Pair your favorite treats with the perfect local wine the next time you have a snack attack. These dyanamic duos are delicious. Cheers!

Drum roll please… the results are in from the 2018 Missouri Wine Competition! For more than 30 years, this annual competition has honored the highest quality wines made in the state. More than 250 wines entered, but which ones rose to the top?

An esteemed panel of judges, comprised of wine experts and industry professionals, spent two days swirling, smelling and tasting all the wines entered. After all wines are scored, the entries that rise to the top, receiving gold medals, are pitted against each other for the honor of being named “Best of Class.” Those that make it to this top tier compete for the big win… the Governor’s Cup.

Join us in congratulating this year’s Best of Class winners:

o   Sparkling Wine: Stone Hill Winery –2013 Blanc de Blanc

o   Dry White Wine: Adam Puchta Winery – Dry Vignoles

o   Semi-Dry White Wine: St. James Winery – 2017 Dry Vignoles

o   Sweet White Wine: Stonehaus Farms Winery – Vignoles

o   Dry Rosé Wine: Les Bourgeois Vineyards – 2017 St. Vincent Rosé

o   Sweet Rosé Wine: Stone Hill Winery – Rosé Montaigne

o   Dry Red Wine: Stone Hill Winery – 2015 Chambourcin

o   Semi-Dry Red Wine: Augusta Winery – Alluvium Estate Bottled

o   Sweet Red Wine: Montelle Winery – Stone House Red

o   Dessert Wine: Stone Hill Winery – Cream Sherry

o   Late Harvest/Ice Wine: Montelle Winery – 2017 Vidal Blanc Icewine  

o   Distilled Product: Montelle Winery – Peach Eau de Vie

And the winner of the coveted Governor’s Cup for 2018 is Stone Hill Winery for their 2015 Chambourcin, a dry red wine that blew the judges away. The C.V. Riley Award for the best Norton wine went to Augusta Winery for their 2016 Norton Estate Bottled. This is a special recognition honoring the official state grape and the history of winemaking in Missouri.

In addition to Best of Class, C. V. Riley Award and Governor’s Cup honors, 87% of all the wines entered into the 2018 Missouri Wine Competition took home a medal.

The breakdown:

• 41 Gold Medals
• 94 Silver Medals
• 98 Bronze Medals

That’s more than 230 award-winning Missouri wines!

An army of devoted volunteers we affectionately call “The Flight Crew” helped ensure that this year’s two-day wine competition ran smoothly. We can’t thank them enough.

You can find the complete list of this year’s Best-of-the-Best here. Consider it your local wine shopping list!

MVP (Missouri Winery Visitors Program), the program that rewards consumers for visiting Missouri wineries, has been extended through December 31, 2019. That means MVP members have more time to visit wineries and earn points for incredible rewards and experiences.

MVP, Missouri's largest winery tourism initiative, continues to grow in popularity among loyal Missouri wine fans. Since the program’s inception in September 2016, MVP members have made more than 53,000 visits to wineries across the state.  

And now there’s even more to enjoy about MVP. . .introducing MVP Perks.

MVP Perks are exclusive offers available to MVP members when they visit select Missouri wineries. These perks include but are not limited to discounts on food or retail purchases. In order to qualify for these winery promotions, members need to present a form of MVP identification during their visit, including the ticket zipper pouch they received with their original membership packet and the unique membership card they will soon receive in the mail. They can also verify their membership by logging into their account and showing it to winery staff during their visit.

Visit the MVP website for a list of participating wineries and MVP Perks. These offers are subject to change so be sure to check back often.

Not an MVP member? What are you waiting for? Visit the MVP website and become a member today.

It’s a great time to be an MVP!

Concord is a sweet red wine that’s very popular across the Show-Me state. It’s a native American grape varietal and is known for its quintessential grape-y flavor. It accounts for 7 percent of all the grapes grown in the state, that’s more than 120 acres. If you’re not a sweet wine fan or if you’ve never had a Missouri Concord wine, we encourage you to try it. It just may surprise you!

It may surprise you that even though Concord is a red wine, it’s usually served chilled. It’s light, sweet and very refreshing on a hot summer day. Try adding Concord to your next picnic menu or grill-out!

It may also surprise you to learn that Concord is an amazing pairing with some really fun and unique flavors. Barbecue is a summer staple in Missouri, and spicy barbecue is delicious paired with a refreshing glass of chilled Concord. The sweetness of the wine helps tame the heat of the spice and works really well with the molasses and brown sugar flavors found in many barbecue sauces. Peanut butter and Concord go together well, like peanut butter and jelly, due to its grape juice-like flavor. Peanut butter desserts are divine alongside a glass of Concord.

It may even surprise you that Concord is a wonderful wine to cook with. Whether you’re making a wine-reduction sauce to drizzle on a pork chop or a wine glaze to top sugar cookies, Concord is the perfect addition! Try making wine ice cream, wine floats, or popsicles with a Missouri Concord for a sweet treat to help beat the heat this summer.

