A day trip to the Feliciana Cellars Winery located in historic Jackson, LA less than 60 minutes north of Baton Rouge off Highway 10 can liven up Baton Rouge in the summertime. The Louisiana capital can become quite boring for students from Louisiana State University who remain in the city after classes have let out. There is no Tiger Football to constantly, and with die hard spirit, cheer on. The busy work of classes is over, and most students have gone home, found summer jobs, or gone abroad for the summer. So, what is there to do for these students besides go out with friends at night or sit by the pool baking away all day under the hot summer sun?
What One Will Find at the Feliciana Wines Cellar
The Feliciana Cellars Winery almost appears odd as it is located on the side of the road to Charter Street, the main road that runs through Jackson, LA. It is designed in old fashioned Spanish architecture and is surrounded by two Greek styled "acropolises" on its right. Walking into the main lobby/gift shop of the cellars guests can ask for a tour of the cellars which takes less than ten minutes. The friendly local tour guide takes visitors on to a balcony showing the single room factory and will explain the process by which Feliciana Wineries develops its ten awards winning wines, pointing out fermenting machines and both steel caskets and oak barrels for storing and aging Feliciana's wines. After a brief yet informative tour, guests are welcome to try any of the ten Feliciana Wines, all made from the thriving southern Muscadine grape that adores the staunch heat and humidity found often in the Southern region of the United States.
The Wines
This Louisiana winery offers nine delicious fruity and not so fruity wines, both white and red, that range from dry, off-dry, semi-sweet, and sparkling wine. According to a handout that can be picked up in the gift shop of the Feliciana Cellars Winery the wines include and taste like:
- Dry Carlos (Dry White): a full-bodied white wine with hints of apples for its aroma.
- LaSalle (Dry Red): a full-bodied hearty red wine with a hint of oak and made with the Ison Muscadine.
- Mardi Gras Gold (Off-Dry): an incredibly flavorful and fruity wine made from the Welder muscadine.
- Tunica (Semi-Sweet): a light and fruity red wine made from the Ison muscadine.
- Felicite's Blush (Semi-Sweet): a light blush wine made from a blend of bronze and red muscadine.
- Galvez (Semi Sweet): a light white wine that is made from the bronze Carlos variety of the muscadine grape.
- Rose Lynette: A sweet rose' wine blended from quality red and bronze muscadines. Very sweet.
- Evangeline: a fruity wine made from the Carlos variety of the muscadine grape.
- Esperanza: a muscadine sparking wine
- Blanc du Bois A dry white wine from the Blanc du Bois grape bunch. Fruity and crisp. (This wine is currently unavailable for tasting according to the Feliciana home page)
(Feliciana Wineries 4 June 2009)
The Feliciana Wines are very complimentary with many of Louisiana's spicy cuisines and have suggested food pairings. For example the Tunica Semi-Sweet red wine is suggested by the winery as being paired with roasts and red sauce dishes while the Galvez Semi-Sweet White wine is suggested with cheeses, fruits, light snacks, and seafoods. (Feliciana Wineries)
With the exception of the Esperanza Sparking Wine, priced at $18.00 a bottle, none of the Feliciana Cellars Wines exceed $10.00 a bottle and often can be found in local retail stores located around Louisiana.
The winery is open Monday through Saturday 12:00-5:00 pm and Sunday 1:00pm-5:00pm offering tours and tastings free of charge!
A Delightful and Budget Friendly Trip
A day trip to the Feliciana Cellars Winery is worthwhile, delightful, and complimentary! Making it very welcoming to those bored college kids stuck in Baton Rouge for the summer without their Tigers to cheer on and limited on the stringent college budget. Students can also drive around the small and quiet town of Jackson, dining at the Bear Corner Restaurant Store, seeing the Old Hickory Railroad, and even driving an extra few miles to see the Bluffs, a high-class suburb and golf course not far from the winery.
Louisiana offers many great and inexpensive day trips and Feliciana Cellars Winery is one of them. Students can experience delicious, fruity, and local wines produced right in their back yard without having to pay a single penny for a short but sweet tour and tasting of the Feliciana Cellar and its wines.
Feliciana Cellars Winery. “Feliciana Cellars Winery”. 16 March 2009
<http://www.felicianacellars.com/index.htm>.
Feliciana Cellars Winery. “Our Wines”. 18 December 2008.
<http://www.felicianacellars.com/wine.htm.>
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