Going Green in MO Wine Country with Jowler Creek Winery

April 22, 2020

Going Green in MO Wine Country with Jowler Creek Winery: Electric cars can be spotted delivering wine to retail outlets and attending area events.

Spring is a time of new life and growth. It makes sense that it’s a time when we think more about the Earth and our impact on it. Most Missouri wineries and vineyards make efforts to be sustainable and treat the land with respect, but one winery in particular has made “being green” a cornerstone of their business from the very beginning and continues to strive for sustainability as they grow, Jowler Creek Winery.

Colleen and Jason Gerke opened Jowler Creek Winery in Platte City in 2006 with the desire and intention of creating a business that would thrive for generations to come. From the beginning, the Gerkes took sustainability seriously. Their business strategy involved continuous improvements and operating more efficiently each year, with the overarching goal of being carbon neutral.
Going Green in MO Wine Country with Jowler Creek Winery: A flock of sheep "mow" the vineyards for weed control.

The winery employs a long list of sustainable practices ranging from the use of solar power, to composting and recycling. On the property, you’ll find a whole team of nature’s helpers as well… sheep “mowing” in the vineyards, bat houses and free-range chickens to help control pests, a honey bee colony and even a native-plant butterfly garden. You may also spot Jowler Creek Winery eco-friendly vehicles out and about delivering wine to local retail shops and attending area events.

In 2017, Jowler Creek Winery was the first Missouri winery to receive ASAP certification. The Missouri Agricultural Stewardship Assurance Program (ASAP) is a verification program that champions Missouri farmers who are responsible stewards of the land. It’s meant to acknowledge and reward those who proactively protect the environment, employ sound management practices and use science-based technology to produce safe food, fuel and fiber for consumers. Since then, several other vineyards have also received the certification, including Augusta Winery and St. James Winery.

Wineries aren’t the only ones who can go green. Colleen has some great advice for wine-lovers who want to help out. “Being green is about making choices that have a positive impact on your environment and community,” she says. “From purchasing your wine from the local winery down the road to recycling your finished wine bottles and corks, there are lots of little decisions you can make each day to be green that will have a big impact over time.” 

Today, Jowler Creek is owned and run by Jason and Kit Lacy, Kansas City siblings. With their families, they now manage more than 3,500 grapevines in its 7-acre sustainable vineyard and makes nine award-winning wines in various styles ranging from dry to sweet. They continue to maintain Jowler Creek’s focus on green and sustainable production, methods and quality.

Next time you’re in the Kansas City area, be sure to visit Jowler Creek Winery and learn even more about their green practices by taking a Self-Guided Eco Tour around the property.

Cheers to a sustainable Missouri wine country and lots of great, award-winning local wine for years to come! 

Wine in the Kitchen

April 20, 2020

While people often think about pouring a glass of their favorite wine to enjoy on the front porch or with their special someone over a meal, there are a variety of other ways to use wine in the kitchen. Some of which include adding an extra kick of flavor to replacing ingredients you don't have on hand.

Chefs frequently use wine as a cooking liquid, flavoring or in marinades. Here are a few fun ways to incorporate wine into your menu.

Pork
Pomegranate Pork
Smokin’ Berry Pork Loin
Red Wine Pork Medallions
Sage Pork Tenderloin

Beef

Beef Kabobs
Bacon Wrapped Filets
Red Wine Beef Stew

Pasta

White Wine Shrimp Linguine
Red Wine Pasta
Vidal Pasta Primavera

Chicken

Chicken + MO Wine
Rosemary Butter Sauce Pasta
Transform your Chicken

Veggies

Slow Cooker Chambourcin Mushrooms

Fruit

Grilled Marinated Fruit
New Take on Cranberry
Peach Vignoles Trifle
Mini Fruit Tarts

Sauces

Get Saucy with Missouri Wine
MO Wine Condiments
Vidal Blanc Mustard BBQ Sauce

Desserts

Three Ingredient Ice Cream
Baking Tips
MO Wine Brownies
Wine Popsicles

For more tips and ideas visit our website.

