Hello April! Spring has sprung and many wine enthusiasts are trading in their reds for whites. Whether you’re picnicking in the park or relaxing inside while it rains, don’t forget to grab one of your favorite Missouri wines.   

April is also Chardonel Month. Chardonel is a cross between Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay. The Missouri Chardonel is a classic white wine that ranges in style from dry to sweet. When aged in an oak barrel, the wine has a subtle spice but in stainless steel Chardonel has more of a citrus taste.

One of our favorite things about Chardonel is how food friendly it is. Spring is a great time to fire up that grill and Chardonel pairs well with grilled chicken and fish like trout and halibut. It also pairs well with smoked pork, portabella mushrooms, gouda and Monterey jack cheeses, apples and even vanilla pudding.

Chardonel accounts for only 3.9% of all grapes grown in Missouri, but don’t let that number fool you, the grapes are highly productive and durable to our Show-Me State’s frigid temperatures.

Enjoy the season and sip a spring classic - Chardonel.

Have you ever read the description on the back of a wine bottle but then struggled to detect the notes in your wine glass? 

You’re not alone. Our ability to pick out the aromas in wine is aided by all the wonderful smells in our memory bank. For example, if you’ve smelled a lemon before, chances are you can detect a citrus smell in a wine, but how many of us have smelled a black currant?

Why is our ability to smell so important? Research shows that between 75 to 95 percent of what we taste is derived from our sense of smell. Familiarizing yourself with the aromas in a wine can help you more fully appreciate the experience. 

The great news is that you don’t have to be a sommelier to improve your sniffing skills. You can educate yourself on your own time with a wine aroma kit. You can find a variety of premade kits online and in select stores. These kits take the most common aromas found in wine and bottle them into small vials. The kits come in different sizes. Of course, the more aromas they contain, the more expensive the price tag, with some kits costing several hundred dollars. 

Or you can save money and build your own wine aroma kit. Examples of DIY wine aroma kits can be found on Wine Spectator and Wine Folly. 

Once you have a premade or homemade kit, sniff the vials on a regular basis until you can identify each one, then take your trained nose to a get-together and impress your friends. Engage in a little blind wine smelling. Ask your friends to hand you a glass of wine and see if you can correctly identify the notes.
 
The UC Davis wine aroma wheel is another great resource that can aid you in the process. The wheel has several sections designed to help you identify the different flavors, scents and aromas found in a variety of wines. 

Of course, an even more enjoyable way to improve your sense of smell is to gain firsthand knowledge while visiting the beautiful wineries in Missouri. During your visit, the winery’s knowledgeable staff will guide you through the tasting experience and help you detect the aromas in their wines.

Before you embark on your adventure, review these aromas often associated with Missouri wines.

Red wines

Chambourcin
• Cherries and light oak

Concord 
• Grapey

Norton
• Dark berries with light spices

White wines 

Chardonel
• Lemon or the inside of a barrel

Traminette
• Floral arrangement 

Vidal Blanc
• Fresh summer garden

Vignoles
• Fresh cut tropical fruit 

Additional information about these varietals can be found on the Missouri wines website.

We hope these suggestions help you become more familiar with the delightful aromas in Missouri wines and get more out of your wine tasting experience. 

Searching for appetizer ideas? Let your online pursuit end here. This creamy (and absolutely dreamy) Missouri red wine cheese dip is so delicious it deserves six stars out of five. While it may take a little effort to whip it all together, the end result is worth it. Impress your family and friends with this savory cheese spread, destined to be the one snack that keeps people coming back for more.

Prep Time: 1 hour I Serving Size: 8
Ingredients:
¼ cup Caramelized onions
2 tbsp Fresh rosemary, minced
5 oz Feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp Red wine (we used a semi-dry wine)
3 tbsp Honey
½ tsp Sea salt, fine
8 oz Cream cheese – 1/3 less fat, softened 
Bread or Crackers

Instructions:
1. Caramelize onions. Place the onions, rosemary, feta cheese, red wine, honey and fine sea salt in a food processor. Pulse until it forms a thick paste, occasionally scraping down the sides.
2. Add cream cheese and pulse until well-blended. 
3. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
4. Serve chilled with your favorite bread or crackers and Missouri wine. 

Everyone needs comfort food now and again to provide that instant gratification. Why not put a new spin on a classic dish like grilled cheese sandwiches. Whether you need a hearty meal after a long day, a hard week or due to the dreary weather adding wine is always a bonus.

