Chardonel is delicious on its own, but try using it in this cocktail recipe for another satisfying sipper.

Stargazer Wine Cocktail Recipe

Yield: 1 cocktail 

Ingredients:

2 oz. – Missouri Chardonel (Dry, white wine)

1 oz. – Dark Rum

1 oz. – Pineapple Juice

½ oz. – Vanilla Simple Syrup

Lime wedge for garnish

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except lime over ice in a glass or cocktail shaker. Shake or stir and strain into a glass. Garnish with lime and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Les Bourgeois Vineyards and Rocheport Distillery.

Watch this video for a step-by-step tutorial: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXAxg2nbnaY&feature=youtu.

There is so much to see and do in Missouri wine country. Why limit your adventures to a day? Treat yourself to a relaxing stay. Map out your vino adventures with the Missouri Wines winery directory and then select a cozy bed and breakfast nestled in the area.

There are many specialized search engines that can help you narrow down your lodging options, including the Bed and Breakfast Inns of Missouri. Bed and breakfasts are similar to wineries in that each one is unique and has a personality all its own. Whether you are looking for an urban setting getaway or a country-style retreat, you will find a bed and breakfast that is perfect for you.

Augusta
Acorn Ridge Bed and Breakfast
Apple Gate Inn B&B
Augusta Wine Country Inn
Edelweiss Guest House & Luxury Suites
Femme Osage Haus
H.S. Clay House Bed & Breakfast
Halcyon Spa and Bed & Breakfast
Lindenhof Bed & Breakfast
Old Dutch Hotel & Tavern
Red Brick Inn of Augusta
Stoneridge Farms Bed and Breakfast
Swan Haven Inn
The Conservatory Guest House
The Reserve at Augusta
Weinstrasse Cabins

Bonnots Mill 
Dauphine Hotel Bed and Breakfast

Boonville
High Street Victorian Bed & Breakfast

Branson 
Anchor Inn on the Lake
Aunt Sadie’s Bed and Breakfast
Bear Creek Lodge
Bradford House Bed and Breakfast
Branson House Bed and Breakfast 
Crystal Cove Bed & Breakfast 
Emory Creek Victorian Bed and Breakfast
Lakeshore Bed & Breakfast
The Barnabas House Bed & Breakfast
The Keeter Center

Caledonia 
Old Caldeonian Bed & Breakfast

Camdenton
Cottage by the Castle

Carthage
Grand Avenue Bed & Breakfast
Shiloah Manor Bed and Breakfast

Defiance 
Inn at Defiance

Excelsior Springs
Belvoir Winery and Inn
Bishop’s House Bed & Breakfast
Inn on Crescent Lake
Orchard Hill Bed & Breakfast
Payne Jailhouse Bed and Breakfast
Stone-Yancey House Bed and Breakfast

Fulton
Gray Ghosts Trail Inn
Loganberry Inn Inc.

Hannibal 
Dubach Inn Bed and Breakfast
Garden House Bed and Breakfast
Garth Woodside Mansion B&B
Main Street Bed & Breakfast
Reagan’s Queen Anne B&B
Red Barn Inn
The Belvedere Inn
William Watson Hotel 

Hermann 
A Secret Vine Bed and Breakfast
Abigail’s Grape Leaf Bed & Breakfast
Adam Puchta Winery Homestead Guesthaus
Alpenhorn Gasthaus
Anchors Away Hermann
Cady Winterset Cottage 
Captain Wohlt Inn
Cat Nap Inn Hermann
Cobbler Room & Cottage B&B
Hermann Hill Vineyard Inn & Spa
Hermann House Inn
Herzog Mansion
Himmel Haus Bed & Breakfast
Historic Iron Horse Inn
Historic Reiff Haus Bed and Breakfast 
Inn at Hermannhof Bed & Breakfast 
Lucindas on the Hill Bed and Breakfast LLC
Murphy’s Bed & Breakfast
Stone Haus Bed and Breakfast
Stone Hill Overlook
Wohlt House

Hillsboro
The Russell House Restaurant & Inn

Independence
Albonée Country Inn 
Hawthorn, a Bed and Breakfast
Ophelias Restaurant & the Inn at Ophelias
Silver Heart Inn Bed and Breakfast 
Woodstock Inn Bed and Breakfast 

Ironton
Plain & Fancy Bed and Breakfast

Jefferson City
Cliff Manor Inn

Kansas City 
1812 Overture Bed and Breakfast
Heim Manor Bed and Breakfast
Inn at 425
Secret Place Bed & Breakfast
Southmoreland on the Plaza
The Bell Cottage

