perdido vineyards

Not your typical winery tour, lots of information and a wonderful selection of wines, and a huge variety of jams , jellies, oils etc. We stopped for a bottle on a friends recommendation and stayed for two cases and dome pickled okra to die for. Will always be a stop on the way by PS Thanks Kathy for a great day

Charming, rustic winery/vineyard in the middle of "no where" -- near the intersection of I-65 and County Road 47 (take exit 45 off of I-65). We were greeted by two of the nicest ladies (Kathy and Cheryl) in the tasting room (please don't expect fancy -- remember you're in Perdido, Alabama!). Kathy told us the interesting story surrounding the creation of the winery, including the owner's experiences in dealing with the State of Alabama while trying to establish the first farm winery in the state. Throughout the story, she would offer a tasting of each of the various wines produced at the facility. If you enjoy learning about the history of a unique business or industry, you'll thoroughly enjoy this place!Besides Muscadine wines, the winery offers a varied selection of vinegars (including balsamic), hot sauces (which are fantastic), and down-home-type canned goodies offered in canning jars. The selection of food items was great including preserves, relishes, mustards, sauces, salsas, etc. After tasting the wines, we were offered samples of several of the canned items -- they, too, were delicious!When you first pull into the parking area, you come to a "Petticoat Junction" type water tower. As I said, it is rustic and quite charming. I highly recommend a stop at this winery; please allow a couple of hours to learn the history, tour and taste.

We visited Perdido Vineyards north of Mobile while visiting relatives in Mobile. This was a true gem in the rough.The vineyard is a bit out of the way and about 40 minutes north out of downtown Mobile. However the drive was interesting and scenic. Once off I-65 you need to look for the state historical marker which shows where the vineyard is located. How many vineyards have you visited that have a state historical marker describing their history.While not large and fancy our visit was made a true experience by actually meeting the owner Jim Eddins and being able to talk to him and listen to his life’s story which is truly remarkable. He is an industrial engineer having graduated from the US Naval Academy as a Marine. He fought in both Korea and Vietnam and is one of the modern giants of atmospheric meteorology. The story of how he got into the wine making business in Alabama is both touching and riveting. Down to the fact that he got then President Jimmy Carter to influence the “powers that be” in Alabama to allow him to grow his vineyard. As a side note he was asked back to the Naval Academy to address the midshipmen two years ago. I believe he was 81 at the time!His product is outstanding as you would expect from someone like LtCol Eddins. He has muscadine wines and juices along with all sorts of other items. His muscadine (grape) juice is just to die for. His sweet white dessert wines are also superb and have won awards. We probably tried 6 or 8 wines and they were all good. We were limited to how much we could buy as to how many bottles we could put in our suitcase on the airplane.This was one of the most enjoyable spots we have ever visited and one of the top two or three vineyards we have visited. This is a must if you are in the Mobile Bay area.

A small vineyard with a history that is unbelievably interesting. The founder and owner is an interesting and uniquely intelligent man. The guide is a wealth of history and information about not only the vineyards but wine making in Alabama and why there are not more vineyards. The wines from the muscadines are really smooth and velvety. We came away with 4 bottles. A small place but so worth the visit. I would rate it a 5 but so much could be done to improve the ambiance inside and outside. Loved and will go back for wine and vinegars. Saving the 30 year old Port for a special occasion.