An Anniversary Trip to Missouri's Wine Country

Hermann, Missouri, is a quaint little town on the Missouri River. Germans settled there hundreds of years ago and quickly determined that it was the perfect location to grow grapes and produce wines. Stone Hill wine is a popular wine that you can find at most stores, including Walmart, and maybe you have seen it. It is made in Hermann, Missouri. There are many, many wineries in and around that small town.

Staying in Hermann at a Bed and Breakfast, going on a winery tour, and doing some wine tastings was on my bucket list. Rick and I just celebrated our 15 year anniversary so we decided this would be a neat little one-night trip to take since it's just a few hours from our home.

We stayed at a B&B right next to Stone Hill Winery called Stone Hill Overlook. It was a nice little modern bed and breakfast that served our purposes perfectly. Plus it had a beautiful hilltop view of Hermann.

We took the advice of our host Jim and went straight to Adam Puchta Winery. Well, I am now a wine snob. The lady working there did such a great job of choosing wines she thought I might enjoy even though I didn't think I would. She paired those wines with bites of food that brought out their flavors. We bought 3 bottles and a hand-painted Kansas City Royals stemless wine glass.

Next we tasted at Hermannhoff Winery. The wines were not nearly as tasty but the winery property was beautiful!

Finally, we went on a cellar tour of Stone Hill Winery and then did a wine tasting there. The cellar tour was so interesting! I still can't get over the amazing scents during the tour. The guide said he wished they could market that scent in a candle. I agree! We did a wine tasting there, as well, but determined that nothing could beat Adam Puchta.

The town is pretty much shut down on a Monday night but we did find a restaurant that served us a good burger and chicken salad sandwich. A walk around town displayed the most adorable gardens and turn-of-the-century buildings.

Another reason why we chose to go to Hermann on this particular day was to scout out the Katy Trail bike riders as they came through Hermann on the Katy Trail Ride 2016. Rick and I have just taken up cycling. The Katy Trail runs through our town so we made tentative plans to train this next year and ride the Katy Trail Ride in 2017. We were able to track down the riders at their camping spot to see what types of bikes, equipment, gear, etc. We were very encouraged that we will be able to complete this ride next year. It runs from St. Charles, Missouri, through our town and concludes in Clinton, Missouri, a total of 241 miles in 5 days.

It was a nice little getaway for the two of us. This time next year we will be back there sleeping in a tent!!