Mid-week getaway? Don’t mind if I do! Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Crown Winery, a vineyard and winery located in Humboldt, TN. A quick 90 minute drive from Memphis, the gorgeous Tuscan-style villa offers a taste of Italy without all of the international travel.

It’s been yeeeeeears since I’ve been to Humboldt; I was in the band in Jr. High and remember traveling there for a parade once, but that’s about it. When I was invited to visit, I was honestly surprised that we had a vineyard so close to home. Crown Winery has been open since May of 2009, but came under new ownership in September 2017. It’s still family owned and operated (Dawn and Scott Fallert run it along with their kids assisting where they can), and you honestly feel that familial warmth during your visit.

My friend Andrea and her son Jasiel came along with me (she’s a mama that loves to travel and they made this trip kid-friendly for us so that he could come as well), and upon arrival we were greeted by Dawn. Super friendly and warm, she offered us a glass of sparkling wine before we toured the winery to see how the magic happens.

From the harvesting to bottling, the process of making a bottle of wine is quite fascinating. While machines do most of the heavy lifting, you still have to have a hand in the process to make sure things are done properly-it’s not a one and done step. They harvest 9 different types of grapes in their vineyard, and there is a scientific element that goes into it all to ensure that it’s palatable. Dawn’s breakdown of how each batch is made is pretty cool and easy to understand, which is something I truly appreciate. Learning about wine shouldn’t be intimidating, so I appreciate the effort that goes into ensuring you understand what’s happening throughout the tour.

After touring the facility, we then hopped on a golf cart and toured the grounds to see the vines. Crown Winery is on 50 acres of land, with a lake and even a small amphitheater; the vineyard is perfect for weddings and events, and Dawn told us that they also host fun gatherings and even private picnics on the grounds. Can you imagine doing a date night on the grounds near the lake?? OMG, so romantic!

After our tour, we met with Vicky for our tasting. Vicky hosts wine tasting parties under her business Sip Sip Soiree!, and starting this Summer she will be offering those tastings at Crown Winery. I’ve done wine tastings before, and this by far was the best one I’ve ever had. We sampled 5 different wines, and her food pairings were unique, so you were actually able to taste why certain wines paired best with certain foods. It wasn’t pretentious at all, and the way that she explained the process was so easy to understand and fun. We learned the proper way to hold a wine glass and how to really do experience the wines. Because that’s the thing: you don’t drink wine, you EXPERIENCE it.

The wines we tried: Cayuga White, Chardonel, Sangiovese (my fave), Forgotten Five and a Rosé.

The story behind the Forgotten Five is so fun (you have to visit to learn why!), and it is a delicious red. It’s a fave (and limited in quantities), and they actually “fight” over the last bottles. Ha!

The weather was absolutely FANTASTIC while we were there, and they had a great playlist to set the mood, so Andrea and I were able to just sit, talk, and enjoy our wines for a bit before we headed back out. Aaah, the good life!

Had we planned properly, we would’ve gone into town before we left (the Strawberry Festival was happening), but after our tasting we went inside, had one last tasting and then bought a few bottles of wine before heading back to Memphis. Words cannot explain how much we enjoyed our little weekday getaway, and I will definitely be going back to visit soon!

Visit www.crownwinery.com to learn more about Crown Winery and all that they offer. They will be hosting various events throughout the season (they even have live music on Fridays for their “Wine Downs”), so be sure to check their website before you plan your trip to get the most out of your visit!

Thank you again to Crown Winery for hosting us. We had a blast!

 

this post was sponsored, but all thoughts are my own.

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