Lake Ozark
Bass and Baskets
The Garden House Bed & Breakfast 

Laurie 
Big Cedar Bed and Breakfast

Macon
Phillips Place

Morrison
Epple Haus B&B

New Haven 
Miller’s Landing Bed & Breakfast
Pinckney Bend Bed & Breakfast

Odessa
Sunset Acres Bed and Breakfast

Osage Beach
Inn at Harbour Ridge

Owensville
White Mule Winery Bed & Breakfast

Potosi 
Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard Clover Cottage, Stone Cottage and The Vineyard Cottage  

Rocheport 
Amber House Bed and Breakfast
Katy Trail Bed & Breakfast 
Rivercene Mansion B&B
School House Bed & Breakfast
Yates House Bed & Breakfast

St. Charles
Boone’s Lick Trail Inn
Old Elm Tree 
Victorian Memories Bed and Breakfast

St. James
Painted Lady Bed and Breakfast

Ste. Genevieve 
Bruckerhoff Cabin at Charleville Vineyard
Dr. Hertich House B&B
Inn St. Gemme Beauvais
Main Street Inn B&B
Somewhere Inn Time B&B
The Southern Hotel
Villages at Chaumette
White Cliff Manor Bed & Breakfast and Gardens

Versailles
Hilty Inn B&B

Warrensburg
Gelbach Manor

Washington 
Brick Inn Bed & Breakfast
DeBourge Guesthouse
Femme Osage Haus
Glenrich Bed & Breakfast
Heaven on Earth Bed & Breakfast
Hoefel Haus B&B and Bike Hostel
Iris Elaine Cottage Bed and Breakfast
The Inn at Cinagro Farms 
The Little House

Weston
Benner House Bed and Breakfast
Hatchery House Bed & Breakfast
Laurel Brooke Bed & Breakfast
The Coal House Lodge
The Inn at Weston Landing
Weston Bed & Breakfast

Gather your gal pals, pick the destination for your next family reunion or surprise your mate with a beautiful stay in Missouri wine country.

April showers bring May flowers, right? Why not help them along with these great DIY ideas to make gardening easier? Whether you have an expansive outdoor garden or are looking to create a small herb garden in the window sill, these tips and ideas are perfect for bringing your garden to life.

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

More info at Home Talk.

Wine Cork Plant Markers: If container gardening is your thing, these cork plant markers are a better option than the bottle markers, and they couldn’t be easier!

More info at Shine Your Light Blog.

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.

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.

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.

More info at DIYprojects.com.

Bird Feeders: Who doesn’t love hearing the birds sing while they enjoy their garden? Make this simple wine bottle bird feeder to bring the birds to your yard.

More info at Elizabeth Joan Designs.

Hummingbird Feeder: Those hyper little lovelies will flock to your outdoor oasis with this wine bottle hummingbird feeder hanging in it.

More info at The Garden Roof Coop.

These DIY projects are the perfect way to upcycle the bottles and corks from your favorite Missouri wines while enjoying your garden. Cheers!  

Spring is such an exciting time in Missouri. Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping and warmer weather is finally on its way. It’s the perfect time to celebrate the season with Missouri Chardonel. Take some time this spring to discover this delicious white wine!

Chardonel is a hybrid grape; its parent grapes are Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc. It’s a relatively new varietal introduced in 1996. This cross was developed to be more cold hardy than its famous vinifera parent, making it a better fit for the challenging Missouri climate. There are 66 acres of Chardonel being grown across the state.

Many winemakers choose to age their Chardonel wines in Oak barrels, but there are several who prefer to use stainless steel. Depending on process used to make Chardonel, it can either be crisp and bright or smooth and rich. Chardonel is known to smell like lemon or the inside of a barrel and is most often a dry, white wine.

As the temperature warms up it’s a great time to start the seasonal shift back to white wine. Chardonel is Missouri’s classic white wine and has an amazing impact on a variety of foods, including smoked pork, grilled chicken, mushrooms, creamy white cheeses and sweets, like apples and vanilla pudding.

Head out to Missouri wine country this month and discover why Chardonel is the ideal wine to help you head into the spring season! 

Fifty thousand points. Let that sink in… fifty thousand! That is a lot of points and it’s exactly how many were needed to reserve a seat for yourself and a guest at the 2018 MVP Extravaganza, which took place on Saturday, March 24 in Columbia, Mo. Twenty-one dedicated MVPs redeemed this top-tier reward as part of the Missouri Winery Visitors Program.

