A Industrial Center with a Pretty Facade
Written: Nov 30 '99 (Updated Nov 30 '99)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A very wide variety of wines from different regions
Cons: This industrial winery lacks the homey feel of many smaller establishments
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| ErgoPropterHoc's Full Review: Beaulieu |
When I first went to visit Beaulieu Vineyards, I had a problem actually finding my way in. My problem was related to my inability to spell French words correctly – the first time, I drove right past it because I was looking for a sign that said "Bolio," after which my companion informed me that I had driven right past it, and that it was a French spelling. The second time, I drove past it again, because I was looking for "Beauleaux."
We finally did manage to find the place, and it is quite a nice place indeed. The entire facility (or at least as much as tourists get to see) is well landscaped, with pretty gardens and a few vines growing in the area right around the tasting room / gift shop. The building itself looks relatively new, or at least very well maintained. Inside, there's fine woodworking and a generally comfortable atmosphere. In the tasting room, there are various displays which describe the winemaking process, and tell you about all the various regions where Beaulieu had vineyards (as well as displays about all of the awards that they have won.) It generally feels fairly like a museum.
The tour includes a trip out to see some vines (even if they are the ones growing just outside the guest building, a view of a vineyard, and a walk through the processing facility and warehouse. The scope of the operation is quite large – most of the other wineries that I have seen have been very small, usually family run operations. Beaulieu has a gigantic warehouse full of barrels and steel vats, which is quite intimidating at first.
The staff giving the tours are generally friendly and knowledgeable, although they may have a tendency to stick too closely to a prepared script when making comments about the winery, and they try somewhat to keep the group moving along, instead of allowing people to idle in one place and more closely examine some facet of the production. It can gain a little bit of a feeling like you're on a ride at Disneyland, with the perky happy people moving you along. Nevertheless, they do seem to actually understand what they are talking about, and can answer questions relatively completely.
After the tour, there's a tasting available, where you can sample a few different of the varieties of wine that Beaulieu produces. As I recall, the tasting is free, which is nice. Since this is a large and diverse winery, the tasting here allows you to sample a few drastically different sorts of wines, from various locales. It can be interesting to compare how grapes from the coastal region differ from grapes grown in more sheltered places.
Downstairs from the tasting room is a well stocked gift shop and boutique, which sells not only the wines which you were able to taste upstairs, but also all manner of wine and vine related products with the BV indicia of the winery stamped, printed, or engraved upon them.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ErgoPropterHoc
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Location: Evanston, IL
Reviews written: 71
Trusted by: 66 members
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