STE. GENEVIEVE – The weekend of October 17-19 marks one year since Chateau Sainte Genevieve Winery opened the doors of its Tasting Room in northern Ste. Genevieve County, just four miles west of Bloomsdale.
The winery will commemorate the occasion with three days of live music, local food trucks, winery tours on Friday and its signature free tastings. It opens at 11 a.m. each day, closing at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Along with its first birthday, the winery is celebrating the milestones it has achieved since its inception: 20 acres of grapes planted, nearly 10 acres harvested, 11 wines produced on site – five of which have received awards – and more than 5,000 visitors have been welcomed.
While ‘the Chateau ’ has only been open to the public for a year, the family-run venture has been in the works for much longer and is a labor of love for the family on their sixth-generation family farm.
Andy Bartek, co-owner and founder, first began making wine as a hobby.
In 2019, he began planting grapes on his family’s farm with the dream of opening a unique winery that would be cherished for generations to come. They rely on a great staff of family and eager young workers to make the dream come to life.
“It’ s awesome to work with guys like Sean, Preston, and Nick in the vineyards and the winery, ” said Bartek. “It’ s been such an amazing journey for all of us to do this together. ”
Bartek’ s wife, brother and sister are all involved in running the daily operations, alongside a team of vineyard workers, sales associates and on-site managers.
Chateau Sainte Genevieve is open to all ages. Guests may purchase local snacks and non-alcoholic beverages at the Market, while enjoying both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Current wine offerings include several dry, white blends, reds both sweet and dry, a European-style rosé and a selection of sangrias. Each wine is produced and bottled on-site. Guests can visit six days a week, year-round.