When looking for a good wine region to visit, Kansas City has plenty of excellent options.
The KC winery choices are varied, as are the type and flavours of wine from this part of the country. There are plenty of places that keep up with the latest wine industry trends, and some that still stick to traditional winemaking practices.
We’ve rounded up some of the wineries in Kansas City that stand out from the rest, and are really great outings for families and groups. Find out more about wine in this region, and where you should be drinking it!
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How Many Wineries Are In Kansas City?
The numbers do seem to vary in terms of exactly how many wineries there are in Kansas City. With over 40 KC winery options in the region, the bottom line is one is spoiled for choice in this part of the country.
What Is The Largest Winery In Kansas City?
When looking at wineries in Kansas City, based on 2018 figures, the Pirtle Winery produced the most bottles in that year, coming in at 102,000 bottles in that year. Other wineries in Kansas City also produce large volumes, but coming in second is the Somerset Ridge Vineyard and Winery.
What Is The Oldest Winery In Kansas City?
While it is not necessarily the first Kansas City winery, the Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery is commonly held as the oldest operating winery in this particular region. Of course, it doesn’t matter as such which is the oldest, what matters is what they have to offer presently, and the Holy-Field Winery and Vineyard is certainly worth a visit.
Somerset Ridge Vineyard and Winery
This winery in Kansas City offers two options to patrons. A tasting room that is open at the actual vineyards, and the Somerset Wine and Cider Bar, which is open during certain months of the year, typically from May through to October. On Friday and Saturday nights there is often live music on offer, which creates a really different sort of Kansas City winery experience.
Kansas City Wineworks
This particular winery does not have its own vineyard, and so it’s often put in the category of an urban winery. The grapes they use to produce their wines, however, are all locally sourced, coming from the wider Missouri area. In the hotter summer months, one of the firm favourites from the Kansas City Wineworks is their range of wine slushies. Top of the list is their gold wine slushies that are served on St Patrick’s Day.
KC Wine Co
The KC Wine Co is not situated right in Kansas City, but the 30 minute drive out to this actual vineyard makes for a wonderful outing. It is situated near Olathe, Kansas. The KC Wine Co runs off an events calendar, with new and different events planned throughout the year.
The best idea is to keep a look out for events that pop up on this calendar. KC Wine Co is known for its amazing Saturday night live music program, along with the great food trucks that arrive for these events. During the Cider Fest, patrons can try out their range of wine slushies, and also try out some of the cider which they produce.
The Amigoni Urban Winery
Looking at a list of wineries in Kansas City, the Amigoni Urban Winery will often feature prominently on any list. The atmosphere they have created is one of an urban setting, as opposed to a rustic country style vineyard. At this venue, you can taste their wines in the tasting room in the Stockyards District of West Bottoms. This winery sets itself apart by the range of tasting experiences that they offer.
One of their top experiences is the Art of the Sense tasting experience, which teaches drinkers to appreciate subtle wines notes and flavours. The tasting experiences do come at a cost. Some of them are aimed at groups, while others have single prices. Amigoni Urban Winery offers some good food and bread, and also has a range of local beers which are on tap.
Rowe Ridge Vineyard and Winery
This particular KC winery was the first to open in Wyandotte County. The first bottles they produced were in 2007, and they have gone from strength to strength ever since. Amazingly this vineyard grows eight different types of grapes, and produces red, white and also a few fruit wines. They do have a tasting room, which is surrounded by vineyards. This makes for a cosy and quiet real tasting experience, where you can try out a number of different wines.
Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery
The couple that started the Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery brought back their love of wine from overseas travels to get this enterprise up and running. Much of what they learned at foreign wineries has been used to set up the Fence Stile Winery.
The tasting room is quite beautiful, offering views over the hills and grapevines. They have a movie night, fire pit evenings on their outdoor patio, and also are set up for anyone wanting a picnic. The owners even allow you to bring your own picnic and then sample their wines. They offer visits to a wine cave that stores barrels of wine before the liquid is bottled. This is certainly worth taking the time to have a look at.
Vox Vineyard
About a 20 minute drive from Kansas City, this KC winery is a firm favourite. It offers a recently built tasting room, with many wines to taste. The winemaker at Vox Vineyard makes up to 16 different types and styles of wine, making use of sometimes 40 different types of grapes, all of which are grown in his own vineyards.
The tasting room is quite magnificent, but wines can only be tasted by appointment, so do take the time to make a reservation in advance. It really is a modern take on wine tasting and is certainly recommended.
Get Wining and Dining in KC!
The wineries mentioned here are but a mere handful of wineries in KC. Some are close, others require a bit of planning, and some time driving in the car. All are certainly worth visiting, and above all offer some wonderful tasting experiences. A great way to spend the weekend and enjoy the beautiful Missouri and KC scenery.