Fall kicks off the busy baking season. Adding wine to your cakes, cookies, and other baked goods can amp up the flavor and richness. Take your Fall and holiday baking to the next level with Missouri wines!

Missouri wine country is calling. Are you listening? It’s a great time to take a trip to visit new wineries and long-time favorites. When you’re planning your next excursion to wine country, consider taking the train as a fun addition to your adventure.

Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner travels from Kansas City to St. Louis daily with many exciting stops along the way. With more than 125 wineries in the state, there are lots of options for fun-filled trips on the train. The Missouri River Runner stops at these stations four times a day, 2 eastbound and 2 westbound:

Once you’ve arrived at your desired destination, you’re ready for the next stage of your adventure… walking, biking, shuttles, trolleys… whichever you prefer, you’re sure to have a good time. Each area offers its own unique combination of wineries, restaurants, shops, and more.

At missouriwine.org you’ll find a listing and interactive map of all the wineries in Missouri. You’ll find the largest concentrations of wineries near the Kansas City, Hermann, and Washington stops. Contact their local CVBs or Chambers for expert and up to date recommendations on must-see attractions and the best ways to get around once your train has arrived.

Missouri wine pairs well with taking the train!

It’s hard to deny there’s a special bond between ladies. We laugh with each other, tell each other like it is, and always support each other through thick and thin. Embrace and celebrate these important friendships. Take a break and get away from it all for a little while with your girlfriends. We know the perfect place… Missouri Wine Country!

Whether you and your girlfriends are looking for relaxation or adventure, there is a Missouri winery or wine trail for you. With 128 wineries and 10 winetrails to choose from, you’ll find the ideal destination for your ladies’ retreat. Wine trails even have events created just for you, like Wine Diva Weekend on Route du Vin.

If you’re looking to visit wineries and shop, you’re in luck. There are lots of shops located near Missouri wineries. Check out the wineries along the Lake of the Ozarks Wine Trail and you’ll be right by a variety of shopping options, including outlet stores. Hoping more for antique shopping? Check out one of the many small towns in Missouri with wineries and primo antique shops. 

How about a spa day? You can do that too! Several wineries have spas located near them (or even on site in Chaumette Vineyards’case). Contact your destination wineries for recommendations near them.

Consider exploring new areas and having an adventure in wine country together. You can even take the train. How cool is that? There are also several wineries where you can play and stay in their unique, lovely overnight accommodations. If you and your gal pals are fond of bed and breakfasts, there are tons very near most wineries. Just ask the wineries for their recommendations. They have the scoop on the best accommodations in their areas. Or consider a Glamping trip (you read that right, glamorous camping. It’s a real thing!).

Whichever part of Missouri Wine Country you and your girlfriends decide to visit on your next getaway, it’s sure to be unforgettable.

Missouri wine pairs well with girlfriend getaways!

Every year on March 17, people around the world embrace shamrocks, leprechauns and the color green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The holiday, which honors the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland, has been observed for more than 1,000 years. However, the first St. Patrick's Day parade wasn't held until 1762 when Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through the streets of New York City.

A traditional Irish feast is a great way to get into the festivities. Locally-sourced ingredients like meat, potatoes, bread and root vegetables are common in Ireland's cuisine. Lucky for you, Missouri's award-winning wines are a great match for these hearty foods.

Corned beef served with cabbage is a popular meal on St. Patrick's Day. The salty and slightly sweet flavors of this tasty combination are satisfying with a full-bodied Norton. A bottle of rich Norton also goes well with hearty lamb stew packed with meat, carrots and potatoes. The earthy, fruit-forward flavors in Chambourcin compliment the ground lamb or beef, vegetables and mashed potatoes in a shepherd's pie casserole.

If you prefer something lighter, try smoked Irish salmon on slices of brown soda bread with a glass of sparkling wine or Traminette. Decadent Guinness black and white chocolate mousse is delicious with the intense flavor of a Late Harvest or port-style dessert wine.

Missouri wines pair well with St. Patrick's Day!

What makes a wine cocktail? Is it simply a cocktail with wine in it? Yeah, pretty much. The delicious and exciting trend of the wine cocktail is growing, and we’re really excited about it for several reasons. Most importantly, there are so many types and styles of wine that it opens almost limitless possibilities as the base ingredient of cocktails. You know better than anyone what tastes good to you. Here is a guide to building delicious wine cocktails that fit your preferences perfectly.

