Weekend in Augusta - Missouri Wines
As summer comes to a close and the best season is arriving, it’s time to plan a weekend trip to the most charming wine town in Missouri - Augusta. Fun fact - Augusta was actually America’s first official viticultural region. Yes, even before Napa Valley! Augusta is about 3.5 hours from Kansas City and 45 minutes or so from St. Louis. I spent a weekend there in July and have been obsessed with it ever since. I put together my idea of a perfect weekend in Augusta where you can drink wine to your heart’s content and enjoy a gorgeous part of Missouri.
(There is a PDF version of the itinerary at the end of this post for easy printing.)
Friday:
Arrive in Augusta around 6pm.
Check into your AirBNB or hotel.
We stayed here (just across the river in a bigger town - Washington, MO) and absolutely loved it!
Montelle Winery has sweeping views of these gorgeous rolling hills (that I didn’t even know existed in Missouri!) and the tasting was a blast. They have wine and spirits available for the tasting in the main room, but don’t skip the wine slushies on the patio.
We ordered a pizza to share and it was thin crust, crispy, and delicious. Take it out to the patio for dinner and a view - you won’t regret it!
Saturday:
Breakfast at Cowan’s (Home of the Mile High Pies) in downtown Washington, MO. Their pancakes are the perfect fuel for a long day of drinking!
Walk along the river after breakfast for some great views and exercise before your long day.
There is a complimentary trolley service to 4 of the main wineries in the area so plan on driving to your first stop and leaving your car there until you get back (or until the next day!).
First stop: Balducci Vineyards
This is one of the can’t miss stops of the trip. Balducci is so pretty and it feels like you stepped into California wine country immediately. There is an open air tasting room where you can sample 4 of their wines with a very knowledgeable guide to help you choose from their long list of options. After sampling the wine, grab a bottle to split (or a wine slushie) and sit on the patio to enjoy the scenery.
Second Stop: Mount Pleasant Estates in downtown Augusta
This stop will take your breath away when you see the sprawling campus. Stop in the first building for a tasting and to grab some snacks. Then head out to the patio with your favorite bottle for live music and lunch from their on site cafe. This spot will be a hard one to leave, but I promise you won’t want to miss stop number 3 of the day!
Third Stop: Augusta Winery in downtown Augusta
Go in for your final tasting of the day, but stay for the live music on their patio. You can buy wine by the glass or bottle, or if you’ve had your fill of wine they offer cocktails and beer as well! We stayed here until the band left and had the best time ever.
Dinner:
Head back to your AirBNB and grab dinner at a restaurant on the water. We loved the Old Dutch Hotel and Tavern and Marquart’s Landing and you really can’t go wrong with either!
Sunday:
We had breakfast at The Washington Coffee Shop and loved it. The latte and breakfast sandwich on a biscuit cured my hangover and made it possible for me to drive home. I can’t recommend it enough!
We tried a fun brewery called Good News Brewing Co. on the Katy Trail for our last outing of Augusta.
The beer was refreshing and we were the only non-bikers there. It seemed like a hot spot to stop when biking the Katy Trail and would be a great addition to your weekend in Wine Country!
Printable version can be found here.
