Shamrock Hills Vineyard & Winery

A Letter From the Riley’s

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / shamrockhills

Happy Fall, Friends! Autumn has arrived in full swing, and things are bustling here at the winery! Mike is fully immersed in crafting the next vintage of Shamrock Hills wines—sometimes quite literally knee-deep in grapes! Fermentation is underway, and we’re still looking forward to one final harvest day with our Zinthiana grapes. Mike also has […]

A Letter From the Riley’s Read More »

Happy Fall, Friends!

Autumn has arrived in full swing, and things are bustling here at the winery! Mike is fully immersed in crafting the next vintage of Shamrock Hills wines—sometimes quite literally knee-deep in grapes! Fermentation is underway, and we’re still looking forward to one final harvest day with our Zinthiana grapes. Mike also has a few more trips lined up to collect the remainder of our purchased fruit. The 2025 vintage is officially in the works!

We’re especially thankful for our first harvest from our own vineyard this year. It’s rare to see much fruit by the third year (typically not until the fourth), so we feel truly blessed by the abundance.

Mark Your Calendars: Our 2nd Annual Irish Festival is Almost Here!
Join us October 4th & 5th for two days of music, games, food, and family fun at the amphitheater! Each day features different musical artists—so you’ll want to come for both.

2-Day Pass: $30 (pre-purchase only)
Single Day Ticket: $20
Kids under 12: Free!

Important Info

Event Space Parking & Winery Parking both offer access to the festival area.
Buying tickets at the gate? Use the Winery side entrance.
Event Space side will only accept cash or pre-purchased tickets.

Bring a comfy lawn chair or blanket, soak in the fall weather, and enjoy incredible Irish performances. Check our [Event Page] for the full musical lineup!

Exciting News: We’re Expanding!
We’re thrilled to announce that The Landing in Liberty is now carrying Shamrock Hills wine! Even more exciting? We’ll be the only Missouri wine they offer. We’re grateful for this new partnership and looking forward to continued growth beyond the winery.

So grab a glass of your favorite Shamrock Hills wine, settle in, and enjoy this month’s edition of Wining in the Hills.

Cheers,
Mike & Denise Riley

Behind the Label: Sweet Hadley Jo

Leave a Comment / About Us, Archive / shamrockhills

Sweet Hadley Jo is an off-dry red wine crafted from Chambourcin grapes and back-sweetened with Cabernet Sauvignon fruit concentrate—and it’s been a customer favorite since its release! Bursting with notes of stone fruit and a subtle hint of chocolate, this wine greets your palate with rich, sweet dark cherry and a touch of spice—much like

Behind the Label: Sweet Hadley Jo Read More »

Born in 2023, Hadley Jo inspired us to create a wine as special and spirited as she is. While she’s certainly sweeter than the wine that bears her name, at two years old, she’s already showing a bit of spunk that keeps us on our toes! Naming a wine after her may have set a precedent—we hope to one day create a unique wine for each of our future grandchildren—but Hadley Jo will always be the first.

With a residual sugar level that classifies it as off-dry rather than semi-sweet, this wine is incredibly versatile. It’s perfect for sipping on a crisp fall day, pairing with a charcuterie board, or enjoying alongside a hearty steak dinner.

Sweet Hadley Jo has already made a mark—winning Best of Show at the 2025 Governor’s Cup and taking home a Gold Medal among all semi-dry reds in the state.

Next time you visit, we’d love to pour you a sample—and show you a picture of our one-of-a-kind Sweet Hadley Jo!

Letter From the Riley’s – August 2025

Leave a Comment / Archive, Letter From the Riley's / shamrockhills

“May the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, may the rain fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.” Greetings Friends! As we approach our first harvest of our vines at Shamrock Hills Vineyard and

Letter From the Riley’s – August 2025 Read More »

“May the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, may the rain fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.”

Greetings Friends!