First things first, the basic components you’ll find in good cocktails (While many cocktails don’t incorporate all of these, a minimum of two are usually found, helping to create balanced beverages.): Sweet is simply what adds the sweetness to a cocktail. Most commonly used are sugar (often in the form of simple syrup), agave, maple syrup, honey or juice. Wine can also bring the sweetness to a cocktail if it has enough residual sugar. Missouri fruit wines make great wine cocktails. Sour adds the acidity needed for a great cocktail. Citrus such as lemon, lime or grapefruit are fairly obvious, but wine can also add the sour or tart flavors you’re looking for if it is acidic enough. Vidal Blanc for example is a Missouri varietal often noted for its refreshing acidity. Spice doesn’t just mean to heat such as you’d get from jalapenos or cayenne pepper. It also refers to textures that feel spicy in your mouth such as bubbles or higher alcohol content. Sparkling wines or a fizzy mixer such as lemon-lime or club soda can add spicy texture to a wine cocktail. Savory flavors make things interesting. They also help balance out sour or bitter flavors that may show through from some wines. Strong tannins, like the ones found in many Missouri Norton wines for example, may be smoothed out by adding a savory flavor from herbs, vegetables, or spices.

When creating your own wine cocktail, consider these basic components. Mix and match with your preferences for a delicious beverage. If you need some inspiration, here are some tried and true Missouri wine cocktail recipes to get you started: Norhattan Illegal Rosé The Missouri Mule Marking Twain Fox Trotter St. Paul Sidecar Missouri wine pairs well with creating cocktails!

Ordering wine at a restaurant can be intimidating. It’s a little different everywhere you go, and there are so many wines out there to choose from. How do you make the right choice? Most restaurants have “by the glass” and “by the bottle” menus. Purchasing by the glass is a much smaller investment and risk. If you don’t like it, you spent a lot less and there’s not an entire bottle of wine you don’t care for in front of you. However, the “by the bottle” selection tends to be more extensive and you have enough to share with the table. Here are a few tips on ordering wine while dining out:

1. It’s about you and your preferences. Don’t let a lengthy wine list or a seemingly snobby server or sommelier intimidate you. Ultimately, the purpose of buying a glass or bottle of wine is for your enjoyment. The best wine is the wine you like. Everyone’s palette is different. The “rules” are there to guide rather than confine you.
2. Learn the lingo. Knowing how to communicate within the wine world can help ordering go more smoothly. You don’t need to know all the jargon. Focus on some of the basics such as weight (Would you prefer something light-bodied and crisp or full-bodied and rich?), flavor (Do you like wines that are fruity, spicy, earthy, or buttery?), and texture (If you want something smoother, you’d like a wine lower in acid or tannin.). 
3. Be specific. Once you know a little of the lingo, it’s important to be specific. There are lots of wines that fall into the category of dry red. However, if you tell your server or sommelier that you prefer a bold, earthy, dry red, they will have a much easier time narrowing down the wines fitting those criteria. 
4. Select your food first. Good food deserves great wine. The flavors and textures in food and wine affect each other. They can either enhance or degrade your dining experience. The server should be able to help you choose a wine that will pair well, but you can brush up on some pairing preferences of your own with this guide. 
5. Talking price is not taboo. It’s not against the rules to tell your server or sommelier the price range you want to stay within. However, if you are looking for a more subtle way to get your message across, try showing a wine at the price you want and saying “I’d like something similar to this.” while pointing at the price rather than the name of the wine. 
6. Taste before you accept the wine. If you purchase a bottle of wine in a restaurant, the server or sommelier will often open it for you and present you with a taste and the cork. This is to check and see if the wine is “good”. That doesn’t necessarily mean whether or not you like it. Rather, it’s to ensure it has not experienced cork taint, which happens in 1-3% of wines with natural cork closures. You can also ask to have a small taste of a wine that is on the by the glass menu. If you like it, order a glass and enjoy!

*Bonus tip*

Ask if they have anything open that isn’t on the by the glass list. You may get a chance to try something new and unexpected. 

If your favorite restaurant doesn’t serve your preferred local wines, ask your server about them. Who knows, maybe the next time you dine, they will! 

Holiday shopping can be really stressful, but it’s also a great opportunity to share your favorite things with the people you care about and support local businesses. A gift with a story makes a longer lasting impression and shows that you really put thought and effort into selecting it. Gifting locally crafted items you love adds a sense of place, a special connection. So, this year don’t just shop, shop local!

Missouri wineries are a great place to check off your shopping list. You’ll find locally made, award-winning wine, gift baskets, cute novelty items, and unique accessories in the tasting rooms and gift shops of wineries across the state. The opportunity to taste before you buy is rare; take advantage of it. And think about it this way… if you purchase a case of Missouri wine, you’ve just picked up 12 gifts all at once. Well, that was easy!

Wine makes a great gift for loved ones, but it’s also super handy for all the little gifting needs that pop up this time of year… host/hostess gifts, secret Santa, etc. If you have a few extra bottles of Missouri wine around, you’ll never be without a great gift option. There are tons of ways to creatively wrap wine as a gift as well.

Support your local wineries this holiday season. It’s a whole lot more fun visiting a winery to do your holiday shopping than a crowded mall, right?

Drink local. Shop local. Give local!