Department of Tourism
Grape and Cane Harvests Provide Agritourism Experiences in September

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Two very different Kentucky agritourism enterprises will celebrate their annual harvests in September: the Mennonite Community in Allen County and the Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery at Danville in Boyle County.

At the 27 acre winery adjacent to the Old Crow Inn in Danville, proprietor Andre Brousseau invites visitors to observe the harvest and processing of grapes on Saturday Sept. 22, weather permitting.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., activities will include viewing the vineyards, participating in the harvest, taking a wagon ride around the farm and walking the trails to glimpse deer, turkey and other wildlife, Brousseau said.  However, he noted that weather conditions can cause a last minute change in date of the harvest. “Check with the winery several days in advance before making the trip,” Brousseau advised.

For more information, contact the winery at 859-236-1808 or visit its web site at www.oldcrowinn.com.

In September in Allen County, southeast of Bowling Green near the Tennessee border, the Old Order Mennonites harvest cane and grind it to produce sorghum. The Mennonites encourage small groups of tourists but don’t permit picture-taking. They welcome appropriately dressed visitors to observe an old-fashioned fall harvest, watch the community cooking and sample the sweet taste of fresh sorghum.

At two community sorghum mills in Allen County, the Hoover Mill and the Mazelin Mill, horse-drawn grinders produce the sweet substance that is then cooked in open-air community cooking areas to produce liquid sorghum. Visitors are welcome to purchase the fresh sorghum in retail or wholesale quantities, said Janet Johnson, the Allen County Extension Agent for the Cooperative Extension Service.

For more information, contact Johnson at 270-237-3146.
 
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The Kentucky Department of Tourism, an agency of the Kentucky Commerce Cabinet, exists to promote The Commonwealth as a travel destination, generate revenue and create jobs for Kentucky’s economy.