Best Winery, Distillery, And Brewery Trips For Father's Day

Forbes

3 days ago

This Father's Day, take Dad to breweries, distilleries, and wineries with unique tasting and touring experiences.
Americans love their drinks and their drinking experiences, and while we have our pick of establishments across the U.S., there are some true standouts. This Father's Day, take Dad on a trip that features the best winery, brewery, and distillery experiences, all just a short drive or flight away. These are distinctive local experiences where tastings, tours, classes, and atmosphere go beyond the traditional and where Dad is sure to feel loved.
Toast to Father's Day at Berryessa Gap's winery located in Winters, California.
You only live once, so it's fitting to take dad to Yolo, California, where he'll see every step of the wine process, from root stock to pour. Berryessa Gap Vineyards began as a root stock company and grew into an award-winning winery. Then owner Corinne Martinez pursued and earned AVA designation for Winters Highland, where Berryessa grows its grapes. Dad will love the Root Stock Tour with co-owner Dan Martinez, followed by a tasting of five wines. Then stop at L'Apero Le Trois Aperitif, just across the street from the winery in downtown Winters, where Berryessa Gap wines are infused with seasonal fruit to create aperitifs for every taste.
In Prosser, Washington, you'll find a cool concept known as Vintner's Village, a beautiful, walkable hamlet with about a dozen wineries, all just steps from one another. Wit Cellars, Bunnell Family Cellars at Wine O' Clock, and Coyote Canyon are just three, and each winery has something different to offer. Within the village, you'll also find shopping and dining, and it's easy to find shuttles and limos for the drive back to your hotel.
For the dad who likes something a little unusual, consider a sake tasting at Sake One in Forest Grove, Oregon, just 30 minutes from Portland. Between the easy-to-understand tour and the highly knowledgeable servers, Dad will fully appreciate the nuances of sake versus grape-based wine. And Sake One's hand crafted product is delicious – it's made with Willamette Valley water and Sacramento Valley rice to create five unique brands: Naginata, Momokawa, g, Moonstone, and Yomi. You'll taste them all and likely buy a few bottles to enjoy at home.
Barrel tasting is luxurious but unpretentious at Jeptha Creed Distillery in Shelbyville, Kentucky.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is legendary, with 46 distillers spread across beautiful bluegrass countryside. Jeptha Creed Distillery in Shelbyville is a standout – their whiskey is made from 100% estate-grown corn, including their own Bloody Butcher corn that carries a deep, earthy flavor. Sign up for their barrel tasting experience – you'll be taken by bus to tobacco-style barns and taste bourbon from woodfired, charred oak barrels. Just 18 minutes away, Dad can have an entirely different tasting experience at a perennial favorite, Bulleit Distilling Company. Go all in for the private sensory tasting experience where you'll learn about the 'warm Kentucky hug' of their various bourbons, including their bottled in bond 2025 edition.
Meet master distiller Jeff Arnett, well-known as Jack Daniels' former distiller, at Company Distilling in Townsend, Tennessee, just down the road from the Cades Cove entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Arnett will share generous pours with dad and personally educate him on all things whiskey. Choose your poison from six whiskeys, ryes, bourbons, gin, moonshine, and beer. And don't forget—you're in the Smokies, so hiking or at least a scenic drive (before drinking commences, of course) is a must.
If Dad prefers a more tropical vibe, head to Outer Banks Distilling in Manteo, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks. Their home-crafted Kill Devil Rum made them famous, but they give Dad many reasons to check them out. Aside from the distillery tour, you'll be entertained at the bar, where artisanal cocktails showcase the liquors distilled on property. There's a good chance you'll cross paths with one of the four owners, former brewers and mixologists who love their jobs and encourage you to stay for hours, Jimmy Buffet style.
Cycling through Houston as part of Tour de Brewery brings history, sightseeing, and excellent local craft beers.
Is Dad active and a little adventurous? Then get him moving on a cycling brewery tour in Houston. Tour de Brewery offers two small group biking tours: the Suds and Stadiums route, which winds through downtown's sports arenas, and History and Hops, which visits greenspaces, murals, and some of the oldest buildings in Houston. Both offer quaffing stops at popular Texas breweries like Gristworkz, Equal Parts Brewing Company, and 8th Wonder Brewing.
In an historical church in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, you'll find Topsy Turvy Brewery, where Dad can learn all about this neck of the woods. All the beers are named after Wisconsin inventions, tourist attractions, or historical places, and if Dad is traveling with a non-beer drinker, there's a wine and cocktail list as well. The interior of this brewery is stunning and eclectic—picture a tear-shaped, multi-colored stained-glass window flanked by stainless steel barrels and fronted by a stacked wood, Jenga-looking bar. More stained-glass windows fill the brewery, and the outdoor beer garden is the perfect place to people watch. Topsy Turvy is in the center of downtown Lake Geneva, so the entire family can make a vacation out of the visit.
As Asheville, North Carolina, continues to rebuild after Hurricane Helene, it's a great time to visit and spend some tourist dollars to help with recovery. Mills River Brewing Company offers five custom tours, depending on your interests. Beer Geek is 3 hours of in-depth exploration into the brewing process. Trip in the Woods takes a different approach with a 1.5 mile hike around the farm property—where sustainability is the focus—and into the brewhouse. The simple Brewhouse Tour is just 25 mins and covers the basics. Whichever you choose, don't miss the chance to grab your favorite brewski and sit by the French Broad River, enjoying life and being thankful for Father's Day.
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