As we approach our first harvest of our vines at Shamrock Hills Vineyard and Winery, I feel it’s important to offer an Irish blessing for a good first harvest. Grape farming is tricky and may be one of the reasons Mike handles it so well is that he can be more patient than me. I like to follow a schedule and Mother Nature doesn’t always give us a schedule to follow.

Over the next month, we hope to harvest 3 of our 6 varietals—St. Vincent, Crimson Cabernet and Zynthiana. St. Vincent will most likely be the first grape we harvest as it’s the furthest along in the ripening stage. Following will be Crimson Cabernet, and finally Zynthiana. The challenge is to keep the varmints out of the grapes until we are able to get them to harvest.

In the meantime, we are gearing up for fall at the winery and ranch. We have a full season of weddings at the Ranch starting in September and our 2nd annual Irish Festival October 4th and 5th. Tickets will be going on sale soon! We have 2 days of music planned each with different Irish artists from around the KC area. Day 1 we will have our friend Eddie Delahunt here along with the Stolen Apples, the O’Riada-Manning School of Dance, and the Canterberries. Day 2 we will have St. Andrew Bag Pipers and dancers, And So it Goes, the Bisquit Boys, and Kian Byrne from the Elders with a few of his friends. We have fun games for families and kids’; food and alcohol tents will be set up at the amphitheater. A great way to spend a fall weekend! Tickets are $20 per day for anyone 12 and over, 12 and under get in free! If you pre-purchase the 2-day pass to get in both days, it’s only $30!

Finally, if you have been pondering the thought of joining our wine club, my question to you is “Why wouldn’t you?” First, it’s FREE to join—your discount applies to anything you purchase at our tasting room and kicks in at your first release pick up. You get to 2 releases a year and we celebrate YOU, our amazing customers, at each pickup party! The next release party we are hosting is on September 21st . This one is going to be extra special as we are shutting the winery down to the public that day. Only wine club members and their guests will be allowed into the winery. We will have food, wine tastings of each of the 6 wines we are releasing for the fall and live music so you can come enjoy fun, fellowship, and friendship (hopefully on our patios if the weather cooperates). For this event, you can stay the entirety of the party or you can come and taste, then buy and go. New Members must be signed up by the Thursday before in order to participate.

As fall approaches you can see we aren’t slowing down! So pull out your favorite Shamrock Hills Wine and sit on your deck or patio and enjoy the coming of the cooler weather as you read this addition of Wining in the Hills.

Mike and Denise Riley

Highlights of our Ireland Trip

Leave a Comment / Archive, Events / shamrockhills

We covered a lot of ground in 13 days—some of us even arrived a day early for a total of 14 days! Huge thanks to Anna Sue Spohn, Itchin’ to Go Travel, and SIE Tours for organizing this incredible Ireland getaway. And of course Michael, our tour guide/bus driver who really made this trip special

Highlights of our Ireland Trip Read More »

Starting in Dublin, we explored:
– The Guinness Storehouse with a guided tour,
– A bus tour of the city,
– The EPIC Heritage Museum,
– Dinner at Taylors Three Rock Irish Night and Cabaret, and
– Plenty of free time for personal exploration.

Next, we traveled to Cork, stopping for scenic photos along the way. In Cork, we:
– Climbed the bell tower,
– Enjoyed the Middleton Experience, viewing the Kindred Spirits monument honoring Choctaw Natives who supported Ireland during the Famine,
– Had lunch in a quaint harbor town, where some took a nap while others explored,
– Explored Blarney Castle and Estates, where some kissed the Blarney Stone for luck, while others strolled the grounds, concluding with souvenir shopping at the Woolen Mill.

Our journey continued to Killarney, where we:
– Took a scenic horse and carriage ride through Killarney National Park,
– Had a drink at the historic Foxy John’s pub, a unique combination of pub and hardware store,
– Enjoyed coastal views,
– Had dinner at Paidi O’Se’s, a pub run by the family of a legendary Irish football player, complete with stories from his son,
– Stopped at another pub for a nightcap before returning to our hotel.