Esteemed guests were greeted with a specialty wine cocktail upon their arrival and welcomed into a reception featuring a spread of gourmet appetizers, all paired with award-winning Missouri wines from across the state. During the reception, MVPs had the opportunity to mix and mingle with winemakers and industry leaders, take advantage of the photo booth for a fun snap, and enjoy the live pianist tickling the keys.

After the reception, guests were ushered to a gourmet four course dinner perfectly paired with (you guessed it) award-winning Missouri wines. After a delicious meal, each MVP was honored with a commemorative gift, a specially etched decanter, and a fun gift they chose at random from a collection of great products and experiences donated by organizations across the state. Everyone joined in a celebratory toast recognizing the dedication and loyalty of the MVPs.

 

After dinner, guests enjoyed a decadent dessert reception where sweet treats were matched up with delicious Missouri wines or coffee. When it was time to say goodnight, each MVP received a swag bag full of goodies to take home with them.

 

It was truly a night to remember and we want to thank all of the sponsors who helped us make this a wonderful experience for the MVPs. If this sounds like an event you would have loved to attend, keep an eye out for the next top-tier reward on the Missouri Winery Visitors Program. Start earning and saving those points!

 

Thank you to our sponsors: 

Dinner Sponsors- 

• Missouri Pork Association
• Missouri Beef Industry Council 

Winery Sponsors- 

• Adam Puchta Winery 
• Augusta Winery 
• Balducci Vineyards 
• Baltimore Bend Vineyards 
• Edg-Clif Winery & Brewery 
• KC Wineworks 
• Ladoga Ridge Winery 
• Les Bourgeois Vineyards (and Rocheport Distilling Company) 
• Montelle Winery 
• Noboleis Vineyards 
• St. James WInery 
• Stone Hill Winery 
• Vox Vineyards
• Windy Wine Co. 

Special Gift and Swag Sponsors- 

• Adam Puchta Winery
• Annie Gunns
• Augusta Winegrowers Association
• Barley Bus
• Bed & Breakfast Inns of Missouri 
• Candy Factory
• Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate
• Clinton Chamber of Commerce
• Columbia Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Feast Magazine
• Hermann Wine Trail
• KC Wineworks
• Ladoga Ridge Winery 
• Mississippi River Hills Wine Trail
• Missouri Beef Industry Council
• Missouri Cattlemen’s 
• Missouri Division of Tourism & Worlds/Oceans of Fun
• Missouri Farm Bureau
• Missouri Grown
• Missouri Pork Association
• Missouri Restaurant Association
• Missouri State Fair
• Missouri State Fair Foundation 
• MO Corn
• Ozark Mountain Wine Trail 
• Route Du Vin Wine Trail
• Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau
• St. Louis Science Center
• Stone Hill Winery
• Tan-Tar-A
• The Rotary Club of Eastern Independence
• Visit Cape
• Visit KC
• Vox Vineyards 
• Washington Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Willow Spring Mercantile
• WineStein Trail

What is on the table brings us together, and a brand-new event this spring celebrates that idea. Join us along the Hermann Wine Trail on Saturday, April 7, 2018 for an opportunity to enjoy delicious food and wine pairings and the unique opportunity to meet the farm men and women behind the food.

Along the trail you will find delicious dishes showcasing corn, beef, pork, chicken, lamb, dairy and vegetables, each paired perfectly with a Missouri wine. Every winery along the trail will feature a different wine and food pairing, while offering you the chance to visit with area farmers and learn where your food comes from and how it’s grown.

The Farmers’ Table Wine Trail runs from 10a.m. to 5p.m. on April 7. Tickets for the event are $30 and include wine and food pairings, a souvenir wine glass and the chance to win a drawing for a Missouri gift basket and a one-night stay in Hermann. Tickets are available online here.

This event is made possible through a partnership between Missouri Commonground, a group of volunteer farm women passionate about agriculture and sharing their experiences raising food, and the Hermann Wine trail with support from the Missouri Wine and Grape Board.

See you there!

The Missouri wine industry has a rich history dating back to the early 1800's when German settlers began growing grapes and producing wine in Hermann. By the mid 1880's, wine consumers in America and Europe enjoyed 2 million gallons of Missouri wine each year. Prohibition dealt a fatal blow to the industry in 1919 which lasted for many years. Thanks to a couple of pioneering families in the 1960's and 1970's, the Missouri wine industry experienced a rebirth. Today, Show-Me wineries are thriving and continue to earn top awards in national and international competitions. We invite you to learn about the challenges the pioneers overcame to resurrect the local wine industry in this video featuring exclusive interviews with Jim and Betty Held and Pat Hofherr.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXrL9DgIyEc&feature

****UPDATE****

We want to thank all the talented people who submitted their poems into the Missouri Wines Poetry Challenge. Carl Kinsky won the challenge with his poem titled "A Sense of Place." We hope you enjoy his entry as much as we did.

