Ozark Living

26 • J U LY 2023 • O Z A R K L I V I N G By Randy Rice Ozark Living Located just a scenic 8-mile drive north of Eureka Springs on Hwy 187, you'll find Railway Winery and Butler Creek Distilling. is charming, small farm winery and distillery is owned and operated by Greg and Vicki Schneider. eir story is as inspiring as their wine and spirits are unique. "We purchased the property where the winery is located in 2008 and started planting grapevines that year," Greg began. "We built the original winery building and were ready to open in the fall of 2012." At first, they were only open on the weekends and still both working full time jobs. A year later, in August of 2013, everything changed when a flash flood destroyed the vineyard and their winery building was washed down the creek. "We started over from scratch," Greg said. "We moved up to the other end of our property, which is slightly higher in elevation, built another building, and planted more grapevines. We bought new equipment and started making wine again." ey opened for the second time in 2014 in their new building and have added onto it almost constantly as they have grown. In 2019, they added the distillery to their business and began offering a variety of moonshines. "We are a small farm winery and distillery with a casual atmosphere, located outside of Beaver, Arkansas, in a rural setting," Vicki said. "We do not have a food menu but guests are welcome to bring snacks along with them." Railway Winery currently offers 13 wines, ranging from dry reds through semi-sweet from their grape varietals. ey also make peach, strawberry and berry blends, which are sweet. In their distillery, they feature five different spirits, including New Moon, Full Moon, Clawfoot (which is their gin), Barrel aged rye and Harmons Mule, their rum. ey also offer a selection of local cra beers that are brewed elsewhere. Tastings of all their wines and moonshines are available from noon through 5:00 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. ey have a small indoor tasting area but most of their seating area is outdoors on a beautiful, covered deck and patio that looks out over the picturesque panorama of their Ozark hills property. Vicki's family has been in Carroll County for seven generations, and she grew up in Eureka Springs. She spent 30 years working for attorneys and several years working for an accountant. Greg's dad was retired military and they moved to Holiday Island in 1973. He began making wine for himself as a hobby when he was young and couldn't afford to buy much. He has had many different jobs over the years, including contractor and restaurant owner/chef. He became more interested in wine from the food pairing side while in the restaurant business. "e winery began as a retirement business," Vicki said. "Aer the loss of the first winery, it became a full-time project for Greg. Railway Winery and Butler Creek Distilling: Lovely wines , great spirits

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