Jowler Creek Winery was just one of many wineries we visited while touring the Greater Northwest Wine Trail back at the beginning of July. We had no idea what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised when we rolled up to this country winery, complete with all natural weed control via the sheep in their vineyard, and rustic feel of the duo running the show: Jason and Colleen.
Jowler Creek is a winery that is the spawn of two loves, one of agriculture and one of viticulture. Combined, Jason and Colleen form the perfect team not only to produce high quality wines, but to produce a relationship that intermingles their love for the countryside as well as wine. They care for each step of the wine making process by utilizing sustainable means, including focusing their energy on quality and not quantity; so you know you are getting wine that was made with tentative eyes. Because of this, Jowler has won many awards for their efforts.
They began by planting Norton vines in 2004 and have since added to their vineyard a plethora of varietals including: Vignoles, Cabernet Franc, and Traminette. Officially opening their doors in 2005,
Jowler Creek attracts many a visitor in their tasting room, where one can enjoy their many dry - sweet wines (we recommend their Norton, Butterfly Blush, and their Nort) from 11 - 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Pros
This place is teaming with personality. The tasting room is a brown metal building, built to resemble an old barn. It tricked Davina into thinking the doors on the front were the entrance, but alas are only for show; the entrance is just off to the left.
The wine selection is well balanced, from beginning to end and offers a novice to Missouri wines a multitude of pleasant varietals that are capable of growing here. The advanced wine drinker can also find something here as well. They have a unique 'Nort' that is very tasty and is easily one of the better 'Ports' we've had in Missouri.
Jason and Colleen are knowledgeable about their wines and are quite friendly. They took their time to explain every detail about each wine and even admitted to some that weren't up to par for their standards.
Cons
The winery itself is very nice, but it was unfortunate that one could not easily walk around the vineyard and enjoy the scenery due to the livestock living in their. This con is but a small one because
Jowler Creek is one of the few wineries that we know of that takes care of their weed issue the all natural way, without using herbicides.
We aren't sure if they are used to larger crowds or not, but when we were at the winery the tasting room was a bit cramped. Of course, this is a great thing and shows one that their wines are obviously very good and very popular. Jason and Colleen both admitted that they've already outgrown the building which houses not only their tasting room, but their entire production facility.
The Vignoles sampled at
Jowler Creek was not to par with a typical Vignoles. The wine makers admitted it, but it was something to note. As a Vignoles fanatic it was disappointing to see it on the list, but then to taste what it turned out to be. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out next year though.
However, despite these two environmental cons and the Vignoles disappointment, the winery is very well kept up. The vines are very pretty to look at, the inside of the tasting room was regulated temperature wise and was a great break from the beating sun. It was also nice that the production facility was right there so one could get a sneak peak at their establishment. All too often we find a tasting room with no view of the production facility and in my opinion, this is one of the more exciting things about going to wineries. Getting the chance to see how it's all made; from vine, to crush, to fermentation, to bottle, to taste. All these steps are part of the winery experience and you get to have it all at
Jowler Creek.
Notable Wine:
Jowler Creek Chambourcin -
Earthy, but balanced with cherry and a little bit of vanilla, this dry red wine was our favorite of the dry options.
Jowler Creek 'Muskrato' -
Though this wine is not featured on their website, it is a very pleasant, sweet white wine. A light floral bouquet followed by a very delicate, fruit forward pallet; light in color and very easy to drink,. Be careful, before you know it the bottle is gone.
If you find yourself in the Kansas City area and have time to kill, make your way north to Platte City and stop in at
Jowler Creek Winery. Where the owners are friendly, knowledgeable, focus on sustainability and make quality wines that show how Missouri varietals can truly taste. For all this, we are giving
Jowler Creek Winery a 4.5 out of 5 on our scale of notable wineries.
MO Wine Please rates wineries on a scale of 1 - 5. Here are the factors taken into consideration when rating:
- Environment - 5
- Tasting Experience - 5
- Wines - 4.5
- Knowledge of Winery - 5
- Location - 5
