Another year has come and gone and we are already running head first into the Christmas holiday! As time flies and everyone grows older, we realize how important it is to stop and take a look around. The holiday season is a great time to be thankful for our loved ones and all that we have. 

Allow Missouri Wines to be a part of your celebrations this year. In addition to the many great pairings that we share all year-round, we also want to supply you with a tasty holiday wine-tail that will be a delight at any gathering this season. 

Cheers to being thankful, grateful and blessed! 

Missouri Cranberry Rosemary Cocktail​

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Freeze Time: 8 hours | Serving Size: 10 glasses

Cocktail Ingredients:

1 ½ cup          Water
1 sprig            Fresh rosemary
2 cups            Cranberry juice
1 cup              Triple Sec
1 bottle           Missouri sparkling wine, chilled

Directions: 

Heat water to boil in microwave – depending on your microwave, this could take 2-5 minutes. Once your water begins boiling, remove from the microwave and add a rosemary sprig to the water, let it steep for 10 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig. 

In a 1-quart freezer container, combine cranberry juice, rosemary water and Triple Sec. Cover and freeze for 8 hours or until ready to use. 

To serve, scoop frozen cranberry mixture into your glass of choice – champagne flutes, wine glasses, etc. Fill the glass about ½ full. Top the glass with your Missouri sparkling wine of choice. Garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary. 

Enjoy!

Although Johnna’s mother Donna struggles with dementia, she recognized her husband the instant she saw the label. “She was overcome with emotion,” recalls Johnna who made a print to hang in her mom’s room.  “She loves it and shows it to everyone.”

There’s another reason why Jack’s Frost is so special to the Swineford family. It’s the first wine that John and Johnna have produced at the winery. The couple purchased Viandel Vineyard on February 23, 2018. The winery’s seasonal wine has a rich color and crisp cranberry flavor with a smooth finish. Jack’s Frost’s semi-sweet nature has the perfect balance of tartness and tastes like Christmas in a glass.

It’s the time of year when we scramble to find gifts for our friends and family members. Sometimes it is hard to think outside the box and find the perfect gift year after year. 

No worries, Missouri Wines is here to help! What better way to spread holiday cheer than shopping local and supporting Missouri businesses?

Have you ever thought about going to your local winery and checking out their retail items? Many wineries have great options for that wine lover in your life. Of course you can find a great selection of Missouri wines, but retail items may also include:

• Apparel 
• Wine stoppers
• Home décor
• Baking items
• Mulled wine spices
• Tumbler cups
• Wine glasses
• Cheese boards
• Candles
• Wine totes
• Pillows
• Dish towels
• Hats
• Koozies
  
      
    
     
     
  
  
  The best tip we have to give when it comes to Christmas shopping? When in doubt, a bottle of wine always does the trick… especially when it’s Missouri wine!  

Do you have a Christmas tree with spare space? How about one or more sparkling wine corks lying around? If the answer to both questions happens to be “yes”, you’re in for a treat! 

Get in the crafting mood and create these adorable sparkling snowman cork ornaments. It’s fun and easy. Plus, you only need a few supplies. These cork ornaments are the perfect addition to any Christmas tree or holiday decorations. 

Supplies Needed: 
Paint brush
Paper plate
Permanent markers (black and orange) 
Ribbon
Scissors
Screw eye rings 
Sparkling wine corks
Twine
White paint 

Optional: 
Glue
Hot glue gun

Assembly Steps: 
1. Gather your sparkling wine cork and one screw eye ring. 
2. Gently turn the screw eye ring into the cork.  Keep turning the screw until you can only see the ring peeking out of the top of the cork. 
3. Once you have the screw eye ring in the cork, hold the cork by the screw and paint the cork white.  Depending on how your paint spreads, you may need to apply a second coat. 
4. Let your cork dry completely.  Again, depending on your paint and the number of coats you apply, this could take 5-15 minutes.  To speed up the drying process, use a blow dryer or heat gun on low speed.
5. After the cork is dry, draw eyes, buttons, and a mouth with a black permanent marker.  
6. Next, use your orange permanent marker to draw the snowman’s nose. 
7. After you’ve drawn on your snowman, cut ribbon for the scarf.  We cut our pieces about 5 inches long. 
8. Gently tie the scarf around the snowman’s neck.  In order to get the scarf to lay to the side, try tying a loose double knot. If you don’t want to tie the scarf, you can also use a hot glue gun to place the scarf on the snowman. 
9. Cut your twine to the length that you want, loop the twine through the screw eye ring and tie a knot. 
10. Place your snowman on the tree!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsPGM_N_FyE&feature

