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Bluegrass Region Kentucky Winery Reviews Acres of Land Winery - No bells or whistles at this Richmond, Kentucky winery - but they do offer a couple of very good wines. The atmosphere in the tasting room was average (although peeking into the restaurant it seemed bright and cheery) and our hostess was lackluster and offered no information to us about the wines we chose to sample - but we did share a tasting tray and sampled a couple of interesting and unique wines. The winery sits on top of a
hill outside the small college-town of Richmond, KY. It was very windy
when we arrived and we hurried to the large building before getting blown
away. I was so eager to get inside, I entered With only 10 wines on the list, it wasn't hard to choose six of them. We left off a couple of the driest whites and the blackberry dessert wine and marked all the rest for sampling. I watched as our hostess poured our samples into shot glasses. She filled them pretty full, so we were getting our money's worth in the tasting fee. There are two wines that I enjoyed especially well. The first was the Maggie Adams Blush. It took a couple of sips to really appreciate the flavor of this unique wine. It's not your usual blush and it leaves a very nice apricot finish. The second wine worth mentioning is the Kentucky Chambourcin - a semi-dry wine with a fruity flavor. It would be perfect with pasta or pizza...or just for sipping. There is a restaurant on-site featuring everything from Country Fried Steak to Filet Mignon, but it was our first stop of the day and we had just finished our usual breakfast when we leave early from home and travel straight to our first winery (Sausage McMuffin). At this point we needed to move on, so we purchased some wine to take home and headed to our next stop. Since the samples are not personally poured at Acres of Land, you probably won't get any in-depth information about the wines you are sampling...but there are a few diamonds in the rough here. Favorites: Maggie Adams Blush and Kentucky Chambourcin. Visited: 10/13/2006. Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery - This winery, located in Danville, Kentucky, is a recent addition to the property of the Old Crow Inn Bed and Breakfast - which is the oldest stone house west of the Allegheny mountains. We were unsure of what we would find here. The website isn't very comprehensive. We knew this winery existed, but we were not sure what types of wine were being offered. Except for a man behind the counter, the spacious tasting room was empty when we arrived. You could tell it was fairly new. The decor was very nice and it was airy and spacious with high ceilings. They have created a perfect wine-tasting atmosphere. We walked up to the counter and the man put down his newspaper and stood to greet us. We told him we were visiting area wineries and he stood silent...almost as if he was unsure why were there. I asked if they did wine tasting and he produced a tasting sheet for us. Our host asked about what types of wines we generally liked, helped each of us pick out a good wine to start with and poured our first samples into clear, plastic party tumblers. Since this winery only produces one red wine at the moment (which is a sweeter wine), they offer several reds from Broad Run Vineyards of Louisville for sampling. He started me out with a few of these reds and started Gary with some of the dry whites. We each sampled 6 or 7 wines while we were there. None of the wines I sampled really stood out above the rest...though Gary did find one he really enjoyed. I wanted to purchase something to take home, but I was having trouble deciding which wine to choose. I thought the wines were priced fairly high compared to other area wineries. I finally decided to go with Gary's recommendation - the Chardonnay. It's actually a semi-sweet Chardonnay. Gary recommended it so highly I opted to purchase a bottle even though I had not personally sampled it. For $16.95, I hope he was right. Favorite: Chardonnay. Visited 10/13/2006. Chrisman Mill Vineyards & Winery - Geographically, Tuscany may be a long way from Kentucky...but this Nicholasville winery does a good job bringing a bit of Italy to the Bluegrass state. From the moment you walk in the door, the decor of the tasting room puts you into another world. The winery cafe also features Tuscan Night Dinners offering food prepared with traditional Tuscan ingredients. We found the tasting room
very inviting - with light, creamy colors. It had a feeling of warmth and
friendliness. There were so many interesting things to look at. Chrisman
Mill had many gourmet foods, sauces and dip mixes on display and I took
some time to peruse the gift items before beginning our sampling. A young
girl greeted us a invited us to sample the wines. They do charge a nominal
fee for tastings. She tried to get a feel for what types of wine we