Give Missouri Concord a try this summer. It may surprise you! 

Immediately following the fertilization of the flowering stage in Missouri vineyards, comes fruit set as the flower transforms into a seed and develops a berry to protect itself. This stage in the grape-growing cycle is critical as it largely determines the yield of this year’s (or vintage’s) crop.

Not all flowers on the vine are destined to become grapes and therefore wine. Those that don’t develop into berries will fall off the vine in a couple weeks following full bloom. In the case of normal fruit set, the ratio of flowers that go on to become berries ranges from one third to a little over half, depending on several factors including the grape variety, health and age of the vine, and the climate during flowering and fruit set.

As berries emerge and grow, the potential for another vintage of delicious Missouri wine becomes more and more tangible. It’s an exciting time to visit Missouri wine country and watch the grapes being cultivated that will become your favorite sippers. Cheers to all the grape-growers across the Show-Me state for putting in the countless hours of hard work and dedication required to grow quality grapes. We can’t have great wine without great grapes, but they know that some things are worth the work! 

Chill your favorite Missouri wine in a jiffy. Watch this video for two quick tips that will cool down your wine in 30 minutes or less! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMF1zIgLSXU

Missouri’s refreshing white wine, Vidal Blanc, is the perfect choice to pair with a long list of summer favorites. The majority of Vidal Blanc wines you’ll find in the Show-Me state are dry or semi-dry, have bright and crisp acidity, and are the ideal match for lighter foods popular during hot Missouri summers. The warmer temperatures of summer make it hard to imagine eating heavy, rich foods. Light and fresh dishes take center stage this time of year. Vidal Blanc should definitely be your summer go-to wine for sipping at the dinner table!

Take your meal to the next level by pairing these foods and flavors with a glass of Missouri Vidal Blanc!

• Salads – Especially when citrus is involved
• Grilled Chicken – There’s nothing boring about this combo
• Seafood – The more lemon, garlic and butter, the better
• Sushi – Seaweed can be a challenging pairing, but Vidal Blanc is up for the task
• Light Cheeses – Think goat cheese, mozzarella, cream cheese
• Bright Herbs – We see you, pesto-lovers
• Fresh Vegetables – Whether you dip them or grill them
• Fresh Melon – Talk about a delicious treat to beat the heat

* Bonus* Try making these delicious recipes using Vidal Blanc!

• Easy, 3-Ingredient Ice Cream
• Light and Lemon-y Fish
• Lemon Bundt Cake

Cheers to a refreshing and tasty summer with Vidal Blanc! 

Nestled in Farmington, Mo. among 25 acres of grape vines, you’ll discover a winery that is as warm and inviting as the family who proudly takes care of it.

Twin Oaks Vineyard and Winery is lovingly tended by the Hutson Family. In 1997, faced with an impending empty nest, Keith and Karen were looking for a new venture to keep their six children from seeking employment outside of their small beloved town. However, starting a winery was not on their radar…at least not initially.

“We had been checking out a new fish farm when it came to our attention that grapes were being grown in the preparation of a booming wine market,” says Karen Hutson. “The local growers had just started up and were very anxious to help build an important wine [trail].” The wine trail eventually formed and became known as the Route du Vin wine trail.

The family planted their first vines in April 2000, began bottling their wines in 2006 and were soon winning awards for their Missouri varietal and signature blended wines.

The winery’s beautiful grounds feature an all season glasshouse, a popular site for events, as well as a tasting room with Hollywood memorabilia, a wine education bar and a beautiful turn-of-the-century bar top. There is also a walking trail that winds around the winery’s small lake.

Named after two enormous oak trees that grow side-by-side in their vineyard, Twin Oaks Vineyard and Winery continues to evolve to fit the needs of their community. The family’s Grande Oaks Event Center opened in September 2017 and is a popular venue for weddings. The winery offers an event coordinator and on and off-site catering for assistance in creating the perfect gathering.

The winery has hosted many groups - small and large - that enjoy its amenities, including non-profit organizations. According to Karen, one of the greatest joys of owning a winery is the opportunity to give back to the community that has always supported them.

“We feel a great connection to the community,” she says, reflecting on the close-knit community that she was born and raised in. “Our biggest and most attended event is our Annual Charity Grape Stomp and Lucy Look-Alike Contest.” The entry fees are donated to a charity every year. 

The next time you are ready to explore Missouri wine country, stop by Twin Oaks Vineyard and Winery, a scenic one-hour drive from St. Louis. Sit, relax and enjoy the beautiful views of their lush vineyards and rolling hillsides. You might even catch a glimpse of four generations of Hutsons, including grandchildren, working side-by-side like the two oaks that guard their vineyard, keeping themselves and the family firmly rooted to the beautiful land they call home.