Winemakers combine art and science when crafting new vintages. Wine blends are the perfect example of this delicate balance. Blending is an incredibly important tool for winemakers. When a wine has a name that isn’t a varietal, it is likely a blend of several different varieties. Are some of your favorite wines blends?

“Personally I prefer blends, in Missouri or from other winemaking regions,” says Jacob Holman, Owner and Head Winemaker at Les Bourgeois Vineyards on The Blufftop at Rocheport. “Overall they can often make a better wine.”

Winemakers can use blending for a number of reasons, such as developing a distinctive style by mixing and matching the flavors & characteristics of different varietals. Encouraging consistency is another benefit of blending as winemakers can adjust from year to year based on what is coming out of the vineyards.  

When making non-vintage blends, its key that the wines are similar from year to year. Customers like consistency so the goal is to avoid differences when there is a new bottling.

“Blending can provide some protection from weather,” says Holman. “It’s so easy to have a hard year in the vineyard for one varietal or another.”

For smaller wineries, blending can be an amazing tool for inventory management, ensuring there is enough wine to fulfill their customers’ demand until the next year’s harvest is available.

“Our process, for a smaller winery, is always quantity,” says Chuck Gillentine, Owner of Defiance Ridge Vineyards. “We want to make sure our main varietals can make it through the year. Then we start playing with different ideas.”

Winemakers agree, there can be a lot of fun in creating a blend. It allows them to be creative while crafting a delicious wine. As another winemaker suggested “For example, Vignoles is very powerful in aroma and flavor and has high acid. When it is made in a semi-sweet style wine, it can give varietals like Vidal Blanc or Traminette extra aroma and flavor on the nose and palette.” A blend combines the beauty of different varietals creating improved mouthfeel or additional acid for length.

The process of blending is done differently depending on the winemaker, but testing several variations of ratios is always a part of the process and often the winemaking teams’ favorite part.

“Figuring out the percentages is always the fun,” says Gillentine. 

A great deal of time, work, thought, and care go into every wine. Next time you’re sipping on a delicious, award-winning Missouri wine, consider everything that makes that sip so good. Cheers!

Celebrate and honor the mothers in your life with a fun experience in wine country. We created a list of upcoming events in Missouri wine country to enjoy with your loved ones in celebration of Mother’s Day!

Movies with mom

Enjoy a classic movie on the patio* with mom (or grandma) at Fence Stile Vineyards, Winery & Distillery! Friday, May 12 from 8 PM – 10 PM, watch Mrs. Doubtfire while enjoying wonderful wines, the firepit and beautiful spring weather. On Saturday evening (May 13), watch the movie Mother’s Day. The event is free with purchase of wine or other beverages. (*Weather permitting)

Bring her to brunch

Toast to your mom and mother figures in your life at Montelle Winery! On Saturday, May 13 from 10 AM – 2 PM, treat them to a brunch buffet in the Parliament Room featuring a lineup of carved ham, mac and cheese, carved pork loin, French toast casserole, quiche, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs + cheese, pasta salad, potato casserole, biscuits & gravy, yogurt parfaits, and more! In addition to enjoying award-winning wines, enjoy a mimosa or bloody mary for just $3 at the cash bar. Tickets for adults are $45, $25 for children ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. Call Montelle Winery today to make your reservations!

Visit Charleville Vineyard Winery & Craft Brewery’s new venue space, The View, for a special brunch with mom on May 14. Choose between three time slots, 11 AM, 12 PM and 1PM and pair it with a bottomless mimosa. Drinks at the bar and their wine and beer tap wall will be available for purchase. Reservations are required and seating is limited. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for kids. Book your spot on their website.

Share Mimosas with Mom at Wild Sun Winery & Brewery on Sunday, May 14. Starting at 10:30 AM, they will offer special mimosas and live music by The Tara Lynn Trio from 1 – 4 PM. Bring the whole family, a picnic basket and chairs for a fun celebration until 5 PM. No reservations are required. Carpooling is recommended to ease parking. Visit their Facebook for more information.

Experience artisanal quality

On May 13, stop by Stone Hill Winery in Hermann for their Artisan Cheese Market for Mother’s Day from 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM. You’ll experience samples, hand-made items and one-of-a-kind gifts displayed in the Sherry House to shop and purchase for the leading ladies in your life. While you’re there, enjoy a wine tasting, cellar tour and visit the gift shop. Live music will be featured from 1-5 PM, admission is free!

Elevate her wine experience

Visit Cave Vineyard for their Mother’s Day Vine to Wine Tasting Experience from 11 AM - 12:30 PM on May 13! For just $35, guests will experience a cheese & chocolate pairing, to show how wine and food complement each other, as well as learn about Missouri grapes, winemaking, and tasting wine. Purchase your tickets online at their website.

Music & More

Treat your honored guest to Riverwood Winery’s Mother's Day Rosé Tasting and free live music with Daysia Reneau from “The Voice.” Experience six different rosé wines for just $10 on May 12 from 5 - 9 PM and May 14 11 AM – 5 PM, with Daysia Reneau performing from 1-4 PM. Visit their website for more event information.

Dig into desserts

Surprise mom with a wine and dessert tasting at Jowler Creek Winery’s venue, The Vineyard at J. Creek! On May 13 & 14 from 12 – 3 PM, enjoy live music from Mitchell V, a wine flight and a buffet of confectionary style desserts for just $25. Secure your tickets for the event on their website.

