Celebrate Spring: RECAP

Due to some bad planning on our part, we weren't able to make it to all 7 Missouri River Wine Trail wineries during the Celebrate Spring event, but we did have a great time at the 3 we did make it to. We headed out Sunday afternoon to our first stop at Serenity Valley Winery in Fulton, MO. This was our first time visiting them at their new location in Callaway County, and we were very impressed with their set up. The tasting room is nestled on rolling country hills overlooking the peaceful Serene Lake. We had the pleasure of chatting with owners, Lee and Regina Ruppert, who were very proud and excited about their new location. Serenity Valley served their Spring Blossoms (Green Apple Reisling, Sweet) paired with a refreshing Ensenada Shrimp Cocktail! We have tried this Resiling at multiple wine tasting events, and it's quickly becoming one of our favorites. The shrimp was light and refreshing with a great flavor profile. We also sampled their Velvet Rhaspody (Raspberry Zinfandel) which had recently won a metal at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. With hints of chocolate and a smooth velvet finish, this wine made quite an impression on us.


The second winery we went to was Canterbury Hill Winery in Jefferson City. This winery is also new and moved into the building that once held Summit Lake Winery. This is such an amazing building on-top a hill overlooking the capitol city. They paired King’s Choice, a sweet white wine with a seafood salad with crab and shrimp. While we were there we had some of their Artichoke Dip with tortilla chips and banana peppers which was superb! The restaurant was full of people enjoying their Sunday dinner. Their large patio is sure to be a hot spot once the weather gets warmer!

The last Celebrate Spring stop for us was Westphalia Vineyards in Westpahlia, MO, the cutest town we've ever driven through. Did you know....this is the oldest German town West of the Mississippi! (Not, Hermann) Their Norton Tasting room is in an building that was once a hotel and has a charming vintage decor. We had the pleasure of meeting owners, Terry and Mary Neuner and learning all about their wine making process. We are hoping to come out and help them with  their vines this fall. Mary served us some delicious spicy crab dip which was paired with Riesling Sweet. We also sampled some of their dry reds including the Norton Reserve, Cabernet Franc, and a blend of the two, the Prodigal Son. This is one of the few Missouri wineries that can boost about using natural processes that don't include adding sulfites to their wines. You can really taste the natural freshness of their wines.


Celebrate Spring was a very fun event full of great wines and food pairings. We do wish  the wineries would have coordinated about what foods they were serving. All three dishes were tasty, but they were all seafood. We are looking forward to the next Missouri River Wine Trail event, Herb Du Vin taking place June 15-16th, so we can try to visit the other 4 wineries on the trail. CLICK HERE to see the rest of the photos we took!