Harriet Witherbee of St. Charles and Joyce Brase of Hamel, Illinois, pause at the Augusta Trailhead on a wine crawl by bicycle. (All photos by Don Corrigan.)
by Don Corrigan
Global wine tourism now offers biking trips through the vineyards in Argentina, Chile, France, Italy and even in New Zealand. Missourians can get a piece of that action in their own backyard – no air tickets required.
Missouri’s Katy Trail boasts almost a dozen wine destinations that can be reached within a mile or less of the trail. They include sites in Defiance, Augusta, and near Marthasville.
If you are willing to put your pedal to the metal on a spur off the trail, you can add even more vineyards to your itinerary. Wineries in Hermann are just a three to six mile bike ride south of the Katy from McKittrich Trailhead.
Bicyclists Harriet Witherbee, 65, of St. Charles, and Joyce Brase, 44, of Hamel, Illinois, have been enjoying the Katy Trail and its wine-and-dine stops for several years now. They do have advice for bikers with wine on their mind.
“I think doing a ‘wine crawl’ on a bike trail like the Katy is the greatest idea in the world,” said Brase. “Get together with a bunch of your friends to do this and you can’t match it for a good time.”
But the two cyclists do offer some cautionary notes for novice wine crawlers.
A good wine crawl takes time, so plan on setting aside a day for Katy Trail winery travel. Note that a fun day can easily turn into a scary cycling night.
“You can lose track of the time in the wine tasting rooms,” said Brase. “You might come out to get on your bike and the sun is going down. Make sure you have a good light on your bike and a good charge on your cell phone.”
It’s also good to have a plan. For example, you can plan a Defiance area wine crawl on the Katy that takes you to Defiance Ridge Vineyards, Chandler Hill Vineyards and Sugar Creek Winery. Closer to Augusta, you can take in Mount Pleasant, Blumenhof and Lake Creek wineries on a crawl.
Trailheads have detailed descriptions of what sights you will see on each segment of your Katy Trail ride.
Wine Crawls: Safe & Therapeutic
Nothing converts ordinary humans into extraordinary environmentalists more effectively than a bike ride through the country. A 15-mile ride through landscapes of trees, streams, bluffs, and verdant cropland makes even casual observers realize there is something big to protect out here.
Add to the landscape, the inhabitants: birds, bees, turtles, frogs, foxes, raccoons and even coyotes. Some of the animals are going into hibernation mode. Seasons are changing. Witness the brilliant yellow and fiery reds of the leaves.
Most Missourians agree that fall is the most therapeutic season. The long, hot days of summer are coming to an end. Wonderful harvests are coming in. You want to travel through wine country because you’re interested in wine and love the scenery and climate of beautiful areas.
Don’t set goals that interfere with your bicycling wine crawl therapy. Don’t feel that you have to prove yourself as a cyclist or a wine sampler. A wine crawl on wheels is a pleasure trip, not a competition.
And don’t forget that you’re traveling by bicycle. Use common sense. Stay hydrated. Don’t overindulge on the wine. Practice basic safety. Mind the rules of the road, errr, the trail. Winery owners agree that Katy Trail travel is relatively safe.
Mark Blumenberg, who founded Blumenhof Winery along with his father Jim in 1979, notes that more and more visitors are arriving at his site by taking the Katy Trail. He concedes it’s a “moderate” trek, but not too strenuous, from the trail to his winery.
As for safety: “I don’t think alcohol is a big problem with bicyclists,” said Blumenberg. “They’re sensible people. They usually plan out their days pretty well. I’ve never heard of anyone getting pulled over for weaving on the Katy.”
Ken Flesch of Lake Creek agrees: “I don’t have a lot of advice for bicyclists as to what to drink to keep their bike legs,” said Flesch. “We have non-alcoholic brews and our sangria is a good choice for staying light on the alcohol.
“It’s so easy-going with bikers down there on the Katy Trail,” added Flesch. “They rack up the miles, but they have great places to stop. They’re doing recreational biking. I’ve never heard of a high-speed pile up on the Katy.”
Offering A Warning
In order to get to Lake Creek Winery, you must leave the Katy Trail and take Boone Monument Road east and then north.
Bicyclist Witherbee of St. Charles has a bit of a gripe with trail tour book writers. She said the book details sometimes smack of false advertising. She offers a warning.
“The tour guides make it sound like you just ride your bike down the trail and then you arrive at the winery. You get off your bike and it’s just a few steps into the tasting room,” Witherbee said.
“That’s not the way it works,” she said. “Sometimes it’ a pretty good haul off the trail and a pretty steep hike up the hill to get to the winery. I wish there was a phone box at the trailheads for the winery.
“At the phone box, you would call the winery and they would come with a golf cart to take you up to the tasting room,” Witherbee explained.
Jason Manhart, manager of Mount Pleasant Estates Winery in Augusta, said golf cart transportation from trailhead to winery is not coming any time soon. Be ready for a hike up streets named Public, Main, and Clay at his location.
However, Manhart said there is a future possibility that wine trail trolleys could be routed to swing by trailhead stops for the convenience of thirsty bicyclists.
Two of the wineries up-the-hill from the Katy Trail and close to the trailhead at Augusta are: Mount Pleasant and Augusta. The Mount Pleasant Winery has more amenities, but the Augusta winery is closer to the trail.
“We always welcome Katy Trail hikers and bicyclists,” said Tom Fuchs, general manager for the four Hoffmann Family wineries in the area. “On warm days, bikers pushing their bikes from the trailhead often get no farther than the Augusta winery.”
Katy Trail stops offer some beautiful sunsets such as this one near Cooper’s Landing.
On a mild, fall afternoon, bicyclists can easily manage the added travel to Mount Pleasant They can settle on the terrace for a hearty lunch with vin extraordinaire. They also will be treated to extraordinary views from the winery terrace – from the base of the bluffs to the wide Missouri River.
Environmental Echo 