Living in Missouri, we are fortunate to be surrounded by more than 130 fabulous wineries that take pride in their wine.  From grapes to glass, the amount of love and time our wineries and vineyards pour into production is truly astonishing. Throughout the year, as the wineries work together to make their award-winning wines, many of their wines wouldn’t be possible without the wine barrels grapes spend the majority of their aging life in. 

So, what do you know about these barrels?  The wine barrels, where the wine spends years hibernating, are extremely important to the flavors these wines take on. Here are the basics of barrel manufacturing and methods that Missouri manufacturers use. 

First and foremost, there are two production components for barrel manufacturers.

 (Stave pieces pictured)

 (Stave pieces being formed into barrels)

There are stave mills, which are companies that saw white oak logs into staves for barrel production, and then air dry the staves before selling them. They can also produce headings, which are the tops and bottoms of each barrel. In addition to stave mills, barrel manufacturers are called cooperages. Cooperages oftentimes purchase staves from stave mills to make the barrels. However, each manufacturer has a different process. Some cooperages do the entire process themselves, manufacturing their own staves and headings to produce their barrels from start to finish. But, what’s important to note, is that cooperages may each approach barrel manufacturing in a unique way.

Did you know that the world’s largest barrel manufacturer is located in Missouri?

Independent Stave Company (ISC) is the world’s largest barrel manufacturer and is located in Lebanon, Missouri. ISC was founded in 1912 and continues to grow its 100+ year heritage. 

All barrels are made from white oak.

The white oak used to produce barrels is either European oak or American oak. Every single barrel that is made in the world comes from one of those two types of white oak. 

There are two ways to test if a barrel is completely sealed.  

Whether the barrel is being made to age whiskey or wine, the next step after the barrel is formed together with staves and headings is to fest the seal. There are two types of tests that can be performed. One of the ways to test the barrel is to fill the barrel with air and see if there is air seeping out from any areas of the barrel. The same type of process can be performed by filling the barrel with water. Just like the air test, if any water leaks out of the barrel, there was an issue in the creation of the barrel unit and the barrel won’t be used. 

Now that you know all barrels are made from white oak and how the seals are tested, did you know there is a difference between wine and whiskey barrels? 

After the barrels are created and tested for durability, depending on if the barrels are going to be used for wine or whiskey production, the next steps are very different. For our wineries, the barrels are toasted. The inside of the wine barrel is toasted and not burned. The reason for toasting wine barrels is because winemakers want the wine to take on the toasted oak flavor of the barrel. Whiskey barrels are charred. The charring (burning process) singes the inside of the barrel and gives the whiskey its brown color. This is another reason winemaker’s barrels aren’t charred – they don’t want their wine to take on the dark color. 

Not only does Missouri house the largest barrel manufacturer, but ranks 2nd in the US for barrel and stave exports. We are Missouri proud and thankful for all of the barrel manufacturers and the work that they do to ensure that Missouri wineries can produce their best wines.

“The care we take now to manage the plants and their welfare is a long-term investment in the stewardship of our land,” said Andrew Meggitt, winemaker at St. James Winery. Meggitt, along with other winemakers don’t stop working when harvest is over.  For these hardworking folks, the work has just begun. From checking the chemical stability of wine to preparing the vineyard for pruning, here’s a look into continued wine production at a few Missouri wineries. 

Edg-Clif Vineyard Winery & Brewery: Critical Time of Year

At Edg-Clif, as harvest season ends and fermentation is complete, it’s time to monitor and test the basic chemistry and temperature stability of the wines. 

