Missouri Wine Festival

If you are looking for something to do this weekend, look no further than the Missouri Wine Festival happening in Excelsior Springs, MO on June 21-22.

This annual festival is held in Excelsior Springs during the summer time and celebrates over 50 Missouri wines, live music, over 30 art and craft vendors, hosts wine and cheese classes, and cooking demonstrations.    The cost is $5 for the festival or $20 in advance for 10 wine samples ($25 at the gate).  You can buy your tickets online

Here is a list of the wineries that will be participating:

Baltimore Bend Vineyard
Cooper's Oak 
Fence Stile Vineyard and Winery
Jowler Creek 
Ladoga Ridge Winery
Les Bourgeois Vineyard
St James Winery 
Serenity Valley Winery
Stone Hill Winery
Wenwood Farm Winery
Westphalia Vineyard
Windy Wine Co.

For accommodations  check out the map of local hotels.  Note that you are not far from Kansas City, but staying local would be the best route for safety reasons (wouldn't want that wine getting the best of you).

For more information and for registration, check out the event home page: Missouri Wine Festival

Allergies and Wine

Yesterday was the first official day of Spring even though it didn't feel that way. I'm still hopeful that warm weather is just on the horizon. Any day now, flowers will be blossoming, birds chirping, and of course wine flowing. I'm eager to pack my picnic basket and take in all the sites and sounds of wineries awakening from a cold winter. However, I want to take a moment to let you all know about a sad situation, that you may find yourself in as well. If you're like me, you suffer from seasonal allergies. Yes, sneezing, running nose, itchy eyes, stuffy head, I have all the symptoms. I take medicine, but they never work as well as I would hope. Going to wineries in the spring is a love/hate situation. I love getting out of the house after being cooped up all winter and rolling on the hills of a winery after a few bottle of Vignoles or Tramminetter, but I hate feeling like crap and having a pocket full of tissues and poofy, watery eyes.



And here's an extra dose of knowledge that some of you may not know about when you're out at the wineries, the pollen isn't the only thing triggering your allergies. The wine itself could be adding to your misery. Yes, the wine is an enemy for people with allergies. It's hard to accept, but it's been proven. The histamines in wine (and alcohol in general) worsens allergies. Histamines are produced in wine and beer during the fermentation process. And if that isn't enough, the sulfites in beer and wine also provoke asthma and other allergy-like symptoms. One more fun fact, women are affected by this 3 times more than men. On the brighter side, if you don't suffer from seasonal allergies, the sulfates and histamines in wine should have no effect on you!

Of course there is some controversy about the idea that wine increases allergies symptoms  I live it, so I feel comfortable agreeing with the studies. I did find one study that encourages drinking more RED wine during seasonal allergies. Red wine is high in quercetin, an antioxidant that reduces the amount of histamine the body releases. Since I'm not going to let allergies stop my wine drinking this spring, I will be sticking to red wine and popping allergies pill regularly. I don't want to discourage anyone from heading to the wineries this spring. I just want you to be aware of what you're getting yourself into and advise you to bring extra tissue! Happy wine trailing!

The Ozark Trail

We had the pleasant opportunity to sample some wine from the wineries that lake goers tend to enjoy the most.  "The Ozark Trail" is a new trail that we put together to experience what the Lake of the Ozarks has to offer the Missouri oenophile.

Our first stop was Shawnee Bluff Winery, which boasts the best view out of all the wineries, atop one of the highest ridges overlooking the lake.  Our tasting experience was very nice.  We were the only ones in the winery and per usual the tasting room was warm with the smells of fresh baked pizza dough and firewood.  (Plus, as an added bonus, the tastings were free!) Jennifer did our tasting. She was a pleasure to chat with and was full of wine knowledge.

Their Pinot Grigio was particularly satisfying with its light, crisp flavors and snappy green apple notes.  We also enjoyed the Muscato Canelli, a semi-sweet California wine was pleasant to the aroma and the pallet.  With essence of fruit which would pair well with fish or pasta.  Our favorite wine of the winery, and possibly the entire trail, was "Call Your Bluff".  Fashioned as a light, sweet, champagne styled wine; the bubbles danced on our tongues.  We even found it at the local micro-brewery Horseshoe Bend Brewery.  Overall we were not fans of their selection of red wines, however, the "Bluff Blush" was noteworthy.  Made from Catawba grapes with light fruit flavor and a sweet finish.

