The Augusta wine trail

I really wish I had taken pictures during my trip. I had my camera but that siren song of wine was too much.


Did you know that the St. Louis area includes wine country? Not only that but their varietals are pretty damn tasty. This past Sunday I had the pleasure of exploring some wineries in Augusta, an area near St. Louis. Pretty much every place has their version of a Norton, Vignole, Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin, Chardonel.


Our first stop was Chandler Hill Vineyards. We didn't actually go into the vineyards of any of the wineries we visited although they were almost all a short walk away, some so close you could reach out and touch the grapes. However, Chandler Hill had the best indoor facility by far. There's a big bar to get your wine and twenty or thirty tables (in air conditioning) to sit and drink. There's also a big patio with a decent view. We also got a pleasant surprise or a small artisan market (I got some killer salsa. I love salsa) of four or five tables of goods. Sampling here was $5 for five pours of any non-reserve vintages on their menu. Our bartender was even cool enough to give me a sample of an exclusive beer they had, Schlafly's Lazy Ballerina.

Second stop: Sugar Creek Winery. When I go back to do a wine trail again I will skip this one. Three bucks gets you a small wine glass to take home and three tiny pours, less than an ounce each, of wines from their small list. Honestly, I wasn't impressed by their varietals or their prices per bottle.

Third stop, one of the better ones: Noboleis Vineyards. Samples here are free and they are well known for their Dry Vignoles. The staff was very welcoming and had some great recommendations based on what I told them I like (dry and oak, please). Like most places, the Norton here was the start of the show for me. Also nice was the big floral notes of their Traminette. Their patio area looked very nice but there was a wedding that day so we were left with just the inside. And the air conditioning. And the wine samples. I didn't mind too much.

Next stop was Augusta Winery, which I really liked. Another place with free samples and the bottle prices are fantastic, cheaper than some of the glass prices I'd seen at other wineries. Augusta is small, really just a front end counter and some shelves of wine accoutrements. I grabbed a bottle of their Norton 2012 and one of their 2014 Estate Bottled Traminette, which had a fantastic floral nose and tasted of lychee.

Just up the hill and a couple blocks away was stop number five: Mountt Pleasant Winery. Tastings here will cost you $10, and for that you get a glass to keep and two ounce pours of five wines from their selection. If you join their wine club, which does quarterly deliveries (or you can pick it up at the winery) then the tasting is free for you and three guests. I joined the Wine Club, saved us $20, and will enjoy two bottles of their wine some time in November. The space itself was nice, with a great selection of shelves for perusal. I didn't go out to check their patio or outdoor facilities, I stayed at the rather nice bar.

Last stop: Montelle Winery. If you're going to sit down, have a bite, listen to some music, and have a glass of wine this is the place to do it. The patio is HUGE and has an amazing view. I didn't take a photo of my own so I'll just point you to this one. That's a good example of the expanse of the vineyard you can see from the patio/balcony area. Tastings here are free and you get six selections although if you're nice the staff will give you one or two more. Food here is solid, mostly panini and sandwiches, but also small pizzas, baked brie and other appetizers.


Next time I'd rather do five instead of six wineries. by the time we hit Montelle we were all pretty wined out and it's the perfect end location to get a bottle and share while you have a cheese platter or charcuterie.