Missouri Wine Country - Hermann

Last Saturday me and three of my friends headed to Hermann, Missouri to enjoy a day of winery hopping.  Our journey started in Jefferson City, where we boarded the Amtrak train and rode the non-stop route to Hermann. You can also take the Amtrak from St. Louis or Kansas City and be there within a few hours.

If you're not familiar with Hermann, it sits right on the Missouri River just south of Highway 70 at mile marker 175.  The population of this German settlement is right around 2,400 and is the county seat of Gasconade County.

The minute we stepped off the train, the Hermann Trolleys were lined up and ready to take us to our first stop.  If you're planning a trip to Hermann, I highly recommend using the trolleys.  They pick up at most of the bed and breakfasts in town, as well as a few other spots.  Their rate is $20 per person for all day service.  Here's their hours of operations ~

Monday - Thursday    10 am - 5 pm

Friday                          10 am - 7 pm

Saturday                      10 am - 9 pm

Sunday                        10 am - 5 pm

The trolley makes stops at the following wineries ~

Stone Hill

Adam Puchta

Hermannhof

Star Lane / Three Saints

Oak Glenn

Their drivers make the trip from winery to winery a ton of fun!  We even ran into a bachelor party on one of our routes and made sure to sign the groom's shirt.

Another trolley trip, we swore we saw Taylor Swift!  Don't you think that girl in front of me looks just like her?!?  Maybe it was the wine.

Our first stop of the day was Adam Puchta.  This winery has been a family owned and operated business for seven generations.  A guitar singer entertained us as we sat down to enjoy lunch at one of the picnic tables.  They offer wine tastings for $5, which included eight pre-selected award-winning wines (see why you need the trolley).

Next we visited Stone Hill.  This winery holds a special spot in my heart because the first wedding I truly got to coordinate was held here.  You can sit up on the hill and overlook the peaceful valley below - it's just beautiful!  Stone Hill also offers tastings for $5 and it includes six samples.  If tours are your thing, they offer a 30 minute guided walk.

Their grapes are in full view and you can get up close and personal with them.

They also had live music that we enjoyed while sipping our drinks and reminiscing about our college days.

After Stone Hill, the trolley delivered us to Hermannhof.  This establishment sits right downtown and has a large seating area in the back.  We shared a bottle of their Vidal Blanc - quite tasty!

Eric, Ian, Kayla and I are going back for an overnight adventure later this month.  We'll have to visit Star Lane / Three Saints and Oak Glenn on that trip!  We just didn't have time on this day to get to them all.

The Amtrak was right on time to take us back to Jefferson City.  The train follows the Missouri River and the views are beautiful.  It would especially be wonderful when the trees are in their fall glory.

I'm sure I'll be blogging about our trip later this month when we visit Hermann again.  My take-aways from this trip are we will definitely be using the trolley again and I'll throw a blanket in my bag in case all the tables are full and we have to sit on the ground.

See you tomorrow for Thinking Out Loud Thursday.  Hope you pop in because I'll be sharing something very important to all of us.