Wine etiquette is re-emerging for holiday festivities and New Year gatherings after dormancy during the pandemic. Although wine is still often enjoyed at home, knowing how to implement best wine practices in public is important during both business and personal enjoyment. Here’s a few essential wine tips to sharpen your etiquette:

 

Glasses

• Utilize the 5 S’s of wine (see, swirl, smell, sip, savor) & think about each wine

These essential reminders allow you to thoroughly enjoy the event’s offerings and have discussion points, as well as pairing notes

• Know how to hold your glass – by the stem or by the base

Refrain altering the ideal temperature of wine by holding glass appropriately

• Manage mouth marks on glasses (especially with holiday lipstick)

Where you choose to take your first sip, use the same place while enjoying

• Table placement matters

Your wine glass will go to the right of your water glass once seated

• Pick the perfect pour

More room allows glass to be swirled, wine to open and exhibit flavors. Host should pour glasses one-third full for reds, one-half full for whites and three-fourths full for sparkling wines

Socially

• Pour intently, holding bottle near the base – offer to guests first, pour with label facing outward

Using the base provides more stability as well as less room for bottle slips and spillage. Twist while ending your pour to reduce unexpected drips

• Similar to table manners, enjoy portions at speeds similar to those around you

Make sure all have had a chance to try the available wine offerings

• Cheers! Clink glasses at the bowl to reduce breakage, noise disruptions and germs

This time-aged tradition is paired best with well wishes and good eye contact

• The host is responsible for filling glasses

Unless it is a unique situation, the host and hostesses should notice when a drink can use a fill

 

If you are the host…

Make wines approachable! Answer questions, go with the flow and try to stock your stash with wines your guests might enjoy

If you are the guest…

Enjoy what you like. Try new wines. Don’t partake if you do not enjoy. Best way to know is to experience and ask questions

 

Cheers from Missouri Wines this holiday season! Try gifting your host a Missouri wine at a dinner gathering, purchasing one for an easy, thoughtful gift or even opening a Missouri sparkling in celebration of the New Year. Share your celebrations with us on social by tagging @missouriwine or #mowine.

 

Missouri wines make great presents year-round, but are perfect for gifting during the holiday season. There is a Missouri wine for everyone to enjoy, even your loved ones that are hard to shop for. Use these five wrapping tips to make gift giving easy this season.

 

 

 

Friends and family will be more than impressed when you bring these brownies to your next gathering. Instead of the hassle of a made-from-scratch recipe, pick up your favorite box brownie mix and grab a fruit wine to whip up this quick recipe.

What you’ll need

1 box brownie mix

1 bottle of Missouri fruit wine - we used Hermannhoff Raspberry Rapture

Eggs

Oil

Instructions

Simply follow the directions on the box. Instead of using water, replace with the same volume of wine. Bake as instructed and voila. You can also make a quick powdered sugar glaze with the extra wine and drizzle over the finished product.

Happy baking! Capture your plated brownies and share with us on social media by tagging @missouriwine or using the hashtag #mowine.

 

Reduce your waste, reuse your old corks and recycle them into beautiful holiday decorations. Take your stash of corks and transform them into DIY cork garland in a few easy steps:

What you’ll need

Handheld electric drill with thin drill bit
Fishing line
Wine corks (number varies by length & beads used)
Beads (we used red wood and raw wood colored beads)
Scissors
Large sewing needle
Jute or fabric for tassels (optional)

Let’s create!

1.Pre-drill holes in corks to allow for easy threading

2.Cut fishing line to desired length

3.Use bead as anchor for end of fishing line by tying a normal double knot around the bead

4.Select bead and cork pattern

5.Use large sewing needle to thread pattern onto fishing line

6.Repeat pattern until fishing line is filled and to desired length of garland

7.Tie off end of garland

8.Cut strips of fabric or jute and assemble into tassels

9.Attach tassels to each end of garland and secure with multiple knots

10.Hang or wrap finished garland as décor!

 

You can also make garland for any occasion - check out our other TikTok for inspiration! 

Share your DIY cork Christmas garland with us on social by tagging @missouriwine and #mowine. Check out our TikTok Channel for more DIY videos! 

Love a beer can chicken? Try swapping the beer with your favorite Chambourcin to celebrate this varietal in November! This easy and delicious version is a fantastic spin on one of your favorite recipes.

