The following article was originally published in the Excelsior Springs Standard on April 14, 2023 by Standard News Staff
Shamrock Hills Vineyard and Winery celebrated their grand opening the weekend of April 1st.
Mike and Denise Riley have always enjoyed frequenting wineries and wine tastings. Last May, Mike and Denise went to Four Horses and a Dog Winery, where they met the owners, Mike and Cheryl Jennings and Stephen and Jaenine Stubbs. Denise stated, “We kept asking them questions about growing grapes and became very interested.” Jennings and Stubbs approached Riley about buying the Vineyard and that’s how Shamrock Hills came to be. Riley was overwhelmed on opening day from the support of the community saying, “the grand opening was amazing.
There was a big crowd on Saturday filled with Excelsior residents.” Shamrock Hills is now a partner with Harvest Host. Harvest host is an RV membership program that allows self-contained travelers to overnight at unique locations around the county including farms, wineries, museums, breweries and more, according to Harvesthost.com. Shamrock Hills will continue to manage Four Horses and a Dog’s vineyard and their wine. Denise advised, “our grapes will go in the ground the Monday after Mother’s Day. It takes five years to grow and we welcome the community to watch the grapes grow with us.”
On the property is a pond where customers can participate in catch and release fishing. The Riley’s urged, “we want to share the beautiful property with the community.”