enjoyed, and finally determined that we should try all of them. I found all of their wines quite pleasing. A few worth noting are the Sweet Jessamine Rose (a fresh and fruity blush made from a blend of Vidal Blanc and Chancellor grapes), Sweet Riverbend Red (a wonderful sipping wine...but would make a great accompaniment with many foods for those who don't like dry wines) and the Blackberry (a dessert wine that is sweet, yet tart - one of the better fruit wines we have sampled). Our hostess was very hospitable and knowledgeable and we had her undivided attention throughout our tasting. We were getting close to our hotel and thought it was time to engage in a little more than sampling. We ordered two glasses of Sweet Riverbend Red so we could enjoy the atmosphere at Chrisman Mill for awhile. Though there is plenty of outdoor seating, it was much too chilly to go outside. Our hostess took us to the cozy cafe to have a seat. It was late afternoon and the cafe only serves lunch on a regular basis. We were the only people in the room and we took a seat near the fireplace. All the tables are covered with tablecloths and the high-back chairs are soft and comfy. The ambiance took me straight to Italy and I started taking a good look around at the beautiful wallpaper with some painted murals on the walls. I liked this room so much I started discussing with Gary how I might be able to achieve the same effect in my own dining room. I could tell by the look in his eyes he knew he would be coming to my house this winter to strip wallpaper. We had a lovely time visiting Chrisman Mill. Their wines are quite delightful and everyone is sure to find something they like. We certainly recommend a visit to this winery when in the Lexington area - Chrisman Mill is just south of the city. We would love to return sometime for one of their Tuscan Night Dinners. We saw a sample menu while we were there and it looked incredible...and it was a great price for everything that is included. Favorite: Sweet Riverbend Red. Visited 10/13/2006. Equus Run Vineyards - It was a beautiful, autumn Saturday afternoon and we were driving down a country road to visit our third of four wineries we would be visiting this day. We were in Midway, Kentucky looking at the numbers on each mailbox as we were driving. Sometimes we have trouble locating wineries and we like to know when we are getting close. In the distance I could see many, many cars parked near a few buildings. Could this be the winery? None of the other wineries we had visited had anywhere near so many visitors. As we neared the gathering, we realized it was indeed Equus Run. What could possibly have brought so many people to this particular winery? We pulled into the driveway and had to proceed slowly. There were people walking in every direction carrying wine glasses. There were no spaces left in the main parking area, so we drove down the driveway and into the grass where others had parked. When we got out of the car, I wasn't sure exactly where to go. In the building closest to the car, there was music playing and food being served. There didn't appear to be any wine sampling, so we walked toward the front of the property. We walked to the building I thought was the tasting room, but it turned out to be the winery offices. We realized the small building with the "retail sales" sign must be the tasting room. The room was pretty tiny and full of people. The counter only had room for six or eight people, and it was full. We stood near a wall for a few minutes - and I actually contemplated leaving. I wasn't sure how long it would take us to get to the counter and I wasn't in the mood to fight for an open spot. I decided to wait it out - and actually - it didn't take that long. Many people simply wanted to make purchases and didn't want a sampling at all. Our host was young, energetic and informative. When we inquired about all the people, he told us they were hosting a private party for their wine club members in the back building. For $5.00, members received all the food and wine they wanted...plus free entertainment. No wonder so many people showed up - I would too. Since we were not wine club members, we had to settle for their regular sampling. There were six wines on the tasting sheet for the day and our host proceeded to pour. He provided a lot of information about each wine he poured, which I really appreciate. After we had sampled approximately eight wines, I made a comment about six wines being listed on the tasting sheet. He told us that he liked to pour all their wines for first time visitors to the winery - not just the six daily offerings. We must have sampled close to twelve wines before leaving. I felt two of the wines they produce stand out above the others. Their Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir is unique and refreshing. This semi-dry rose is fermented in stainless steel with 1% residual sugar. It's meant to be served chilled. It's not often we find something new and interesting...but Equus Run managed to tantalize our taste buds with this one. Another stand- out is the Bacchus Blush. This frisky pale-red wine tempted me into purchasing more than one bottle to take home. It was sweeter than a Zinfandel with a luscious, fruity flavor. On the downside: For being
one of the largest wine producers in Kentucky, Equus Run certainly has one
of the smallest tasting rooms. I have to wonder if a packed tasting room
is a common issue on Saturdays. Also - I was slightly disturbed by the
fact that there was food and entertainment and it was reserved for wine
club members only. Because of shipping laws, I couldn't even join the
club. I actually felt like one of their "unimportant" visitors
that day. I personally feel that exclusive events should be held after
hours, not during regular business hours. On the upside: They had a great