 

Spring Quarantine Cleaning: Glassware

April 10, 2020

Pouring delicious Missouri wine into a smudged glass is a major bummer. Don't forget to add glassware to your spring quarantine cleaning list! Below are some tips to ensure an odor-free, gleaming wine glass.

Remember to handle glassware carefully. Slower is better and even when they feel sturdy, wine glasses are very fragile. Avoid a possible injury by handling your glass gently in every step.

What you will need:
Clean wine glasses
Microfiber cloth (won’t leave fuzz or odor)
Steam
Pot or bowl

The first step is to fill a pot or large bowl with hot, not boiling, steaming water. Grab your wine glass by the stem and hold above the hot water at an angle. The glass should not touch the water or become wet.

Once the inside of the wine glass is steamy, begin to gently polish with your cloth. This will not require a lot of pressure.

Repeat step one by placing the glass back in the steam, and steaming the exterior. Gently polish. The same steps will be taken to polish the base of the wine glass: and, as for the stem, wipe down a few times and you’re done.

Be sure to show off your beautifully polished wine glasses on your next video chat!

Rosé Quarantini

April 09, 2020

Now that spring has sprung it’s time our beverages start sporting brighter colors to match. No need to grocery shop, this easy to make “Quarantini” incorporates many ingredients you may already have at home. Treat yourself to an afternoon on the back deck with this quick delicious infusion. 

Servings: 1 (Can be multiplied for Quarantine Crews up to 10)

Ingredients 
2 oz Dry Rosé
1 oz Gin
1 oz Lemon Juice 
1/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Club or Lemon-Lime Soda
Frozen fruit garnish (optional)

Combine the rosé, gin, lemon and lime juice in a shaker. Use freshly squeezed juice if you have lemons or limes on hand. Add ice and shake to your heart’s content. (30 seconds or less should do the trick!) Pour the mixture over ice and top off with a splash of club or lemon-lime soda. Garnish with your choice of frozen fruit. Enjoy this outside while pretending you are at your favorite Missouri winery! 

Rosé Quarantini

April 09, 2020



Now that spring has sprung it’s time our beverages start sporting brighter colors to match. No need to grocery shop, this easy to make “Quarantini” incorporates many ingredients you may already have at home. Treat yourself to an afternoon on the back deck with this quick delicious infusion. 

Servings: 1 (Can be multiplied for Quarantine Crews up to 10)

Ingredients 

  • 2 oz Dry Rosé
  • 1 oz Gin
  • 1 oz Lemon Juice 
  • 1/4 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/2 oz Club or Lemon-Lime Soda
  • Frozen fruit garnish (optional)

Combine the rosé, gin, lemon and lime juice in a shaker. Use freshly squeezed juice if you have lemons or limes on hand. Add ice and shake to your heart’s content. (30 seconds or less should do the trick!) Pour the mixture over ice and top off with a splash of club or lemon-lime soda. Garnish with your choice of frozen fruit. Enjoy this outside while pretending you are at your favorite Missouri winery! 

At-Home Wine Tasting

April 07, 2020

At-home wine tastings are easier than you’d think. Just gather the wine and select some yummy food items from the kitchen.

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

How much wine?
For your tasting, pour 2 ounces into each glass.

To chill or not to chill?
Temperature, as with most components of enjoying wine, can be subjective. Enjoy wine how you prefer it. That being said, we recommend the following temperatures for serving wine: 

Sparkling wines are best served at 45 degrees Fahrenheit 
White wines and rosés are best served at 55 degrees Fahrenheit 
Red wines are best served at 65 degrees Fahrenheit

Which wines and how many styles?
Everyone’s taste is different. Luckily, there is a Missouri wine for every palate! Cover these four bases: a dry red, dry white, semi-dry white and a sweet red or blush. A couple of options for a good mix are:

Chambourcin, Chardonel, Vignoles, Concord
Norton, Vidal Blanc, Traminette, Catawba

Click here to find out how you can get your hands on Missouri wines.

