After a difficult year, some Topekans are eager to get outdoors, relax and check out some homegrown wines.
They have plenty of options. At least five wineries are located within a 30-mile radius of Topeka.
All of these wineries are located close enough that you can winery-hop or spend the day at one of your favorites.
Empty Nester's Winery
This winery is one of the newest in the area. Located in the small town of Lecompton, this quaint winery is the perfect fit for the quiet downtown.
Owned by Troy and Vickie Clark, Empty Nester's, 338 Elmore St., opened earlier this year after three years of renovating the space. The idea for the winery came after the couple visited Wyoming and came across a small wine store.
The Clarks thought they could do something similar in their small town.
The winery specializes in fruit wines — four dry and eight sweet — all made from fruit purchased from local Kansas farmers.
The winery just released its Rowena Apple Cranberry wine, which has been a hit, said Troy Clark. The Apple Mango and Raspberry wines have also been popular in the past.
If those delightful sounding wines aren't intriguing enough Empty Nester's also serves wine slushies, a feature many wineries have adopted in recent years.
Each wine's name is historically significant to Lecompton. The "Bald Eagle Blueberry" is named after Lecompton's original town name and the "Cherritorial Capital," a cherry wine, pays homage to Lecompton being Kansas' former territorial capital.
More: After years of experimenting with wine making, this couple opens Lecompton's sole winery
The winery is open noon-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. An outdoor space that seats about 50 people is available.
This summer, Empty Nester's has several events planned. On Saturday, Lecompton will host its annual Territorial Days event. During the evening, Empty Nester's will have a Territorial Day After Party with live music starting at 7 p.m.
A glass painting class is scheduled for 6 p.m. June 18. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by calling the winery at 785 218-7760.
An outdoor music fest and tacos event is scheduled for 5 p.m. June 26. The winery will host JB's Taco Truck and live music from Smoke Damage.
Another outdoor music and food night will be at 5 p.m. July 10. Mr. Bacon BBQ will be on site with live music by Eric and Jillian Fitzmorris.
The winery offers trivia and game nights every Thursday. A complete list of events can be found on Empty Nester's Facebook page.
Prairie Fire Winery
Located off Interstate 70 in Paxico and in the Flint Hills, Prairie Fire Winery not only offers its guests a traditional Kansas scenery but also delicious wines.
The winery, owned by Bob and Julie DesRuisseaux, opened in 2008. The DesRuisseauxes have long been wine enthusiasts as wine and grapes are deeply rooted in the family.
Prairie Fire, 20250 Hudson Ranch Road, is focused on remaining local and sustainable. Not only does the winery make wine from locally grown grapes, it also in recent years started making soy-wax candles.
"Everything we do is done close. All of our wines are 100% Kansas grown. Most of our other products that we use and sell are also other local, small farms and producers," Bob DesRuisseaux said.
And every bottle emptied during the winery's tastings is recycled and reused.
Anyone who visits Prairie Fire is sure to find a wine that they enjoy as the winery makes everything from dry and sweet wines to sangrias.
"We also are the first and only winery that has made a traditional method sparkling in Kansas history," Bob DesRuisseaux said. "We make that in a brut, which is drier, and a doux, which is sweeter."
The winery has more than 30 varieties of wine with its red Chambourcin and white Vignoles being the two most popular bottles.
Prairie Fire is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. The winery offers tastings or guests can stop by to purchase wine. There is also plenty of indoor and outdoor seating if you want to grab a bottle of wine, sit down and relax.
Bob DesRuisseaux recommends first-time visitors come to the winery during the weekday to ensure they have the best experience. The weekends are the busiest times and tastings book quickly. Walk-in tastings are available, too.
"During the week is the time to have a nice, quiet experience in the Flint Hills," Bob DesRuisseaux said.
This winery is your destination if you enjoy listening to live music while drinking wine. Musicians are scheduled to perform every Saturday and Sunday even during the winter.
No Bow Tie will perform at 2 p.m. June 19 and Jayme Green will perform at 2 p.m. June 20.
Matthew Mulnix and Karen Boyer will perform at 2 p.m. June 26, and Justin Fowler will perform at 2 p.m. June 27. A full list of events can be found on the winery's Facebook page.
Glacier's Edge Winery
Located in Wakarusa, Glacier's Edge Winery is the perfect place to enjoy some country scenery. Mike and Lisa Steinert first started growing grapes in 2004 and expanded to a winery in 2014.
The winery offers indoor and outdoor space that can seat more than 200 people, as well as a tasting room.
Glacier's Edge, 1636 S.E. 85th St., specializes in a variety of wine from dry reds to sweet whites, semi-sweet and fruit wines and two sparkling hard apple ciders.
"We have on the shelf anywhere between 10 and 16 varieties at once," Mike Steinert said.
The winery's most popular is its dry white wine.
If you're feeling artsy, this winery is for you. Glacier's Edge participates in ArtsConnect's First Friday.
Each first Friday of the month, Glacier's Edge hosts live musicians and serves food. Mike Steinert said they also feature artists during that time.
The winery also has live music the second or third Saturday of each month.
Glacier's Edge will host bluegrass band Pastense at 4-7 p.m. June 19. Events can be found on the winery's Facebook page.
"When those aren't happening, we do have nice charcuterie plates, some small appetizers that folks can take part in," Mike Steinert said.
Glacier's Edge is open 3-7 p.m. Friday, noon-6 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. On First Friday, the winery is open 3-9 p.m. and noon-8 p.m. on Saturdays when live music is scheduled.
Crooked Post Winery
Owned by Kevin and Lori Henderson, Crooked Post Winery opened in 2014 after the couple started planting grapes at their home years earlier.
The winery, 7397 K-92 highway in Ozawkie, offers tastings along with indoor and outdoor seating so guests can enjoy the view.
"We are a destination winery so we like people to stay all day," Lori Henderson said. "That's usually what everybody does."
Henderson said the winery specializes in using French-American hybrid grapes.
Crooked Post offers 17 wines from dry to sweet. According to Lori Henderson, the winery's most popular is the Perry Sunset, a sweet blend wine.
The winery serves wood-fire brick oven pizza from 4-7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2-5 p.m. Sunday. Reservations are encouraged.
If you are looking for a truly unique experience, Crooked Post is the place to visit as they allow guests to participate in the annual grape harvest.
Starting in mid- to late August through September, visitors can participate in picking the grapes, observing the crushing process and the beginning phase of the juice becoming wine.
"They get a free T-shirt, and we give them a big breakfast and we don't charge anything," Lori Henderson said.
More than 200 people show up annually to help out with the harvest, Lori Henderson said.
The winery is open noon-6 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
You can typically enjoy live music at Crooked Post and bingo nights for a cause.
The winery will host bingo to raise money for the Cat Association of Topeka at 6:30 p.m. June 17.
Musician Matthew Mulnix will be on site 2 p.m. June 19. A full list of events can be found on the winery's Facebook page.
Wyldewood Cellars Winery
Wyldewood Cellars Winery is one of the largest in the state with four locations. Its Paxico location, 32633 Grapevine Road, is owned by John and Beth Brewer and Merry Bauman.
The winery offers more than 40 wines and specializes in its elderberry varieties. Wyldewood Cellars also offers everything from sweet, semi-sweet, dry, semi-dry, sangrias and mead wines.
The winery is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Wine tastings are available.
June 14, 2021 at 05:30PM
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Looking for a winery to check out some Kansas-grown vines? These five are located within 30 miles of Topeka. - The Topeka Capital-Journal
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