tasting room staff that worked well together. Our host was very
entertaining and informative and we enjoyed our time with him. They also
produce some excellent wine. It's easy to tell that there's a lot of pride
going into the making of their wine. We were more than pleased with all
the varieties they had to offer. Favorite: Bacchus Blush. Visited
10/14/2006. The winery is situated on a rural road outside of the city of Lexington. Walking through the doors into the tasting room, we felt like we had walked into a different world. The sleek, modern design of the room made us feel like we had walked into a New York City wine bar. The centerpiece of the room was a large tasting counter with tall chairs for sit-down tastings. It was illuminated by small lights hanging down from long cords from the high ceiling. Instead of the usual tasting room motif of grapevines draped everywhere - interesting artwork covered the surrounding walls and the room had an open and uncluttered feel. Our hostess was Danielle...and the perfect hostess she was. Danielle was very familiar with the wines. She was right on top of things when it came to describing what we were sampling and knowing when we were ready to move on to the next wine - but walking away between each sample so we could discuss what we were tasting privately. The samples were poured into full-size wine glasses, which truly makes the tasting experience so nice. It was a refreshing change of pace from plastic cups or miniature wine glasses. Being a newer winery, I was surprised by the quality of their wines. When I inquired about the winemakers, our hostess told us that the owners had both been born into wine families and wine had been a part of their lives since they were born. This explained the quality wine...I could actually taste the winemaker's passion in every sip. There are three wines that I would like to single-out. The first is the Tempest. This dry red is a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. I loved the aroma of cigar box and spice as well as the soft, velvety feel in my mouth. The second wine is the Riesling. Gary is a huge Riesling fan and we have sampled many of the big award winning Rieslings from New York State. It was light, citrusy and could easily compete with the top Rieslings. The third wine is the Gewurztraminer. This was absolutely the best Gewurztraminer I've ever had. I find many Gewurztraminers have a bit of a sharpness to them, but this wine is spicy, yet gentle and easy-going. The best words to describe it are absolutely incredible. This was our last stop of the evening and we were pretty close to our hotel, so we decided to stay and enjoy a bottle of wine. We chose the Gewurztraminer and spent a quiet and relaxed evening enjoying our beautiful surroundings and drinking a bottle of exceptional wine. My only regret is that we visited five days before the opening our their new bistro. Danielle had showed us their dinner menu earlier in the evening and my mouth was watering. Both the appetizers and entrees sounded sensational. We hope to re-visit the Lexington area and stop by Jean Farris for dinner. If we do, I will update this review at that time to let everyone know about our dining experience. While talking with others at various Kentucky wineries, we found that many people had not heard of Jean Farris Winery...but I'm confident they will very soon. When a winery this young is already doing everything right, word will soon get out. We are still talking about what a wonderful experience we had at this Lexington winery. They're doing an incredible job of making the wine tasting experience...well...absolutely perfect. Favorite: Gewurztraminer. Visited 10/13/2006. Lover's Leap Winery and Vineyard - The owners of this Lawrenceburg, Kentucky winery planted their first grapevines before the Kentucky wine industry began to thrive. There were only three wineries in the state when they first planted grapes, and no one was counting on Kentucky wineries being able to flourish. More than ten years later, wineries have been springing up all over the state...with more than eight located within a hour of Lexington. A new tradition of Kentucky winemaking has begun. I only hope that the type of wine tasting we experienced at this winery doesn't become a tradition...tasting wines from sweet to dry. The sun was bright as we drove down the narrow road to Lover's Leap. As we rounded a corner, we could see the large building that we knew must be the winery. In searching for the entrance, we wound up at the wrong door by accident. There are some large doors near the parking area and it seemed like the most obvious place to go. When we looked inside, all we saw were tables and chairs. We realized they most hold private functions here, so we went searching for another door. Gary and I walked around the side of the building and finally found the tasting room entrance. I actually tripped on the incline at the doorway, and almost crashed into the door. Gary was laughing pretty hard when we finally entered, making comments about it being our first stop and how I almost fell down without a drop of wine to drink. There was one woman working behind the tasting counter and one customer making a purchase when we arrived. The woman that worked there seemed kind of frazzled adding up the bill and we wandered around the room for a bit. There