Wine Splash!

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We had planned our wine experience weekend for awhile and were very excited about our visit to Round Barn Winery. How could you not like a winery that is also a brewery that is also a distillery? And there is so much history about the Round Barn, we might even learn something! The 100 year old white round Amish barn was originally built in Rochester, Indiana in 1911. The Moersch family purchased the barn in 1997 and it was disassembled, moved to the Moersch property, and reassembled as the Round Barn.  It’s a wonderful, unique place to experience the magic of wine and spirits.

The tasting room inside the round barn is just as fun! Two big half moon shaped tasting rooms that circle the inside of the barn with a curved tasting bar that follows suit. Everything inside is updated and trendy with lots of wine and wine accessories along the walls. We were met by a smiling Cara who would be our wine hostess that day. We each got a wine glass to keep and tokens as part of our tasting that day. Cara told us about the Round Barn and answered any questions we had about the 20+ wines & spirits on the menu. Dry reds and whites, fruit wines, semi-sweet, and dessert wines – there’s something for everyone and every palate. We were pleased to find out that you can also try the DiVine Vodka, Rum, and Bourbon as part of the tasting! We tried the vodka and bourbon and they were both very good, but it was the wine list we were after. Some of the whites include Chardonnay and Pinot Gris on the dry white side; Riesling and Gewurtztraminer are semi-dry. Dry Reds include Merlot, Pinot Noir, and a couple Cabernet Sauvignons. Semi-dry red blends and sweet dessert wines round out the list. Our favorites that day were the Vineyard Tears White blend which was very soft and complex with layers of fruit and oak.  For the reds, we loved the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve with hints of chocolate, elderberry, and black currant. 20 months in oak gives this wine a nice balance of tannins and should age very well.

But wait, there’s more! About 100 yards away from the Round Barn is a big red Centennial post and beam barn full of beer! The Moersch family updated their Centennial barn so they could provide a true brewery experience to their guests.  This would be the perfect palate cleanser after a day of sipping wine and spirits! You can try five to eight Round Barn beers on tap at any time. Casey was the friendly young fellow serving our beer and he was a wealth of information. Kolsch, Summer Wheat, Amber, Oak Aged IPA, “Bob’s Your Uncle” English Ale, and Cocoa Stout were on tap today and we were impressed with them all. Some of the beer is seasonal so it will change as the weather changes. We ended up getting our 4 favorite 6 packs for future enjoyment at home.

We loved Bob’s Your Uncle English Bitters beer so we got a couple pints to quench our thirst on the outdoor patio and discuss our days wine and beer discoveries. We were in luck since it was Saturday and Round Barn has many of their music events on Saturday afternoons at the Baroda location. The café was open as well so there were lots of music, food, and beverage fans conversing on the patio and strolling around the vineyard. So we grabbed a couple of brats to pair with our great beer.

All in all, the perfect day! Great wine, fun spirits, good beer, food, music, and people watching, plus a cool Amish round barn and vineyards as our setting! Check out all of Round Barns events, wines, beer, hours, and fun stuff on their website at www.roundbarnwinery.com . Also, make sure you click on the Home tab for the History of the Round Barn with lots of photos so you can see how much went into bringing the round barn to Baroda, Michigan. We learned a lot and are looking forward to our next visit to Round Barn Winery, Brewery, and Distillery…. hopefully as soon as this fall!