Seven Springs Winery is the place to go to see acres of grape vines and enjoy the seclusion of the quiet countryside.  However, on this particular day the winery was playing host to a chef cook-off/challenge and was far from quiet.  The event was very tempting, boasting meal sampled from top chefs in the area competing to be named the best, but we had an agenda to stick to.  The winery offers 3 tastings for free, or you can pay $8 to sample all of their wine (13 total) and keep you souvenir glass. Even though we have enough winery glasses, we opted for the full taste to get the full range of flavors of their wines. As a side note, this winery also serves beer, many on tap, and has a full bar for cocktails.

Seven Springs Winery get the award for sticking to its roots for being the only winery on the trail to grow all its grape in Missouri. All of the others use California grapes in their wines. The Chardonel had a pleasant, clean aroma with an oaky, peppery finish. The Vignoles had a sweet floral smell with hints of melon and lime. The Spring Fling was our favorite bottle. It was very similar to a Sauvignon Blanc with strong flowery notes and a sweet finish. We ended up enjoying a bottle of this in their tented outdoor patio with some warm french bread with oils and seasonings. Seven Springs' Syrah had the highest alcohol content on the list but gave a pleasant jammy flavor. The Dry Rougeon was an especially light-bodied red which was not oaked. It would make a great table wine with almost any meal. They also use this wine to make their Sangria Rojo!

We had intentions of visiting Casa De Loco, we had driven out to it before we found out it was closed due to the snow and ice.  We heard great things about this winery from the owner himself, with whom we met at Horseshoe Bend Brewery the night before.  We are eager to come back in the Spring to sample their wines and enjoy their views and upbeat atmosphere.

The last winery on our trip was Golden Rock Winery in Camdenton. This winery is more of a restaurant than a traditional winery, but they do have a large wine selection. You are given 3 tastings for free, or you can do a wine flight. Any 3 - 3oz pours for $8 or Any 3 - 6oz. pours for $16. This winery imports all of their grapes and has no actual Missouri wines on their wine list. 

Their Pinot Grigio was extremely light with slight hints of spices. The tartness of the Gerwurtztraminer gave hints of apricots and a sweet rose smell. They featured an Australian wine, Aussie Blanc,  with a strong grapefruit flavor. It was easy to drink and left no after taste. The best-seller was they Cab Syrah Zin, a blend of the 3 grapes. It had a great smooth finish and hints of chocolate. Golden Rock Winery has an impressive variety of fruit wines including Black Merlot, Black Cherry Pinot Noir, Peach Chardonnay, and 7 other fun combinations. Tasting the fruit wines was the highlight of the tasting. It's amazing how fruit can enhance or change the flavor of a traditional wine. 

Overall, The Ozark Trail is an easy one-day wine trail that offers lots of different wine and food options. We are eager to come back in the Spring or Fall to see how the views at the wineries change. We met many delightful people, sip on even more delightful wine, and had a fabulous weekend at the lake! Take a look at the rest of the photos from our trip HERE.

The Midwest Grape & Wine Conference

We made a last minute decision to attend the Midwest Grape & Wine Conference - Tour du Vin on Thursday February 2, 2013.  It was a reception to kick off the conference and to give all the wine industry attendees a chance to mingle.   While there we sampled many Midwestern wines and met a wide variety of grape growers, wine makers, and suppliers. 


We ran into Dale Rowlings, the owner of Yellow Farmhouse Winery; which happens to be apart of one of our most frequented wine trails (the Ultimate Weinstrasse).  This winery has always specialized in making dry wines.  Dale gave us the insight on a dry Rosé that the winery would be releasing in April, becoming one of the staples on their wine list.  It will be called "Sweet Talking Blonde."  In April the winery will be holding barrel tastings for a chance to try out the newest addition to Yellow Farmhouse as well as the classics.  We also met the owners of Röbller Vineyard & Winery and Chandler Hill Vineyards.

