Ladoga Ridge Winery

Wonderful scenery to sit outside and enjoy some wonderful wines and delicious raspberry chipotle dip! One of my favorite finds! The wine slushies were amazing on a hot day.

Had wine. Really great. Cheese sausage and crackers. Good too. Wine tasting… 3 for free or 5 for $ 5. Everyone was great. Family owned. Was just what a friend and I we’re wanting.

We went here for the wine tasting & it did not disappoint. They have a nice mix of several types of wine, I believe to suit everybody. For instance, My hubby is a wine lover & I only like sweet wines but we both had several to chose from.
They also, have a breast cancer wine & as a person that just lost my sister to breast cancer it meant a lot to me to see that not only are you making good wine but you are thinking of others as well.
Okay, so, the wine tasting included 13 wines (I think) & you received a wine glass to keep. I also tried the wine slushy, OMG was it good. I had them mix the two sweet wines together & I was in heaven. The place is small on the inside but very nicely decorated & even has a small area for purchasing gifts.
You can purchase cheese, crackers & meats to pair with your wine but I chose not too. I visited on such a nice day that I sat outside in the back under the gazebo & enjoyed the beautiful view of the vineyard while listening to music that they play overhead. t is a very relaxing scenery.

Visited Ladoga Ridge for the first time on Saturday. I was a little surprised they closed at 8 pm. I got there around 5:45 and met up with friends and family. The night was gorgeous and the view was incredible! Very lovely patio and very peaceful and relaxing. Several groups were outside enjoying the evening. There was live music (sax player in the gazebo that could have been Kenny G’s twin) Super fun! ;) We ended up going through a few bottles (okay 4!) a few cheese plates (perfect in proportion and variety) plus some delicious wine slushies (highly recommend the pomegranate and mango swirl — yummy!) After awhile (around 8:15 or so) most people started leaving and wrapping up their night. We lost track of time because we were all reliving the old days! By 8:45 pm there were three tables left. A staff person came by to clean our table, and we apologized that we were still there. She said she was just cleaning up before she went home herself but there was no hurry and we could relax. After another 25 or so minutes we were still there and everyone else was gone. The owner came out, and we again apologized that we were STILL there and we would leave. She said «no worries» and that she had to leave unexpectedly but we were welcome to stay! She locked up the building but told us she would leave the outer bathroom door unlocked for us. We ended up staying until at least 10:30 pm having an awesome night of great wine, great scenery and good times. I’m sure it’s not the norm to be there that long, but they were super accommodating to our group of 5. We turned off the bathroom lights and shut the door before we left. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY! We will definitely be back again very soon! (And promise we won’t stay that long next time… ha!)

Wine was fair but I’m not a wine drinker it’s a beautiful place and all faculty are very nice

By far my favorite winery of the half dozen I’ve visited so far! The location is b-​e-​a-​utiful both inside and outside. The couple times we’ve visited, staff is extremely welcoming, knowledgable, and courteous about anything and everything.
As far as the wine tasting, you can try any 5 for free or ALL for $ 5 plus you even get your own souvenir wine glass. The strawberry rhubarb will more than likely be my favorite wine for life – that’s how good it truly is!
After your tasting you can grab a bottle (or two!), some bread & oil, and a cheese plate and relax inside or by (my favorite!) the fire-​pit outside. Everything is so green and peaceful outside. Ladoga Ridge is beyond worth the drive to Smithville. Didn’t finish your bottle? Not a problem! Any staff member will be more than happy to seal your bottle up in a «road» friendly bag.
Try to visit on a Friday. There’s a group of women who are at Ladoga every Friday who are the funniest and friendliest group. They even have their own shelf with their wine glasses!

I’m grading Ladoga Ridge down just because they didn’t have any wines that appealed to me. They had a lot of sweet and fruit wines, so if that is your thing, Ladoga Ridge is a good visit.
The tasting room also had a lot of wine-​related gifts, verging on too much. To a certain extent, it seemed very cluttered and «crafty.»
The best thing about this winery is the picnic area where you can have some wine and look at the scenery. It’s a really beautiful location, and would be a great place to just hang out and enjoy your wine.

went to the winery after seeing their product at a St Joseph Meat store (clarkes)
we went on a Saturday at high noon.
the wine tasting was very well done, and the somalier was very educated in the product and history.
very nice selections, and a superb quiet veranda overlooking the rolling hills and vineyard.
we settled in with the bread, and cheese platters and a bottle of their Toad-​a –lope, and we couldn’t have had a more serene and calming afternoon enjoying each other and the wind chimes…
that was last weekend, and this weekend, going back with friends from Kansas City

This has got to be one of my favorite local wineries. Not only do they have great wines, the setting and the hospitality has got to be one of the best around! I love the wine, the setting and the entire staff!