wasn't a whole lot to look at, so after a few minutes we stepped up to the counter to wait for some wine tasting. The woman said she would be with us shortly, so we looked over the tasting sheet until she was done. The bill was finally added up and paid, and the customer left...so the woman set some large plastic cups in front of us to begin our tasting. Our hostess was nice, but didn't have a whole lot of information for us about the wines we were sampling. I also got the impression she wasn't much of a wine drinker herself, which always seems to take away from our experience for some reason. Maybe it's because we can't discuss the intricacies of the wine with our host of hostess if they don't truly enjoy a glass of wine. The one thing that we found very strange, was that the wines were listed on the tasting sheet from sweet to dry...and our hostess insisted that that was the order that we should taste them. I would estimate that we had visited approximately 175 wineries before stepping in the door of Lover's Leap, and this is the very first time we have been told we needed to taste from sweet to dry. I decided not to make any waves and just go with the flow. It wasn't until this moment that I realized how important the tasting order is. I almost couldn't believe it, but I think my taste buds were in a state of confusion. Maybe if I had a good bit of water between each sample it might have worked better, but I didn't see any water readily available and the oyster crackers just didn't cut it. I really couldn't get a good feel for any of the wines under these circumstances. Lover's Leap produces a wide variety of wines, but I don't feel I should give any opinions on them based on our tasting experience. They did offer a Bianca that I was anxious to sample, since it was the only Bianca we found in the area - but they were sold out of it. Gary did buy a bottle of something before we left (we always like to make a purchase), but I'm not sure what it was. I personally didn't buy anything. I simply walked out the door amazed that I had just sampled a Cabernet Sauvignon after a sweet Concord. Visited 10/14/2006. Talon Winery and Vineyards - In this ever-changing world, few things stay the same...and the setting of this Lexington, Kentucky winery is no exception. Yet another tobacco farm turned vineyard, Talon Winery and Vineyards is just a few short miles outside the city of Lexington. The rural setting is so peaceful and there's so much room to roam - you won't have trouble finding a private spot to picnic. While visiting this expansive farm-winery, it was hard to believe that we were so close to a major city. The long driveway leads you through the farm and past many buildings (processing, storage, offices, a large barn and a pavilion) before reaching the tasting room at the rear or the property. The unique tasting room is housed in a 1790's farmhouse built by a man who would later become Governor of Kentucky. We easily found a parking space and scurried inside to sample some wine on this this chilly evening. Someone was waiting to greet us as we walked in the door. They welcomed us to the winery and invited us to explore all the rooms of the farmhouse where they offered a wide array of wine-related and other gift items for sale. We were also told that we were welcome at the tasting counter to sample Talon's wines. We decided to taste wine before exploring, so we headed off in search of the tasting room. When we reached it, there was quite a crowd. I spotted an open spot at the far side of the room and told Gary to follow me. It was a nice little spot at the end of the u-shaped tasting counter. Our private tasting hostess approached us and explained their tasting fees - 3 wines for $3.00 or 6 wines for $5.00. I thought the price was a little steep, but nonetheless, we decided to try 6 wines each. There were ten wines available for sampling and we each starting marking which wines we would sample on our tasting sheet. From reading the tasting sheet, there were a couple of wines that I thought I would absolutely love. I was a little disappointed that they didn't really taste like I thought they would after reading the description. I found that several of the wines classified as "semi-sweet" were what other wineries might refer to as semi-dry. I felt some of the wine descriptions were slightly off and it confused me during the tasting - sometimes my mind was set for a certain taste that I wasn't always getting from the wine. I was so happy when in the middle of our tasting, a woman made an announcement that they had cheese and cracker trays available for purchase. I wanted to stay and enjoy the winery for awhile, but I was starving. I figured that if we stayed for a glass of wine we could get the cheese and crackers and it would hold us over until dinner. When we finished our tasting, Gary ordered a glass of Moondance (a blend of Cayuga and Vidal) and I asked for a glass of Bluegrass Blush, which is one of their top sellers. We also ordered a small cheese tray, but were told they were sold out. Evidently they only had two left when the announcement was made. I don't think it was a good idea to get 25 people thinking about cheese and crackers when you only have enough for 2. I really needed to get something in my stomach, so I asked our hostess for a couple of the crackers they had at the tasting counter. Since we