Upcycling your wine bottles can be as simple as a brushstroke! With these quick tips, you will see that no artistic ability is required. While you can use painted wine bottles for anything from hummingbird feeders to centerpieces, we opted for oil/vinaigrette bottles for this project. 

What you will need

Clean, empty bottles from your favorite Missouri wine

Dish soap and rubbing alcohol 

Acrylic paints

Paint brushes

Brush on sealant

Oil dispenser bottle toppers (optional)

Step 1: Prep your bottles

While acrylic paints are a forgiving medium, sometimes they don't stick to glass. Therefore, it is essential to have a clean surface before you start painting. Wash the bottles thoroughly with dish soap to remove any leftover label remnants, and then wipe clean of fingerprints and residue with rubbing alcohol before drying completely. 

Step 2: Start painting.

While some people are intimidated by picking up a paintbrush, we encourage you to dive in. If painting and design aren't your things, we have two sure-fire designs that are fun for all ages. 

Classy Confetti: We think this design is an excellent choice for painters who want a worry-free abstract look. Pick three to four colors of acrylic paint. Then, one at a time, dab the colors onto the bottle using the end of your paintbrush, a pencil eraser or even a Q-tip. Each placement will leave a perfect circle. For best results, dip the dabber in the paint often to refill for the perfect circle, and then let dry between colors to avoid smudges or mixed colors.

Fantastic Flowers: While these freeform flowers may look complex, this design only requires three colors of paint. First, you will need some white paint. Simply paint freeform by placing squiggly areas all around the bottle. Next, pick your secondary color (we used red.) Take the same brush with which you painted the white onto the bottle and dip it in the second color. Start painting the middle of your white areas with C-shaped brush strokes to create a layer of petals. Don't worry if your chosen color and the white mix together. That will create a unique blended effect. Continue swapping between your selected color and white and work toward the middle of each shape, creating rows of c-shaped petals. After you've painted all your flowers, fill any open spaces with green leaves. Let the bottle dry, and outline the leaves and petals using a thin brush or paint pen. 

Step 3: Seal your artwork

Since paint can be removed from glass, we recommend you seal your artwork with a brush-on sealant to protect the finished bottle.

Step 4: Enjoy

We love these beautiful bottles to use in our kitchen or they are also great to give as gifts. The possibilities are endless, and we hope you experiment with your own designs as you upcycle. 

Share your wine bottle designs or other repurposing ideas with us by tagging #missouriwine and @missourwine on social media. 

August 11^th is quickly approaching! The Missouri State Fair features endless opportunities experience the tastes of Missouri (and Missouri Wines) all in one place. Join in on the “buckets of fun” with this guide below starting August 11^th through the 21^st.

Explore new wines during a Wine 101 class

Come to the Missouri Wines tent located across from the Grandstand to sign up for a class. Sample 5 wines, enjoy 3 unique pairings and learn about the history of the wine and grape industry in Missouri. Find class times here: https://www.mostatefair.com/attractions/missouri-wine-101-classes/

Find new fair pairing favorites

Everyone has their go-to favorites at the fair. Give these 6 fair foods a try with Missouri wine varietals this year. https://missouriwine.org/news/state-fair-food-sips

Sample a huge selection of Missouri Wines

The Missouri Wine tent will have the sips to please any palate. Stop by the tent to find a wide selection of Missouri Wines to try. This year’s award-winning wines will be on display – and a few will be stocked to sample. Don’t forget to sign up for a Wine 101 class while you’re there.

Visit a showcase of Missouri’s tourism opportunities

The Missouri Travel Alliance hosts numerous destinations at Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall each year. Attend the expo Thursday, August 18^th and sign up for a wristband (must be 21+ years old) to participate in the wine tasting that afternoon from 3:00-4:30 pm. Look for a daily schedule from the Missouri State Fair for more details.

Find the Missouri Wine logo – and WIN!

Keep an eye on the Missouri State Fair (https://www.facebook.com/MissouriStateFair) Facebook page throughout the fair. A picture of the Missouri Wines logo will be posted in a location around the Fairgrounds – the first person to find the logo will win concert or event tickets.

