Wine Tasting in Branson, Missouri
I’ve had a long and elusive relationship with Missouri’s wine country. For years, I wanted to take a Missouri wine tour and even went so far as to book a spot on a trip to see the area firsthand. Unfortunately, a little hurricane named Gustav arrived at my doorstep the morning I was to fly out to Missouri, shutting down area airports for days.
Last year, when my family took a spring break road trip to Missouri, I insisted on stopping at every winery we came across. Our base was in Branson and there were two wineries with shops in the destination. Of course, I dragged my entire family into both of them.
Stone Hill Winery
Stone Hill Winery was established in 1847, along the banks of the Missouri River in the town of Hermann. Since 1986, there has been a Branson location that offers free tours and tastings, as well as a wide selection of their wines. Free tours are offered every 15 minutes and children are welcome to go along. The tour started with a film and then the group went through the aging and bottling process. The kids both seemed interested in the process until we went to the tasting room, where they were made to stand against the wall while the adults tasted. There were some other families in attendance, with little ones who were very active and disinterested in the entire event. That family ended up leaving before finishing any samples. A good idea for this particular business would be to have a small play area in a corner for little ones so that the parents can enjoy the tasting and end up making purchases.
All in all, it was a good tour, but I would not recommend this if you have small children, only to keep yourself from being frustrated. The wines here were good and I left with a six bottle purchase of a variety of blends.
Stone Hill Winery-Branson
601 State Hwy. 165
Branson, MO 65616
Mount Pleasant Winery
Mount Pleasant Winery was established in 1859 by two German brothers who came to the Missouri River region. My family stopped in to check out the wines and while it was a quiet and more intimate atmosphere than our previous wine tasting experience, the kids were made welcome as we walked in the door. Mount Pleasant Winery in Branson offers a basic flight wine tasting at no charge, and premium flight tastings for around $5 per person. The kids were even included with their own flight of grape juice to taste.
I ended up purchasing four bottles of wine to bring home and even returned during my last Branson visit. Our hotel was within walking distance to Mount Pleasant Winery and I was able to procure a few bottles to share with the other Traveling Mamas in attendance on the trip.
Mount Pleasant Winery
3125 Green Mountain Drive
Branson, MO 65616
Tips for traveling with Wine
Be sure to treat your wine bottles gently while traveling home from your destination. I travel with a few Bottlewise wine bottle travel bags, but wineries do offer easy carry containers for packing home.
Don’t let it overheat. Traveling with wine, especially during the hot summer months, can effect the overall quality once you get home to enjoy your blends. Be sure to store your wine inside the passenger area of your vehicle to keep the temperature moderate and don’t place your wine in direct sunlight.
If traveling by air, remember that you cannot bring your wine purchases as a carry on through security. It will be confiscated. Instead, pack your wine carefully in a checked bag, or arrange for the winery to ship your purchases home, depending upon your state’s liquor laws.
Be sure to enjoy your wine purchases responsibly and don’t drink and drive. To plan your own visit to Branson, Missouri, be sure to check out ExploreBranson.com. The best part about wine tasting in Branson? It’s free!