When I was younger, my family was notorious for going to theme parks for vacations. Maybe because we lived at the beach, it seemed like the best option. But I can tell you I’ve been to quite a few up and down the East coast. As an adult, I’ve trade my theme park excursions for something completely different: wineries. So during my recent trip to Birmingham, I couldn’t pass up the excuse to check Morgan Creek Winery off the list.
After going to my fair share of them over the last few years, I’ve gotten a pretty good idea of what to expect. I also find it makes reviewing them for the blog easier because I’ve learned to note the small differences. And Morgan Creek Winery was different compared to all the others. From the quality of the wine to sample sizes, I’m covering it all. Grab your glass of Chardonnay and let’s chat friend. It’s almost the weekend, right?
WHAT IS MORGAN CREEK WINERY?
Morgan Creek Winery is a family owned vineyard. A retirement plan turned full business, it’s run by father and son. They specialize in mid to semi-sweet wines due to their southern location. Because the grapes that make the best dry wines don’t thrive as well in the south, Morgan Creek has opted to stick to their niche. But they do source grapes from across the country.
WHERE IS IT?
The winery is located in Harpersville, Al. It’s about 40 minutes outside of Birmingham.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GO?
Depending on your chosen activity, Morgan Creek Winery is fairly affordable. The wine tasting and tour is free. But they do offer events throughout the month with admission prices varying. We were a week too early to check out the Grape Stomp. However, their website is updated fairly regularly with events so be sure to check there.
WHAT ALL CAN YOU FIND THERE?
Of all the wineries I’ve been to Morgan Creek Winery is probably the most straight forward. You’ll find the vineyards in the front along with an open space for events or weddings. There’s also the tasting space right off of the room where the wine is processed and bottled.
WHAT’S THE WINE TASTING LIKE?
Compared to Chateau Elan‘s wine tasting, the space is much smaller. It’s set up to accommodate around 6-8 people. However, it’s great because the host is far more attentive. We ended up being the only two doing a tasting at a time. So we were able to ask lots of questions and try wines more than once.
The actual tasting size is small but considering it’s free I think that’s fair. You can also pay for a full glass of whatever wine you’d like. There were a few that were recommended to mix together which was a fun change. And at the end, we were able to try wines again to decide whether or not we wanted to purchase them.
WHERE CAN YOU BUY THEIR WINES?
Morgan Creek Winery sells their wines all throughout the state of Alabama. They also ship all over the USA.
WOULD YOU GO AGAIN?
Absolutely. I had a wonderful time. Our wine host did an amazing job and was incredibly knowledgable about the wines. We also took a tour and got to see very closely how everything is made. It’s incredibly budget friendly and would make for a great afternoon outing. They also have a mini store set up in the wine tasting room. Cute gifts and other wine related things are for sale. So if you’re on the hunt for a present, you just might find one here.
ANYTHING ELSE TO NOTE?
If you’re not a sweet wine person, you may find your options limited. Personally, I prefer Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. However, I still found wines I liked and it was a good experience. The nice thing is since you aren’t paying for the tasting, you’re getting a smaller portion. I’ve done tastings in the past where my bestie and I have swapped glasses because she preferred the ones I didn’t. So no wine goes to waste.
I bought two wines from the tasting: one red and one white. I haven’t cracked open the white yet but I did notice a cork issue with the red. Unlike a lot of wines on supermarket shelves, Morgan Creek Winery uses your more traditional corks. When I was opening my bottle, my cork crumbled apart fairly easily and broke in the middle. So if you do buy a bottle, be aware before uncorking.
