****UPDATE****

We want to thank all the talented people who submitted their poems into the Missouri Wines Poetry Challenge. Carl Kinsky won the challenge with his poem titled "A Sense of Place." We hope you enjoy his entry as much as we did.

A Sense of Place
by: Carl Kinsky

As every wine lover knows,
A wine's more than just its nose.

A wine's more than just its taste.
A wine's about a sense of place.

A barren vine, stark and still,
Set against an Ozark hill.

Green grape shoots on a prairie slope,
Without any worries, full of hope.

Ripening grapes, lazy, no hurry,
                                                                                         On a bluff above the hazy Missouri.

                                                                                             A hint of color in the tree leaves,
                                                                                            Harvest comes to Ste. Genevieve.

                                                                                            Now I've heard folks praise Zinfandel,
                                                                                             But I'd rather have my Chardonel.

                                                                                            So call me a Missouri Pollyanna,
                                                                                            But pass me a glass of the Cynthiana.

A great poet can do more than just put words on paper. Poets like Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes and Robert Frost have a way of stirring emotions from deep within us. Poetry in books, canvas and songs (“Red Red Wine” by UB40 anyone?) has enchanted us since Shakepeare’s sonnets.  

World Poetry Day is Wednesday, March 21, 2018 and is a day set aside to celebrate our favorite poets and discover new ones. It is also a great time to try our own hand at poetry. Missouri Wines invites you to share your poetry about Missouri wine country with us. Tickle the keyboard or blow the dust off your journal and let the words flow. One lucky poet will receive a pair of tickets to the Farmers’ Table Wine Trail event in Hermann. This special event takes place on Saturday, April 7 and includes delectable wine and food pairings at seven wineries on the Hermann Wine Trail.

We even tried our hand at a little poetry and, no, we won't quit our day jobs. 

Always Time For Missouri Wine 

While the horizon’s vivid hues change with the passing of time
Her beauty remains constant
Velvety soft meadows
Never ceasing valleys and peaks
Meandering trails and winding roads

While fog gently rolls in
Her beauty is shrouded 
Mist laces the vines and leaves with dewy droplets
Until the sun shines through
Lifting the veil of cloud from the vineyards

Thus the day finds me
Enjoying the beauty in a glass that comes with hard work and care
Greeted by a hearty handshake and a welcome smile somewhat debonair
And, although not until the end did this poem rhyme
There’s always time for Missouri wine

In honor of International Ask a Question Day (March 14), we wanted to take some time to answer questions we get asked frequently. Most of these questions come to us during events where we are sampling local wines or Missouri Wine 101 classes. Wine is a broad subject with a great deal of information, and Missouri wine has its own long list of facts, figures and details.

Q: Aren’t all Missouri wines sweet?

A: Nope. With more than 125 wineries across the state, Missouri wines are as varied and unique as the people who make them. There are sweet wines, dry wines and everything in between.

Q: Why doesn’t Missouri have Cabernet and Chardonnay?

A: Many varietals of wine you may be used to hearing about or seeing on retail shelves are what you call Vinifera (originally European varieties). Most Vinifera simply can’t handle Missouri’s growing conditions (weather, primarily). So, local vintners focus on native varietals and hybrids that are more hardy and can handle our cold winters and humid summers. Bring on the Norton and Chardonel!

Q: How long is wine good after I’ve opened it?

A: “It depends” is the short answer. A slightly longer and more complicated answer is… it depends on which wine it is. Whites will last 3-5 days after being opened, reds 5-7, and port-style desserts wines for up to a few weeks. 

Q: What kind of Missouri wine should I pair with _________?

A: We have an entire section on our website that can help answer this question! Food and wine pairing is tons of fun and all about trying new things.

Q: Why is it called fruit wine when a wine isn’t made from grapes?

A: This question totally makes sense. After all, grapes are a fruit too, right? Yes. However, in the wine world, a wine made from grapes is referred to as wine (plain and simple), and a wine made from other fruits (cherries, blueberries, pineapple, apple, etc.) is called fruit wine. (Don’t look at us. We didn’t make the rules.)

We hope this short Q and A has cleared up some things for you. If you ever have Missouri wine questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out on social media. We’re on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and we are happy to be your resource for all things Missouri wine! 

Originally a religious feast day to honor Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved over the years into a day to celebrate all things Irish across the globe. Whether it’s festivals or special foods, St. Patrick’s Day revelry is a good time for all… unless you forget your green of course! Here is a fun and easy craft project you can do to join in the St. Patrick’s Day festivities. Show your Irish spirit with this DIY Cork Shamrock.

