birmingham diaries: ozan winery & vineyard

after buying my tickets months ago, i finally ventured down to ozan winery & vineyards  in calera, alabama this weekend. who knew alabama had wineries? well, we do! there's even an alabama wine trail - yes, there are multiple vineyards & wineries - that you can follow. i don't know about you, but i'm putting completing the wine trail on my to do list!

ozan is a beautiful property that has a year-round growing season and plethora of wine options. we tasted 12 wines, paired with cheese, crackers & chocolate, then toured the vineyard property to take a look at the small grapes that were growing in - the norton grapes. there were 3 or so wines i really enjoyed, and i ended up purchasing a bottle of ozan's vidal blanc.

after the tasting, you're taken down to the railroad tracks, which run right next to the property, for a breezy ride on the historic shelby county railroad. we got into an open-air car and enjoyed the weather before returning to ozan. all in all, the weather couldn't have been more perfect, and the wine was fabulous.

if you live in birmingham & you haven't made it down here yet, i highly suggest you check it out! you can make reservations online for the tasting & train ride, or just drop in for a tasting. it's awonderful date idea or way to spend a saturday morning with friends. the norton grapes will be fully grown in august, and i want to go back later in the summer to check them out!