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Wyldewood Cellars

Wyldewood Cellars

Monday, April 15, 2013

From a Family Farm to the World Stage of Wine
Founded in 1995, Wyldewood Cellars began as a heartfelt mission to make the family farm profitable — and evolved into an internationally recognized winery with over 600 international awards and titles to our name by 2022.

This family-owned venture was started by Dr. John Brewer, his wife Beth, and his sister Merry Bauman. What began as a passion project rooted in science, agriculture, and nostalgia has grown into one of the Midwest’s most awarded wineries.

Leading the Elderberry Movement
Our journey began with the wild elderberries that grew abundantly on our mother’s ranch in Eastern Kansas. In 1988, even before the winery opened its doors, we began cultivating elderberries commercially. What some called a “noxious weed,” we saw as a goldmine of potential.

In collaboration with Kansas State University, University of Missouri, and local farmers, we pioneered elderberry farming as a sustainable, alternative cash crop. Our efforts culminated in hosting the first International Symposium on Elderberries in 2013, and the development of four new elderberry varieties — including Marge, the first successful cross between European and American plants.

Hardy, productive, and suitable for machine harvesting, Marge is paving the way for large-scale elderberry production in the U.S.

Science Meets Craft
With two professional wine judges and winemakers on staff — Dr. John Brewer and his nephew Shawn Ramos — we blend scientific precision with creative flair. John’s background in science and winemaking laid the foundation for quality, consistency, and innovation in every bottle.

A Taste of Wyldewood
The best part of visiting our winery? Free wine tastings — every day during regular business hours. No appointment needed, just come in and sip! You’re guaranteed to find something that suits your palate, whether you love sweet, dry, fruity, or bold.

Wyldewood Cellars — From the Farm to You
From our family roots to your glass, every bottle tells a story of passion, perseverance, and purpose. Whether you’re here for the nostalgia, the novelty, or just a really great glass of wine — welcome to Wyldewood.

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The Florida Winery

The Florida Winery

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

It won’t take long for you to realize that we do things a little bit differently around here. We refuse to accept that wine must taste of grass, tobacco, or dirt. Around here we like our wine like we like our women and ice tea…sweet! We don’t mess around when it comes to wine either, just check out the over 50 awards and medals we’ve won in our first four years!

All talk and no walk you say? Well pony up to our tasting bar and we will let our stunning selection of highly enjoyable libations walk all over your taste buds. Relish in pure unadulterated pleasure without worrying about how your swirling the glass. Sit back, Sip, Enjoy, Relax, Repeat…responsibly of course.

The winery is where the magic happens. All of our wines are made right here in house, just steps from the beach, where you’ll find the most unique winery on earth. Beach real estate isn’t cheap, s0 we squeeze a lot of wine out of a small space: about 900 square feet! We use three 2,000-liter jacket fermentation tanks and nine 2,000-liter racking and aging tanks. Filtering is handled by our 40-plate plate & frame filter, and all the bottling is done by hand right in the front window.

It’s not a lot of room, but it’s enough for us to create the most amazing libations known to man.

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Chocolate Shop Wine

Chocolate Shop Wine

Friday, January 18, 2013

Chocolate Shop, the ultimate “Chocolate-Lover’s Wine,” is a deep, ruby-red wine blended with rich, velvety chocolate.  Chocolate Shop provides you with a romantic,  indulgent wine experience like no other.

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Volcano Winery

Volcano Winery

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Aloha! Wine tasting in Paradise is just a sip away at Volcano Winery. We’ve been creating unique wine and fruit blends on the southern slope of Mauna Loa Volcano on the Big Island since 1986, making us the United States’ southernmost winery.

We gather local tropical fruits like the yellow guava and the jaboticaba berry and blend them with traditional wine grapes to create local wines inspired by volcanic fire and the bounty of the island. Our location near the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park lets us make vibrant wine that captures the playful spirit of Hawaiian paradise — and our relaxed, laid-back atmosphere.

In fact, our fruit -blended wines were so unique that the federal government (BATF) had to come up with new category designations to classify them!

We’ve seen many changes in our 25+ years, but the commitment to produce special, award-winning wines made with Aloha has always remained in our hearts.

If you plan on visiting the winery, you can enjoy a tasting with one of our fun and knowledgeable staff members and even drink wine by the glass out in the picnic area. Come relax and sip into “Hawaiian time.”

We’re open every day except for Christmas, from 10 to 5:30. Aloha!

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Linganore Winecellars

Linganore Winecellars

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

In 1972, amidst rolling hills, dairy cows, and cornfields, a small vineyard was planted in the fertile soils of an old dairy farm. That one small vineyard has proudly become Linganore Winecellars. Now operated by the founder’s children, we welcome you to share in our growing family tradition.

Linganore Winecellars cordially invites you to partake in an enjoyable and relaxed afternoon tasting our award-winning wines produced by our fertile soils, abundant sunshine, and skilled winemakers.

