Happy Chambourcin month! Let’s celebrate this smooth medium-bodied Missouri varietal. Fall in love with Chambourcin this month!

Chambourcin (sham-bor-san) is a red French-American hybrid grape that competes for one of the world’s most popular hybrid grape varieties. It is known for its rich color that adds depth to many red blends. One thing that makes Chambourcin unique is that it is known as a teinturier grape (from the French word for “dye”) which is known for producing dark juice, rather than clear. 

The nose will often pick up notes of cherry and a light oak, if the winemaker uses oak, while it will taste earthy on the palate with strong notes of dark cherry. Chambourcin is a smooth, medium-bodied wine with soft and subtle tannins. 

Pair it with pork loin, burgers, short ribs, red sauce, mushrooms, applesauce, strawberries, figs, brie, camembert, walnuts, cobbler, chocolate cake

Or use Chambourcin when cooking with these delicious recipes varying from sweet to savory!

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Chocolate Cupcakes

Chambourcin and Venison Chili

Chambourcin Barbecue Chicken

Sangria

Wine Can Chicken

Cake Pops

Wine Finishing Salt

Missouri Red Wine Cheese Dip

Fall is the season to fall in love with Chambourcin. Share your favorite Chambourcin with us using #mowine

Happy spooky season to you and yours! Everyone loves seasonal wines, and we have the perfect one for you to celebrate this time of year. Take a look behind the label of Dale Hollow Winery’s Holloween Apple Wine!

The story of Dale Hollow Winery begins with a family that has lived in the quaint Missouri community of Stover for multiple generations. Asher and Jesse Dale, with their wives Ana and Katy, came up with the idea of starting a winery in 2012. They planted their first grapes in spring 2013 on land that has been in the family since the 1950s, originally belonging to their grandfather, Melvin Dale. 

The Dale family is full involved in running the winery. Beth Dale, Asher and Jesse’s mom, is the resident artist. Beth is the creator of all of their wine labels, including the Holloween Apple Wine.

Asher Dale and his wife, Ana, threw epic Halloween celebrations in the early years of their marriage and family and friends always attended with no age limit on costume participation.

During the first year or so of having the winery, they decided to make a Halloween inspired wine and to move the gathering to the winery, thus “Holloween” was born. They wanted it to be a fall fruit that grows well in Missouri for the wine. For the label, they told mom to draw inspiration from Tim Burton as Asher and Jesse were both big fans growing up. 

Then the Holloween Apple Wine was born!

This wine is perfect for fall, and of course Halloween. Plan a visit to Dale Hollow Winery to experience this family’s passion, delicious wine and beautifully made labels!

We are sad harvest is over, but that means the next vintage is closer to being ready! But how do the grapes get into the bottle? Keep reading to learn more about the next steps of the process.

After the grapes are harvested wineries work to sort, crush and destem the grapes. Sorting gets rid of the leaves, stems and damaged fruit. Crushing and destemming machines break the skin of the grapes, then gets rid of the stems. The juice and skin mixture, must, is then ready for the next step!

This is where the process for red and white wines start to look different. White grapes are usually pressed immediately to separate the juice from the skins. While red grapes usually sit and ferment with the skins and juice to develop the color and tannins in the wine, then they are pressed.

After that comes fermentation. Take a look at the graphic below to see the difference in this step for reds and whites. 

Now it is all up to the winemaker. This is where they continue to work to develop the juice into the wine they will bottle.

The final step is filtration, if the winery chooses to, and then bottling for all wines!

Which step is your favorite part of the process?

Missouri Wines is built on more than grapes, vineyards and bottles. Behind every vintage is a network of people pouring into the state’s wine industry. 

One of those important partners is the University of Missouri’s Grape and Wine Institute (GWI), a collaborative partnership between the University of Missouri and Missouri Wine and Grape Board. Its mission is simple but significant, advance the growth and prosperity of the Missouri grape and wine industry through education and research. 

GWI has a group of dedicated experts who work directly with Missouri’s grape growers and winemakers. Through the University of Missouri Extension, the institute provides research-based information, education and technical support to help industry members address challenges in the vineyard and wines. The team’s expertise spans viticulture and enology. This means that Missouri wine professionals have access to resources and knowledgeable specialists who understand the unique conditions and needs of producing wine in Missouri. Extension support is an important part of that relationship. From educational programs and workshops to research and one-on-one technical assistance, GWI helps turn university knowledge into practical resources that can be used by people working throughout Missouri’s wine industry. 

The commitment to education and workforce development is growing with the NEW addition of a Fermentation Center at Mizzou. The new facility is designed to replicate the equipment and processes found in a commercial wine production facility. This gives industry members an opportunity to learn in an environment with professionals. For Missouri’s wine industry, the facility represents more than a new learning area. It creates additional opportunities to develop the next generation of winemakers, winery owners, vineyard managers, and other industry professionals while strengthening the connection between education and real-world wine production. We celebrated the new Grape and Wine Institute Fermentation Lab with a ribbon cutting on October 9^th. 

The support doesn’t just stop at education. GWI has a service lab that provides analytical testing for products. Missouri wineries can submit samples for analysis and receive analytical data that can help inform winemaking decisions, along with consultation support through GWI’s extension mission. Having this kind of testing and expertise available within the state gives professionals another resource for understanding what is happening in their wines and making informed decisions through the process. Quality and education are also a part of the WISE Choice program. WISE stands for Wine Industry Standard of Excellence, and wines that have earned this sticker are of the highest quality. Every Missouri wine with a WISE Choice sticker on its label has passed a thorough, two-part testing process by the Grape & Wine Institute.

GWI offers resources designed to keep people informed and connected. They offer educational opportunities through conferences, workshops, training programs, field days and newsletters. 

The Missouri Wine industry is a large story of collaboration that allows the end results to be prosper for years!

Photo Credits to Schaefer Photography, LLC

Happy Fall! This is the prime season for visiting Missouri Wine Country. Lucky for you many regions have transportation just for you! Trolleys are the perfect way to visit wineries and explore wine country. 

Let’s start in Hermann. Hermann is located in the Missouri River Valley. There are numerous wineries, shopping, and places to stay. Hermann Trolley travels to seven local wineries, plus distilleries! They run Wednesday through Sunday and have plenty of room!

Excelsior Springs has multiple exciting options for a ride on the Chamber Trolley. Visit 4 different venues and enjoy a meal, snacks, the experience and of course, wine! Excelsior Springs is always adding new stops and experiences as well!

Ste. Genevieve is the perfect place to visit this Fall. The Ste. Genevieve Trolley will take you all around this historic town. Shops, dining and a few wineries, this trolley has all the stops you need!

Head down to St. James and hop on the Getaway Trolley! They run Saturday and Sunday and Monday-Friday by reservation only. Explore multiple wineries in the St. James area and soak in the history of the town!

No matter where you visit this Fall, trolleys are a great way to have fun and visit local wineries. Share your trolley rides with us using #mowine !