We can’t wait to see you at the wine tent! Tag us in your Missouri State Fair adventures with #MissouriWine and @missouriwine.

Sunny days and summertime call for a cool, refreshing glass of Vignoles. This white wine is made in many styles from dry to sweet, so there is something for everyone to enjoy!

Missouri Wines celebrates the popular Vignoles varietal each August. It is grown in many areas throughout the state, accounting for 15.4% of all grapes grown in Missouri and 262.2 grape bearing acres. This varietal is less susceptible to late frost damage due to a later bud opening period than most other grape varietals. It fairs Missouri’s cold winter temperatures well, but also helps you kick the heat outside and on your palate.

Vignoles is one of the most food-pairing friendly wines and is certainly the go-to wine for hot and spicy dishes. It brings a crisp balance to bold flavors like spicy pork, chicken and cheeses, peppers, Mexican, curries and dishes with hot sauce. Vignoles also complements strawberries, apricots and cheesecake with its luscious floral aroma and fruity flavors of pineapple and apricot. This French-American hybrid is one of Missouri’s most versatile white grapes to bottle as well as to pair and enjoy!

Share how you plan to enjoy Vignoles during August with us by tagging @missouriwine and #missouriwine on social media.

Spice up your summer with some sweet heat from this Concord Wine Barbecue Sauce. This sauce proves that one of Missouri’s sweetest grapes can pair well with a little spice. The toasted chili powder gives the finished sauce a kick.

Inspired by the Forager Chef’s Spicy Wild Grape BBQ, we think this sauce will work well on summer barbecue staples from wings to pork steaks, and of course a backyard burger. We paired our Concord Wine Barbecue Sauce topped burger with sharp cheddar cheese and a glass of Concord wine.

Ingredients

2 c Missouri Concord wine

2 tbsp chili powder

3 tbsp corn starch

½ c brown sugar

3 tbsp honey

1 tsp molasses

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp fresh-cracked black pepper

1 tbsp ground mustard

4 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp ginger

Cook Time: 30 minutes | Yield: 2 cups

Instructions

1. Toast the chili powder until it becomes aromatic. Set aside to cool.
2. Pour 1 ¾ cup of Missouri Concord wine into a medium sauce pan and heat over medium heat.
3. Combine the remaining ¼ cup of wine with the 3 tablespoons of corn starch to create a thickening slurry. Add the thickening slurry to the wine in the saucepan.
4. Stir until the cornstarch solution combines with the wine. Then add the honey, molasses and brown sugar.
5. Continue to stir over medium heat until the liquid comes to a simmer, the cloudiness dissolves and the sauce starts to thicken.
6. When the sauce approaches the desired consistency, add the remaining spices and seasonings — chili powder, salt, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, ground mustard, garlic and ginger. Stir to combine.
7. Let the sauce simmer for a couple minutes to meld the flavors together.
8. Remove from the heat and enjoy.
9. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a couple of weeks.

Let us know when you give this unique BBQ sauce a try and tag us at #missouriwine and @missouriwine.

Each one of Baltimore Bend Vineyard’s wines tells a story of care and creativity. Owner, manager and winemaker Sarah Schmidt’s prior career in communications was centered on telling great stories. In 1997, she decided she wanted to expand her career in new ways. Sarah convinced her parents, Richard and Kathleen Livingston, to plant just over an acre of vines on the family’s property Waverly, Missouri. This career change led to the creation of Baltimore Bend Vineyard.

Sarah graduated from the University of Missouri with her degree in agricultural journalism. She spent two decades in the communications industry, working for advertising agencies and public relations firms in Chicago and Kansas City. Through her business travels, Sarah visited Michigan’s wine country and vineyards in the Finger Lakes region of New York. She fell in love with the idea of non-California varietals and wines, and she already embraced Midwest wineries.

When she returned to the Kansas City area, Sarah realized her family’s acreage is perfectly suited for a vineyard. The land’s deep topsoil consisted almost entirely of windblown loess along the feathered edge of the glacial retreat bordering the Missouri River, which made it the perfect haven for grape vines — currently including, Norton, Chambourcin, Chardonel, Vignoles, Catawba and Valvin Muscat. Initially, Baltimore Bend Vineyard served as a grape supplier for other Missouri wineries rather than creating their own wines, but in 2003, the family officially opened their tasting room.