Watch this video for a step-by-step, how-to guide:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhAg8ZY0pe4&feature=youtu

Supplies

• 47 used wine corks
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue sticks
• Green acrylic paint
• Paint brush

Instructions

• Plug in hot glue gun to warm up.
• Using this downloadable diagram, arrange your corks into the shamrock shape.
• Begin attaching the corks to each other one by one until you have connected them all in the shamrock shape.
• Once the glue has dried, remove any excess strings left behind from the hot glue.
• Paint the ends of the corks green and let dry.
• Display your festive wine cork shamrock!

Have a great St. Patrick’s Day. Sláinte! 

Mulled wine is a warm, flavorful beverage that can remove the chill from a cold winter’s day. Although there are many mulled wine recipes, here is a simple and delicious version that features Missouri Chambourcin and port-style dessert wine, guaranteed to tantalize your taste buds.

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

Mulled Wine

Time: 25 to 30 minutes    l    Yield: 4 to 6 people

Ingredients
750 ml (1 bottle) - Missouri Chambourcin
1 cup - Missouri port-style dessert wine
⅓ cup - Brown sugar
½ cup - Mulling spices: cloves, nutmeg, star anise, ginger
1 - Orange

Garnish
1 - Orange
4 to 6 - Cinnamon sticks

Prep work:
Wrap spices in a cheese cloth. Tie with kitchen twine and set the sachet to the side. Slice 2 oranges.

Directions:
Pour the bottle of Missouri Chambourcin into a large pot. Add ⅓ cup brown sugar and 1 cup Missouri port-style wine. Heat on medium for 12 to 15 minutes. Add fresh orange slices and the sachet of spices then cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Do not boil. Ladle mulled wine into each glass. Optional: garnish your glass with a fresh orange slice and cinnamon stick. Serve warm and enjoy.

You can combine a variety of spices to create a mulled wine that is perfect for you. 

The Show Me State loves Chinese food. And why wouldn’t we; it’s delicious! Missourians also love local wine, so here are some great pairing ideas. Match up these locally crafted wines with your favorite Chinese dishes for a delicious dinner! 

If you’re serving several different dishes, the best overall pairings for Chinese food tend to be Vignoles and Traminette. The fruity and floral notes combined with the slight sweetness are a great match for the flavors and spices in many Chinese dishes.

Cheers to Chinese food paired with Missouri wines!  

They say it only takes seconds to make a first impression, but Katie Nott wasn’t watching the clock when she first saw Clyde Gill. She was trying to make a good impression of her own. Katie had recently graduated with a degree in horitculture from Michigan State University. She was in the middle of a tour, hoping to secure an internship at one of the largest wineries in Missouri. He was in the middle of a fermentation gone wrong. Clyde, the self-titled “cellar rat,” didn’t make a great first impression. She thought he looked like an angry man. Katie’s plan was to avoid him, but that became difficult after her internship started and their paths began to cross.

One such occasion occurred during the week of Maifest. Katie was stationed behind a cash register when Clyde walked through and teased, “Is that what you got your fancy degree for?’” If Katie was upset, she didn’t let it show. “Cash Register 101,” she quipped, “coming at you right now.”

Dry, sweet and everything in-between. You may think you’ve discovered all that Missouri wine country has to offer, but have you sipped our delicious dessert wines?

Port, or dessert wine as it’s commonly referred to in Missouri, is wine that has been fortified by brandy. Adding brandy to wine during fermentation stops the process and allows the wine to retain a lot of its natural sweetness. Fortified wine has more body and palate density than other wines. Dessert wine comes in sweet, dry and semi-dry styles and red and white varieties.

Missouri winemakers craft unique dessert wines, blending grape varietals to put their own spin on classic port-style dessert wines. The next time you travel to Missouri wine country, stop by one of the following wineries and discover their delicious dessert wine.

Adam Puchta Winery – The winery offers two ports, Signature Port and Anniversary Port. Signature Port exhibits the style of Ruby character Ports known for their rich fruity quality and emphasizes ripeness, depth and smoothness. Anniversary Port is reminiscent of vintage Ports and has been aged for six years with toasted French and American oak to create caramel and vanilla character on the nose and palate. Norton-based Anniversary Port features fig, plum and black cherry flavors combined with hints of spice and coffee.  

Arcadian Moon Winery & Brewery – Bellona is a blend of Chambourcin and Norton that includes notes of blackberry, cherry, fig, dark chocolate and hints of tobacco and pepper.

Augusta Winery – The winery features three dessert wines – Vintage Port, 5 Year Old Tawny and Augusta Icewine. Augusta Winery uses the traditional method for making Port and the Solera method to produce the 5-year -old Tawny. The winery’s Icewine is a rare dessert wine.

