6 Best Louisiana Wineries

Despite Louisiana's hot and humid climate and difficult growing conditions, the state's wine industry is renowned throughout the American South for its unique muscadine grapes, which are crafted in specialty wines meant for pairing with the state's famed Cajun cuisine. Four major commercial wineries within the state produce up to 20,000 gallons of wine each year, including northeast Louisiana's Landry Vineyards, known for their high-quality grapes produced with West Coast imported grapes. A number of boutique wine stores throughout the state also sell small-batch wines or carefully-cultivated selections of specialty wine varieties, with tasting bars offering tasting flights or small-group reservations.

More ideas: Best Beaches, Best Weekend Getaways, Best Day Trips

1.Casa de Sue Winery

Casa de Sue Winery was Louisiana's first post-Prohibition winery at its opening in 1992. The family-owned and operated small-batch winery in Clinton is known for its excellent muscadine and blueberry wines, grown from organic grapes cultivated on site at the winery's vineyards. More than 3,000 gallons of wine are produced annually, showcased in blends such as the company's Carlos Dry, Sweet Magnolia, Delta Blush, and La Louisiane. Guests can taste wines at the winery's public tasting room, which showcases fine art prints for sale and is open to the public seven days a week with advance call-ahead notice. Throughout the summer and early autumn months, guests can also pick their own organic blueberries and grapes on the winery's vineyard estate.

14316 Par Road 6-118, Clinton, LA 70722, Phone: 225-683-1010

Fun day trip ideas: Ohio, From San Francisco, Weekend Getaways from NYC, Texas, CA, Oregon, Florida

2.NOLA Tropical Winery

NOLA Tropical Winery is a specialty wine bar and store in New Orleans, offering a carefully-cultivated selection of award-winning 100% all-natural fruit wines. The non-traditional winery sells only wines free of tannic acids and produced without conventional grapes and wooden barrels, offering an alternative to traditional wine varieties sold at most liquor stores. An exclusive line of more than three dozen fruit wines are sold at the store, ranging from traditional dry reds and whites to delicious regionally-influenced muscadines, dessert wines, and sherries. Knowledgeable staff is on hand to offer information about taste profiles and food pairings. Guests can enjoy wine at the winery's public bar or take pours and unique wine smoothies to go in shatterproof cups.

500 Port of New Orleans Pl, New Orleans, LA 70130, Phone: 504-561-6010

Things to do near me: Sarasota, From Boston, OR, NC, AK, Boulder, From Houston, NJ, GA, Orlando

3.Old South Winery

Old South Winery is one of the American South's premiere producers of muscadine wine varietals, originally opened in 1979 in Natchez, Mississippi. The winery, which is located an easy day trip across the Louisiana-Mississippi border, produces high-quality wine from native Southeastern United States grapes, carefully selected by the Galbreath family for more than half a century by the finest muscadine growers in Mississippi. Tours and tastings are offered to the public at the company's tasting room, which also sells wine bottles in discounted bulk of up to dozen box pricing. Other muscadine pantry products are also sold at the tasting room, including jellies, pepper spreads, and hot sauces.

65 S Concord Ave, Natchez, MS 39120, Phone: 601-445-9924

What to do in: Poconos, NY, TN, MI, OC, New England, Cleveland, All Inclusive, Charleston, IL, VA, San Diego, TX

4.On Cloud Wine Winery

On Cloud Wine Winery is Shreveport's best-kept small-batch wine secret, originally opened to the public in August of 2009. The locally-owned winery began with production of four sweet wines and now offers over a dozen varieties of reds, whites, and seasonal blend wines. Favorite wines include the company's Golden Gator Sauvignon Blanc, Bullfrog Beau Shiraz, Penelope Peach Chardonnay, Boo's Brew Moscato, and Black Bayou Merlot. A tasting bar is open to the public Wednesdays through Saturdays, offering up to six wine tastings at a time in a signature branded winery glass. Custom-made gift baskets are also sold, along with the company's signature wine-a-rita frozen beverages.

6936 Buncombe Rd, Shreveport, LA 71129, Phone: 318-687-9816

More romantic getaways: Cincinnati, MD, OR, HI, Retreats, Asheville, Indoor Amusement Parks, WI, San Francisco

5.Pontchartrain Vineyards

Pontchartrain Vineyards was originally founded in Bush in 1991 by vintner John Seago, striving to craft the best table wines in Southeast Louisiana. The winery, which operates a 34.5-acre vineyard near Covington at a height of 150 feet above sea level, is the state's only producer of table wines crafted from bunch and wine grapes. Estate grapes and nationally-sourced West Coast grapes are both used in crafting delicious wines for the company, which produces up to 2,500 cases of wine per year. Guests can visit the winery's tasting room Thursdays through Sundays between noon and 4:00pm, with special appointments available for small groups and private special events. Tasting flights are offered for a nominal fee. Though food is not served, guests can bring their own food to enjoy picnic lunches on the winery's seasonal patio, which overlooks its estate vineyards.

80158 Louisiana 1082, Bush, LA 70431, Phone: 985-892-9742

More fun things to do near me: Iowa, WI, From New Orleans, ME, ID, FL, LA, From Minneapolis, From Dallas, FL, Carlsbad, CA, Charlotte, Williamsburg, LA, PA

6.Landry Vineyards

Landry Vineyards is northern Louisiana's premiere winery, originally opened by Libby and Jeff Landry following Hurricane Katrina. The 20-acre West Monroe winery serves up distinct and unique regional Louisiana wines meant to complement the state's famed Cajun and French Acadian cuisines. Delicious wines can be purchased at more than 300 wine and liquor stores throughout the state or directly from the winery's website. A public tasting room is open Mondays through Saturdays, with tasting fees waived upon the purchase of at least one bottle of wine per person. Homemade wine-infused jams and jellies are also sold at the tasting room, which showcases live blues, R&B, rock, and zydeco concerts throughout the year on its outdoor stage.

5699 New Natchitoches Rd, West Monroe, LA 71292, Phone: 318-557-9051

Top-rated things to see near me: Charleston WV, Pensacola, Baton Rouge, Encinitas, Colorado Springs, Dayton OH, Dauphin Island, Provincetown, VT, VA, Atlanta, From Chicago, CA, AZ, From NYC, GA beaches, CO