06/28/2026
We also appreciate our local wineries Wiederkehr Wine Cellars & Weinkeller Restaurant Post Winery
German immigrant families settled the bluffs above the Arkansas River Valley in the 1870s and started planting vineyards, and some of those same family wineries are still running today. 🍷
The Altus area in the Arkansas River Valley has been wine country since the late 1800s, when German and Swiss immigrants recognized that the south-facing bluffs above the river were perfect for growing grapes. Families like the Posts and the Wiederkehrs built wineries that became institutions. Wiederkehr Wine Cellars, established in 1880, is one of the oldest family-owned wineries in the entire South and is still operated by the same family. Arkansas even has its own official wine grape, the Cynthiana, grown throughout the region.
A genuine wine country with over a century of history is sitting in the Arkansas River Valley and most people outside the state have never heard of it. So tell me: have you ever visited the Altus wineries, and did you know Arkansas had wine country this old? Drop it below and follow Arkansas Underground for the surprises hiding in plain sight. 👇
