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. CDC information for travelers. Hours/availability may have changed.
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
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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6 Best Louisiana Wineries
- Casa de Sue Winery, Photo: stevecuk/stock.adobe.com
- NOLA Tropical Winery, Photo: NOLA Tropical Winery
- Old South Winery, Photo: oilprint_net/stock.adobe.com
- On Cloud Wine Winery, Photo: Igor Normann/stock.adobe.com
- Pontchartrain Vineyards, Photo: Pontchartrain Vineyards
- Landry Vineyards, Photo: Landry Vineyards
- Cover Photo: Savchenko/stock.adobe.com
More Ideas: What to See in Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe, Louisiana may not quite be a small town, but it does have a small-town feel, with its historic downtown, old buildings, museums preserving the rich history of the town and the surrounding area, and its fine restaurants serving Louisiana’s finest seafood and Southern dishes, topped off with its gorgeous and unique landscape. One of the best-kept secret travel destinations in the United States thanks to its wealth of culture and history, Monroe has a little of something for everyone.
Locally famous Black Bayou Lake is located on the Louisiana Wildlife National Reserve. This lake is a particularly good place to visit, along with the rest of the reserve, because of the events, classes, and public education activities on offer here from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of Louisiana for anyone who would like to learn about the local wildlife and the land. The lake is typical of the American South, with tall cypress trees growing out of the water and plenty of alligators, turtles, large fish, and other incredible creatures to see. The refuge is open for hunting and fishing during certain parts of the year.
Chennault Aviation and Military Museum is located in Monroe, Louisiana, and is one of the most immersive museums in the United States. Local schools often plan field trips here to learn about American aircraft and pilots of past conflicts and wars, while the public can enjoy the amazing events put on by volunteers and veterans, who aim to educate about the men and women who sacrificed everything for America, while other volunteers, staff, and organizations create incredible exhibits to display artifacts and other pieces of history to honor the pilots and aviation professionals of the military and otherwise. The exhibits and events change often, so no trip will be the same and there will always be something new to learn.
701 Kansas Lane, Monroe, Louisiana, Phone: 318-362-5540
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African American Museum provides the public with knowledge of African-American history, dating back to America’s independence from Great Britain. The museum focuses on telling stories as well as on presenting evidence and artifacts about how African-American culture contributed to the successes of the United States and other places around the world with knowledge, education, classes, artistry, and events held for the public. The museum welcomes anyone who wishes to know more about the real history of how African-American culture has shaped what we see today. The public may also enjoy some of the special events held at the museum that celebrate the lives that have made an impact on our world.
1051 Chenault Park Rd, Monroe, LA 71203, Phone: 318-342-8889
Since 1894, Biedenharn Museum and Gardens has been a place to learn fun and interesting facts about the enormous Coca-Cola corporation and how Joseph Biedenharn was the first to bottle the fizzy soda for customers outside of Vicksburg. Today, the Biedenharn Candy Company is one of the biggest bottling companies in the world. The museum and gardens are not just for nostalgia, they also serve to celebrate the hard-working people of the Biedenharn family and their huge success as well as their commitment to the community of Monroe for well over 100 years. The Biedenharn Museum and Gardens welcomes anyone who wants to learn some interesting history as well as discover more about how the museum and their subsidiary foundations help the community.
2006 Riverside Dr, Monroe, LA 71201, Phone: 318-387-5281
The Cooley House was built around 1925 for Gilbert “Captain” Cooley, who was the first person in Monroe to own and drive an automobile. The house is famous because it is the last work by renowned architect Walter Griffin, who is known for the Prairie School architectural style, which was prevalent among more well-to-do citizens of the American South at the time. The house is unique in its design and is completely original except for a carport that was added to the house a few years after the building was finished. The home has plenty of history, and recently the City of Monroe purchased the home with the support of the Cooley House Foundation and it is now working to renovate the house to its original glory.
