Altus, Arkansas: Wine City
Altus, Arkansas is a city in Franklin County. The center for Altus American Viticultural Area (AVA), a designated wine grape growing region in United States. Founded by coal mining, the city later turned to wine industry after finding out in 1870s that the type of the soil in the area is suitable for grape growing. Fort Smith Regional Airport is the closest airport, 48 miles away from Altus, you can fly to if you want to visit the place.
Best Time to Visit
Grape Fest on the month of July is a popular event in Altus, it features amateur wine contest, wine tasting, grape stomping and music. In the month of November, Wineaux Fest is celebrated in Altus, consolidating all the best wine distributors in the country, it is a good place to shop for good quality wine and get an unlimited wine tasting and an insight on a wine pairing menu curated by the experts.
What to Do & Area Attractions
Home to Arkansas’s award winning wine, a number of wineries are open for free facility tour and wine tasting, namely Post Familie Winery, Wiederkehr Wine Cellars, Mount Bethel Winery, Château Aux Arc, Dionysus Wine and Brew, and Neumeier Winery. Each of these wineries offers a unique flavor to the wines they’re producing, some, aside from previously mentioned also offers additional services like restaurants and gift shops.
When planning to visit during this peak season, it is advised to book accommodations ahead as there are only a handful bed and breakfast inns available in the area. Ozark Inn & Suites, Oxford Inn Ozark and Americas Best Value Inn are three of the nearest lodging houses to the wineries, which host these annual festivals.