Beer and Wine Tour: Country Heritage Winery

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This is the fourth stop in the Living Fort Wayne Beer and Wine Tour. Every month we will be featuring a different local brewery or winery from our region. Today, Ryan Krueckeberg shares his experience at the LaOtto winery, Country Heritage.

I honestly wasn't aware that LaOtto was a thing until I typed Country Heritage into my GPS. Just north of Fort Wayne on SR 3, Country Heritage sits amid a thriving vineyard in the middle of what I would call BFE. But I'm a downtown guy - I consider anything I can't ride my bike to BFE. I've passed the place several times on my way back and forth from Kendallville, and even stopped once or twice for a bottle of red wine, but never had I taken the time to enjoy the rustic setting.

Inside I was greeted with rich natural wood and warm tones. Racks of wine bottles lined the walls topped with ribbons from various wine competitions. Various wine paraphernalia was displayed for sale  in racks made of wooden crates. A cooler in the back proudly displayed cheeses and meats next to a glass-topped display with various flavors of fudge. I was honestly a little overwhelmed at first, but I just did what I do best, I headed straight for the bar.

At the tasting counter I was greeted by a friendly young lady who offered up free tastings. We were given four choices from a pretty extensive list and had a fifth seasonal special called Summer Splash given to us for free.

I consider myself a wine snob because I know what I like but I am by far no connoisseur. I prefer dry, aromatic wines, (most often red) but you won't find me passing up a crisp Sauvignon Blanc on a warm summer day.

I was pleased by the selection on the list, I went in expecting to dodge a bunch of semi-sweet and dessert wines but the selection of dry and semi-dry was impressive. The tasting experience went well, however it was a little slow due to the volume of people in there at the time. The service was friendly and very knowledgeable. My favorite by far was the Blueberry Merlot.

Now I know some of you out there prefer the sweeter side of things, so I did bring along a couple of friends who swing that way. They tasted several sweets and semi sweets and I tasked them with picking their favorite. After much debate and a near brawl, they both settled on the Peach as their favorite, with the Honey Mead just behind it.

While the setting isn't my style and country music isn't my thing (I'm more of a modern style and alt rock kind of guy) I would not hesitate the 20 minute drive north for another glass, or maybe a bottle, of that Blueberry Merlot. Country Heritage is definitely worth the visit for any type of wine drinker. Check them out online and schedule your own visit!

http://www.countryheritagewinery.com

facebook.com/countryheritagewinery

twitter.com/CH_Winery

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