What else might I need?
Don’t forget a corkscrew, dump bucket and water pitcher.

In what order should I taste the wine?
For the same reason you have salad and steak before cheesecake, dry wines should be tasted before sweet so that the sugar of a sweet wine does not impinge on the taste of a dry wine. Also remember, white wines before red.

Is there a right way to taste wine?
Discover the 5S method to wine tasting.

What kind of food should I prepare for the tasting?
Take a look at our food and wine pairing guide to see what combinations appeal to you.

Need more inspiration? Check out some of our other infographics.

We hope we’ve inspired you to try an at-home wine tasting. Invite your friends to do the same and, with video chat, you all can enjoy it together!

 

Lemon Butter Seafood Pasta

April 03, 2020

Looking for a new twist on a family favorite? This spaghetti recipe will wow your quarantine crew and uses many common ingredients you may already have on hand. This flexible dish allows you to easily switch out the protein and still tastes delicious!

Serving Size: 2

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
8 oz. spaghetti or any pasta you may have
4 Tbsp butter
4 garlic cloves – minced
¼ c sweet onion – finely chopped
8 oz. crab meat, shrimp, scallops or cooked chicken
½ lemon - juice and zest
½ c Missouri Chardonel
Fresh parsley – chopped for garnish
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the pasta as directed by the packaging. While waiting on the pasta to cook, melt butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Sauté garlic with the butter for 2 minutes. Add onion, then salt and pepper to taste and continue to sauté. Incorporate your protein, white wine (we used Chardonel) and lemon juice. Continue to cook mixture for another 2 minutes. Place pasta and seafood mixture on serving platter and top with lemon zest, parsley or even Parmesan cheese.

Pair with a glass of Missouri Chardonel and let all your worries dissolve.

Brighten Your Day with Chardonel

April 02, 2020

Spring is here! Warmer temperatures are on the way. As nature emerges from the shadows of winter, you may find your wine preference shifting from red to white. If this time of year has you reaching for something on the other side of the wine color spectrum, we invite you to brighten your day with Chardonel.

Chardonel is a French-American hybrid with well-known parents, Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc. This full-bodied white wine may be crafted in oak or stainless steel, depending on the winemaker’s preference; therefore, you may experience a more oaked or fruit-forward, dry or off-dry wine. Chardonel is delightful on its own but also pairs well with a variety of foods including smoked pork, grilled chicken and fish like trout and halibut, as well as creamy white cheese, almonds and mushrooms. Like many of Missouri’s wines, Chardonel is a game-changer in recipes including this incredible Butterscotch Blondie

There are 1,700 acres of grapes in the Show-Me State. Chardonel is grown on 123 of these bearing acres, consisting of more than seven percent of the grapes grown in the state. 

Enjoy the beauty of the spring season and brighten your day with Chardonel!

Where to Find Missouri Wine

April 01, 2020

Did you fall in love with a particular wine while touring one of the Show-Me State’s 130 wineries? Does your friend insist that you try “the best Missouri wine they ever tasted?”

Good News! You don’t have to travel far to get a bottle of delicious Missouri wine.

With our new interactive map, finding a restaurant or retailer near you that carries Missouri wine has never been easier. With more than 2,000 locations, you’re sure to find a spot nearby.

Don’t see your favorite location? Send us an email at missouri.wine@mda.mo.gov and we will add it!

*Locations were collected from wineries via survey.
_______________________________________________________________________

In response to COVID-19, Missouri wineries have adjusted the way they sell to consumers on-site. Below are ways that you can continue purchasing Missouri wine as well as specials being offered to customers. Please support your local winery now to ensure they are around to enjoy in the future!

Open (Please see winery's website and/or social media for specific guidelines.)