At that time, Sarah’s father, Richard — weatherman turned winemaker — created the Baltimore Bend wines. He learned the trade by visiting with other winemakers and attending technical trainings and workshops. Sarah shadowed him until she took over the role in 2010. After stepping into the role of Baltimore Bend’s official winemaker, Sarah received her certificate in enology from Washington State University. Studying enology not only allowed Sarah to delve deeper into the technical science and chemistry behind winemaking, but it also connected her with industry experts that served as resources and shared their expertise with her along the way.

Winemaking’s unique blend of art and chemistry weaves together two seemingly paradoxical skillsets — the exact and precise nature of science and the boundless expression of creativity. Sarah relished in threading the fine line between the two. Her storytelling roots shine each time she creates a new wine — her favorite part of her role.

“My favorite part is creating a varietal or a blend that speaks to the consumer and that they enjoy. That seems kind of cliché, but that really is what we're here to do,” Sarah says. “I like people liking what I make. I like that they like it.”

With every sip of Baltimore Bend wine, Sarah hopes to tell consumers the story of her family’s Waverly home. The unique terroir and microclimate of the region imparts its essence to every Baltimore Bend bottle, even displaying subtle and unique differences from other Missouri-grown grapes. Sarah highlights her home through the taste, labels and stories of each bottle she makes. She also wants Baltimore Bend wines to be approachable to every person who walks into their tasting room, with wines that offer something for every palate.

“I've always focused on quality, enjoyable wines. Approachable wines that will keep bringing people back,” Sarah says.

While telling the story of your home one bottle at a time is certainly a romantic notion, winemaking is not without its challenges. Some of the Midwest grape varietals can be especially challenging to work with. For example, Sarah ages her family’s Norton wines for five years before she feels the wine is ready. Unfortunately, she has had to learn “the hard way” a few times with vintages of wine that didn’t turn out like she envisioned. As she will tell you, despite your education, learning a trade still comes down to traditional trial and error.  Sarah is happy to share what she and her family have learned over the last two decades with other Missouri winemakers. She feels that professional resources are invaluable to supporting new businesses and the industry as a whole.

Outside of winemaking, Sarah’s many hats at Baltimore Bend Vineyard provide her with other unique industry challenges, especially in today’s post-pandemic world. As she notes, the family-owned winery is one of the few businesses that grows their product, manufactures it, packages it, sells it directly to the consumer and offers it wholesale. This massive undertaking has required the variety of skillsets offered by her whole family. Sarah’s communications background helped the family tell their story and effectively market their product. Her brother, Scott Livingston, who returned to the family business in 2013, uses his wholesale background to help the winery partner with various retailers throughout the state.

Although family businesses have their own challenges, the Livingston family still shares a meal nearly every Sunday night. They may try not to, but they always end up talking shop. When you share something that you’re passionate about, like Missouri wines, it’s hard to exclude it from the conversation.

Currently, the third generation is starting to work at the winery, and the family is planning for the future. They hope to add to the Baltimore Bend team, and maybe even one day have event rental space available on-site. But above all, Sarah hopes that everyone who tastes a Baltimore Bend Vineyard wine learns a little about her family’s home along historic Highway 24. At the end of the day, Sarah enjoys winemaking because it brings people joy.

Concord is the classic native red grape which flavors American cuisine from sweet, red wines, to grape juices, jams and jellies. More Concord grapes are currently raised in the U.S. than any other variety, according to the Concord Grape Association. While the father of Concord, Ephraim Wales Bull, hails from Boston, Massachusetts, this variety has deep roots in the Show Me State due in large part to Welch's Grape Co., and World War I.

Welch’s Grapelade (or grape marmalade) was invented in 1918 by Charles Welch. It was one of the first “modern” jams and a World War I ration staple. War rations increased the need for nonperishable food items such as jams and jellies. Grapelade, layered with a well-loved legume, soon spawned an American lunchtime favorite — the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This perfect combination set demand high for Concord grape production. All ages of American palates quickly adopted the sweet and savory “PB&J” as an accessible and delicious option for a snack or meal.

