Wine-o: Tontitown Winery Merlot

Decided to take a detour from my California wine tasting and experience something local.  A couple months ago (just after a glorious trip to Napa) a group of us stopped by the Tontitown Winery just south of Bentonville.

They offer free wine tasting and we tried their Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a couple other red wines.  The Bf decided that the Merlot was the best and bought a bottle for us to enjoy at home.  (This is a great activity to do with visitors to the area as you can drop in during their open hours with no appointment.)

This wine definitely needs to be aired.  It tasted vastly better a day after opening.  The wine is very flavorful and dry, described by the winery as "Dry, medium bodied, with earthy flavors."  The vineyard has a very quaint store front and tasting room.  They also produce evening events combining wine tasting with local music in their outdoor area.

Tontitown Winery Merlot
335 N Barrington Road
Springdale, AR 72762

Freya's Score: 5 - expensive for the taste, fun to go local though!

Cost: $14 at the winery - I would purchase again for a tasting party as it is a local wine, however I think that I prefer other merlots.  I encourage people to try local wines as it does have a very different flavor from California grapes that many may prefer