Bristol Ridge Vineyards

Early last summer, Mr. L. & I got together with friends at a favorite vineyard and winery - Bristol Ridge Vineyards. It is still run by the same family who established it in 1979 as the first winery in Johnson County, Missouri. The winery itself sits atop a high hill and you cans see for miles. The grounds are lovely and the hospitality warm.

Bristol Ridge Vineyards & Winery

Tasting room courtyard.

We found a shady spot to relax.

Time for cheese, crackers, & conversation.

View north from the hilltop vineyard.

Sweet little gazebo.

Mr. L. & me. (A Guiness shirt at a winery?)

Thanks for fun day Bristol Ridge!

The White Rose

           Over Labor Day Weekend, our family set out on our annual camping and canoe trip in southern Missouri. Any road trip that has three children as particpants can be sure to included numerous (and inevitably inconvenient) pit stops. Ramping off the highway in Carthage, Missouri for one of these "breaks", our expedition leader (aka Dad - we like to humor him) spied a sign for a local winery.  Eager for an enroute distraction, we headed down the small town road and found The White Rose: Winery, Restaurant, Bed & Breakfast.

            We had a wonderful time touring the property and tasting wine.  Our host was the charming and knowledgeable Jan O'Haro. In Jan I found a kindered spirit in the love of history. She told us about the beautiful limestone Victorian house built in 1900.  Positioned along the Spring River in Carthage, the house had been the jewel of a 2000 acre Hereford ranch built by the owner of the local quarry. Later, the ranch was parcelled out and transitioned into a 1000 acre dairy farm with cow stalls built of the same beautiful stone as the main house.  Today the home, sitting on 10 treed acres, is the the O'haro bed & breakfast with a Victorian palor room for wine tasting.

         We tried several of the O'haro wines while our children played with corks (which are apparently as fun as leggos) and chit-chat with other patrons. From the wine list we tasted:  Norton, Chardonel, Cayuga White, Spring River White, and Lady in Gold.  The Cayuga White was a beautiful, smooth honeyed wine that very much reminded me of mead.  The wines of the White Rose winery are produced in a traditional European fashion without added sulfites (the nasty stuff that causes hangovers in lessers wines).  The wines are the namesake of a lovely garden statue of a woman with roses in her hair, looking over a little coy pond.  Having enjoyed our time at The White Rose and with two new bottles of wine to add to our collection, we said goodbye to the Lady of the Roses and headed back down the road.