Balducci Vineyards –Time Signature Release Two is an intensely flavored dessert wine, a blend of 80 percent Norton and 20 percent Chambourcin.

Baltimore Bend Vineyard – The Norton-based Port of Waverly is named after the historic port at the Missouri River in Waverly, Mo. 

Cave Hollow West Winery –The Gilded Page is a white dessert wine made from Missouri-grown Vidal Blanc. The dessert wine is lightly oaked with a taste of apricot.

Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard – Edg-Clif Port is crafted from barrel-aged Chambourcin.

Jowler Creek Vineyard & Winery – Nort is made with Norton grapes and features aromas of blackberries, plums and chocolate.   

Keltoi Vineyard & Winery – Celtic Goddess is made from Chambourcin.

Les Bourgeois Vineyards – Rocheport, named after the town in which the winery resides, is a sweet, silky port-style dessert wine with aromas of dark confectioneries and ripe berries which proceed the rich, rustic flavors characteristic of the Norton grape.

Montelle Winery – Cynthiana Port features Norton (aka Cynthiana) and is similar to a Portuguese Port. Framboise is a sweet raspberry dessert wine made from 100 percent raspberries.   

Mount Pleasant Estates & Winery – Vintage Port, Tawny Port, Ten Year Old Port and Barrel Select Port are crafted with Norton and other grape varietals.

Noboleis Vineyards ­– Volume IV is fortified with grape brandy, featuring aromas and flavors of dark chocolate and dried fruits.

Pirtle Winery – The winery’s Premium Port is aged in French and American Oak.

Riverwood Winery – Visitors can try three distinct dessert wines: Riverwood Chocolate Cherry Dessert Wine, Riverwood Red Eminence and Riverwood Blackberry Dessert Wine. These blends feature Chambourcin, Norton, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Seven Springs Winery – Left Side White is Vignoles-based and tastes like a green caramel apple, while Left Side Red is a Norton-based dessert wine and features a very soft pallet with a tremendous amount of depth.

Stone Hill Winery – The 2013 Stone Hill Winery Port is oak aged in both small American and French oak barrels for one year, then bottle aged to produce a rich, dark dessert wine that has stunningly powerful blackberry and cassis flavors.

Wenwood Farm Winery – Tawny is a red dessert wine that offers a rich, mellow sweetness and hints of exotic fire to warm the palate.

West Winery – Whisper is a red dessert wine that features Missouri-grown Norton grapes.

Wild Sun Winery – Eclipse is aged in French oak barrels and boasts big flavors of chocolate and berry notes.

Vox Vineyards – Munson RePort has notes of figs, baked black cherries and pomegranate molasses cradled by overtones of red apple skin, dried eucalyptus, tamarind and freshly-baked sticky buns. Wetumka RePort has intense notes of lemon verbena, pineapple syrup and clove with hints of home-made applesauce, candied grape, vanilla bean and wood.   

The Super Bowl is easily one of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the year, especially here in Missouri. We love our football! But no game day get together is complete without delicious snacks. According to The Daily Meal, these are the ten most popular Super Bowl snacks and we have the perfect Missouri wines to pair with each… everything you need to host the perfect Super Bowl Soiree!

10. Potato Skins + Chambourcin

These flavor-packed spuds are great with an earthy and smooth Chambourcin.

9. Jalapeno Poppers + Vignoles

The heat from the jalapenos and the creaminess from the cheese are amazing with the fruitiness and acidity of Vignoles!

8. Pigs in a Blanket + Catawba

Catawba is a great match for Pigs in a Blanket, especially if you use sharp cheddar and dip in mustard or honey mustard.

7. Deviled Eggs + Chardonel

Deviled Eggs may have a reputation for being a bit old fashioned, but they are a crowd favorite and are delicious paired with a Chardonel.

6. Pulled Pork + Concord

Barbecue and Concord wine are a solid match… even more so if you like your barbecue a little on the spicy side.

5. Guacamole + Vidal Blanc

Crisp and bright Vidal Blanc is a great match to stand up to creamy, fatty (but the good fats, right?) guacamole.

4. Nachos + Rosé

What type of rosé depends on how much heat you like on your nachos. Just remember… sweet cuts heat. If you load up on the pepper and hot salsa, go with a sweeter rosé.

3. Buffalo Wings + Vignoles

This is about as classic as it gets! Vignoles pairs so well with the spiciness and acidity of Buffalo Wings.

2. Chili + Norton

If you’re cooking for a crowd, chili is a great option and its heartiness is well matched with Norton.

1. Pizza + Chambourcin

Chambourcin wine and pizza are sure to be a crowd pleaser at your big game get together.

Try one or several of these pairings for a delicious Super Bowl experience!