Servings: Feeds 4-6

Total time: 1:30

 

Ingredients

For chicken:

1 baking pan

1 beer can

1 bottle of Chambourcin wine of your choice

3 cloves garlic chopped

2 rosemary sprigs

1 whole chicken

2 tbsp butter

Salt

Pepper

 

Red wine sauce:

2 tbsp of butter

1 white onion (chopped)

3 carrots (chopped)

2 rosemary sprigs

1c Diced mushrooms

2 tsp flour

1c chicken juices from roast

1c Chambourcin from roast

 

Directions:

1.Can be cooked on the grill with smoke flavor of your choice or in the oven. If grilling/smoking, prepare grill for indirect heat (350 to 375). For oven, set temp at 350.

2.Empty beer can and fill with 1c of Chambourcin wine of your choice. Add 3 cloves of garlic and 2 rosemary sprigs to can.

3.Rub chicken with 2 tbsp of butter, salt and pepper.

4.Place the chicken on top of the can of wine so that the wine can is inside the cavity of the chicken and the chicken is standing upright.

5.Cook at 350-375 for an hour or until internal temp is 165.

6.Carefully remove pan from oven and carve chicken to your liking.

 

Red Wine Sauce

1.Melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat in pan. Add 1 chopped onion, 3 chopped carrots, 2 rosemary sprigs and 1c sliced mushrooms. Simmer until cooked.

2.Add 2 tsp of flour and stir.

3.Add 1c chicken juices from roast and 1c wine from roast. Simmer and stir until blended.

4.Coat plated chicken with sauce.

 

Let us know how you enjoy your wine can chicken and Chambourcin during November! Tag your delicious pictures on social with #mowine.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching with the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping to follow. Crowds of eager shoppers will soon flood shopping centers on Black Friday to snag the best deals. Businesses will follow suit on Small Business Saturday as they welcome their biggest fans for a big day of shopping local in store and online. Join the pursuit and remember local wineries during this busy gift-buying season and look for ways to support your community. Here are 4 reasons to shop small this year:

1. Purchases boost local community and business itself

Every dollar spent at local businesses is put to work employing current and future employees, creating new jobs, investing in community activities and creating the potential for business expansion. According to a study completed by Intuit Mint, for every $100 spent at a small business, $48 of that sum is circled through the local economy.

2. Local collaboration provides unique items and experiences

Community oriented businesses are often working with local creators to bring one-of-a-kind products to the table. See this recent highlight of local artisans to find unique gifts straight from Missouri wine country.

3. Encourage tourism with local wine experiences

Experiences also serve as thoughtful gifts that will provide lasting memories. Look for wine-club memberships, tasting coupons and wine trail tickets to gift the wino in your circle. Bringing visitors back to the area will boost local attractions and provide a connection with the community.

4. Skip the line and shop online

Many local shops and wineries offer an e-commerce option on their website for a variety of items. Purchase unique gift baskets, gift certificates, wine, apparel and more in the comfort of your home. Look for online purchasing options when browsing winery websites.

Enjoy the holiday shopping season and tag us with your Missouri wine country finds with #mowine on social media.

Beauty in Missouri wine country is never hard to find and always fun to capture. The first ever Missouri Wines: Through the Glass photo contest received submissions that did not disappoint. After being narrowed down to the top 6 entries, photos were turned to the public eye to determine the winner.

Scott Rombach’s “Falling into MO Wine Country” surfaced to the top showcasing the beauty in colors and nature that can be found at wineries and vineyards across the state. Rombach has been a top fan of Missouri wine country for many years and will never pass up the opportunity to enjoy all it offers – the wine, the beauty and the people.

“While anytime is great to visit a Missouri winery, the fall is amazing!” Scott says. “With the cooler weather, fall colors and firepits, its perfect to sit back, relax and enjoy a sunset,” he continues.

From a backyard vineyard of their own, to traveling all over their favorite wine country, the Rombachs are eager to share their passion for all that Missouri has to offer. Scott and his wife Tonya share content frequently on Rombach’s Missouri Winery Review Facebook page, as well as on Instagram at @mo_wine_couple. Not only is Scott a wine enthusiast, he also is an artist – creating home décor from wine barrels and other woodworking projects. Read more about Scott’s Basement Projects Woodworking here.

Keep taking those great snapshots while out and about at your favorite wineries and vineyards. Save up your photos for next year’s contest! Until then, tag all your favorite wine country photos and travels with #mowine.

Don’t get stuck trying to decide which wine to pair with each dish this Thanksgiving. Navigate this handy guide by starting with what style turkey you plan to serve. Next, see which side dishes will ideally pair with your selection and of course, finish with the dessert (or two) of choice.

