Stone Hill Winery — Attraction in Hermann

We stopped by Stone Hill for a tour and tasting. I'd heard good things about MO wine country and did a lot of research as there are many in this area. What stuck out to me initially was the fact Stone Hill offered a tour which is why i selected them for our visit. I also saw online they offer tastings with a glass to take home! They offer the tours at specific times scheduled throughout the day so be sure to check before going! We stopped by for the 2pm tour and it was definitely a bigger group due to it being the first one after lunch break. Our tour guide was a young man who was friendly and knowledgeable about the grounds and history as well as inviting and offered comedic relief during the tour. The tour is free and takes you around the grounds and through the cellars as you learn how different wines around the Vineyard are made as well as the history of the grounds and owners. It is a very intriguing tour and we learned a lot about wine making through the years! Afterwards we headed to the shop to get set up for our tasting. We were given chips with a room number and directed to a tasting room. The tasting experience was fun overall but not very personal although the server tried to explain each wine as she poured. It is done in a room with a server in the middle of a square bar with people gathered around. You are given a sheet with multiple options of wines from dry to sparkling to sweet and able to pick a wide variety to enjoy! The server then works her way through your list one by one, pouring each sample in your complimentary glass. She works her way around the bar and each person/group is on a different point in their tasting journey but she was good at making us feel engaged when it was our turn and would offer commentary on each sample. The grounds do feature a restaurant we did not have time to stop at so will definitely have to return to try their fares. Overall the winery visit was well worth the 1hr 20min drive from STL and I would definitely return to enjoy the tour again and sample a different selection of wines as there were many many options available. They did have a shop with wine to take home and merchandise...

Recently went to Stone Hill Winery as part of a bachelorette celebration. Our group attempted to grab lunch at their restaurant well aware that we would need to split up our group of 12 due to the restaurant rules of not being able to seat more than 6 at a table. We were immediately told they would not be able to seat us because the restaurant would be closing at 2p and that since it was 1p our option would be to get carry out. We decided to pass. While waiting for the trolley another large group of about 9 went in to the restaurant around 1:20p. We thought oh they won’t be able to be seated either. Much to our surprise they never came back out. We then went back in to inquire how this was possible and upon returning to the restaurant the group of 9 were seated at 2 tables. When we asked, we were quickly told by the hostess/manager, Ashlea, that we were not willing to separate our group which was not true. We quickly realized that the discrepancy between the groups was not the unwillingness to split our group but the color of our skin. It’s unfortunate that a diverse group of Asians and Black women were turned away while a group of white women were seated with ease. The members of our group will not be returning to Stone Hill Winery and/or purchasing any of their products in the future.” A very disappointing experience.

In response to the owner: Thank you for explaining the logistics of your restaurant. This was not just about the math of how you sit 12 people but the manner in which we were dismissed by Ashlea the first time and the response we received from her the second time. We offered to split the group, and we offered to wait which she denied. We were told kitchen closes in an hour and carryout was offered. We are highly educated women that can count. There was a front booth that clearly had more than 6 people squeezed in to it with a chair at the end. Our experience was not an interpretation or an ill perception but a statement...

Established in 1847 – well before there was a Napa Valley grape growing and wine making industry – Stone Hill grew at one point to be the second largest winery in the United States. Today, it remans a cornerstone of Hermann, Missouri’s thriving wine industry.

Stone Hill features the largest series of arched underground cellars in North America, which are a testament to the passion of the original German winemakers who settled the area west of St. Louis. The tours are a must see for all visiting the winery - providing a wealth of intriguing information about winemaking and the Hermann area. More than 250,000 gallons of highly rated wine are produced annually at Stone Hill.

Their most famous products tend to feature the Norton grape. Norton is Missouri’s official state grape; it makes for a robust, deeply colored, dry red wine with distinctive character flowing from a complex mix of fruit, spice and oak. I enjoy it most as an accompanyment to meals with red meat. It is often argued that Norton is possibly North America’s oldest cultivated grape. It certainly has impacted the production of a significant number of celebrated Missouri wines.

The Stone Hill website boasts. “Our vineyards span seven sites surrounding the Hermann area. As Missouri’s largest grape grower, we are dedicated to growing our own grapes for our wines. In 1983, Hermann was honored as one of the nation’s first federally designated AVAs, or American Viticultural Areas. AVAs denote unique characteristics of an area that make it a special and distinct location to grow grapes and make wine.”

A quick internet search will quickly produce a long list of grand wine industry awards for Stone Hill. It is rather impressive, but I don’t put a lot of stock in encouraging others to read about wine and grape growing awards. I recommend you go and savor the vino, experience the area’s rich history, and enjoy such a lush, green destination. It is...