The next day saw us heading to Galway, where we:
– Visited Listowel Castle in County Kerry,
– Enjoyed storytelling at John B. Keane Pub, with many of us purchasing his book,
– Took a ferry across the peninsula,
– Experienced the Cliffs of Moher, albeit interrupted by fire alarms at the Visitor Center,
– Went on a walking tour of Galway,
– Enjoyed a scenic boat cruise with Irish coffees,
– Visited Kylemore Abbey,
– Spent a delightful evening in Galway.

We then made our way north to Derry:
– Witnessed a Sheepdog herding demonstration with Border Collies—a trip highlight,
– Visited Mullaghmore Castle,
– Explored Bushmills Distillery,
– Walked along the Giant’s Causeway,
– Stopped at Grianan of Aileach Ringfort on our way to Cabra Castle in County Cavan.

– We spent the afternoon and evening at Cabra Castle, which we named our County Cavan red. We toasted dinner with a bottle of wine we brought, in honor of the castle once owned by the Reilly family—potentially connected to our own lineage. While records indicate our name might have changed from Reilly to Riley upon arriving in the States, Mike’s genealogy research has its limits before they came to Virginia, so who knows!

– Our journey concluded in Trim with a visit to Trim Castle, followed by one last dinner together before heading back to the airport on June 2nd, returning to reality.

A heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us on this adventure through Ireland. It was wonderful to dive into the culture together!

Slainte’

Letter From the Riley’s – June 2025

Leave a Comment / Archive, Letter From the Riley's / shamrockhills

Dia duit! We are still enjoying the pictures of our most recent Ireland trip—where 24 of us travelled across the pond where we met up with Michael our Tour Guide/Driver for a 12-day adventure through Ireland. We may not have picked up much Gaelic but we did get their slang down. The “h” is silent

Letter From the Riley’s – June 2025 Read More »

Dia duit!

We are still enjoying the pictures of our most recent Ireland trip—where 24 of us travelled across the pond where we met up with Michael our Tour Guide/Driver for a 12-day adventure through Ireland. We may not have picked up much Gaelic but we did get their slang down. The “h” is silent in Ireland so if you hear us say “Tirty-Tree” vs Thirty-three, or “Trow” instead of Throw. You will understand why. It was a fun time with lots of sites and Guiness (cough, cough) for some as well as a whiskey or 2. We have our photo album from our trip linked to our website so if you’d like to see some of the pictures that were taken—we’d love to share them with you!

We brought back an alcohol-exchange student from Ireland—a leprechaun named Shamus (Sea-mus) Finnigan from County Cavan, Ireland. Since wineries are non-existent in Ireland, we thought it’d be nice to introduce Shamus to wines. However, the little guy is a little too curious, so he’s finding his way around the winery and the property and making himself quite at home. In fact, he may try to adventure out into Excelsior Springs some, so we are going to play a little game called:

“What is Shamus up to NOW?” this summer.

Each week, Shamus will be at a different location in Excelsior Springs and a photo will be posted on Social Media.
You will be asked to guess where he’s at.
If you are correct, you will be entered into a drawing for a fun prize at Shamrock Hills—it could be a FREE glass of wine/beer, a FREE Flatbread, a Charcuterie Board, some merchandise . . . whatever Shamus decides we need to give away that month.
Once a month we will draw for a couple of prizes from everyone who guessed correctly on the weekly where abouts of Shamus.
You must pick up the prize at Shamrock Hills Vineyard and Winery

So keep on the lookout for Shamus, who’s always getting into mischief. It must be in the Finnigan name. Hmmmmm.

Enjoy this month’s edition of Wining in the Hills!

Slaintè (pronounced slawn-cha)!
Denise and Mike

Emerald Experience

Leave a Comment / Archive, Events / shamrockhills

The Emerald Wine Experience is an elevated wine tasting like no other at Shamrock Hills Vineyard and Winery. We’re excited to offer this exclusive experience once a month to the public while we perfect it, with plans to expand in the future! This unique tasting event will be set in a variety of picturesque spots

Emerald Experience Read More »

The Emerald Wine Experience is an elevated wine tasting like no other at Shamrock Hills Vineyard and Winery. We’re excited to offer this exclusive experience once a month to the public while we perfect it, with plans to expand in the future!

