Taking in the view at Echo Valley Winery

Flemingsburg, Kentucky, agritourism business offers vineyard, winery, restaurant and events venue

Patio dining from spring to fall is coveted by customers of Echo Valley Winery as they eat, sip and watch the sun set over the rolling hills of Fleming County.

David and Sue Watson, with sons Stephen and Bradley, established the vineyard in 2005 with 6,000 grapevines and 100 blackberry vines, providing grapes to wineries in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. The vineyard was named after the memory of David’s father, whose first farm was called Echo Valley.

The Watson’s dream was always to start their own winery, so in December 2014 Echo Valley Winery was opened. The 100-acre agritourism business, with 10 acres of grape vines, a staff of 17, a tasting room, restaurant, historic event barn and wine processing facility, is served by Fleming-Mason Energy.

They make 11 wines, including Rodeo Girl, a sweet blend and its No. 1 seller. They also have peach, blackberry and will have a strawberry wine this year.

Chef David Rhoden, says, “Our parking lot on a given weekend has Harleys to Mercedes. Many don’t realize there’s a restaurant here until they get here.”

Rhoden, whose family owned restaurants when he grew up in Florida, also worked for 15 years in corporate food service before moving to Kentucky in 2013.

At Echo Valley Winery, “I try to source as much Kentucky Proud local food as I can get,” such as the beef and catfish. “During the growing season the tomatoes and potatoes come right out of our garden every day.”

Favorite American classics include steaks, Kentucky Proud catfish, the Kentucky Hot Brown, ribs on Friday nights, and “our Saturday night prime rib keeps people coming back,” says Rhoden. “We bake it and I have different seasonings and rubs.”

Rhoden adds, “We hand cut all of our steaks here. We make 1/2-pound steak burgers. Our wings are exceptional because we smoke our wings over hickory wood before we cook them. We do all our own pulled pork inhouse.”

Desserts are homemade. “All of our cheesecakes are homemade—turtle cheesecake is a big hit. The strawberry cake, with fresh strawberries, I can’t seem to make enough of it,” says Rhoden.

The winery’s event bar hosts weddings throughout the year. There is also a back room, attached to the restaurant, for smaller events, corporate events and private parties.

Located at 1826 Mt. Carmel Road, Flemingsburg, Kentucky, Echo Valley Winery is open Monday–Thursday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Friday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.  Reservations are accepted, and recommended for groups of eight or more or for patio dining, (606) 845-0030.

For more information, go to Echo Valley Winery’s website, and check out the restaurant’s lunch and dinner specials on Facebook: Echo Valley Winery.

Try Echo Valley Winery’s recipe for Spinach and Artichoke Dip