If you’re driving down MO Route 6 on your way out of Trenton, MO, keep your eyes peeled for a black silo once home to a dairy farm. Turbo and theBiscuit transformed this seventy-acre property into one of the most exciting wineries and event spaces in northernMissouri – Black Silo Winery.

 

 

Jenn Hottes and her husband Duane Urich, also known as the Biscuit andTurbo, purchased the farm as an early retirement project. Duane spent timein California wine country as a NationalGuard airman. This time inspired them to open a winery. “Just the organized beauty of the vineyards and winery grounds was so inspiring just in themselves that he never forgot that, and it ultimately manifested 20 years later in Trenton, MO,” Jenn said.

After taking classes in the science and study of wine and winemaking and the cultivation and harvesting of grapes, the two got to work planting their first harvest in 2010. Three years later, they opened their doors to the public. They now produce 12 different wines from eight grape varietals. The most popular is the “2 Lane”—a sweet, aromatic blend of seven other grapes.Visitors can enjoy a bottle or glass inside the tasting room—once the farm’s milking parlor—or drink al fresco on the patio. 

 

Aside from the wine, Black Silo has become a popular spot for weddings and other gatherings, including the annual Mid America Music Festival, which Jenn and Duane started in 2017. For this year’s festival, “We expect to exceed 5,000 festival-goers coming to watch 12 bands over two days with seven of those bands being national tour acts!”Jenn said. Last year’s event featured Autograph,Slaughter, and Great White. Watch the website for this year’s lineup. 

So what is in store for the future? This year, the winery will delve in to the world of beer with Black Silo Brewing. They hope to unveil one or two this summer and eventually expand the operation with four mainstays and new specialty brews each month. Black Silo closes for the winter but will welcome visitors and reopen the first weekend in April.

Black Silo Winery
4030 East 10th Street
Trenton, Missouri
(660)357-2208
www.blacksilowinery.com