What’s not to like about Hermann? An historic river town, founded by Germans back in 1837 and with more than 150 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The scenic beauty of Missouri’s rolling hills. And of course, wine. Folks living in other parts of the country may be surprised to learn that Missouri has a long history of wine production and is home to some 130 wineries and 11 wine trails. The Hermann Wine Trail is Missoui’s oldest, composed of seven family-owned wineries in and around Hermann. Each one is different, with different outlays and different philosophies, but all take their wines seriously and offer tastings. Taken together–history, scenery, a tidy German town, German food, family-run accommodations (more than 80 bed-and-breakfasts in Hermann alone), and the Hermann Wine Trail–and it’s easy to see why Hermann makes for the perfect weekend getaway.
Because of its central location, Hermann is within driving distance of a huge percentage of the country’s population. Or, you can fly into St. Louis or Kansas City and then take Amtrak’s Missouri River Run right to downtown Hermann. A trolley serves area wineries.
Two of Hermann’s oldest wineries are right in town. Stone Hill Winery was established in 1847, making it Missouri’s oldest winery and open for tours daily. Hermannhof Winery, founded in 1852, also offers accommodations–including stone cottages once inhabited by Hermann’s early settlers, who operated wineries in their basements. The other wineries have bucolic settings outside town, which of course complement the well-being generated by drinking wine.
One of things I like most about traveling the Hermann Wine Trail is how much I always learn along the way. Instead of the familiar grapes and wines produced in Europe or Napa Valley, Missouri’s climate is best suited for growing Norton grapes, declared Missouri’s state grape. It also produces other varieties like chambourcin and vignole. Really, you need to try them all and then buy a few bottles, so you can extend your Hermann getaway long after you return home.
Hermann also has lots of festivals, including an Oktoberfest (no surprise here, as Hermann was founded by Germans). Wineries on the Hermann Wine Trail wineries also stage annual events, including those centering on chocolate, bacon, and other things we hate to love. There are also distilleries in and around Hermann, though advice from the street is to lay off the hard stuff if you plan on sampling wine so your taste buds can do their job.
There’s a lot more I could write about Hermann and the Hermann Wine Trail, but I already have elsewhere so instead of repeating myself, here are links to my other articles:
Explore one of the most underrated wine trails in the United States, published by 10Best/USA TODAY.
The German in Hermann, Missouri, my blog on this website.
