By Lindsey Armentrout
If you feel like venturing off on the path less traveled, take a drive up the narrow winding gravel road to Charleville Vineyard, located in Ste. Genevieve County, Mo.

Resting on a hilltop overlooking the vineyard, the wine tasting room and microbrewery welcomes friends and families to relax on the patio with a cold brew, root beer or glass of wine while enjoying the scenic country view.

Although small, Charleville offers a variety of beer with names like Half Wit Wheat, which uses a combination of American and Belgian brewing techniques and Hoptimistic IPA, a brew that requires five additions of hops.

A favorite among the wine selection is the 2008 Estate Norton, which owner Joal Russell says, “is made from 100 percent estate products, including the American White Oak for the barrels.” The wine is aged in the hand-selected Oak, custom made into barrels by A & K Cooperage.

Just next door to the tasting room, a historic log cabin offers two bed and breakfast style rooms for guests. The cabin, built in the 1860s, was originally located near St. Mary’s, Missouri but Russell and her husband, Jack, relocated the cabin to the vineyard and restored it in 2004.

The quaint setting and relaxed atmosphere, where conversation is no stranger, is the perfect place to kick back with a drink and have a good time.

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About the class

Students in the Wine Country Writing class, taught by Nina Furstenau, will be getting a chance to examine not only wine culture and how to write about it, but also how wine is produced and agricultural issues in the vineyard. During this four-day field reporting trip to Missouri wineries in the Ste. Genevieve, Augusta and Hermann areas, students will see A&K Cooperage in Higbee, watch Missouri oak barrels being produced, talk with winemakers and vineyard managers, and learn directly from experts in the field. Join the class with their blog series as they meet the people behind the Missouri wine industry.