This unique tasting event will be set in a variety of picturesque spots around the winery—whether it’s a table in the vineyard, on the small stage by the pond, or on the covered patio. Each guest will enjoy a thoughtfully paired charcuterie board and receive personalized one-on-one time with the owners. They’ll guide you through a tasting of our wines, share the story behind each pour, and—weather permitting—take you on a walk through the vineyard to explain the grape-growing process and the challenges of winemaking.

Offered by reservation only, this experience will be available either on Friday evenings or Sunday afternoons, with a cost of $35 per person. You’ll taste 4 standard wines and 2 reserve wines, all while enjoying the beauty of our winery. Each session is limited to just 8 guests to ensure an intimate and personalized experience.

Don’t miss out on this unforgettable wine experience!

Pairing Wine With Food

Leave a Comment / Archive / shamrockhills

Pairing Wine With Food Read More »

When we say we recommend a St. Vincent with Pork, or a Reserved Chardonel with a smoked cheese—please keep in mind those are just suggestions. I’ve been reading a book called “Why You Like the Wines You Like” by Tim Hanni and in it he shares that sometimes when we are adamant about pairing certain wines with certain foods it can be a turn off. You may have been told in the past that you should drink a full-body dry red wine with steak or a dessert wine with cake. Some people, will tend to think, they don’t like a dry red wine or a port wine, so they just won’t have any wine with their steak or dessert because they don’t want to be outcasted for it.

You may prefer a sweet white wine all of the time and you want that with your steak—that’s ok. And that’s what this book is about. It brings me to a saying my Dad used to say and now we laugh about it when we remember him, but it’s so true—“Don’t Tell Me what I like!” and you shouldn’t let people tell you what you like or pour what you don’t like. That’s why wine tastings are so good to do. Even if you choose a wine that is out of your normal palette. Your tastes may change with age and your sweetness level may change, but you don’t realize it until you try. Everyone’s taste buds are different—some are hyper-sensitive and many are not. But that can affect the style of wine—sweet or dry that you like.

In this book Hanni talks about how to find out your wine preference. He has a little quiz to take for fun that comes out of this book to determine your “Vinotype Sensitivity Self Assessment”

(By each answer there is a number—add your numbers up at the end to determine your Vinotype.) -From “Why You Like The Wines You Like – Changing the way the world thinks about wine.” By Tim Hanni, Master of Wine Chapter 4 What’s your Vinotype?

Gender
0 Male
3 Female

Salted Snacks such as nuts, pretzels, potato chips
0 I find most snacks too salty
1 Yeah, I like salty snacks
3 Yum! I am addicted to salty snacks

Salt preferences (try to answer by your taste preference, not from a health standpoint)
0 I find may foods too salty
1 Food usually tastes fine as is and/or I add a modest amount of salt when I cook.
1 I avoid salt for health reasons (but if you really want to add more, select how much)
2 I usually add a little extra salt to my food, or would like to but don’t for health reasons
3 People give me a hard time for adding too much salt.

Coffee or Tea
Describe the perfect cup of coffee or tea:
0 I like it very strong (expresso or black tea: English Breakfast tea).
1 I like it strong (Starbucks, Peet’s or Earl Grey Tea)
2 I like it medium (the weak coffee served at work, green or herbal tea)
3 Coffee tastes so horrible I can’t stand it.

