It’s true – all 50 states produce wine. On a recent trip, I experienced four wineries in four states. It’s not only that the wines differ from region to region that makes it interesting. I’ve always appreciated that each winery, no matter where, creates its own ambiance, its unique personality, that’s as fascinating as the wines themselves.

Whispering Oaks Winery – Oxford, Florida

I’ll admit I was a little skeptical when I learned that all the wines here are blueberry wines. But I was eager to give them a try, and I’m glad I did. We tasted four varieties from dry to very sweet served in the winery’s new visitor center and tasting bar, just opened last November, according to the sample pourer. It’s so new, in fact, that as we sipped our samples, an artist still worked on completing a wall-sized sea life mural in the adjacent room.

A sign in the tasting room proclaimed two pounds of antioxidant–rich blueberries in every bottle. Under a display cart, Jacks, the winery dog, rested on the cool tile floor to beat the warm and humid conditions that day. Outside, the huge oaks provided shade, and in the distance we saw some of the 40,000 blueberry bushes that produce the wine fruit. The tasting room, with both indoor and patio space, conveys a peaceful, casual, relaxed atmosphere and we enjoyed sampling these local wines in central Florida.

Wills Creek Vineyards – Attalla, Alabama

The enthusiastic winemaker, Jahn, originally from Switzerland, talked about the muscadine wine he produces at this winery situated in green, rolling hills of northeast Alabama. He explained that muscadine is native to Alabama and the Southeast, and that while there is some disagreement among winemakers about whether muscadine truly is a grape, they do call it a grape. Rather than growing in clusters, though, he said the fruit grows individually, “like a cherry tomato,” and that they harvest by hitting the vines with a stick.

Jahn described the muscadine wine, as he poured us a sample, as acidic and very high in antioxidants. (A health beverage theme was starting to emerge…) He also makes grape wine and fruit varieties, and he likes to experiment. “I’ve been trying some vegetable wines,” he said. We sampled a small bit of the jalapeno and the basil wines, which he said are great for cooking. He admitted to making an onion wine, but said it came out too sweet because he used Vidalia onions. He entertained us in a small, rustic tasting room; there’s also a picturesque outdoor patio area overlooking muscadine vineyards and a pond. It’s the winemaker’s conversation, though, that creates a fun, lively, laid-back ambiance here.

Boxwood Estate Winery – Middleburg, Virginia

In a rural suburb about 50 miles west of Washington, D.C., the Boxwood Estate Winery tasting room is a completely different atmosphere – a chic, stylish, industrial vibe. The winery operation surrounds the high-ceilinged tasting room and is visible to patrons. The small, circular tasting bar encouraged interaction with the staff and other tasters. Metal restaurant tables were lined up between two rows of stainless steel fermentation tanks. A quiet but present soundtrack of urban contemporary music complemented the character.

The windowed wall through which we saw the darkened circular barrel cave created a calm counterpoint to the prevalence of stainless steel. Outside, courtyard tables under umbrellas provided a serene country vineyard view setting in which to taste the winery’s reds, which are blends in varying amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot or Malbec grapes. The tasting fee here includes a nice logo glass.

Sandhill Crane Vineyards – Jackson, Michigan

This southern Michigan winery and its café complement each other perfectly. Our timing was good for a meal, so we decided to choose from a wide variety of soups, salads and sandwiches on the menu. Then we sampled small pours of some of the winery’s huge selection of vintages, brought to us one by one with an explanation of each while we enjoyed our lunch at a tasting room table.

Ranging from dry to sweet, they make red and white wines, as well as fruit wines, from local grapes and produce. The tasting room and café, with indoor and outdoor seating, has a country-casual feel appropriate to its rural location. Some of the vineyards, like the Chambourcin, are close by for ambling; Traminette is another estate-grown grape. And, solidifying our sense of place, when we drove away we spotted a sandhill crane strutting around the front yard of a nearby house – definitely part of the ambiance.