Missouri Wine Trails, Vineyards and Inns 

 

From Kansas City you can take a day or weekend trip to eight vineyards that participate in the Kansas City Wine Trail including Amigoni Urban Winery with a tasting room inside the city limits. North of Kansas City is the newly established Great Northwest Missouri Wine Trail. Bustling crowds can add to the joy of wine tasting when you visit during an event. Chocolate often pairs well with wine and the Mississippi River Hills Wine Trail has followed other successful trails in creating a Taste of Chocolate event.

 

Consider creating your own wine tour while hiking or biking along the Katy Trail. Many vineyards and breweries can be easily visited while on 200-mile plus recreational trail. 

 

Be sure when on a wine tasting getaway to remember that a quaint inn can add a special ambiance and in fact, there are more than 80 different bed and breakfasts in the Hermann, Sainte Genevieve, and Marthasville area alone. For instance, you can unwind on 135 acres of wooded hills and green fields at Second Creek Bed and Breakfast. The inn has a log cabin atmosphere and four guest rooms with themes inspired by farm animals, and you are welcome to wander along the babbling creek or cast a line in the stocked pond. If you visit during the Chocolate Wine Trail in February or the Berries and BarBQ Wine Trail in July you'll have an extra special experience along the Hermann Wine Trail.

 

German settlers started making wine in the early 1800s and now one-third of the state’s wine is produced along the Hermann Wine Trail. One nearby lodging, the Cabin at Woodmere in New Florence has been certified by the National Wildlife Foundation as a mini-refuge for wildlife. It offers an old-fashioned sleeping porch as the perfect place to sip wine and watch for hawks, blue heron, and deer. Cook in the cozy kitchen, play a board game, or just snuggle under an old quilt. 

 

You get the best of both worlds when you stay at Napoleon’s Retreat in St. Louis. See amazing city sights from the top of the nation’s tallest monument, the Gateway Arch, then take a day trip one hour south to the Route Du Vin Wine Trail where you can sit on an outdoor patio admiring the countryside. More than 50 wineries are within one hour of this Lafayette Square National Historic District bed and breakfast.

 

Arabian horses, burros, and ponies welcome guests to the Eden Bed and Breakfast in Brighton where you can sit in a hot tub under the stars outside your private guest house. The nearby Ozark Mountain Wine Trail features several wineries and a distillery that specializes in corn whiskey, rum, and vodka. Venture over to 7C’s Winery to sample mead; this wine made from honey is thought to be the world’s oldest form of alcoholic beverage.

 

You are sure to find romance at the Lodge at Grant’s Trail in Saint Louis; every guest room has a fireplace. Socialize with other guests in the Great Room with three-story windows and an elk chandelier. The Missouri Weinstrasse trail is one hour away and four family-owned wineries there have produced remarkable wines from the glacier-dust soil. Be sure to stop by the inn any Sunday for a breakfast of eggs, Belgian waffles, and fresh fruit.

 

Situated between the Missouri River Wine Trail and the Hermann Wine Trail, The Nesting Box Bed and Breakfast in Morrison is near many restaurants and specialty shops. Choose the rustic Cowboy room or the romantic Victorian room. Start the day on the back deck with a buffet breakfast. Snack on homemade jams and jellies. Visit the scenic Les Bourgeois Winery for bluff-top views of the Missouri River.  If you prefer a quieter scene, visit the Viandel Vineyard along the Aux Arcs Wine Road.