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!

The summer is a popular time for grilling and smoking our foods. Anything that allows you to be outside is good, right? These cooking methods add a ton of flavor to dishes, which we can all agree is the point. However, adding these intense flavors means the same wines we would normally pair may not fit the bill. You know what that means… a whole new world of wine and food pairing opportunities.

Grilling (particularly meats) adds somewhat of a bitter taste while smoking adds a sweet and smoky element. Consider this, a roasted chicken breast would most commonly pair well with a lighter white such as Vidal Blanc or Catawba, whereas the toastiness of a grilled chicken breast would be complimented exceptionally by an oaky Chardonel. The same dish, prepared two different ways opens up the pairing possibilities.

Did you know that in Georgia (the country) there’s an incredibly popular dish called shashlik (which essentially just means smoked meat) that is smoked over grape vines? And they’re not the only ones. Smoking with grape vines has a fairly large following in the world of smoking connoisseurs. A couple things to note: Grape vines should be added sparingly if you’re new to smoking with them. They add a fruity flavor, but too many can add a tart component as well. So, until you’ve found the level of tart that is right for you, take it slow. Other flavors can be obtained by soaking the vines in wine, beer or tea prior to smoking.

If you’re more of a griller than a smoker, don’t forget the sauces play a large part in the overall taste profile you achieve. Often the sauces dominate the dish. Here’s a handy guide for pairing wines and sauces. Grilling often imparts a charred taste that can be mirrored nicely by the bitter edge of tannins found in bold red wines such as Norton.

So, when you’re grilling and smoking this season, play with your wine and food pairings, keeping in mind that the dish itself is but a small part of the equations. (The great thing about this equation… there’s no wrong answer!) If you need a good place to start, check out the new Missouri Wines food pairing guide.

Missouri Wine pairs well with food (no matter how you prefer to cook it)! 

Bread comes in many delectable forms, and January is a month devoted to honoring this staple. The first 31 days of the year have been declared National Bread Month. January also includes National Croissant Day (January 30).  Missouri wines are the perfect accompaniment to fête this classic comfort food.

Yeast is an ingredient in wine and many types of breads. The flavors and aromas of bread dough and biscuits can be detected in some varietals. In addition to similarities in taste, wine and bread have a  history together that dates back at least as far as ancient Greece, where wine-soaked bread was a common breakfast. When Greek men got together to recite poems, they drank wine with either bread or cheese. The ancient Greeks also made a bread called psadista from fine flour, oil and wine as an offering to the earth gods and goddesses.

Bread is appropriate for meals at any time of day, which gives wine-lovers many opportunities to try out pairings. For breakfast or brunch, a fruit-forward, Vignoles is a match for French toast. Pour a sparkling wine while indulging in the flaky layers of a buttery croissant or pair a fruity Catawba with a decadent raspberry white chocolate muffin. A light lunch of salad and caramelized onion and goat cheese bread calls for a crisp Seyval or full-bodied Norton. Beat the winter blues with a hot bowl of soup, a slice of old world cheese bread and a glass of Traminette. A dry white wine such as Chardonel complements the cornmeal, buttermilk and bacon drippings in southern-style cornbread. Serve this traditional side dish with a hearty chili to warm up on an icy evening. If you still have room for dessert, satisfy your sweet tooth with banana-apple bread and a crisp Chardonel.

When wine and bread come together in recipes, the results are delicious. Dry red wine, such as Norton or Chambourcin, is used to make the dough for red wine rosemary bread, and sweet and peppery-hot  wine biscuits. Leftover white wine is put to tasty use in savory olive, bacon and cheese bread that’s ideal for a quick lunch, dinner or appetizer.

With so much bread to devour, January is the ideal month to explore the many delightful ways that these diverse baked goods can be enhanced by your favorite Missouri wines.

Missouri wines pair well with celebrating bread!

Are you a thrill junkie when it comes to food? Always looking for the next deliciously spicy dish to tickle your taste buds? Well we have some exciting info to share with you… sweet cuts heat! That’s why an off-dry or semi-sweet Vignoles wine is the perfect pairing to your favorite dishes that bring the heat. The residual sugar coats your mouth and throat. It’s served chilled and the cold temperature provides the cooling relief your brain is begging for. And lastly, the fruity flavors compliment the sweet and spicy characteristics found in most Thai and Chinese recipes, specifically coconut milk curry dishes.

Hot foods dull your taste buds, and you need a really flavorful wine to stand up to them. Vignoles fits the bill. Try an award-winning Missouri Vignoles wine with one of these delicious dishes for a truly complementary food and wine pairing adventure.

Traditional Chicken Pad Thai

Sweet and Spicy Mango Shrimp

Spicy Korean Pork Spare Ribs

Scallops with Spicy Curry Sauce and Cous Cous

General Tso’s Chicken

Vignoles pairs well with spicy food!

Take an inside look at the exciting world of wine competitions and hear from the expert judges.

Get an inside look at the Missouri Wine Competition by clicking the icon below

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjbqyuF7nHI

If you’ve visited Missouri wineries, it’s likely you’ve tried a wine made from of Vignoles (veen – yole) grapes. This incredibly versatile varietal is the most commonly grown white grape in the state. It’s used to make wines ranging from refreshingly dry to sinfully sweet Late Harvest dessert wines. It is a favorite among Missouri winemakers and consumers alike for a multitude of reasons.

Its popularity is hallmarked by prestigious glassware company, Riedel Crystal, taking notice. At the end of 2013, Georg Riedel, 10th generation head of Riedel Crystal, led a panel of Missouri winemakers and sommeliers through an extensive workshop to select a varietal specific glass for Missouri Vignoles. This is a great honor and culminated in the selection of an exceptional glass that perfectly highlights the wonderful attributes of this versatile varietal.

Take a look inside this exciting process and find out where you can get your own Riedel Vignoles glass by watching this video.

Vignoles’ popularity comes in part because of how food-friendly it is. A vast range of dishes pair well with the floral nose and fruity flavors characteristic of Vignoles. A spicy Mexican or Asian dish matches perfectly with a semi-sweet or sweet Vignoles. A dry or semi-dry Vignoles is delicious with Swiss cheese or salmon. You know that delicious fruit chutney you make, it’s just begging to be served with Vignoles. And you haven’t lived until you’ve tried a Late Harvest Vignoles wine with a piece of cheesecake.

It’s true that good food deserves great wine, but Vignoles also stands alone for sipping, especially during the hot summer months. Whether you’re relaxing poolside or socializing on the patio, Vignoles is the perfect tag-along.

There’s a Vignoles for everyone. Now that you know a little more about this French-American hybrid grape and why it has made such an impression, invite it to your next summer gathering.