In addition to wine makers from Missouri, we also met a variety of wine makers from outside the state.  One of which was Jason Jenkins who is associated with Fox Valley Winery in Oswego, IL.  We compared tasting strategies and notes with him and discussed the joys of home brewing. 
A familiar face was at the conference as well, Dale Deaton of the St. Louis Wine and Beermaking.  Always a pleasure to talk beer with and discuss wine as well.  We were informed later that he and his wife got to meet John Blichmann, President and Founder of Blichmann Engineering.  Needless to say, we were a bit jealous and very excited about the prospects for next year's conference. 

Wines samples from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, and of course Missouri left us wanting more.  We cannot wait to return next year to mingle and to experience what the Midwest Grape & Wine Conference has to offer.



Our "Best New Wine" of the night goes to Sleepy Creek Winery for their "Sour Puss".  An aromatic citrusy semi-sweet white wine made from Vignoles, Traminette, and Cayuga grapes.  A true show stopper and one that kept us sampling over and over again.

Exploding Blackberry Wine

by: Michael Crowell



We feel compelled to let you know that the wine that we had prepared, tasted, and then racked seemed to be our best work yet. 

The blackberry wine had originally been made in early December with fresh blackberries purchased at a local grocery store.  We bought 20 lbs of blackberries to make about three gallons of wine.  

After the juice was prepared and yeast was added, it sat in primary fermentation for about a month and then was transferred to a secondary fermentation chamber for about another half a month.  We then bottled it about a week ago.  

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Little did we know the lurking error of our ways when the room we were storing it in rose just a few degrees in temperature these last few days.  When Davina went to use the dryer this morning it must have pushed the temperature over the limit that yeast preferred and got them going strong because wine is now all over our basement storage room (in places we barely knew existed).

Luckily not all was lost in the two bottle explosion and we have almost a half bottle of delicious, bubbly blackberry wine.

Salud to seeing the positives in this situation.  The other three bottles left have found themselves a new home in the garage.

Norton

by: Davina Horton

Norton, deep and red

Missouri's finest grape

Perfect with cheese and french bread

Blueberries, cherries, black currents



January is the month we honor you

The Norton grape

Your subtle notes of dirt give us a clue

Of all the flavors you have to offer

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From vine to wine

You delight our senses

With complex hints that outshine

Most other wines can only dream…..

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Of being regal as the Norton grape.

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Nortons that we have fallen in love with thus far this year include:


Bommarito Estate - Almond Tree Winery : Norton

 

This limited Reserve is a full bodies wine.  Barrel aged in the finest French oak.  Described as "jammy".  Dry at first with a jam finish.  Our first Norton that we actually enjoy drinking. 

2013 Wine Resolutions

by: Davina Horton

As a new year begins, Michael and I sat down to think about some things we want to accomplish and discover this year with a specific focus on WINE. We have grown together into amateur wine connoisseurs but still have a lot of uncharted wine territory to explore. Here are the resolutions we hope to stick to and accomplish in 2013:


First and foremost, we are diving back, head first into the Missouri Wine Passport program. This year we will reach the top level of 100 Missouri wineries visited. We both are very confident and excited to get started on this goal. I'm eager to see what the Western and Northern wineries have to offer, as well as visit all of my favorites once again. We already have our first winery weekend planned for January 6th to Augusta. Let the games begin.

This goal is somewhat specific to myself. Over this last year, I have somewhat turned my back on Missouri's state grape, the Norton. To me, this deep red wine has always tasted like dirt, literally. I don't even sample them anymore when we do wine tasting because I have the mindset that I won't like it. But this year, I want to give the Norton a second chance. I'm going to really search for its appeal and embrace its natural intense flavors. Hopefully after trying around 100 Missouri Nortons I will at least have a better appreciation for the wine.

This year Michael and I will plan many of our own wine trail adventures. Since Missouri only has 8 official wine trails, we will have to create our own to maximize our time and reach all the wineries off the beaten path. Sometimes planning the trip is half the fun. Along with new wineries, we will hopefully find lots of new campgrounds, restaurants and attractions while navigating Missouri's wine regions.

Michael's lifetime goal is to become a professional vintner. This year he will work on this goal by seeking out console and expertise from well-established wine makers in Missouri. From past experience, we have come to find that most wine makes in Missouri are very friendly and eager to offer advice to up and coming vintners. Michael will try to meet as many wine makers and keep a journal of the advice they give him.
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Drink more wine and make more toasts!