Going Wine Tasting At Harkness Edwards Vineyards In Winchester, Kentucky

We visited two wineries in Kentucky.

Everyone says the first, Purple Toad, is *the* Kentucky winery. I respectfully and strongly disagree. If you want to taste a lot of wines in a variety of flavors but stand the entire time and experience OK service, then sure – stop by Purple Toad.

If you want to savor the experience, have the chance for amazing cheese pairings, a beautiful location and personalized service, then you must stop at Harkness Edwards Vineyards.

Harkness Edwards Vineyards is a family-run business. It was originally a tobacco farm, but Harkness could see what was coming with the tobacco industry and made the move to grapes in 2001. It wasn’t until 2006 that they had sturdy vines for the Kentucky weather and started producing their varieties of wine.

Harkness Edwards, his wife and 2 of his 3 daughters are involved in the daily operations, while the third is a talented artist and has artwork around the tasting room and even on some of the labels. There is also Winslow (OK, possibly Winston, but Nini is on her honeymoon so I’m not gonna ask her to clarify) and Rhoda, the family pugs who might be seen offering a security detail amongst the vines.

You will, most likely, be greeted by Nini (Edwards) Stone. She’s one of Harkness’ daughters and oversees the tasting room, events and social media. She’s knowledgeable, sweet and has a lovely singing voice. If you sneak in quietly, you might get to hear her singing along to some country music.

I visited Harkness Edwards Vineyards twice during our two weeks in the Lexington area which was only 20 minutes from our hotel. My mom and I went the first time, and Stephen took me back for Mutter’s Day (Mother’s Day) and Truffles joined us. Here’s a taste of the experience for you.

You arrive and park before a barn. It’s decorated and makes a lovely and relaxing entrance into the event spaces, gardens and the Peach House which serves as the tasting room.

You enter the Peach House from the side and find yourself in a sweet little shop. You might need to call out as there are several rooms and Nini is usually serving and working in one of them, or out back depending on where guests are. If you don’t call out, you might hear some of that singing I mentioned earlier.

In addition to wine, you can find wine related items, bourbon honey and artisanal cheeses from Boone Creek Creamery. You can also purchase flower bulbs in little glass jars for only $1 at the time of writing.

You choose a spot – inside or out – for your tasting and a menu is provided. It’s only $10 per person per tasting and $10 for a cheese plate. While the tasting is more than Purple Toad’s, the value for the cheese plate, bottles of wine and glasses of wine more than make up for it.

Another thing that makes wine tasting at Harkness Edwards Vineyards stand out is the attention to detail. That includes the fun paper that the menu is printed on, local events and fresh flowers on every table.

Harkness Edwards Vineyards has some interesting varietals that you may never have heard of. The Cabernet Doré, for example, is a white wine made from two RED grapes. It’s a recessive gene, just like if you get blue eyes while neither of your parents have blue eyes. The Cabernet Doré was in the bag at the Grammy’s (not Harkness Edwards’) and they’re hoping the unusual variety takes off and increases sales of this unique blend for them.

The artwork on the bottles is beautiful and each wine has a story. Big Red is in honor of Man ‘o War, the famous race horse. One of Harkness’ other daughters designs most of their wine labels as she’s a talented artist.

Taste the Sun was my very favorite. Mom bought me a bottle when she left and Stephen got us a bottle on Mutter’s Day. I’ll be sad when they’re gone. One bottle already is…

Once your tasting is over, you can order a glass or bottle and wander around the property.

The property is dog-friendly and Truffles thoroughly enjoyed the cheese tasting, snuggles and sniffs. As we were the only ones there when we arrived, Nini invited us to bring Truffles in. but you might want to check beforehand if the weather is bad since the dog-friendly seating is primarily outside.

Final Thoughts

We’d highly recommend a visit to Harkness Edwards Vineyards in Winchester, Kentucky. A family run business, excellent service, good value, dog-friendly – what more could you ask for!?

The tasting room is officially open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (although Nini seems flexible so reach out), but the vineyard hosts events throughout the month so check back if you live locally.

Address: Harkness Edwards Vineyards, 5199 Combs Ferry Rd, Winchester, KY 40391