Why you should visit Sainte Genevieve wineries
This blog post covers the best wineries in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri.
Sainte Genevieve is a small town on the Mississippi River. It also happens to be the oldest French settlement in Missouri.
The town is full of well-preserved colonial architecture. There are lovely fenced gardens, cute narrow streets, and some of the best eighteenth-century architecture in the United States.
And there’s wine!
There are four wineries scattered throughout Ste. Genevieve MO and just outside the town’s limits.
One winery boasts beautiful grounds while another has a cave (cool!)
Their offerings range from traditional grape wine to fruit wine, mead, beer, and distilled spirits.
You’re sure to find something delicious to drink in this charming colonial town located just an hour south of St. Louis.
How to access wineries in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri
The town of Sainte Genevieve is within driving distance of several nearby cities.
Sainte Genevieve is located a one hour drive south of St. Louis.
Sainte Genevieve is also south of Springfield, Illinois. The drive takes just under 2 and a half hours.
Sainte Genevieve is a 4 and a half hour drive east of Kansas City, Missouri.
If you live in Missouri then you can easily drive from your hometown to Ste Genevieve.
If you live out of state then you should fly into St. Louis, rent a car, and drive an hour to Ste Genevieve MO. The St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) serves the city.
Once you reach Sainte Genevieve you should plan on either driving between the wineries or taking the trolley.
The Ste. Genevieve Trolley provides a safe transportation service for the community.
The local trolley has several pick up locations like an inn, Airbnb rentals, and bed and breakfasts. The trolley stops at two of the wineries on this list: Cave Winery and Chaumette Winery.
The best Sainte Genevieve wineries for a wine tasting
It’s important to note that several local wineries have closed in recent years. Closures include Crown Valley Winery (permanently closed), Lewsi Winery (permanently closed), and Watertower Winery (temporarily closed). If you come across a listing of Missouri wineries that includes these names you’ll know the directory is not up to date.
Despite these closures there’s still plenty of local fine wine to drink!
Here’s our list of the four best wineries in Sainte Genevieve MO.
Charleville Brewery & Winery
The Charleville Winery tasting room and patio has stunning views over Saline Creek Valley.
This hybrid winery and brewery is the perfect place to gather a group of people who love both wine and beer. I mean, why choose?
In fact, they have a tech savvy “iPourIt Wall” with 24 taps. Guests can use a wristband to pour their own beer, wine, and margaritas.
And if you’re hungry, you’re in luck. The winery’s full kitchen serves pizzas and appetizers like pretzel bites, nachos, and a charcuterie board.
The Charleville Brewery & Winery is a great place to spend a relaxing afternoon. They’re closed Monday and Tuesday but open the rest of the week.
The winery also offers a place to stay the night. Beside the Charleville vineyard tasting room is a beautifully refurbished 1860’s log cabin.
The cabin has a kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms and bathrooms. It’s available for guests to rent on Airbnb.
Chaumette Vineyards & Winery
Chaumette Winery is the most elegant Sainte Genevieve winery. It’s also the most well rounded.
It has great views, live music, and a restaurant. There are even villas to spend the night.
And did I mention the wine?! Of course Chaumette Winery has award-winning wines too.
The Tasting Room Bar is open from Thursday through Saturday from 11 AM to 8 PM. You can visit the tasting room bar on Sundays from 11 AM to 4 PM.
The winery’s own Grapevine Grill has similar hours. The restaurant serves lunch from Thursday to Sunday from 12-4 PM. Dinner is served Thursday through Saturday from 5-8 PM.
Live music plays every Saturday from 1-4 PM from May through October. During September and October live music happens on Sundays too.
This beautiful estate is the perfect place to relax with a bottle of wine and a delicious meal.
Brix Urban Winery & Market
Brix Urban Winery and Market crafts fruit wines and mead (honey wine).
They brew and bottle their small batch hand-crafted wines on site at their downtown Sainte Genevieve MO location.
In addition to wine, Brix also offers slushies in fun flavors like peach bourbon and melon cider.
The frozen slushies, fruit wines, and meads crafted at Brix Urban Winery and Market are interesting alternatives to the other more traditional Sainte Genevieve wineries.
This urban winery is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It’s currently closed Monday through Thursday.
Check their Instagram or Facebook business account for special events like live music.
Cave Vineyard
Cave Vineyard is the most unique winery among all of the Sainte Genevieve wineries. After all, they’ve got a cave!
A remarkable Saltpeter Cave is located directly underneath their winery and tasting room. Guests are welcome to enjoy a picnic lunch in the cave (with a wine purchase of course).
Owners Marty and Mary Jo Strussione make wine from Norton, Seyval, Vignoles, Traminette, and Chambourcin grapes.
Dry, sweet, semi-sweet, and fortified wines are all on the menu.
And if you don’t like wine, don’t worry. Cave Vineyard also serves craft beer and distilled spirits.
The Strussione family has a spinoff company called Son-In-Law Brew. It’s operated by their sons-in-law as the name suggests.
Or you can sample their Cave Distillery creations if you’re more of a spirit drinker.
After you try the Strussione wines, beers, and spirits, you should try their biscotti. Their delicious assortment is based on Grandma Strussione’s Almond Biscotti recipe. She was known to dunk her biscotti in wine!
The Biscotti Bar is located in their Winery Loft near the tasting room (on top of the cave).
Cave Winery has different hours during the summer and winter seasons. During the summer they’re open from 10 AM to 6 PM. During the winter their Cave Road tasting room closes at 4 PM.
Similar wine regions to explore
Sainte Genevieve is relatively close to other Missouri wine country towns.
- Defiance, Missouri is 90 minutes northwest of Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. These three wineries in Defiance are nestled in the rolling hills just outside of St. Louis.
- Augusta, Missouri is located about a 1 hour 40 minute drive northwest of Sainte Genevieve.
- Hermann, Missouri is a little over two hours northwest of Sainte Genevieve. Hermann wineries are steeped in history (and wine!). During the early days of the Missouri wine industry this small Midwestern town was a major player.
- Springfield, MO is just under 4 hours west of Ste Genevieve, MO. Check out our list of seven lovely wineries in Springfield, MO.
- Weston, MO is just over 5 hours west of Sainte Genevieve, MO. These four wineries in Weston reflect the charm of this tiny Missouri town.