This is my second time at this winery and unfortunately this time left a very bad taste in my mouth. The first time we had the owner helping us behind the bar… but this time we had a girl named Melissa. First time I’ve ever been carded at a winery. My fiancé does not look young (and isn’t young) but they wouldn’t serve him because he didn’t have his id. Second thing I noticed was they display local wineries bottles on their bar shelf but have taken Holyfields down (one of the Kansas wineries that helped them get started) which is sad since this was one of the things I was really impressed with them the first time. I had already said I’d pay for a full tasting, so we hurriedly finished and felt rushed and uncomfortable. Since I feel its rude to taste wine and not get one, I bought the cheapest one. The owner was sitting in a chair right by the door and didn’t say a word to us as we left. Very disappointing. For one of my area wineries to be this rude and unfriendly… I’m flabbergasted and at this point (even though I participate in the Missouri winery program) will most likely miss this one when I make my rounds. All it takes is being friendly and Ladoga Ridge did not deliver.

I find winery’s to all be similar. Elegant feeling bars were people who have drinking problems a made to seem like connoisseurs. That being said this one is super nice. One of the owners gave us our tasting and answered any and all questions we had as well as describing all the wines.
They have a lot of award winning wines to try. 5 free samples or all of them for $ 5. To me that seems like a great deal. The view is great and I’m told in warmer months they make wine slush ices that are to die for. Great visit if you’re on your way to the lake for the day.

We enjoyed a fun afternoon up by Smithville lake and stopped in to do a free tasting at Ladoga Ridge. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They have the typical sweet wines found at most Missouri wineries but also have some unique selections including a strawberry wine and a very nice Norton. We enjoyed a glass of wine out on their back terrace with a beautiful view of their vineyards from atop a bluff. Very nice atmosphere for relaxing with our dog.

We were really impressed with this winery, knowing it has only been in business for a year. We took the scenic route to end our personal «Lewis & Clark» wine tour, driving through the countryside from Jowler Creek in Platte City. The people in the tasting room are all very friendly and knew their wines well. They do charge for tasting if you want to try all 10 but my husband and I alternated glasses and did the tastings for free. I’m sure we made up for it since we came home with several bottles. Must try: B Cause, their Catawba wine that has an interesting story to the name; Toad-​A-​Lope Red, a good combination of St. Vincent, Chambourcin and Concord that’s very light and easy to drink on a lazy afternoon; Norton, not very earthy like some of the other Missouri wines aged in oak; Strawberry Rhubarb, just fabulous; and Blackberry, a good dessert wine paired with chocolates or vanilla ice cream. We finished our tour sharing a Strawberry Rhubarb slushie while sitting outside to watch the September sunset with a little one-​eyed dog named Sophie.

My wife and I stopped in early afternoon on a Friday for a tasting and really enjoyed it. They’ve recently opened (September 2011) and seem really excited about growing their business as a member of the Smithville community.
The tasting room is really nice. They have several tables set up inside (wine barrels with glass tops: classy and nicely decorated) as well as seating outside. There is also a cool little window from the tasting room into the room with the tanks where the wine is made. The entire room is well-​thought-​out – classy and welcoming. In the corner is a neat little gift shop area featuring mostly items from other local businesses. Just a great little facility.
As for the wine tasting, it’s free to taste up to 5 of their 10 wines, and $ 5 to taste all 10. We tried 5 each, and generally liked what we tasted. They have a cab-​merlot blend (California grapes) that was pretty good, and we really liked their Norton, which is 77% Norton and 23% «other reds.» It was definitely one of the better Nortons we’ve had in Missouri. We also really enjoyed their «Chococherry Kiss» dessert wine. It’s not overwhelming with the chocolate, doesn’t have that medicine taste chocolate wines can sometimes have, and has a nice tartness to balance out the sweetness.
They sell wine by the bottle and by the glass to enjoy on the premises, and if you buy a bottle but don’t finish it, they’ll seal your bottle in a special wine doggy bag so that you’re street legal for the drive home. It’s free of charge and a nice touch. Allowed us to spend the extra $ 1 or 2 on a bottle (as opposed to 2 glasses) without feeling like we really had to pound down the wine.
After we were done tasting, we bought a bottle of Norton to enjoy in the tasting room. They also sell little cheese plates and dessert plates to snack on while you drink. We tried a cheese plate, which was a nice selection of 6 or so gourmet cheeses that really were very good. They also provided crackers and pretzels. It was a perfect size for the two of us, but we were pretty hungry. I could see it as a light snack for 3 – 4 people.
We also had a nice chat with one of the owners. We could tell she was really excited about the new business and also using it to help boost other wineries and small businesses in the area. Overall, we had a great time and can’t wait to stop by again some lazy afternoon.