Cheers to all the mothers, grandmothers and mother figures in our lives. Share your travels and experiences at these events with us on social media by tagging #missouriwine and #mowine, as well as tagging us @missouriwine.

It’s widely accepted that cooking is an art, while baking is more of a science. The chemistry involved in successful baking can make it intimidating to experiment, but while there are risks… the rewards can be absolutely delicious. Adding Missouri wine into your baking tool kit may be a little intimidating at first, but once you know the rules, then you know exactly how you can break or bend them. In this post we’ll discuss the best ways to incorporate wine into your baked goods.

Pick the perfect wine: You’re looking for two main factors: flavor and sweetness. You want a flavor that complements what you’re baking and you may need to adjust the other ingredients based on the sweetness of the wine. If you’re using a dry wine, no need to adjust the sweetness. A semi-dry wine may call for a very slight reduction in the sugar or other sweetener ingredients. Whereas, a sweet wine has a higher amount of residual sugar and will require a larger reduction of other sweeteners in the recipe.          

Examples of flavor matching:

Vignoles pairs incredibly well with most tropical and stone fruits.

Chambourcin often has jammy notes that work very well with chocolate.

You can find more information about Missouri varietals and their flavor profiles here to help fine the perfect wine for your next baking session.

Drizzle; don’t drown: It can be tempting to use a lot of wine in a recipe to ensure the flavor comes through, but in baking, wine often works best in a subtle supporting roll. Remember, you can’t take it away once the dish is baked. You can always make a simple wine syrup or glaze to top your creation if you want to up the wine flavor. Consider the liquid content of the recipe as well, you don’t want to make the batter or dough too wet. The best way to avoid this is to replace a different wet ingredient completely or partially with wine (i.e. water or oil).

Simple Wine Syrup:

Combine wine with sugar in a wide saucepan or skillet (Good Ratio: 3 parts wine to 1 part sugar). Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until syrupy (i.e. reduced by approximately two thirds). Use it right away or let it cool, bottle, and refrigerate it.

Easy Wine Glaze:

Place 1 cup powdered sugar in a medium-size bowl and add wine a tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you'd like your icing or drizzle to be. Mix well and immediately drizzle or spread over cookies, cakes, or breads.

Here are several recipes that already have wine as a featured ingredient. Try them out to get started.

Butterscotch Blondies with Chardonel

Mint Chocolate Brookies

Strawberry Catawba Pretzel Tart

White Wine Lemon Bundt Cake

Sweet Tooths’ Delight Cake Pops

Most importantly, experiment and have fun whisking Missouri wine into your baking!

Join us and 4,147 members in celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Missouri Wines loyalty program, Rewards Uncorked. The last year has been filled with adventures in Missouri wine country as you made 9,493 visits to the participating 89 Missouri wineries earning almost 4.8 million points as a group.

NEW REWARDS

In the last year, the program has launched a variety of new rewards including event tickets, sweepstakes entries, wearable wine gear, and more. New rewards will continue to be added for users to redeem, like this recently launched vacuum pump wine saver. Find new rewards when you access your account, see updates in our Rewards Uncorked emails and follow us on social media to learn about new releases.

MISSOURI WINE MONTH FUN

If you are looking for more ways to quickly rack up points, we have some fun in store later this year. In honor of Missouri Wine month this September, there will be bonus points up for grabs. Stay tuned for more details and get excited for more ways to earn in Missouri wine country.

NOT A MEMBER?

Enjoy the best of Missouri wine country and get rewarded with Rewards Uncorked. Rack up points with this loyalty program when you check in at participating wineries. Redeem those points on rewards and Missouri wine country experiences. Make the best of your time out and about enjoying Missouri wines when you participate in this complimentary loyalty program. Sign up here.

RACK UP REWARDS THIS SUMMER

We encourage you to enjoy Missouri wine country this summer and earn points while you do. Share your Rewards Uncorked experience with your fellow Missouri wine enthusiasts and tag us on social media at @missouriwine and #MissouriWine #RewardsUncorked.

Chardonel is the ultimate springtime staple. This light and crisp varietal is perfect for the weather as it moves to warmer temperatures. It can be easily paired with many foods and enjoyed solo too.

To celebrate Chardonel Month, we created a list of recipes for you to enjoy. This wine can easily be incorporated into any part of a meal. Cooking with wine is fun and exciting! Plan an evening meal around this varietal for a unique dining experience.

Mix up a Chardonel Winetail with one of these recipes. 

Moscow Mule with Wine

Apple Cider Sangria

Stargazer Cocktail

Plan your main course with this protein or pasta. 

One-Skillet Smothered Pork Chops

Lemon Butter Seafood Pasta

Use these as an appetizer or side whether you are dining  at home or the next time you are entertaining friends.

Chardonel Fondue

Cheesy Chardonel Bacon Mac & Cheese Recipe

Creamy Chardonel Dip

Decadent dessert is elevated with Chardonel in its ingredient list.

Butterscotch Blondies with Chardonel

Vanilla Chardonel Bundt Cake

Whether you explore one or many of these recipes, we hope you enjoy the versatility of Missouri wine and Chardonel. If you choose to whip up one of these delicious recipes, tag us on social media with #missouriwine @mowine and @missouriwine.