Sugar in your Coffee
0 I drink coffee/tea with no sugar
1 A touch
2 One teaspoon or the equivalent
3 Two or more teaspoons

How do artificial sweeteners in diet soda taste? (Try to answer by your taste preference and not from a health standpoint)
0 No taste problem (whether or not you choose to use them)
1 I don’t know—I’ve never tried diet soda in my life
1 Tastes funny, but not too bad
2 I can tell a big difference but have adapted OR some are much better than others.
3 Yuck! They taste horrible

Cream/Milk
0 I drink coffee black
1 Touch of cream or milk
2 Moderate cream or milk
3 Lots of cream or milk

Do you enjoy coffee with steamed milk or flavoring such as almond, vanilla, Irish Cream?
0 No!
1 Cappuccino, latte, or café’ au lait-but not flavorings
2 Sometimes
3 Yes

Bonus Question: do you enjoy an occasional drink of straight Scotch, Cognac, or Armagnac?
-3 Yes
0 Sometimes
1 No Way

“Now add up your score to get your Sensitivity Quotient Score. This score will determine into which of the four taste sensitivity groups you fall. “

Taste SQ score 15 to 25: Sweet
Taste SQ Score 15 to 25: Hypersensitive (the main difference between you and the sweet Vinotype if you prefer mostly dry wines)
Taste SQ Score 5 to 15: Sensitive
Taste SQ Score -3 to 7: Tolerant

What does this mean?
Sweet: People in this group tend to be the most sensitive. If this is you, you may also be sensitive to light, sound, touch, smell, and taste. According to Hanni, these individuals prefer the sweet tastes to hide the bitterness or alcohol level. They also tend to use a lot of salt in their food.

Hypersensitive: Like the sweeties, Hypersensitive’s live in a vivid and intense sensory world of taste, smell, light, sound, and touch. They are also artistic and may have attention deficit disorders. If you fall into this category, you are more likely to discover the intensity of the wine and can note complexness in the flavors.

Sensitive: You go with the flow. You’re open to trying new things, and believe variety is the spice of life. You are the mediator in your family. You want everyone to be a part of the team and will go with whatever the rest of your party wants. Eventually you will seek more balanced wines.

Tolerant: You like things bigger, faster, and stronger which equates to better. Big red wines are the favorites. Intensity is the name of the game, and you would rather “go big or go home”. Tolerants’ also want the wines they choose be something they love and don’t care if it’s the recommended pairing for a dish/meal—they have it with whatever.

Take the Quiz and email me your results at tastings@shamrockhillsvineyard.com and I’ll send you a coupon for a free wine tasting of 4 our wines on your next visit. Offer valid through July 6, 2025.

So what does all of this mean when it comes to wine and food pairing? Whether you are Sweet (which I know all of you have sweet personalities), hypersensitive, sensitive, or tolerant, you like what you like when it comes to wine and you shouldn’t let others tell you what that is. Take tasting room staff with a grain of salt—they may encourage you to try something out of your norm and that’s ok, but also keep in mind they won’t be offended if you don’t like it because everyone is different. And the same goes with pairing it with food. If you prefer a Sweet Vignoles with your steak, enjoy! If you prefer a dry Crimson Cabernet with your birthday cake, go for it! Don’t let food pairings or people deter you from enjoying or being embarrassed about what you like or don’t like when it comes to wine. You are who you are and we love you all at Shamrock Hills Vineyard and Winery.

Letter From the Riley’s – May 2025

Leave a Comment / Archive, Letter From the Riley's / shamrockhills

Happy Summer Fellow Wine Drinkers! As we gear up for Summer—we are excited for the response and turnout we’ve been getting at the winery! Mother’s Day weekend had the perfect weather and we had the perfect number of guests join us for a beautiful weekend. Those that have come out in the past couple of

Letter From the Riley’s – May 2025 Read More »

Happy Summer Fellow Wine Drinkers!