The demand for Concord-based products saved many vines in the St. James, Missouri area from being uprooted during Prohibition. Grapes once used to make wine were now being used to create Welch’s Grapelade. According to VisitMo.com, there are surviving pre-Prohibition vines in the St. James area as of today. These pivotal Welch’s contracts allowed many Missouri grape producers to weather Prohibition and save their vineyards.

One such vineyard, which celebrated its Centennial Anniversary in 2021, still produces Concord grapes in St. James. Many Italian immigrants, like the Tessaros, found work in this area planting, producing, harvesting and transporting Concord grapes for Welch’s Grape Co. to produce their famous juice and jelly. The Tessaro family immigrated in the late 1890s and planted their vineyard in 1921. With Prohibition enacted during the same year, the survival of this vineyard is even more of a treasure to the area and state’s history, especially when most vineyards and wineries were told to uproot their vineyards and dispose of their wines. Millions of barrels were poured out to waste. Vines like Concord, with a purpose other than making wine, were allowed to stay.

Today, Concord is still well-loved and appreciated in the St. James area. You can visit roadside stands along Interstate 44 for fresh Concord grapes each fall. Concord vines are grown on more than 112 acres in the Show Me State and account for 7% of the state's total acreage.

You can enjoy Concord’s sweet, recognizable flavor in various forms, but can best be enjoyed as a medium bodied, blue-purple wine. This fruit forward wine pairs well with summer favorites from barbecue to ice cream, making it the perfect wine to sip during summer (especially in the Midwest.) Cheers to the history of how these vines survived, with both history and vine roots that still run deep across the United States. Concord is truly the great American grape.

Concord is the classic native red grape which flavors American cuisine from sweet, red wines, to grape juices, jams and jellies. More Concord grapes are currently raised in the U.S. than any other variety, according to the Concord Grape Association. While the father of Concord, Ephraim Wales Bull, hails from Boston, Massachusetts, this variety has deep roots in the Show Me State due in large part to Welch's Grape Co., and World War I.

Welch’s Grapelade (or grape marmalade) was invented in 1918 by Charles Welch. It was one of the first “modern” jams and a World War I ration staple. War rations increased the need for nonperishable food items such as jams and jellies. Grapelade, layered with a well-loved legume, soon spawned an American lunchtime favorite — the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This perfect combination set demand high for Concord grape production. All ages of American palates quickly adopted the sweet and savory “PB&J” as an accessible and delicious option for a snack or meal.

The demand for Concord-based products saved many vines in the St. James, Missouri area from being uprooted during Prohibition. Grapes once used to make wine were now being used to create Welch’s Grapelade. According to VisitMo.com, there are surviving pre-Prohibition vines in the St. James area as of today. These pivotal Welch’s contracts allowed many Missouri grape producers to weather Prohibition and save their vineyards.

One such vineyard, which celebrated its Centennial Anniversary in 2021, still produces Concord grapes in St. James. Many Italian immigrants, like the Tessaros, found work in this area planting, producing, harvesting and transporting Concord grapes for Welch’s Grape Co. to produce their famous juice and jelly. The Tessaro family immigrated in the late 1890s and planted their vineyard in 1921. With Prohibition enacted during the same year, the survival of this vineyard is even more of a treasure to the area and state’s history, especially when most vineyards and wineries were told to uproot their vineyards and dispose of their wines. Millions of barrels were poured out to waste. Vines like Concord, with a purpose other than making wine, were allowed to stay.

Today, Concord is still well-loved and appreciated in the St. James area. You can visit roadside stands along Interstate 44 for fresh Concord grapes each fall. Concord vines are grown on more than 112 acres in the Show Me State and account for 7% of the state's total acreage.

You can enjoy Concord’s sweet, recognizable flavor in various forms, but can best be enjoyed as a medium bodied, blue-purple wine. This fruit forward wine pairs well with summer favorites from barbecue to ice cream, making it the perfect wine to sip during summer (especially in the Midwest.) Cheers to the history of how these vines survived, with both history and vine roots that still run deep across the United States. Concord is truly the great American grape.