Day Trip: Winery

My girlfriend and I are in the mood for a little day trip this weekend and a winery seemed like a fun way to spend a Saturday. Only problem is we don't know where to go. We aren't expecting Napa Valley but we would like to visit a place that not only has good wine but a welcoming and pleasant atmosphere. Does anyone have any suggestions? We would like to keep the drive under 2 hours. Of course, we would have to find someplace to eat (keeping it on topic, Robin), so dining recommendations would also be appreciated. Thanks!

I am not a wine aficionado by any means, but I like wine from this place. Elk Creek Vineyards in Owen County. You can take I-71 for the fast way, or KY22 for the leisurely route. Take a look. http://www.elkcreekvineyards.com/
It definitely is within your 2 hour time frame and has a cafe.

Joe Hubers in Indiana has a winery that can be toured and sampled.

http://www.smithberrywinery.net in lovely New Castle, KY has a winery, tasting room and art gallery. They also host great dinner concerts on select Saturday evenings. The next dinner is September 13th. Beautiful drive and very friendly folks when you get there. The Smith-Berry family has been farming Henry County for a long time.

Equus Run Vinyard in Midway, Kentucky ( near Lexington) was a lot of fun. They do a lot of events during the year including concerts at their outdoor amphitheater. My favorite is the event they do around Valentines that has wine and chocolate and live jazz.

i don't know where you are in your wine journey, but i have found that the more wine i drink, the drier my palate for it gets. unfortunately that tends to alienate nearly all of the wineries within our grasp for a day trip, even though my taste is not nearly as dry as most men who have wine experience (my favorite varietals are sauvignon blanc, viognier, chenin blanc, chardonnay, merlot, and cabernet). hubers, elk creek, smith berry, wildside vines(versailles), chrisman mills (lexington), talon (lexington), broadrun (louisville), brown county winery and all of the madison indiana wineries have all been very disappointing in their lack of variety and overwhelming sweetness in what they did have to offer.
still, my husband (whose palate is drier than mine) and i have managed to find a few gems that have what we feel are fairly quality offerings. by the way, all of these still have plenty of sweeter options, while also offering some varietals that are hard to find in our region.
our favorite by far is equus run vineyards in midway (between frankfort and lexington). for $2 you get a souvenir glass and five tastings, and we never leave without a bottle we are anxious to open. they also have gorgeous grounds.
turtle run in corydon was an out of the way place run by a couple with small children who obviously adored wine. our kids played on the swingset while we tasted (free) the surprising number of offerings they had. they themselves mentioned that they tried hard to veer away from the sugar content associated with indiana wines.
in brown county, i adore chateau thomas, who has the best, most floral, not-to sweet Gewurztraminer i have ever had, although i must admit my husband thinks their wine is a bit too sweet. i believe they are free for the first five tasting as well, and although they have no grounds the place is really classy inside and you get to stroll around brown county as well.

I highly recommend the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail which includes Huber, French Lick, Turtle Run, Brown County and more! The wines are nice, the scenery is great, and there's some really good food along the way. Unfortunately, there's no way you can do it all in one day. Even better, if you grab a 'passport' at any of these wineries and get it stamped at each one, you get a wine print and your name entered in a drawing for a grand prize!

I forgot to mention my two favorite dining spots along the trail...Starlight Cafe in Starlight, IN and the restaurant in the French Lick winery.

take a trip to Madison, IN

several great little wineries
in a sweet little river town

[Robin Garr]

You've had lots of good options here, but for the winery experience, I'd suggest Huber's for convenience to Louisville, Smith-Berry for a pretty and fairly close location (just off I-71 in Henry County), and possibly - I haven't been there yet - the new Wight-Meyer vineyard near Shepherdsville, which is run by a frequent Kentucky State Fair amateur-wine winner who's now gone pro.

Don't forget the Felice Winery in the Melillo's complex and Riverbend west of downtown. They're formally wineries and tasting rooms, although they make wine from grapes or juice trucked in from the West Coast, but you can still get a winery experience without leaving town.

Try Jean Farris Winery and Bistro located just south of downtown Lexington...you can take a look at their website and menu at http://www.opentable.com. They are usually the most booked restaurant every week on that site.

re"French Lick winery"

We were there this past Spring for a concert and to tour West Baden and popped in there for a taste and dinner. Not too impressed with the wine and dinner was a major disappointment.

There's a winery in Brooks, Ky., which is the first exit off I-65 south of the Gene Snyder. I haven't been, but I plan to stop in sometime within the next few weeks. From the Bullitt County Attractions site:

Brooks Hill Winery
Mike & Karen Hatzell invite you to Brooks Hill Winery located atop Brooks Hill. Brooks Hill Winery is on the right and easily identifiable by its distinctive blue roof.
Location: I-65, exit 121, take highway 1526 west for 2 miles
Hours: 1pm-7pm, Mon thru Fri; 10:30am-7pm Sat; closed Sundays
Phone: 502-957-7810

There's also Broad Run Vineyards in J-Town. http://www.broadrunvineyards.com/index.htm. But they don't have a cafe and I'm not sure what where there is to eat near there. But it's not a long drive at all. I attended a wedding there awhile back and the land was gorgeous and the people were very friendly.

It's a little over 2 hours, but I highly recommend Oliver Winery

http://www.oliverwinery.com/html/index.html

My hometown, Bloomington, IN is nearby and fun for a laid-back visit as well.