Tag us this Thanksgiving with #mowine on Facebook and Instagram! We want to see what is cooking in your kitchen and which of your favorite Missouri wines make it to the dinner table.

Traditions surrounding wine production date back to 6000BC in Mesopotamia, now Georgia. The Shulaveri-Shomu people were thought to be the earliest wine crafters, discovering that grape juice fermented when it was buried underground for the winter. This time period, also known as the Stone Age, left artifacts such as stone and bone tools that provided evidence of large-scale wine production. This region also was the origin of toastmasters (or Tamada) who provided a large number of toasts during events with high skill, humor and intelligence. A tradition still prominent while celebrating holidays or events today.

As the world, culture and humanity have evolved, wine remains a large part of “celebrating” around the world. A simple toast of glasses across cultures grew to acknowledge a presence of a person, to drive away demons or keep from poisoning one’s self. Clinking glasses together allows wine (or other spirit) enthusiasts to feel community and connection in the present.

There are loads of notable celebrations specific to countries worldwide. Spain has a wine and coke cocktail created during early native Basque Festivals to hide the sour notes in wine. Today, called Calimocho, is an accessible mixed drink passed down for generations. Germany’s Feuerzangenbowle (flaming wine) is a tradition where a rum soaked sugar loaf is lit above the wine, adding sweetness to the spiced or mulled wine. Portugal celebrates Magusto during November where people play practical jokes, sing around bonfires and enjoy Muscatel wine.

Today, the United States is the top wine consuming country, consuming nearly 900 million gallons in 2020. Yet, for almost 60 of our 245 years as a nation, prohibition stifled wine production and growing American wine culture. The lingering grapes only remained on vines for religious consumption throughout this time.

Missouri played a large role in wine production prior to prohibition, with more than 100 wineries across the state, winning international awards at several World’s Fairs. Stone Hill Winery, located in Hermann, Missouri, was the largest wine producer in the country and second in the world at this time. One of the biggest traditions in Missouri wine country is Oktoberfest, also held in Hermann. This German river town is still home to many popular wineries, but also carries on the wine culture and traditions of the German settlers who carried it with them from the Rhineland.

In addition to Oktoberfest, many Missouri wineries are well-visited for many traditions such as birthdays, live music, arts festivals and more. As the holidays approach, many families sit down to share a bottle or two of Missouri wine from one of the 129 wineries across the state. Some share the same favorites every year, some branch out and try new varietals. Missouri wine is the center to celebrations, passing down traditions and spreading warmth and cheer every season, especially during the holidays.

DM us on Facebook and Instagram to share your Missouri wine holiday traditions with us! Cheers to the celebrations ahead!

Missouri Wine’s inaugural photo contest is now closed for entries. A special judging panel narrowed down submitted photos to the top 6 – now it is time to vote! The photo contest finalists are listed below in no particular order. Vote for your favorites on our Instagram and Facebook pages @MissouriWines and earn points for your favorite photos. Points earned by voting are tallied as follows:

Facebook voting procedure: Top 6 photos will be shared in one album. Share = 3 points, comment = 2 points, like = 1 point.

Instagram voting procedure: Top 6 photos will be shared to feed individually. Like = 1 point Comment = 2 points

 

Voting is open from November 15-19 - stay tuned to vote!

Chardonel at Sunset by Cheryl Baker 

Pictured is a glass of Les Bourgeois Chardonel, taken on an oak barrel overlooking a beautiful sunset on the Missouri river in Rocheport.

Cheers to 32 years! by Ann Marie Bartak

Celebrating our oldest daughter's birthday in Augusta - favorite tradition since she turned 21.

Crisp Table Rock White by Jeff Madden

We met up with friends to celebrate our birthdays in Branson. After I set up our charcuterie board and filled the glasses, I had to take a photo. The lighting was perfect. You can even see a small amount of dew on the cold grapes. The six of us enjoyed wine and the view. I'm just a guy with an iPhone who likes to drink Missouri wines. 

Falling into MO Wine Country by Scott Rombach

While anytime is great to visit a Missouri winery, the fall is amazing! With the cooler weather, fall colors and fire pits, its perfect to sit back, relax and enjoy a sunset in Hermann.

Safety Nets by Julie Brown Patton

Natural/organix wines grown differently through sustainable farming of this winery in Eureka.

Sunset over Chambourcin by Grace Belew

The sunset peeks through the Chambourcin vines at Beckmeyer Farms in Hartsburg.

Remember to vote on Facebook and Instagram by following @missouriwines!