7C's Winery
Adam Puchta Winery
Albonée Country Inn & Vineyards
Amigoni Urban Winery
Apple Creek Winery
Arcadian Moon Winery & Brewery
Augusta Winery
Backyard Vine and Wine
Balducci Vineyards
Baltimore Bend Vineyard
Bear Creek Wine Company
Belvoir Winery and Inn
Bias Vineyards & Winery Gruhlke's MicroBrewery
Black Silo Winery
Blumenhof Vineyards & Winery
Buffalo Creek Winery
Bushwhacker Bend Winery
Canterbury Hill Winery and Restaurant
Cave Vineyard
Cedar Lake Cellars
Chandler Hill Vineyards
Charleville Vineyards Winery & Microbrewery
Chaumette Vineyards & Winery
Christine's Vineyard
Cooper's Oak Winery & Distillery
Crown Valley Winery
Dale Hollow Winery
DeLaney Vineyard & Winery
Defiance Ridge Vineyards
Durso Hills Winery and Bistro
Edg-Clif Winery & Brewery
Endless Summer Winery
Fence Stile Vineyards & Winery
Florida Winery
Four Horses and a Dog Vineyard & Winery
Golden Rock Winery
Grindstone Valley Winery
Hemman Winery
Hermannhof Winery
Hummingbird Vineyard and Winery
Hunter Valley Winery
Jowler Creek Vineyard & Winery
Keltoi Vineyard & Winery
La Bella Vineyards & Winery
LaChance Vineyards
Ladoga Ridge Winery
Lake Creek Winery
Les Bourgeois Winery & Vineyards
Lindwedel Winery
Lost Creek Vineyard
Martin Brothers Winery
McKelvey Vineyards
Meramec Vineyards Winery
Mount Pleasant Estates
Mount Pleasant Winery in Branson

Noboleis Vineyards
Old Farm Winery
Peaceful Bend Vineyard
Pirtle Winery
Primitive Olde Crow and Winery
Red Fox Winery & Vineyards
Red Moose Vineyard
River Ridge Winery
Robller Vineyard
Sand Creek Vineyard
Serenity Valley Winery
Seven Springs Winery & Vineyards
Shawnee Bluff Vineyards
Shawnee Bluff Winery

St. James Winery
St. James Winery - Branson

Stone Hill Winery
Stonehaus Farms Winery
Sugar Creek Winery & Vineyards
Terre Beau Vineyards & Winery
The Barrens Winery
The Peculiar Winery
Tipple Hill Winery & Vineyard
Top Hat Winery
Twin Oaks Vineyard & Winery
Van Till Farms Winery
Viandel Vineyard
Villa Antonio Winery
Weingarten Vineyard
Weston Wine Company
White Mule Winery
Wild Sun Winery
Wildlife Ridge Winery
Windy Wine Company

Curbside Pickup

7C's Winery
Adam Puchta Winery
Amigoni Urban Winery
Augusta Winery
Backyard Vine & Wine
Balducci Winery
Baltimore Bend Vineyard
Belvoir Winery and Inn
Blumenhof Winery
Bushwhacker Bend Winery
Cave Vineyard
Chandler Hill Vineyards
Christine's Vineyard
Curling Vine Winery New Florence
Dale Hollow Winery
Deerfield Vineyards
Defiance Ridge Vineyards
DeLaney Vineyard & Winery
Durso Hills Winery and Bistro
Edg-Clif Vineyard, Winery & Brewery
EdgeWild Restaurant & Winery
Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery
Four Horses and a Dog Vineyard and Winery
Grindstone Valley Winery
Hemman Winery
Holy Grail Winery
Hummingbird Vineyard & Winery
Jowler Creek
KC Wineworks
LaChance Vineyards
Ladoga Ridge Winery
Lake Creek Winery
Les Bourgeois Vineyards
Lindwedel Winery
Mallinson Vineyard and Winery
McKelvey Vineyards
Meramec Vineyards and Winery
Montelle Winery
Mount Pleasant Estates