1400 South Grand Street, Monroe, LA 71202, Phone: 318-329-2237
If you love craft beer and love to enjoy a friendly atmosphere with excellent staff and industrial-style decor, then the Flying Tiger Brewery is the place for you. The brewery has many beers on tap and work to make new beers whenever they can. The brewery is committed to preserving Monroe’s heritage, and its taproom is a place to revel in the history of Monroe, with plenty artifacts and display pieces on the city and the region. The name “Flying Tiger” was coined to honor General Chennault, the commander of the Flying Tigers, which were a squadron of warplanes in WWII, and after whom the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum in Monroe is also named.
506 N 2nd St, Monroe, LA 71201, Phone: 318-547-1738
Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo features over 400 animals of all kinds from all over the world for the public to learn about, allowing them to discover new species they never knew existed as well as showing them how to help protect them in the wild. The zoo is dedicated to providing events, tours, classes, and shows to further their main goal of educating people on how to live with nature in a sustainable way. The zoo welcomes families, school field trips, organizations, and anyone else who would enjoy seeing the incredible animals housed there. As if all the animals were not enough, the zoo also houses over 1,000 species of plants inside its 80 acres of land.
1405 Bernstein Park Rd., Monroe, LA 71202, Phone: 318-329-2400
Masur Museum is free to anyone wanting to learn more about the history of local art in Monroe as well as the modern art by the incredibly talented artists that is exhibited there. Although there was a recent fire in the building that damaged over 90% of their art collection, the museum is still going strong and is displaying more art and exhibits. The art changes frequently, so visiting a second time will always offer a different experience. Kids, tour groups, field trips, and organizations are more than welcome to come and visit the museum. The museum also frequently provides classes, tours, and general art education throughout the exhibits as well as events held for artists and on important days of the year to celebrate the history of art.
1400 S Grand St, Monroe, LA 71202, Phone: 318-329-2237
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Children of any age will have a blast learning in and exploring The Children’s Museum located in Monroe. Your family or field trip group are welcome to enjoy the Kids’ Café, where a makeshift restaurant is displayed for kids to go and try to work as a dishwasher, server, or chef. The Discovery Hospital gives kids the means to use doctors’ tools to learn more about the human body and medicine, while the Bubble Works exhibit gives kids a place to discover how to make bubbles from huge to small. They can even put themselves into a bubble! The museum offers classes and other spaces for smaller children to use their minds and skills to build and solve puzzles and problems and provides a safe environment for them to play and learn.
323 Walnut St., Monroe, LA 71201, Phone: 318-361-9611
They say coffee is an art, and Roela Roaster has sure proven that as they roast all kinds of coffee beans from all over the world in their quaint coffee shop in Monroe, Louisiana. They specialize in craft coffee, and they do not settle for the regular brews you find at the grocery store. Each coffee bean is sourced from high-quality and responsible coffee bean producers, and the roastery uses a mechanical Ambex roaster, which gently coaxes the best flavors and fragrances out of every bean. Roela Roaster offers cool brews made with coffee beans that are perfect for cold brewing, blended coffee with an endless number of flavors to choose from, and a variety of single-origin coffees. Roela Roaster also sells shirts, hats, mugs, coffee, beans, cool brew growlers, and even honey.
523 Desiard Street, Monroe, LA 71201, Phone: 225-939-2537
Downtown Monroe, Louisiana, offers plenty of great shops and restaurants, but this place is the reason why many people come downtown. Warehouse No. 1 Restaurant offers casual fine dining at very affordable prices, with menu options like surf and turf dining, lunch and dinner items, outdoor dining, happy hour, full service catering, and dessert items that will keep you coming back for more. You can expect to find good old-fashioned Louisiana food on their menus, with some dishes that are special to this restaurant and others that are local favorites. People may book the restaurant, or parts of it, for special events and reservations, and can take advantage of the free Wi-Fi while they dine. Enjoy the view of the water and the bridge while you dine outside as well.
1 Olive Street, Monroe, LA 71201, Phone: 318-322-1340
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