Birmingham Shelby Alabama Wine Trail
Vizzini Farms Winery
After completing the North Alabama Wine Trail, sis was ready to tackle the Birmingham Shelby Alabama Wine Trail. You can check out my post about the North Alabama Wine Trail here. The first stop we made on this trail was at Vizzini Farms Winery. This is the only winery we went to that serves lunch. We had already eaten but if we had known before hand, we would have definitely tried their offerings. You can click here for a menu. If you participate in Groupon, they are accepted at Vizzini. They have a bottle of wine on display that has a whole peach inside the bottle. The owner was kind enough to show us how he does this by placing a bottle over the bloom. There is a picture below of the process. It was neat. Of all the wines we tasted at Vizzini, the Appling Riesling was my favorite.
Ozan Vineyard and Winery
From Vizzini, we headed to Ozan Vineyard and Winery, which I have to say is one of my favorite wineries as far as overall experience of all the Alabama wineries. It is my top pick for the Birmingham Shelby Alabama Wine Trail with Hidden Meadows a very, very close second. My favorite wine was from Ozan as well. It was the Founder’s Cut Apple Wine. My second favorite was the Founder’s Cut Plum wine. Both of these wine’s are Bourbon Barrel Aged and they are amazing.
I think what I liked so much about Ozan is that you could sit on the deck and look out over the vineyard while doing your wine tasting. It is a great way to spend an afternoon relaxing. You can do a Souvenir Tasting, which is tasting all 14 wines and then you can keep your glass. They have cheese plates if you want a little snack.
Hidden Meadows Vineyard
We left Ozan and headed over to Hidden Meadows Vineyard. The name Hidden Meadows is perfect for this winery. As we pulled off the main road and down the driveway, we saw the most beautiful sight. The tasting room could be seen in the distance and as we drove down the driveway. A beautifully manicured vineyard appeared, which could be seen in either direction you looked. A heavy rainstorm was approaching but it was still a breathtaking sight.
The first weekend (Yes, we went back to both Ozan and Hidden Meadows the next weekend!) we visited Hidden Meadows, the owners Bill and Janette Bailey were out-of-town. Their son gave us an informative tasting. My favorite wine at Hidden Meadow’s was the Meadow Rose. Bill’s brother, Richard was there as well and they both were very welcoming. The told us about their open house that was the next weekend so we knew we wanted to return for it. It was fantastic. Great food and great music provided by a one man show all while enjoying a bottle of Meadow Rose. What could be better right? The performer, Jim Quackenbush can be emailed at jvq12@hotmail.com if you are interested in having him perform at one of your events. I have included a video below the pictures of Hidden Meadow’s so you can check him out. He puts on a great show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chdVBMhbs2Q
After leaving Hidden Meadows, we drove up to the Piggly Wiggly and got us some juicy Chilton County Peaches. I made Chilton County Peach Cobbler out of those beauties. The next Saturday, we visited Ozan and Hidden Meadows again for the Hidden Meadows Open House and because we really loved both places. We had taken my daughter and her friend and we also took the train ride and toured the winery at Ozan. Check out the photo of the Chilton County Peach Park, it is a landmark.
Morgan Creek Vineyards
We drove on to Morgan Creek Vineyards next, which is famous for their Blueberry Wine. You can also buy fresh blueberries here. They have one of the most beautiful settings we experienced. My favorite wine at Bryant Vineyards was the Carlos. The grounds are gorgeous and we plan to go back for the Grape Stomp on September 19th.
Bryant Vineyards
We finished up the Shelby County Alabama Wine Trail the following weekend at Bryant Vineyards which is the oldest continually operating winery in Alabama. They are the second licensed winery in Alabama and have been licensed since 1985. Autumn Blush was my favorite wine at Bryant Vineyards. Unfortunately, I was not able to get any pics of Bryant Vineyards. Maybe next time.
I would highly recommend checking out any or all of these fine wineries as well as the ones on the North Alabama Wine Trail. We have a beautiful state and it is nice to see people doing things locally and with such enthusiasm and passion for their craft. Of course, always drink responsibly and/or have a designated driver. Cheers ya’ll!
