Sampling Adult Beverages

 Missouri is wine country. Due to the right climate and soil, and the huge population of German settlers in the 1800's old country varietals flourish here as well as some rather unique to this area. Big city people might turn up their nose at Missouri wines, but that is fine. We'll enjoy them and keep the secret to ourselves!

And of course we had to sample a few beers along the way, and you can't go to Kentucky without trying Bourbon! 

Mark Twain Brewery

Located in Hannibal, we stopped in for a bite to eat and sampled their brews. They had some beer and a really great BBQ Nacho plate!

Cave Hollow West Winery

This was handily located right on the same property as the Mark Twain Campground where we stayed outside Hannibal, MO. They have a lovely patio, plenty of indoor seating as well, spread out for social distancing, and they encourage people to bring their own nibbles and sit and visit and enjoy a glass of wine. They have live music occasionally as well. 

My favorites here are:

Lil Red Caboose, Mark Twain Reserve and Traminette

Lake Creek Winery

A view to take your breath away, this winery sits on top of a hill and overlooks the wooded valley below. The Katy trail runs right along the highway here, and crosses the entrance to the winery. I imagine this is a favorite stop over for those hiking/biking the trail. Their tasting room was closed due to COVID but the day was beautiful and the patio large and comfortable to accommodate plenty of people. They also have live music on the weekends and offer a nice menu of nibbles and sandwiches to go with your wine tasting. I bought a bottle of their Dry Vignoles but the Chardonel was nice too.

Note to RV'ers: don't pull your trailer up the hill! Parking is not RV-friendly and there isn't much room to turn around. We made it, thanks to 4-wheel drive, but had to use several parking spots which didn't make the owner very happy. It all worked out but our time was not as relaxing as it might have been otherwise. Once you start up the hill there is no where to exit so beware!

Edg Cliff Winery

What a wonderful find is this winery! Our second day at Twin Eagle Lake I said, let's go check out the winery on our way back from a trip to Potosi for supplies. You drive a rather narrow, gravel road and think you are in the middle of nowhere, then there you are! It is a lovely oasis. They were officially closed when we arrived, but the owner followed us in on the road, and another group was coming in as well, so he opened up for us. We bought 4 bottles of wine and their homemade sangria which Johnnie gives 5 star. Delightful family vineyard!

M favorite here is their Chambourcin classic, but we also liked their Vignoles as well.

Bluegrass Vineyard

This is a small, family-run winery near Bowling Green, KY. They make lots of country wines as well as an assortment of grape wines. This part of KY is pretty wet, so the red wine type grapes don't grow here very well. The white wine grapes such as Vignoles and Chardonel do fine here, so their red wines are made from grapes grown in California whereas the white wines use estate-grown grapes. All the other fruits they use are also grown here. Johnnie like the blackberry wine and the blueberry wine; I bought a nice pinot noir, a rose and a couple white wines. I heartily recommend a stop here! They also have a B&B on property that looks really nice.

Maker’s Mark® Distillery

Kentucky is definitely Bourbon country! In fact, we learned that a whiskey cannot be called Bourbon  unless it comes from Kentucky. There are tasting tours that take you to several distillers throughout central Kentucky. We rarely drink Bourbon, so opted to just visit one and see what it is all about. We picked a good one! This property is beautiful, set out in the middle of the country and long, winding roads to get there.

In the tasting room

One location, one way is their motto; variations due to the aging process and
barrels used, not in the ingredients of the mash itself

Many of these beautiful old buildings preserved on property

After our sampling I told the guy next to me, "my mouth is so numb, I could have dental surgery!"

I will still appreciate a sip of whiskey now and then when the weather is cold and especially when I am fighting a winter respiratory illness, but it will never be my favorite adult beverage.

Mint Julep at the Churchill Downs

We actually did not taste these during out visit to Churchill Downs but I bought a bottle of the Old Forester Mint Julep whiskey, which is served at the Kentucky Derby. So when the weather gets warm this Spring, I'll break that out for a try while wearing our big hats!





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