Looking for an easy and creative snack to entertain guests or bring to a summer event? Try making a cheese board or charcuterie board! These fun and fresh options pair well with many wines, especially your local Missouri wines. Utilize the pairing suggestions below when snacking with your favorite wine or even craft your own Missouri wine charcuterie board. If you are interested in creating a full board, here’s a few tips to prepare:

• Select a wooden board or tray of your choice
• When picking pairings, use bright colors/textures and vary your item placement
• Decide the portion size and placement of your items
• Compliment pairings with breads, crackers, olives, dips, jams and sauces of choice
• Utilize bowls to separate additional ingredients for freshness or depth
• Use local meats, cheeses and more to support your community

Top 5 Varietals Grown in Missouri (and what to pair them with)

• Norton with Cheddar cheese (smoked meats, cherries and dark chocolate of any kind)
• Vignoles with Swiss (fruit jam or jelly, spicy mustard and dried apricots)
• Chambourcin with Brie (smoked sausage, dark chocolate cocoa beans and walnuts)
• Chardonel with Gouda (salted almonds, pesto and Prosciutto)
• Concord with Colby Jack (BBQ beef jerky, peanuts or candied nuts)

Whites

• Seyval with Goat Cheese (roasted almonds, orange or grapefruit slices and fresh greens)
• Traminette with Gorgonzola (fresh fruit, cashews and garlic bread/crackers)
• Vidal with Mozzarella (melon or citrus, picked vegetables or fresh broccoli)
• Brut or Demi Sec Sparkling with Havarti (almonds, fresh fruit, white chocolate covered pretzels)

Other Wines

• Port with Aged Cheddar (walnuts, root vegetables and dark chocolate)
• Ice Wine with Roquefort (salted or spicy nuts, dried berries)
• Sherry with Gorgonzola (pecans, cashews and Prosciutto)

Try these pairings at home, or bring them along to wineries during your next trip to Missouri wine country. Let us know what you think – or if you find new pairings of your own. Tag us on social media with #missouriwine and @missouriwine.

Vidal is a working winery pup and the muse for Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery’s Vidal Blanc label. This loveable hound has greeted guests and protected the winery’s resident sheep and chickens for more than a decade, making her a familiar furry face for visitors of this Platte City, Mo., tasting room.

Besides, Vidal, the working winery pup’s warm welcome, visitors can expect to see several other critters at Jowler Creek, nestled into the Platte City countryside. Many of these creatures are featured on the winery’s bottles, designed by the owners’ sister-in-law, Ashley Reynolds, who owns AshleyRenae Design. Ashley’s fun designs feature the many animals of Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery.

“Each critter or animal on our bottles is a representation of what you might see while you’re visiting us,” says siblings Jason and Kit Lacy, Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery owners. “Seeing them reminds us of the peaceful, beautiful, lush vineyard and fields that our winery sits on and feels like home. We hope each person is reminded of that peaceful, fun-loving feeling upon seeing them.”

That peaceful feeling has been top-of-mind to the Lacy family at the helm of Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery. Family-owned and operated since the vines were planted in 2004, Jowler Creek keeps its country feel while constantly expanding in a sustainable fashion.

Jowler Creek is a “green” vineyard and winery certified through the Missouri Agricultural Stewardship Assurance Program (ASAP) across five categories: livestock, energy, specialty crop, farmstead and grassland. This means that wine lovers can enjoy a glass of Jowler Creek wine, knowing it has been made sustainably.

Since the on-site tasting room was unveiled in 2006, the winery has added something new. So, you may notice a new addition to Jowler Creek each time you visit. They unveiled the event center — The Vineyard at J. Creek, this year.

Regardless, if you want to sip Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery Vidal Blanc to capture the peaceful feeling of the Platte City fields or pair this semi-dry, full-bodied wine’s crisp and refreshing citrus flavors with your favorite meal, raise a toast to its namesake – Vidal – the hardworking, lovable canine who helps care for one of the state’s most sustainably focused wineries.

Cooking with wine shouldn’t sound intimidating. This 10-ingredient recipe is simple, fun, and will have your family and friends asking for the recipe. Use a bottle of Vidal Blanc to whip up this deliciously creamy chicken and cheese dip.

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 ½ c diced chicken (3/4 lb diced)

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tsp minced garlic

1 ¼ c diced onion

2 sprigs fresh thyme (divided)

4 tbsp dry white wine (divided) – we used Missouri Vidal Blanc

2 tbsp chicken stock

¾ c sour cream

2 c shredded Swiss and Gruyere cheese (divided)

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Use a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet and add oil. Sauté diced chicken with salt and pepper and add garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Tip: You can start with already cooked chicken – dice and sauté for 1-2 minutes with salt, pepper and garlic.

2.Add diced onion to skillet with a dash of salt. Cooking over medium heat, allow onions to sit without stirring for 5 minutes until colorful and fragrant.

3.Add 2 tablespoons white wine and 2 sprigs of thyme. Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes until onions are soft. Remove skillet from heat and remove thyme sprigs.

4.Add chicken back to skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons of white wine. Add chicken stock, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, minced thyme, black pepper (optional) and stir. Spread until smooth and top with remaining cup of cheese.

5.Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-18 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle extra thyme and black pepper if desired and serve hot.

Give this recipe a try with Vidal Blanc and let us know what you think. Tag us on social media in your cooking with wine fun at @missouriwines and #MissouriWine.

Enjoying time spent in Missouri wine country is rewarding enough. Enjoying time soaking up the sun and beauty on a winery’s patio is arguably more gratifying yet. Another bonus that Missouri wine enthusiasts can take advantage of in wine country is the new loyalty program, Rewards Uncorked. Members can rack up points on the patio this summer by checking in at the following wineries who have beautiful outdoor spaces to enjoy onsite.

An additional bonus for members of Rewards Uncorked is the chance at winning (1) of (5) $50 gift card bundles. All users who sign up before September 1, 2022 by 11:59 PM CST, will be automatically entered to win. Each gift card bundle includes five $10 gift cards to an assortment of five Missouri wineries. The five winners will be notified via email on Friday, September 2, 2022. Winners will need to claim bundles by Friday, September 16^th or an alternate winner will be selected.

Sign up for Rewards Uncorked at www.rewards.missouriwine.org for a chance to win and start racking up points on the patio at these wineries this summer. A complete list of Rewards Uncorked participating wineries can be found at here. The following list of wineries was gathered from an optional survey and might not be a complete list of Missouri wineries with patios.

Stonehaus Farms Vineyard & Winery – Lee’s Summit

Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard – Potosi

DeLaney Vineyard & Winery – Nevada

LaChance Vineyards – DeSoto

La Bella Vineyards & Winery – Wellington

Baltimore Bend Vineyard – Waverly

Sand Creek Vineyard – Farmington

Cave Vineyard – Ste. Genevieve

Timber Ridge Winery – Stover

Serenity Valley Winery – Fulton

KC Wineworks – Kansas City

Tyler Ridge Vineyard Winery – Springfield

Wild Sun Winery – Hillsboro

Backyard Vine & Wine – Maryville

Pirtle Winery – Weston

McKelvey Vineyards – Leslie

Les Bourgeois Vineyards at The Blufftop at Rocheport – Rocheport

Beckett’s Winery – Glasgow

Christine’s Vineyard – Webb City

Viandel Vineyard – Mountain View

Meramec Vineyards Winery – Saint James

Hermannhof Winery – Hermann

Be sure to tag us on social media in your Rewards Uncorked adventures and show us your patio views by tagging @missouriwine or #MissouriWine.