A Sense of Place
by: Carl Kinsky

As every wine lover knows,
A wine's more than just its nose.

A wine's more than just its taste.
A wine's about a sense of place.

A barren vine, stark and still,
Set against an Ozark hill.

Green grape shoots on a prairie slope,
Without any worries, full of hope.

Ripening grapes, lazy, no hurry,
                                                                                         On a bluff above the hazy Missouri.

                                                                                             A hint of color in the tree leaves,
                                                                                            Harvest comes to Ste. Genevieve.

                                                                                            Now I've heard folks praise Zinfandel,
                                                                                             But I'd rather have my Chardonel.

                                                                                            So call me a Missouri Pollyanna,
                                                                                            But pass me a glass of the Cynthiana.

A great poet can do more than just put words on paper. Poets like Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes and Robert Frost have a way of stirring emotions from deep within us. Poetry in books, canvas and songs (“Red Red Wine” by UB40 anyone?) has enchanted us since Shakepeare’s sonnets.  

World Poetry Day is Wednesday, March 21, 2018 and is a day set aside to celebrate our favorite poets and discover new ones. It is also a great time to try our own hand at poetry. Missouri Wines invites you to share your poetry about Missouri wine country with us. Tickle the keyboard or blow the dust off your journal and let the words flow. One lucky poet will receive a pair of tickets to the Farmers’ Table Wine Trail event in Hermann. This special event takes place on Saturday, April 7 and includes delectable wine and food pairings at seven wineries on the Hermann Wine Trail.

Submit your poem via this link by 11:59 p.m. CST on March 27, 2018. Winner will be notified on March 28, 2018.

We even tried our hand at a little poetry and, no, we won't quit our day jobs. 

Always Time For Missouri Wine 

While the horizon’s vivid hues change with the passing of time
Her beauty remains constant
Velvety soft meadows
Never ceasing valleys and peaks
Meandering trails and winding roads

While fog gently rolls in
Her beauty is shrouded 
Mist laces the vines and leaves with dewy droplets
Until the sun shines through
Lifting the veil of cloud from the vineyards

Thus the day finds me
Enjoying the beauty in a glass that comes with hard work and care
Greeted by a hearty handshake and a welcome smile somewhat debonair
And, although not until the end did this poem rhyme
There’s always time for Missouri wine

In honor of International Ask a Question Day (March 14), we wanted to take some time to answer questions we get asked frequently. Most of these questions come to us during events where we are sampling local wines or Missouri Wine 101 classes. Wine is a broad subject with a great deal of information, and Missouri wine has its own long list of facts, figures and details.

Q: Aren’t all Missouri wines sweet?

A: Nope. With more than 125 wineries across the state, Missouri wines are as varied and unique as the people who make them. There are sweet wines, dry wines and everything in between.

Q: Why doesn’t Missouri have Cabernet and Chardonnay?

A: Many varietals of wine you may be used to hearing about or seeing on retail shelves are what you call Vinifera (originally European varieties). Most Vinifera simply can’t handle Missouri’s growing conditions (weather, primarily). So, local vintners focus on native varietals and hybrids that are more hardy and can handle our cold winters and humid summers. Bring on the Norton and Chardonel!

Q: How long is wine good after I’ve opened it?

A: “It depends” is the short answer. A slightly longer and more complicated answer is… it depends on which wine it is. Whites will last 3-5 days after being opened, reds 5-7, and port-style desserts wines for up to a few weeks. More info on how to preserve open wine can be found here.

Q: What kind of Missouri wine should I pair with _________?

A: We have an entire section on our website that can help answer this question! Food and wine pairing is tons of fun and all about trying new things, but this interactive guide is a great place to start.

Q: Why is it called fruit wine when a wine isn’t made from grapes?

A: This question totally makes sense. After all, grapes are a fruit too, right? Yes. However, in the wine world, a wine made from grapes is referred to as wine (plain and simple), and a wine made from other fruits (cherries, blueberries, pineapple, apple, etc.) is called fruit wine. (Don’t look at us. We didn’t make the rules.)

We hope this short Q and A has cleared up some things for you. If you ever have Missouri wine questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out on social media. We’re on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and we are happy to be your resource for all things Missouri wine!