Missouri’s 130+ wineries produce amazing wine, including unique wines that will surprise even the pickiest palate.

Fruity
If your palate prefers fruity flavors, you may enjoy Hermannhof’s Cherry, Montelle Winery’s Red Raspberry, West Winery’s Sweet Blackberry, St. James Winery’s Mango or Strawberry, Stone Hill Winery’s Peach. Other fruity favorites include Tipple Hill Winery and Vineyard’s Black Cherry, Stonehaus Farms Vineyard and Winery’s Apple Cranberry, Hemman Winery’s Apricot, Pirtle Winery’s Blueberry, Odessa Country Winery’s Pear, 7C’s Winery’s Apple or Endless Summer Winery’s Pineapple.

Baked Goods
If you’re craving something delicious from the bakery, try St. James Winery’s Apple Pie, West Winery’s Spiced Apple or Windy Wine Company’s Blueberry Muffin. Ladoga Ridge Winery makes a flavorful Strawberry Rhubarb.

Spicy
If you’re a fan of spicy, try Endless Summer Winery’s Habanero or Jalapeno wines. They also feature a Raspberry Chipotle wine that begins with semi-sweet raspberry and quickly moves to a light smoky flavor, then finishes with a bit of a jalapeno/peppery flavor.

Nostalgia
Who doesn’t want to go back to their childhood favorite from time to time? Windy Wine Company’s Peanut Butter and Jelly wine is sure to make you nostalgic for classic PB & J sandwiches.  

We hope you try one of these and many of the other unique wines that can be found at Missouri wineries. For a complete list of wineries, visit www.missouriwine.org/wineries.

*This is not an all-inclusive list of unique wines Missouri wineries offer. Photos are credited to wineries.

What’s better than a clean, crisp white wine? Adding it to a delicious pasta salad. Pasta Primavera with Vidal Blanc is a flavorful dish that is full of beautifully colored vegetables, making it a great summertime dish. It’s easy to make and sure to impress your guests while they relax on the patio or poolside this season.

Servings: 4 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 28 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 oz farfalle pasta
• 1/4 cup leftover liquid from cooking pasta
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 cup sliced asparagus (1 inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup Vidal Blanc
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 pt baby grape tomatoes (cut in halves)
• 1 diced yellow onion
• 1 diced summer squash

Instructions

Cook the pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Remember to save 1/4 cup cooking liquid before draining. While cooking the pasta, preheat a large skillet over medium low heat for a couple of minutes. Once preheated, add butter to the pan. Add diced onion and sliced asparagus and cook for two minutes. Add diced squash and cook another two minutes. Add the frozen peas. Cook for another two minutes. Stir in salt, pepper and minced garlic. Do not let the garlic burn. Cook one more minute. Add Vidal Blanc and cook a minute and a half. Turn off the heat after the wine has cooked. Add tomatoes and cooked pasta. Stir to combine. Add cooking liquid from the pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Serve immediately.

Refrigerate any leftovers and enjoy them later, cold or reheated.

Vidal Blanc, pronounced vee-dahl blahnk, is a French-American hybrid grape that most often produces a dry to semi-dry wine with fragrances of a fresh summer garden. Clean, citrus fruit flavors of apples and lemon make this wine a summertime favorite.

There are nearly 140 acres of Vidal Blanc grapes in Missouri which account for 8.2% of all grapes grown in the state. These grape vines do well in winter months and are susceptible to mildew and several other fungus diseases.

Vidal Blanc pairs best with simple, fresh ingredients like basil and garlic, as well as seafood and poultry. Perhaps the most perfect pairings for Vidal Blanc are warm summer days and a patio.

Missouri Wines invites you to enjoy a glass of Vidal Blanc, simple like a summer day.

Who knew fruit wine could pair so well with food? Many Missouri wineries offer a variety of fruit wines that you can pair with your favorite dish.

This season, make the beef kabob and dip recipe that’s guaranteed to be a real crowd-pleaser. Grill mouth-watering morsels of sirloin steak along with your favorite fruits and veggies, then dip them into a delicious sauce featuring a dry, Missouri white wine. It’s easy to make so what are you waiting for? Watch our step-by-step video and fire up the grill today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0QZfuBSwGQ

Skewer ingredients
• 1 beef Top Sirloin Steak Boneless, about 1-1/2 pounds, cut 1 inch thick
• 2 tsp coarse ground black pepper 
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• Red Onion
• Pineapple
• Green, red or orange peppers

Dipping Sauce Ingredients 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 14 oz oasted red peppers, rinsed, drained, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (Vidal Blanc)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme leaves, crushed or 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme 
• 1 cup unsalted beef broth
• 2 tsp cornstarch 

Sirloin steak seasoning instructions

Add salt, course ground black pepper, sweet paprika and minced garlic to sirloin steak, then add your favorite fruits and veggies. Grill to perfection!

Cave Hollow West Winery features an entire wine series that pays homage to Mark Twain. The winery is located across the street from the Mark Twain Cave Complex in Hannibal, the boyhood home of the legendary author. 

Satire, the winery’s newest dry white wine, is dedicated to Mark Twain’s legendary dry wit. The author, known for his satire, knew how to weave a good tale – some tall and unbelievable - others he swore were true, including the story of his birth. Twain claimed that Haley’s Comet passed overhead as he was born in 1835 and prophesied that he would die as it passed again. Twain died when earth passed through the tail of Haley’s comet on April 21, 1910. 