Noboleis Vineyards
Peaceful Bend Vineyard
Peculiar Winery
Pirtle Winery
Red Fox Winery & Vineyards
Riverwood Winery
Röbller Vineyard
Serenity Valley Winery
Shawnee Bluff Vineyard
St. James Winery
St. Jordan Creek Winery

Steele Crest Winery
Stone Hill Winery
Stonehaus Farms Winery
The Leaky Roof Meadery
Tipple Hill Winery
Top Hat Winery
Van Till Family Farm Winery
Viandel Vineyard
Vox Vineyards
Weston Wine Company
Wild Sun Winery & Brewery
Wildlife Ridge Winery
Windy Wine Company

Local Delivery

7C's Winery
Adam Puchta Winery
Blumenhof Winery
Dale Hollow Winery
Defiance Ridge Vineyards
DeLaney Vineyard & Winery
Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery
KC Wineworks
Peaceful Bend Vineyard
Serenity Valley Winery
St. James Winery
Wild Sun Winery & Brewery

Wine Discounts

Augusta Winery
Balducci Winery
Blumenhof Winery
Christine's Vineyard
DeLaney Vineyard & Winery
Jowler Creek
KC Wineworks
Lake Creek Winery
Les Bourgeois Vineyards
Lindwedel Winery
McKelvey Vineyards
Noboleis Vineyards
Peaceful Bend Vineyard
St. James Winery
Tipple Hill Winery
Weston Wine Company
Wildlife Ridge Winery

Online Specials

Augusta Winery
DeLaney Vineyard & Winery
Jowler Creek
Les Bourgeois Vineyards
St. James Winery
Stone Hill Winery

Shipping Discounts/Specials

7C's Winery
Amigoni Urban Winery
Augusta Winery
Balducci Winery
Blumenhof Winery
Dale Hollow Winery
Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery
Hermannhof Winery
Jowler Creek
Les Bourgeois Vineyards
McKelvey Vineyards
Montelle Winery
Mount Pleasant Estates
Noboleis Vineyards
Red Fox Winery & Vineyards
St. James Winery
Stone Hill Winery
Vox Vineyards
Wenwood Farm Winery
West Winery

*This list is not all-inclusive and is subject to change. Availability and offers were collected from wineries via survey.

DIY Wine Bottle Creations

March 25, 2020

Do you have leftover wine bottles sitting around? Turn them into something amazing! Below are some quick and easy ideas on how to upcycle those bottles.

For most of these crafts, you will want to remove the label. Here’s how:

Soak the wine bottle in warm water with 5-10 tablespoons of baking soda or dish soap for 30 minutes. Remove the bottle from the water, and wipe the label off with a rag. If any of the label still remains, use a fingernail or steel wool to remove the rest.

Wine Bottle Garden Markers: Avoid a plant mix-up with these simple and handy plant markers.

7 Ways to DIY in the Garden with Wine | Bottle Plant Markers

More info at Home Talk.

Twinkle Garden Lights: As the days get warmer, you may prefer to spend the evenings in your garden. These lights are a great way to lengthen the amount of time you can spend working in and enjoying your outdoor spaces.

7 Ways to DIY in the Garden with Wine | Wine Bottle Garden Lights

More Info at More Organics.

Wine Bottle Watering Device: A little time upfront can mean worry-free watering with these wine bottle watering devices that are perfect for container gardening.

7 Ways to DIY in the Garden with Wine | Watering Device

More info at Home Talk.

Self-Watering Planters: Transform your window sill into an herb garden with these beautiful and hassle-free self-watering planters.

7 Ways to DIY in the Garden with Wine | Self Watering Planters

More info at DIYprojects.com.

Oil and Vinegar Jars: Turn a couple of empty wine bottles into classy and useful oil and vinegar holders. It’s a great gift for your foodie friends and family too!


[Photo + tutorial from hometalk.com]

Twine Wrapped Bottles: All you need is a bottle, some twine and a hot glue gun or tacky glue to create beautiful homemade décor.


[Photo + tutorial from ablissfulnest.com]

We hope we have inspired you to create something awesome with your leftover wine bottles!

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