Through strategic scheduling and planning, red wines start aging in barrels. “This becomes a choreographed endeavor that requires careful planning to rack the 2017 vintage reds from the barrel, clean and inspect those barrels, then refill them with the 2018 vintage,” said Cyndy Keesee, winemaker at Edg-Clif Vineyard Winery & Brewery. The catch? This whole process is done in the same day!

Once the new year begins and cold stability is complete, bottling begins. The bottling process typically begins toward the end of February.  

Balducci Vineyards: Transferring to Barrels

As the harvest season flows from October into early November at Balducci Vineyards, many of the wines have fermented dry. However, the norton grape still needs time. Norton requires ongoing attention. It will continue to macerate with the seeds and skins for at least 30 additional days.

At this point, the white wines have been racked for months on the lees and will be bottled in about four to six months. The chambourcin has been transferred to the barrel and will remain there for another 10 months as it progresses through malolactic fermentation¹.

And finally, deep cleaning begins and all the harvest equipment is put away until next year – but the work to make great Missouri wines isn’t over!

St. James Winery: Crafting Wines After Harvest

At St. James Winery, as the vineyard leaves begin to turn and harvest season is drawing to a close, winemakers and grape growers begin to think about the days that remain in the calendar year. 

In the cellar, fermentations are slowing or complete and production staff begin blending the first of the wines. From now until the new year, the creation of the 2018 vintage involves filtration, tasting, fining and making any needed tannin adjustments.   

Meanwhile, preparation begins for next year’s crop in the vineyard. Soil samples are taken and the team analyzes and considers adjustments for early 2019. The graft unions are covered to protect them from the winter temperatures and the trellis is repaired, posts replaced and preparations made for pruning in December. Other pre-pruning practices include moving rocks, replacing dead wood and removing damaged vines. 

Four Horses and a Dog Winery: From Fermentation to Finished Goods

Four Horses and a Dog Winery closes out harvest season as they crush their remaining grapes. 

For their vignoles, everything that was grown this year was harvested by August and has since been placed into fermentation tanks. The chambourcin grapes, harvested mid-October, are being processed and will soon be fermented. The year will close out as they label their 2017 vintages. 

This year Four Horses and a Dog Winery is a little busier than most winters! They’re currently expanding and adding a warehouse to the property for additional fermentation tanks and space for finished wine. Exciting, yet busy times are ahead at the winery!

Crown Valley Winery: White and Red Wine Fermentation

As the year winds down and winter draws near, it’s time to start fermentation at Crown Valley Winery. While harvest concludes, red wines are being pressed and in some cases are moved into the process of malolactic fermentation¹.

The cellar crew is hard at work and busy with their day-to-day operations. The Crown Valley crew works diligently to co-pack the majority of their products. They have canning lines as well as multiple bottling lines to help bring products to market for the beverage industry.  

Chaumette Vineyards & Winery: Cold Stabilization and Cleaning Equipment

Harvest is wrapping up at Chaumette Vineyards & Winery and fermentation is almost complete. The white grapes ripened later than normal this year so they are nearing the end of the fermentation process.  

Other activities that are unfolding at the winery include racking the wine off the yeast, letting the wine settle and consolidating tanks at the warehouse. All of this is done to prepare for the mixing and blending that will soon take place.  

Cold stabilization will occur shortly and even though it doesn’t affect the taste or quality of the wine, this process ensures that crystals won’t form after the wine has been bottled. As the temperatures cool, winter provides a prime environment for stabilization to take place.  

Lastly, in addition to wine production running through each of its stages, there is always equipment, facilities and areas that need to be scrubbed and cleaned. Although it’s hard to believe, the 2019 harvest season will be here before we know it! 

For Missouri wineries, a lot is happening at all times of the year. Whether it’s farm teams working hard in the vineyard, or the cellar teams crafting great wines… all of the hard work comes together to produce the spectacular Missouri wine we all know and appreciate. 

¹Malolactic Fermentation:Process in which in which tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid