Baltimore Bend Vineyard

Baltimore Bend Vineyard - Missouri River Wines

Taking the northern overland state highways route across Missouri, we passed through the town of Waverly, Missouri, home to Baltimore Bend Vineyard. 

Founded in 1997, starting with 1.5 acres, the vineyard has grown to more than 8 acres today comprising 9 different varieties of wine grapes which are blended and bottled under ten red labels and a dozen whites and some fruit wines - from sweet to semi-dry to  dry wines and a fortified wine.

The winery and brand is named after the bend in the Missouri River where legend has it that a boat named Baltimore sank.

Baltimore Bend Vineyard offers a wide variety of award-winning estate wines sourced from their eight acres of vineyards down near the river. 

Located in northeastern Lafayette County, this region of Missouri marks the southern boundary of the glacier fields formed during the Ice Age. As the ice retreated, winds deposited deep, fertile, silt loam soil that is ideally suited for growing grapes. Baltimore Bend has matched the local terroir to the following grape varieties: Cynthiana, Chambourcin, Chardonel, Concord, Norton, Seyval, Vidal, Vignoles and Cabernet France. 

Baltimore Bend Vineyards
Winery-Tasting Room

Baltimore Bend Vineyard is a family owned and operated business, managed by Sarah Smith, part owner and co-founder, along with her parents, Richard and Kathleen Livingston, who both entered the winery and viticulture business after retiring, Kathleen from a career as a nurse, and Richard as a meteorologist. Richard, spent his career first as a forecaster and later as Chief of Scientific Services for the Central Region of the National Weather Service. Upon retirement, he joined with his wife, Kathleen, and daughter Sarah to establish, nurture and grow Baltimore Bend Vineyard.

The winery was started in 2003 and Sarah has been instrumental in all aspects of the vineyard and winery’s growth over the years, including taking on the duties as head winemaker.

Sarah got a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Journalism from the University of Missouri and a certificate in enology from Washington State University. She is active in Missouri Wine marketing, promotion and governance, serving as president of the Missouri Wine Marketing & Research Council, sits on the Missouri Wine & Grape Board, is a member of the Missouri Grape Growers Association and the Missouri Wine & Grape Alliance.

They were joined by family member Scott Livingston in 2014, who, like the rest of the owners, plays a vital role in all aspects of the operation from vineyard, to the cellar and tasting room, and to wholesale distribution. 

 

Baltimore Bend tasting porch
overlooks cornfields

We stopped at their winery and tasting room along Missouri State Highway 24. The vineyards are across the road and down near the Baltimore Bend of the Missouri River adjacent the Baltimore Bend Conservation Area but despite trying we were not able to find them back the winding twisting gravel roads. 

As is customary, Baltimore Bend has a tasting room and offers wines by the bottle, by the glass or as part of a customer selected custom wine flight. 

 

All Baltimore Bend wines are estate, meaning they are produced from their own grapes grown on the estate in their own vineyards. 

We tasted the following wines from the selection:

 

Baltimore Bend Vineyard
Norton 2016

Baltimore Bend Vineyard
Norton Reserve 2017

Baltimore Bend Vineyard
'Port of Waverly' Red Wine

Baltimore Bend Norton Estate Red Wine 2016

Baltimore Bend Norton Reserve Estate Red Wine 2017

Baltimore Bend Chardonel 2018

Baltimore Bend Vidal Blanc 2017

Baltimore Bend Arrowhead Red NV

Baltimore Bend 'Port of Waverly' Norton Based Fortified 'Port' Wine NV

 

It was fun, and interesting to see the branding of their fortified 'Port' wine, labeled as the 'Port of Waverly', a point along the vast Missouri River where is passes the hamlet of Waverly. This was reminiscent of the 'ports' along the Gironde River in Bordeaux and the Port de Beychevelle, Port de Pauillac, and Port de Margaux, and so on, points along the river as it passed the small villages and towns of the Medoc. 

 

We found the Port tasty, pleasant and a good value and picked up a couple of bottles to take home.  

https://www.baltimorebend.com/

@BaltimoreBend