Skip the crowded restaurant and sip your Cinco de Mayo Rita at home. Mix up your cocktail recipe this year by adding wine. Here are four recipes that are sure to impress your guests:

Sunset Wine-a-Rita
*Recipe courtesy of Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard
 
What you will need:
4 oz Sunset Rosé Wine
1 oz Triple Sec
2 oz margarita mix
Ice
Sugar
Watermelon wedges

Instructions:
1. First, wet the rims of two margarita glasses in lime juice and then dip them in sugar to cover the top of the glasses.
2. Fill glasses with ice. (Be careful to avoid knocking sugar into glass)
3. Add wine, triple sec and margarita mix to a glass and stir.
4. Pour into glasses and finish with a watermelon wedge.

Frozen Red Wine Margarita

What you will need:
8 oz tequila
12 oz margarita mix
2 oz lime juice
3 oz Triple Sec or Grand Marnier
1 bottle of light and fruity red wine
1 pinch of kosher or flaky sea salt

Instructions:
1. Pour the entire bottle of red wine into an ice cube tray and let freeze for at least 6 hours.
2. In a blender, mix tequila, margarita mix, lime juice, red wine ice cubes and triple sec until slushy.
3. Pour, sip and enjoy!

Optional: Before pouring your Red Wine Margarita, wet the rim of your glass with a lime wedge and sprinkle rim with salt.  

Citrus Wine-a-Rita

What you will need:
1 bottle Vidal Blanc
12 oz can of limeade concentrate
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup (or more) quality tequila
Water
Sea salt 
Lime or orange slices (optional for garnish)

Instructions:
1. In a large pitcher, combine the wine, limeade, orange juice and tequila.
2. Fill the empty limeade can with water twice and pour into the pitcher.
3. Stir to combine all ingredients.
4. Wet the rim of each glass with a lime wedge and dip into sea salt to coat.
5. Pour Citrus Wine-a-Rita over ice.

Garnish with lime and/or orange slices and enjoy!

Sangrita Swirl

What you will need for the sangria swirl:
1 cup red frozen red wine (freeze in ice cube trays)
2 tbsp of triple sec
1 tbsp fresh lime juice  
Juice from half of an orange

What you will need for the margarita:
6 oz. frozen limeade concentrate
2 shots of tequila
1 shot Triple Sec
1 cup ice
Straw (optional for swirling)

Instructions:
1. First, wet the rims of your two margarita glasses in lime juice and then dip them in either kosher salt or sugar to cover the rim of the glasses.
2. Blend the frozen red wine cubes with the triple sec, lime juice and orange juice. Pour into a glass and set aside (or store in freezer).
3. Add frozen limeade concentrate, tequila, triple sec and ice to the blender. Blend until slushy.
4. Pour the margarita mix into the two glasses and then pour the sangria mixture on top. Swirl together with a straw.

*Recipe makes 2. Double and use the entire can of frozen limeade to make 4.

We hope you try one (or more) of these delicious Wine-a-Rita recipes and that you enjoy them as much as we did. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

A bottle of wine tells many stories. The first chapter revolves around the origin of the grapes. Many regions around the world are historically known for their grape growing and the quality wines they produce. Napa and Sonoma are two of the most recognized appellations or American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in the nation.  But did you know that the honor for the first AVA was bestowed on Augusta, Missouri?

An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States. An AVA is distinguished by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Missouri is home to the country’s first designated AVA.

Viticultural areas allow winegrowers to more accurately communicate the origin of their wines to their consumers. 

Federal regulations require 75 percent or more of wine be derived from grapes grown within the TTB-established AVA boundaries in order to designate a wine with the name of an AVA. The wine must be fully finished within the labeled appellation.

AVAs in Missouri include:

Augusta AVA
The first AVA in the United States was accorded to Augusta, Missouri on June 20, 1980. Seven California districts and one in Oregon had filed applications with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; however, the honor went to the 15 square mile area surrounding Augusta. The bureau cited the unique soil, climate and wines, as well as Augusta’s long history as one of America’s oldest and foremost grape and wine districts.

Ozark Mountain AVA
The Ozark Mountain AVA was established on August 1, 1986 and covers a vast 3.5 million acres in southern Missouri, extending into northwest Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma. The Ozark Mountain AVA is so large, several smaller AVA’s lay within its borders, including Augusta, Hermann and Ozark Highlands. It is the sixth largest AVA in the United States.

Hermann AVA
The Hermann AVA was recognized on February 27, 1987 and consists of 51,200 acres in the Hermann area between St. Louis and Jefferson City, Missouri. German immigrants settled the Missouri River Valley area in the 1830s and began planting vineyards in what is today one of the most historic wine regions in the nation.

Ozark Highlands AVA
The Ozark Highlands AVA was designated on September 30, 1987; although the grape growing tradition goes back to the 1870s. The fourth accorded AVA in Missouri encompasses 1,280,000 acres in south-central Missouri, covering portions of eleven Missouri counties including the town of St. James, Missouri.

Loess Hills District AVA
The Loess Hills District AVA was established on April 4, 2016 and consists of 12,897 square miles of loess-based hills comprising a long, narrow region along the western banks of the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers in western Iowa and northwestern Missouri. The topography is characterized by rolling to steep hills. The deep loess enables grapevine roots to reach deeply into the soil and allows water to drain quickly.

Any person or group can file a petition for a new or modified AVA. The TTB has created an AVA Manual for Petitioners that provides guidance on preparing a petition and collecting and evaluating information regarding distinguishing features. Establishing a new AVA can take years to complete and requires both patience and persistence from both the petitioner and the TTB.

Next time you’re shopping for Missouri wine, check out the labels to see which ones originated in one of the five AVAs.