Chromed Out Picks - Pirtle Winery

Pirtle Winery in Weston, Missouri

When motoring about the United States, I always take the time to experience the regional traditions and local culture. There is always something exceptional that stands out from place to place like; the seafood in New Orleans, the barbecue ribs in St. Louis, the deep dish pizza in Chicago, the breathtaking landscape of South Dakota, or the R&B music of Memphis at night, that causes me to want to come back again or take something home.

My favorite thing to do is to try the regional beers and wines. Some are good, most are just OK.

Kansas City has some of the tastiest home brewed beers like Flying Monkey and all the popular Boulevard varieties that complement local great steaks and barbecue…but what about the wine? My wife and I have been to a few Kansas and Missouri regional wineries with great disappointment, until we stumbled across The Pirtle Winery in Weston Missouri.

We saw the winery ad in Chromed Out magazine and called LB (at Chromed Out Magazine) to see if he had ever been there. LB said it was a must try. So, off we went to Weston.

The Pirtle Winery Experience

The winery itself looks like an old church and for good reason. The winery building was once a German Lutheran church (built in 1867). I guess it wouldn’t be the first time I drank wine in church, so no problem there. You have to climb the steep stairs of the church building to get to the tasting room. They say it’s the thirteen stairs to heaven, and I think they’re right.

We were greeted by Scott Pirtle who offered us a taste of his wine varieties while he shared the history of his family and the winery. The stories were as great as his wine.  We found the Weston Bend white and red to be extremely drinkable and pleasant. The Mead wines were world class and the Blackberry Mead won a gold medal at The 2008 International Mead Festival. Mead wine is made from honey. In fact, way back in time the English considered Mead wine a love potion and the bride and groom would drink the Mead wine from moon to moon.  This is where the term “Honeymoon” came from. I wonder where the term “Moon Me Honey” came from?  Anyway, the Chardonel was crisp, clean and refreshing.  All in all, the entire varieties of wines were good and there was something to offer every type of wine drinker.

After we decided on which bottle we were going to drink (we chose the Weston Bend Red), Scott invited us to enjoy our wine on the vineyard covered patio on the side of the building. We took advantage of the fresh baked sour dough bread, sausage, apple and cheese basket and had a very cool evening party. On the patio there were couples and groups of people drinking their favorite Pirtle brand. The patio was an open and friendly party space.

After a couple of hours, Scott and his wife Christine joined us on the patio and we drank some more. It was good to see the winemaker drinking his own brand. Scott was telling us that on Sunday’s bikers from all around the state scoot in for the day to drink wine on the Pirtle Patio. What a perfect Biker Wine Bar.

It appears however that operating a winery is not all grapes; it can have its challenges. One year the local bikers actually came to the rescue and helped to save the Pirtle annual crop.  After a robust harvest, Pirtle had an equipment breakdown and was in jeopardy of losing the entire harvest. Steve Martin (one of the local friendly biker customers) organized a crew and the equipment to get the crops safely back. Scott is extremely grateful to the biker community and they have a special place in Pirtle history.

The Pirtle Family Tradition

Speaking of Pirtle history, Scott gave us a guided tour of the wine plant located across the street from the patio. 100% of the grapes used in Pirtle wine come from Missouri as does everything else that goes into the wines. Scott invited us to try some of his latest batch of Norton (the official grape of Missouri) straight out of the barrel. Now that was some good stuff!

Next to the plant is a bona fide four star restaurant appropriately called the Vineyards. The restaurant is built from an old house and has an outdoor patio for service as well. In the immediate Pirtle family there is Elbert and Patricia (the parents) and Denise, Charles, Ross, and Scott (the children).  The story goes; the old house (The Rumpel House – built in 1845 by German immigrants) was slated to be burned down by the local fire department for a practice fire. Charles Pirtle was the visionary, the chef of the family and the inspiration for saving the house to renovate it into a successful deli and eventually the fine dining establishment that exists today. You can get a copy of the Pirtle recipe book that has 60 of Charles’ famous food formulas.

Elbert and Patricia started the winery in 1978 at the cavern-like cellars of the Royal Brewing Company which now is O’Malley’s. Pirtle Winery then moved into the church location in 1980 shortly after the neighboring phone company tried to tear it down and turn it into a parking lot. All I know is I’m glad they didn’t tear it down, because the church setting is crazy cool.

The Wine

You can get Pirtle wine at regional retail stores or order it online at www.pirtlewinery.com. The website offers a very nice education as well as a special events calendar and retail locations. But for sure, the best way to get the full Pirtle experience is to make the trip to Weston, Missouri and pick up a few bottles to drink in or take home. There’s no doubt…You Won’t be Sorry!

So there we have it, Chromed Out’s Feature Pick -  great people, great atmosphere, great food, cool history, and my wife’s favorite new whine; “Take me to Pirtle Winery!!”

Pirtle Winery (Wine Tasting Daily)

Phone: (816) 640-5728
Address: 502 Spring Street Weston, Missouri 64098

Hours:
Mon-Thurs 10AM-6PM
Fri & Sat 10AM-7PM
Sun 11AM-6PM

Website: www.pirtlewinery.com