had attempted to order a cheese tray, I think she felt sorry for us and she reached under the counter and gave us about a half a pack of crackers to have with our wine. A few people were seated outdoors, but it was much too chilly for us. We took our wine and crackers and headed to the "fish tank" room. The room had a large (you guessed it) fish tank and a handful of small tables. It would have been nice had it been warmer. They had plenty of picnic tables, a nice pavilion and a walking self-tour of the grounds. It would have been right up our alley to take our wine and go exploring, but it was unseasonably cold for October. Talon Winery and Vineyards is a beautiful farm winery with a hospitable staff. The unique farmhouse tasting room features a wide array of wine-related and other gift items. We also loved that fact that it was a true farm winery with beautiful scenery and plenty of places to picnic or simply share a bottle of wine. You can enjoy a total winery experience here...and it's definitely worth checking out when in the Lexington area. Visited 10/14/2006. Wildside Vines - I had it in my head that I would end up writing-off this Versailles, Kentucky winery as one of the new wineries, basically set-up to cater to wine tourists with sappy-sweet, so-so wines and no substance...but that certainly isn't the case. I think that I was unintentionally associating them with the Wild Vines wine that you can find in the grocery store for $3.00 a bottle (which is manufactured in California). But, behind the door of the tasting room, we found a small start-up winery with some excellent wine and showing great potential. I liked many things about this winery - but one thing that I didn't like was that they didn't open until 2:00 p.m. I thought that was rather late to be opening and I had a hard time fitting them into our schedule because of this. We arrived in Versailles around 1:00 p.m. and drove around town for awhile. We finally decided to head out to the winery and arrived at approximately 1:30 p.m. We had run out of things to do and decided to wait in the parking lot until they opened. While we waited two cars pulled up with potential customers asking if the winery was open. They both ended up leaving. I think they might be losing some business opening so late in the day. A few minutes before 2:00, a man pulled up and walked toward the winery. He told us we could go ahead and come inside. The man was not the owner, but a friend of the family that filled-in at the tasting counter when the family had other obligations. He showed us the wine list and asked us where we would like to start. We ended up sampling all the wines that were available. The tasting room (of which two-thirds is also a wine making facility) was not set up well for tasting. The counter was small and we had no place to set our glasses between samples. I think it would be very cramped if more than four people showed up for sampling at the same time. I'm hoping they have plans for expansion. They also had no indoor bathroom...and I ended up using a port-a-potty outside. Other than the cramped quarters, we enjoyed our tasting. Our host was very friendly and seemed to appreciate the wines he was pouring. I didn't try a single wine that I didn't like...they were all so splendid. My favorite was the Cynthiana Port. It's made from Cynthiana grapes (also known as Norton). It generated that nice warm feeling you get inside when sipping port, yet it was sweet and mild. I have found a great appreciation for ports in the last year or so. Gary sometimes samples them with me...but I was shocked when he actually purchased a bottle of the Cynthiana Port when we were leaving. I think the fact that it wasn't too overwhelming swayed his decision. Wildside Vines produces some wonderful Kentucky wine. I do wish they would become more visitor-friendly by opening before 2 p.m., expanding their tasting room and installing indoor restrooms. The tasting room had only been open seven months before we visited. It doesn't look like they realized how popular wine tourism is becoming. There are a couple of nice wineries near this one and they will probably get more visitors than they imagined. I have a feeling we're going to see some wonderful things from this winery, which has great potential. If you produce great wine...believe me...they will come. Favorite: Cynthiana Port. Visited 10/14/2006.
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the first door I came to and
I found myself inside the restaurant. Gary said there must be another door
somewhere, so we went back outside and found another entrance leading
directly to the tasting room. Upon entering, we found the room to have
wine racks along the walls, a sprinkling of gift items and a few small
tables. The tasting counter was in the back of the room. It was small and
covered with wine bottles and signs. There didn't seem to be much room for
sampling. One of the signs said that we could sample three wines for $2.50
or six for $4.25. We stood there for a few minutes while the only tasting
room employee rang up some purchases at the cash register by the door. By
the time our hostess approached us, we had already decided we would share
a sampling tray of six wines. The young woman gave us tasting sheets and
told us to take a seat at one of the tables and to let her know when we
had decided which wines to sample.
