Country Heritage Winery tasting.
Brown County
Sippin’ Trip ~story and photos by Jeff Tryon
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or some time now, I have been cogitating and reckoning on how to string together visits to all of Brown County’s various breweries, distilleries, and wineries in one glorious day of touring and tasting. Of course, the difficulty with this sort of Brown County tasting tour is transportation. How will one advance from point A to point B after one has had a full afternoon of sampling the delights? The answer has emerged in the form of a “Sippin’ Trip,” a group excursion to many of the various and diverse artisan wine, beer, and hard spirits makers in a single afternoon. Some genius down at the Visitors Center has arranged for the Nashville General Store shuttle bus to carry eager sippers to the various destinations in style. The coordinated schedule keeps things moving so that sippin’ trippers get a good perspective on the Brown County sippin’ scene all in one relaxed, educational, and enjoyable afternoon. The Tour begins at the Visitor Center at 211 South Van Buren Street at 11 a.m. on a weekend morning. The center is a highly recommended starting point for any Nashville or Brown County touring excursion, especially for first-time visitors or those unfamiliar with the territory. It features excellent maps, guides, and other materials, as well as a friendly and efficient staff. Brad, our friendly and helpful tour guide, gave us a brief overview and shepherded the group from stop to stop with the help of Carl the kindly bus driver.
52 Our Brown County • Sept./Oct. 2019
We didn’t need the bus for our first stop, the Country Heritage Winery tasting room just a short stroll across the parking lot. Formerly Chateau Thomas, the space has recently been revitalized by the Fort Wayne vintner. Twenty or so sippers are seated around a couple of rows of long tables in the main room while an amiable and chatty host, “Bob”, brings a series of “flights” of various wines two at a time. Participants can sip one or both as Bob relates the heritage and pedigree of the various samples. The secret is, it’s just a sip—maybe an ounce of wine in a small glass—about one swallow. You smell it, slurp a little of it across your palette, and then toss down the rest. It’s more or less one swallow, so you don’t have to worry about being poured off the bus at the end of the day. It’s a nice, paced, informative and tasty way to get to know a lot more about what Brown County has to offer. The tasting proceeds from dry whites like a 2016 Pinot Gris and a 2017 Chardonay, through dry reds, semi-dry reds, and semi-sweet and sweet vintages. The tasting is very informal and not at all fussy (you use the same glass for each sample). Bob is engaging and knowledgeable. Boarding the shuttle bus, we make our way to the sprawling Hard Truth Hills complex up on the hill at 418 Old State Road 46. Starting with a welcoming sample of their most popular brew, Busted Knuckle Ale, we proceeded into a sort of museum which features a couple of actual old-time stills and walls lined with the history of Big Woods QuaffON! Brewing Company.
