Unique Wines Made from More Than Grapes

Grape filled vineyards set the scene for most peoples’ connotations of wine and wine making. And wine by most definitions means grapes, mashed to juice, left to naturally ferment into an alcoholic beverage. Yet despite the imagines and popular conceptions of the moniker, wine can, in fact, have other juices as its base.

In the heart of the West Virginia hills, one winemaker is taking to produce many non-grape wine varieties. Since the 1992, Kirkwood Winery near Summersville, W. Va. has churned out many traditional wines, yet today some of their best selling products come from berries, fruits, vegetables and even a weed.

Beginning with only grape plants in 1984 and proceeding harsh winter and drought in 1985, today the vineyard has amassed to more than six acres including patches of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and rhubarb in addition to an orchard. And produces over 4,000 gallons of wine annually.

More than grapes in their wines

According to their website, where you can order all of their wine varieties, the two top selling wines are made from blackberries and blueberries respectively.

More adventurous wine connoisseur may wish to walk on the wild side with dandelion, ginseng or ramp wines. All three of these ingredients have strong and deep roots in the Appalachian culture. Ramps, one of West Virginia’s most well-known culinary contribution, are wild leeks that grow in early spring throughout the state and the region. Kirkwood Winery boasts the ramp wine lends itself well for cooking applications.

Even with close ties to mountain traditions, finding something as bothersome as a weed as the featured ingredient in a wine is still a bit unusual. Yet the use of dandelions for culinary purposes go back to prehistoric man and as wine fodder is relegated to a bygone era. With Kirkwood Winery’s dandelion wine you can experience the age old beverage.

Keeping in the non-grape wine vein, the winery also produces two mead wines that offers the refreshing flavor of honey, pear, and apple wines as well.

Another unique aspect of Kirkwood Winery is the old oak press still used by the Facemire family in the wine production. The press began with the original trial run of wine and graces each wine bottle as the Kirkwood Winery logo.

Kirkwood Wines are available from a wide array of resellers in West Virginia, including major chains such as Kroger, Walmart, and Giant-Eagle. The wines are also available at Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia off of Interstates 64 and 77 in Beckley. And directly from Kirkwood Winery’s website.

Tours of the vineyards, winery and wine tastings are available; however, Kirkwood Winery is closed from January 1 to March 31. During the third weekend in September, the Kirkwood Grape Stomping Festival celebrates more than just wine with two days of Appalachian culture, history, and music.


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