Arkansas has a long tradition of wine making and at one time had over 100 bonded wineries. Due to a variety of political and social factors, Arkansas now has over ten wineries. (not all of them are listed here yet)
Two of these wineries, Post Family Vineyards and Winery and Wiederkehr Wine Cellars are family wineries that have been handed down from Arkansas wine pioneers Jacob Post and Johann Wiederkehr.
Post and Wiederkehr planted grapevines in the Arkansas River Valley in the late 1800s. The primary varieties used by Arkansas wineries include Norton, Vidal, Vignoles, Muscadin, Catawba, Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Tours typically last from 30 to 60 minutes per tour and they are well worth your time to check out the different ones. Each one has their own flavors, beauty, and charm to experience.
What is even more awesome is that most wineries offer free samples of their wines when you go through a tour as well. Some do more formal tasting events as well. The tours are extremely interesting and fun to do too. They aren't just there to sample the wine that you're looking forward to but are actually very informative and you get to meet a lot of like-minded people usually that are also doing the tour. It's always nice to a fellow wine lover! - Be sure to call ahead if you are planning on doing a tour at one of the wineries or vineyards though to check on availability since many of them get very busy during season.
