History:
Stone Hill Winery has a long and unique history here in the Ozarks. Established in 1847, it grew to be the second largest winery in the nation before Prohibition began in 1920. In its grand beginnings, the winery took its wines to the world fairs and won gold medals for quality in Vienna in 1873 and Philadelphia in 1876. And soon after was producing as much as 1,250,000 gallons of wine every year to support the demand from eager fans.
When Prohibition began, the great efforts of Missouri's wineries were put to bed. During this long intermission the expansive, vaulted cellars of the Herman facility where wine was stored were used to grow mushrooms, allowing the structures to survive this period of time without ruin. And even today these rooms are the largest series of cellars in the U.S.
In 1965, the winery was brought back to life when the Held family purchased the property and began restoring the buildings and rebuilding the processes that once brought its wine to world-renowned status. The Branson location was the last to open in 1986 and immediately gave tours for guests to taste and enjoy the winery's rich historic past.
Today:
This attraction is an elegant and relaxing way to enjoy the extensive information of a tour and the scenery of a beautiful winery all in one. Stone Hill Winery has three locations in the state of Missouri, the New Florence facility and the Hermann facility, which is the headquarters, and the Branson facility. Today Stone Hill Winery has expanded to seven vineyards, covering 120 acres of Missouri land and tourists from all over the world come to visit the attraction every year. The many awards could fill the walls with medals each year for all of the wonderful wines.
Opened in 1986, the Branson location has 12,000 square feet of winery space and is known for its entertaining and informative tours, receiving nearly 2,000 visitors every day. Nearly 30 wines are made today in addition to the popular juices that all come from Missouri and European mixed Concord, Norton, and other grapes.
What You Can't Afford to Miss:
As one of Branson's top tourist sites, this tour provides highly in-depth explanations on how the wines are made, bottled, and stored. Visitors are even given demonstrations on the proper storage for before and after opening, how to properly open wine and champagne bottles, what foods to eat with them, and what glasses use. The wine tasting alone is worth the trip, but guests take a wealth of knowledge home too. There is plenty of time to peruse and purchase any wines or juices you'd like to take home as well. Located right off Highway 165 and Green Mountain Drive, the winery is easy to find, two blocks south of Highway 76.
Tours:
Tours of the Branson and New Florence locations are completely free of charge and include the guided walk-through of the winery's facilities and a tasting at the end of several of the winery's best award-winning wines. A short film is shown at the beginning, which tells of much of the history and traditions of winemaking, including the vineyards and cellars main headquarters in Hermann, Missouri. Tours of the other locations are available as well for a minimal fee, less than $2 a person generally.
New Branson tours begin about every 15 minutes, beginning at 8:30 am Monday through Saturday until about 6:30 pm, and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. The closing hours may be extended some for certain seasons, so feel free to check their website at, www.stonehillwinery.com for updates and events.
