2 corks make a pair- May 10, 2011

Our second stop on the Nebraska Wine Tour was the same two day stretch as the first (we fully intended for day one to have a bunch of stops in it but that did not work out so well). We set out from Jessi’s apartment early to run some errands and reach our appointment at Glacial Till Vineyard in Palmyra (they only do tastings by appointment at the vineyard but they also have a tasting room in Ashland). It was probably one of the best experiences that I have had on the tour so far. We were slightly confused when we arrived because there was no obvious door to enter, but once we were pointed in the right direction by one of the owner’s sons, we were on our way to a great time.

From what I could gather (but feel free to correct me if I’m wrong), Glacial Till is a family owned operation that a lot of the day to day workings of the vineyard are handled by the owner’s three sons. The oldest was the one to point us correctly, the middle son was the one who gave us the tour, and the youngest was busy bottling wine while we were there.

Jessi and I were greeted by Zephyr, the smiling dog mascot of the vineyard (who now has a wine named after him) and taken on a tour of the operation. We got to see the tanks where the wine ferments and ages and the holding tanks where it waits to be bottled. We were then taken outside and shown the grape vines and taught a little about growing and harvesting before being taken back inside and handed wine glasses.

Our guide gave us samples out of the holding tanks of the wine they were bottling that day and also out of the three tanks of wine that was not quite done yet. He was very knowledgeable and very willing to answer any questions we had. At the end of the tour, we were led upstairs, (past a beautiful, hand-made, wall-sized wine rack that I tried to talk them into building me one) to what I can only describe as a lookout tower that made up the central part of the building. Our guide gave us menus of wine to try while he told us more about the local wine scene as we enjoyed our tastings and the view of the entire vineyard and valley below.
Jessi and I usually pick all different wines so we can try each others and get the most bang for our buck and of all the wines we tried at Glacial Till, I do not think there was a single one we did not like. My favorite of the stop was the Frontenac Rose (probably the only Frontenac that I have truly enjoyed).
Glacial Till is a vineyard that Jessi and I fully intend on visiting again, something that is made easier by all of the events that they have during the summer (which you can find on their facebook page and website).

           

Glacial Till Specs:

            6 tastings plus tour for $10

            Glass of wine for $5

            You can purchase their wines at the Ashland location and at HyVee in Lincoln

            Souvenir wine glass included with tasting