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Beyond the Wine Cellar
Wine Country in Arkansas
Tucked away in the Arkansas River Valley you'll find the Natural State's wine country. With a history as rich as the soil, many wineries were established in the late 1800s and early 1900s and have been passed down through the generations.
Whether you're purchasing wine as a gift or for a dinner party, the gurus at each establishment can assist you in finding the perfect selection. The wineries also have taste- testing rooms that are open to the public. The wineries, both in Altus and Paris, are easily accessible from Interstate 40, just a couple of hours from Little Rock from the south and Fayetteville from the north.
Most have an online store to shop for your favorite wine or juice and other specialty items. For more information, log on to the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism's Web site at Arkansas.com.
By Erica Goodwin
The Wineries
Chateau Aux Arc is the newest addition to the list of Arkansas wineries, founded in 1998 by Audrey House, who is thought to be the youngest winemaker in the United States. Best known for its chardonnay grapes, Chateau Aux Arc also sells grapevines
Cowie Wine Cellars, in Paris, includes the Winery Bed & Breakfast for visitors to enjoy at the base of Mount Magazine. Notice the oil paintings of wine and wine history on each barrel in the Gallery of Barrels before enjoying refreshments in the Grape Arbor.
On the premises, you'll find the Arkansas Historic Wine Museum, which is the only wine museum in the United States dedicated to preserving the wine history of an entire state.
Mount Bethel Winery offers classic wines such as merlot, cabernet, chardonnay and cynthiana as well as fruit wines, including blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, peach and wild plum. Take a test in their tasting room while you're there. The Mount Bethel Winery Web site offers wine recipes and a gift shop.
Post Familie Vineyards and Winery, established in the 1880s, offers a variety of wines and juices plus red and white muscadine juices and jellies, which go great on toast. They also make their own gourmet red wine vinegar.
Wiederkehr Wine Cellars and Vineyard produces white, rose and blush, red, dessert, sparkling and alcohol-free wines. The winery features Weinkeller Restaurant, which has a scrumptious selection of menu items from appetizers to entres to desserts.
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