Germanesque town about 3 hours from Kansas City. I decided to stop because the place is well known in the Midwest for its wineries. I drove into town and felt like I was in a German village! I pulled into my hotel in the center of town, the Hermann Crown Suites. As I walked into the hotel, I got the feeling that I was actually in Germany. Everyone was friendly and helpful. I asked if the hotel had a bar. I needed a glass of wine after my long drive. The woman at the desk pointed to a set of stairs leading to the basement and told me it was down the staircase. As I walked down the stairs, I noticed that the walls were stone. It was very cool and kind of ominous. The bar was long and made of heavy wood with many years of stories in it. In the corner of the bar, they had wine bottles on display from 1983, vintage bottles of Spätlese and Liebfraumilch. I felt like I was in an old cellar…. Pretty awesome place!

In the morning, I went in search of coffee to start my day. This town was small but I found a great coffee shop (Stompin’ Grounds) and an interesting looking brewery (Tin Mill Brewery) and distillery (Black Shire Distillery). As I made my way out of town, I knew where I had to visit. My winery destination for today was the Adam Puchta Winery. It is the oldest continually family owned winery in the country. It’s celebrating 150 years of operation. That’s quite an accomplishment so I had to go and check it out. I walked into the tasting room right at 11am and was the only taster there. It was a weekday, so I wasn’t very surprised. The tasting room staff was very knowledgeable, and we jumped right into the tasting. Like the other wineries I visited, they offered a variety of whites, reds, rosés and ports ranging from dry to very sweet. I did a dry tasting of 6 wines: Vidal Banc (dry, light, crisp white), Chardonel (light oak, dry and crisp white), Cellar Select Norton, 2014 Estate Norton, 2013 Estate Norton, and Situation Red (rich, earthy, cherry and cranberry Chambourcin red). I had to do a comparison tasting of the Nortons since Missouri is known for its Norton grapes (full bodied, oaky, bold blackberry and black cherry, spice). I really enjoyed all of the selections I made but my biggest surprise was the Chambourcin. I’m not typically a fan of this red wine but this one piqued my interest and I bought a bottle. Overall, it was a really great experience here. www.adampuchtawine.com

Once I arrived in Kansas City, I decided to check out a couple of the wine centric places here. My first stop was at Tannin Wine Bar in downtown Kansas City. It’s a wine bar to check out. They have a wonderful charcuterie board and a roasted red pepper hummus to die for! Plus, one of the city’s best wine selections. You can get a tasting, a flight of tastings, a glass or a bottle. I prefer to do a flight so that I can try the many different wines they offer. This night, I got a Dry Riesling from Germany , a Sauvignon Blanc from Loire France, a Pinot Noir from Oregon and a Tempranillo Blend from Spain. Every one was great and paired really well with my various appetizers: Local Heirloom Tomato Salad, Charcuterie and the hummus. Delicious! Check them out. www.tanninwinebar.com

Then, later in the week a went to a local vineyard and winery for a tasting. Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery is in Platte County and is the first “green” winery in Missouri. According to the Jowler Creek website, “For Jowler Creek, being green means making choices throughout the year to positively impact our environment, being efficient with the resources we have available, and improving our wine quality to sustain our business”. The vineyards are away from the mainstream and the atmosphere is relaxing. You can sit outside at the tables and enjoy their wines. They have been around as a winery since 2006 and have a large variety of wines available for tasting. I got a tasting of 9 wines grown locally including Chambourcin, Chardonel, and Norton with a port wine to finish. They also have a lovely picnic area and offer bread, sausage and cheese sacks along with various other snacks. In the evenings, check out their event listings. www.jowlercreek.com

As an FYI, all of the wineries that I visited in my travels to Kansas City were vigilant about wearing masks, social distancing, making reservations on weekend to limit the number of people doing tastings, and sanitizing after each guest. Kudos to the wine industry for their continued safety measures!

It was a fun adventure and a long drive but it was nice to visit some of the vineyards and wineries off the beaten path. Check out some of the unique wineries in your local area. You could be pleasantly surprised!

Thank you for taking this trip along with me. Cheers!