As we gear up for Summer—we are excited for the response and turnout we’ve been getting at the winery! Mother’s Day weekend had the perfect weather and we had the perfect number of guests join us for a beautiful weekend. Those that have come out in the past couple of weeks have noticed a wall and a new patio, oh and another stage. Which if you have ever talked to me one on one, you know I’m constantly saying—you never know what to expect at Shamrock Hills, even our staff gets surprised if they haven’t worked in a couple of weeks or longer! We are excited to meet new people as more people hear about us and we have some exciting things happening in the next few months. With that being said, we are looking for a couple of people to join our staff. If you know of anyone who is looking to work 2-3+ shifts a month as a second income, please have them contact me at 816-377-2313. We are looking for:

A server to work the tasting room. Must be 21 years old or older. Have a basic knowledge of wine and be a people person. In addition to an hourly rate we also do shared tips among the team that works that specific shift. Needs to have weekend availability as we are only open Fridays 2-8P, Saturday 12-7p, and Sundays 1-6P. Occasionally we will have hours outside of these hours for private or special events.
A member for our Kitchen staff. We really need this person to be 18 years of age or about to turn 18 or older. They are responsible for taking care of washing dishes/glassware and putting them away 50% of the time and running the pizza oven (Saturday and Sundays) as well as making Charcuterie Boards and pretzel sticks. Assisting with bussing tables, cleaning and stocking. In addition to the hourly rate, we also include the kitchen staff in our shared tips.

As you are reading this newsletter, Mike and I are going to either be preparing for or have left for our trip across the pond to Ireland. We have 24 of us going on this adventure and we hope to share pictures on our journey—so watch social media for excerpts of our trip. With the fact that there are no wineries that I’m aware of in Ireland—there may be a break in episodes of “In the Vines with Mike” while we are gone.

With the weather warming up. Pour a glass of your favorite chilled white and sit back and enjoy another month of Wining in the Hills!

Salute’

Denise and Mike

DING—DING—DING Goes the Trolley – Vroom … Vroom…Vroom Goes the Shuttle

Leave a Comment / Archive, Events / shamrockhills

Did you hear? In addition to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturday Experience Trolleys, the Excelsior Springs Chamber Shuttle is offering a Hop-On, Hop-Off Continuous Loop Trolley the first Saturday of May, August, September, November and December. For $35.00 you can use it as a transportation trolley to go to all 3 wineries and the

DING—DING—DING Goes the Trolley – Vroom … Vroom…Vroom Goes the Shuttle Read More »

For $35.00 you can use it as a transportation trolley to go to all 3 wineries and the best part is you can get on at any of the stops whether it’s the Elms, the Chamber Office, Willow Springs, Van Till, Shamrock, or Fence Stile.

It’ll run from 11:30-5:00P and each stop has a set pickup/drop off time. So you can determine where you get off or where you get on. Have Family or Friends coming to town, what a great way to show them the wineries without having to drive them around!

You can purchase your tickets ahead of time or you can pay that day. Each stop has a QR code to scan to buy tickets as well as the trolley will also have a QR code to purchase tickets. Visit www.estrolley.com and select “Ride the Wine Trail” under tours for more information.

Wise Choice

Leave a Comment / Development / shamrockhills

Wise Choice Read More »

New for 2025! The Missouri Wine and Grape Board and Grape and Wine Institute (GWI) at the University of Missouri have created a Standard of Excellence Quality Program as a way to elevate the Missouri Wines that are passed to you, the consumer. WISE which stands for Wine Industry Standard of Excellence has a panel of judges from across the state that evaluates each wine submitted that goes through two separate tests to ensure that Missouri Wines meet the quality standards to improve and elevate Missouri’s wine offerings across the state.

The first test is a qualitative test made up of two panels of wine experts. Similar to the judging in the Missouri Governor’s Cup—they do a blind panel test that implements consensus testing and is conducted four times per year.
The second test is a quantitative test that provides an analytical fingerprint for a variety of factors including
- PH Balance
- Alcohol Level
- Residual Sugar
- Total Acidity
- Sulfur Dioxide levels

If a wine passes both tests, it is awarded the GWI Quality Assurance Program’s WISE Choice Sticker for use on wine labels, proving it has met the standards. Right now this is a voluntary program for wineries to participate in. It’s at the ground level now, but as it grows, it’ll help Missouri Wine and Wineries to evolve and let us show our consumers (We are the Show Me State) how great Missouri Wines are!

Get the Inside Pour - Join Our VIP List