Lexington, KY - I love Kentucky country drives that take me off the beaten path, even if just a little. Kentucky offers a number of rural value-added farms and wineries that I would suggest adding to your day trip list. I've found that each Kentucky winery is unique, and my curiosity about Broad Run Vineyards, which produces vintage wines using only grapes grown in their vineyard, led me there on a recent day trip of my own.
Employee Jeff Pluhar took a friend and me on a tour, starting with the cool cellar, where we saw a horizontal grape press. Noting that "the enemies of wine are sunlight, temperature changes and air," Jeff pointed out that the cellar is kept dark, maintaining a constant temperature of 63 degrees.
Owned by Marilyn and Jerry Kushner, Broad Run Vineyards consists of 26 acres. It started as a hobby and followed a natural progression to commercial vineyard. They offer 21 varieties of vines including Chardonnay, Riesling, Chambourcin, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and fruit wines, which use fruit from outside the vineyard. We enjoyed tasting all these wines, including variations from dry years, and wines aged in stainless steel vats as opposed to oak barrels. The wine tasting costs $3, and you can take the wine glass home, along with any bottled wines you purchase. Broad Run also carries some jewelry and art in their tasting room, and tasters can request Kenny's Farmhouse cheeses to complement their wine.
The feeling is informal at Broad Run, and on our short trip there, I think we met most of the folks involved with the operation, including the owners. Jerry, who has made wine since the 1960s and grown grapevines in Kentucky since the 1970s, strolled up the driveway with his friendly black dog and offered some background history as we chatted.
"We can grow better wines in Kentucky than anywhere else in the world," Jerry said. "And every dollar spent at a Kentucky winery signifies perhaps $7 - 10 additionally spent by those tourists in our state."
Inside, we sat down to chat and taste wines. Some of my favorites of the selection poured out for us included Gewurztraminer, which is a dry, white wine made from pink grapes, and a 2005 Carmine, which is bred from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carignan. It is described as "dry, full-bodied and extremely food friendly." I also savored the semi-sweet white wine Gala made from Kentucky apples. Other lovely palette pleasers included Fleur de Lychee, Frankly Scarlet and Broad Run's Strawberry Wine. Our wine guide assured us that "a good wine is something you like." And that's a nice attitude to keep in mind while visiting Kentucky's wineries.
It takes time to plant, mature and bring wines to fruition, and to appreciate that blending of time, effort and the earthly maturation process is a part of the smell and taste of wine in your mouth. Broad Run started planting way back in 1983 and is looking to 2013 for varieties being planted now. Broad Run brings in musicians and good food for seasonal special events celebrated in their expansive tasting room (3,500 square feet) and the open-air deck. The view is lovely, overlooking sycamore trees and a deep blue pond. Upcoming events this year include a Murder Mystery Dinner on July 18 and a Harvest Pig Roast on Oct. 17. Broad Run Vineyard will host their holiday open house on Dec. 5.
Broad Run Vineyard boasts an aroma of quality and friendliness, from their genuine cork tops to picking grapes at the right time for a better wine. And each year's weather variation brings tasty treats of varying vintage effects. If "wine is a thing of place," then Broad Run Vineyards is the right place for excellent wine and good company. Travel safely on your day trips and enjoy the fruits of the land with your friends and family.