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Finnriver Farm & Cidery

Finnriver Farm & Cidery

Friday, March 16, 2012

Finnriver Farm and Cidery produces award-winning hard ciders and dessert wines on a small, remote organic farm, orchard, and craft cidery on the Olympic Peninsula.

Located along a salmon stream in the Chimacum Valley, we’ve been honored to be at the forefront of the Pacific Northwest hard cider revival and to craft ciders that recognize hard cider traditions from around the world while also offering fresh perspectives on the fermented apple.

We grow and source organic, wild-harvested, and seasonal ingredients, and since our founding in 2008, multiple branches of the Finnriver family tree have sprouted:

  • Finnriver Farm & Cidery grows, sources, and ferments organic apples & pears into a line of farmcrafted hard ciders and fruit wines.
  • Chimacum Valley Grainery grows and mills organic grains and produces local flours, pastas, and baked goods.
  • And Stellar J Farms, located at the original home farm, grows organic fruit and veggies.

Finnriver’s farm and orchard are certified organic and Salmon Safe, and the cidery is a Certified B Corporation. Welcome!

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Peninsula Cellars

Peninsula Cellars

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Peninsula Cellars is a family-run winery founded by the Kroupas, a pioneer family of northern Michigan cherry farmers. The winery and their centennial farm, where they grow millions of pounds of apples and cherries every year is located on the Old Mission Peninsula just north of Traverse City, Michigan. The peninsula juts out into Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay. This gives the region its distinct microclimate that makes it perfect for growing high-quality orchard fruit and wine grapes.

“Our philosophy toward winemaking has always been very minimalistic, allowing the regional expression of the fruit to come through. The sun, the rain, the wind, and the soil, all under the watchful eye of the grower, are what make our wines so good.”  The Kroupas

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Clear Creek Distillery (Hood River Distilleries)

Clear Creek Distillery (Hood River Distilleries)

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Handcrafted from Oregon orchard fruit, Clear Creek Distillery’s eaux de vie, fruit liqueur, and brandies have, for decades, married classic European brandy-making techniques learned in Alsace and Switzerland with the traditional European pot still.

No colors or flavors are ever added to our brandies. The distinctive “nose,” or initial smell of the brandy in a snifter, is the result of careful fermentation and distillation of perfectly ripe fruit. You will taste only the clear and fiery essence of Oregon’s finest fruits.

Owner/distiller Steve McCarthy and his brandies are respected internationally, served in the world’s best restaurants, and celebrated by connoisseurs everywhere:

“In Oregon, Steve McCarthy’s Clear Creek Distillery is producing what many experts feel to be the best fruit brandies…ever made in the U.S.” (The New York Times Magazine, Dec. 8, 1991). Steve McCarthy received Bon Appétit’s American Food & Entertaining Award “Wine and Spirit Professional of the Year” (September, 2001). His spirits have been called “the most extraordinary eaux-de-vie in America, indeed, in the world” (“The Wine Bible,” by Karen MacNeil, 2001) and “Gorgeous, impeccably pure eaux de vie” (Eric Asimov, The New York Times, August 15, 2007).

In 2014, McCarthy sold Clear Creek Distillery to Hood River Distilleries, Oregon’s largest and oldest craft distillery, which continues to make several of his original products using the same methodology and reverence to high-quality Oregon fruit and herbs.

A legendary figure in the handcrafted spirits business, McCarthy passed away in 2023.

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Latah Creek Wine Cellars

Latah Creek Wine Cellars

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Latah Creek Wine Cellars (click for video) is a family-owned Washington winery that has quietly built one of the most consistent and approachable portfolios in the region since its founding in 1982. At a time when Washington wine was still emerging, founders Mike and Ellena Conway set out to craft wines rooted in balance, complexity, and everyday enjoyment—and more than four decades later, that philosophy still defines every bottle they produce.

Today, Latah Creek remains a true family operation, with second-generation winemaker Natalie Conway carrying the tradition forward while introducing fresh ideas.

While the winery is widely recognized for its Merlot, its most popular offerings lean toward highly drinkable, fruit-forward wines like Pinot Gris, Riesling, and the locally beloved Huckleberry d’Latah. The portfolio spans dry and sweet styles, making it especially appealing to both traditional wine drinkers and those newer to wine or exploring fruit-driven profiles.

Beyond the wines themselves, Latah Creek stands out for its welcoming, unpretentious approach. Their goal has always been simple: create wines that pair beautifully with food, but are just as enjoyable on their own—and keep them priced so they can be part of everyday life, not just special occasions.

Latah Creek represents exactly what makes smaller, family-run wineries worth discovering: consistency, character, and wines designed to be enjoyed, not overthought.

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Montezuma Winery

Montezuma Winery

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Martin family’s journey into winemaking began in an unlikely place: honeybees. George and Ginny Martin, along with their son and co-owner Ed Martin, operated a commercial beekeeping business up and down the East Coast. While looking for new ways to use their honey, co-owner Bill Martin began experimenting with home winemaking.

 

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