Servings: 4-6 | Time: 20-30 minutes                  

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Butter
• ½ Red onion (chopped)
• 1 clove Garlic (minced)
• Dash Rosemary
• Dash Thyme
• 1 tbsp Flour
• ¾  cup Red wine (Norton)
• ½  cup Shredded cheese
• French bread

Melt butter over medium heat to prepare pan. Sauté onion until softened, then add garlic, rosemary and thyme. Continue to cook. Mix in flour then add wine. We used Missouri Norton but other red wines could be substituted. Reduce mixture until thickened. Apply melted butter to one side of the sliced French bread. For extra flavor add garlic salt to the melted butter. Spread wine reduction sauce onto the opposite side of each slice of bread then add shredded cheese. We used an Applewood smoked cheddar. Top with another slice of French bread. To really amp up the wow factor, add a few slices of bacon.

Enjoy your new found delight with a glass of Missouri wine!

It’s one of our favorite times of the year – Girl Scout cookie time. Back for a limited time, these delicious treats are hard to resist. This year, we invite you to take your tastings up a notch. Try your favorite Girl Scout cookies with these perfectly-paired Missouri wines. Discover how the wines enrich the flavors in each cookie. Take our challenge and let these dynamic duos tingle your taste buds.

Everyone needs comfort food now and again to provide that instant gratification. Why not put a new spin on a classic dish like grilled cheese sandwiches. Whether you need a hearty meal after a long day, a hard week or due to the dreary weather adding wine is always a bonus. 

Servings: 4-6 | Time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients

Amigoni Urban Winery is located in the Stockyards District of Kansas City’s historic West Bottoms. At the peak of the stockyard industry’s success, the area spanned 55 acres and served as a place to hold cattle before they were loaded onto railroad cars. 

The label on the winery’s 2016 Tribute Series – Urban Drover pays homage to the people known as drovers who moved the livestock, sometimes across great distances, to the Kansas City area. The wine label, featuring artwork by Ruthie Osa, is also a tribute to the building that the winery is located in. Constructed in 1909, the building once housed the Daily Drovers Telegram, the daily newspaper for the livestock industry. 

The next time you’re in Kansas City, step inside Amigoni Urban Winery and imagine the past as you experience the new. The hum and noises of a bustling newsroom are now replaced by the clinking of wine glasses, corks popping and engaging conversations in the front tasting room. The area where a press once churned out a daily paper now houses the winery’s barrel room. And, before you leave, look closely towards the back of the room. You can still spy some ink on the ceiling. Unfortunately, the story of how the ink made its way up there is lost to the pages of time.

Yields: 4 servings | Prep Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: ~120 minutes

It’s almost game time… and we aren’t just talking about Super Bowl time. We know that all celebrations come with the anxiety of who to invite and what foods to prep. Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about what beverage to serve – it’s Missouri wine of course! 

And to make things easier on you, we invite you to try our Game Day Missouri Wine Meatballs recipe! Not only is the recipe absolutely delicious, but the Missouri wine added into the meatball sauce is fabulous. Give it a try and let us know what you think! Here’s what you need:  

INGREDIENTS: 

Meatballs

1 Ib         Ground beef
1 ½ tsp   Minced garlic
½ c         Shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ c         Parmesan
2 tbsp     Parsley
1             Large egg        
1 tsp       Salt
½ tsp      Black paper
2 tbsp     Extra virgin olive oil 

Sauce

½            Small yellow onion
½ tsp      Minced garlic
Extra virgin olive oil 
1 tbsp     Tomato paste
1 c          Red wine – Missouri Norton
½ c          Beef broth
1 can      (15 oz.) Whole plum tomato
½            Sprig of rosemary
¼ tsp      Salt
               Black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the meatballs
In a large bowl, combine beef, garlic, mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, egg, salt and pepper.  Form into 12-16 meatballs. 

In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat oil. Add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides, about 30 minutes. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Drain grease from pan if necessary. 

Make the sauce
Dice the onion. In the same large skillet, over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until very soft – about 10 minutes. (Turn the skillet down if necessary.) 

Stir in the tomato paste and fry for a minute or two, stirring until well-incorporated. Pour in the wine and broth and bring to a simmer, then add the tomatoes, salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Place the rosemary sprig on top, bring to a simmer and cook for 30 to 60 minutes, covered. When the sauce develops a deep, rich flavor, turn off the heat and stir.  (If necessary, put sauce in a blender to get a finer consistency. However, if you like chunkier meatball sauce, a blender is not necessary.) 

Next, combine the wine sauce and meatballs in the skillet and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.  

Serve and enjoy!

Missouri winemakers are busy year-round crafting award-winning wines even on the coldest days. There is a lot of hard work that goes into making your favorite Missouri wines. Learn why pruning is a crucial step in the winemaking process.

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