By Joey McWilliams
BRYAN COUNTY – Spring weather has finally arrived in Bryan County and with it a new era at the Blue River Valley Winery.
Business presented by Kiamichi Tech.
Kyle and Aubre McMichael are the new owners and officially took over on April 1.
“Well, my husband has been around Hillary and Diane since the beginning, since they were making wine in their living room,” Aubre said. “It’s really always been a dream of his to take over the winery at some point. And the timing just worked out, so we were able to get it.”
Located at 3565 Sawmill Road, the business has a Caddo address (if you’re looking on the app on your mobile device to find it) and has the feel of being on the northeastern edge of Durant. The winery has much to offer with drinks and activities.
“We sell wine by the bottle, by the glass and by the tasting,” Aubre said “But we also do a lot of events and that’s something we’re really kind of increasing to bring back awareness that, ‘Hey, we’re here!” We’re just a few miles outside of Durant Main Street, and we’re out in the country setting but we’re offering some great events now that I think are really drawing people out here.
“A big focus has been some crafting events that pair well with wine, so we’ve been doing this ‘Paint and Sip’ event, we do some vendor events where we invite vendors out so you can sip and shop, basically.
“Anything where we can partner and collaborate with local businesses to also benefit them, we love to do that kind of stuff. We love to pull their customer base and increase our customer base. We’re also going to start offering some live music in the summer now with our outdoor stage and just try to do some more outdoor events.”
Blue River Valley Winery has a website that is being renovated (bluerivervalleywinery.com) and people can also find it on social media.
“We have a large presence on Facebook (Click Here), we’ve got a pretty large following because this business has been here since 2015 and they’ve done such a great job.”
During the week, the winery is open from 2-8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesdays, they close early at 6 p.m., but that may change in the summer months. Fridays and Saturdays, they are open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
“We’re just very excited to be here and excited to keep offering this great wine in this great location to the community.”