Are you looking for ways to reuse and repurpose your favorite Missouri wine corks? Hanging onto your cork can help hang onto the memories made over a bottle of Missouri wine. Grab that pile of corks, roll up your sleeves and get crafty with these simple ways to reuse and repurpose.

DIY Cork Board

Create a decorative yet practical cork board made of your favorite collected corks.

12 Life Hacks using Wine Corks

Here you will find that corks are very handy to have lying around the house.

Cork Christmas Garland

Spruce up your Christmas decor next year with cork garland, or make a timeless strand to decorate with year-round.

Cork Ball Decor

Use this unique decor idea to display your cherishable corks.

Succulent Planter Magnets

Display your corks as magnets on the refrigerator with this natural look.

Cork Tray

Get creative with an intriguing design to make this practical and decorative piece.

Contrary to the popular lyric brought forth by childhood Muppet, Kermit the Frog, sometimes it IS easy being green…or at least Riverwood Winery makes it look easy. This Weston winery was built and designed with sustainability in mind. From recycling, restoring, preventing and planning, all steps went into mind for the Naatz family.

In 1996, owners David and Ginah, along with their son Andrew, purchased an antebellum farmhouse in Weston, Missouri. During the restoration process of the house and surrounding lands, they discovered an old vineyard. This interesting find started the ideation for what is now Riverwood Winery.

Building beyond

The winery opened in 2007, housed in a former Weston school constructed in 1954. Both the house and schoolhouse lend way to the truest form of recycling – taking living history and transforming it into new buildings to live and enjoy.

Both of these buildings utilize green practices. The house has updated geothermal heating and cooling, energy efficient appliances and several old techniques for energy saving implemented in the restored home.  David and Ginah even utilize a hybrid car.

The winery uses rooftop solar panels to provide more than 30% of its energy for the tasting room and production facility. Floor drains in the facility lead to a septic system which allows wine byproducts, such as the lees, to be consumed by flowers and plants outside the winery. The facility has LED lighting and motion sensors installed to reduce electricity consumption. All 2400 acres were created with intent to lower their footprint and reduce waste.

Home to many

The Naatzs have done more green thinking than just their winery and home. They realize they share a home with a vast array of wildlife and have accepted the responsibility of maintaining the shared space. These quiet contributions to conservation are imperative to local wildlife.

Native grasses, wildflowers and other plants thrive in the marshy wetland area behind the tasting room. During 2020, they eradicated any non-native species and restored the space so that local pollinators can thrive. Bees, insects and butterflies all enjoy this space and it is listed as an official Monarch Waystation by the University of Kansas Monarch Watch organization. Winery visitors can go on walks and enjoy the wildlife scenery as well.

Birds also enjoy this space, as both native and migratory species find it a safe haven in the wet marsh and bottomland forest. The tasting room and vineyard are both located squarely within the National Audubon Society’s Iatan/Weston River Corridor Important Bird Area. Geese, trumpeter swans, bluebirds, meadowlarks, bald eagles and more enjoy this carefully curated space.

The vineyard is located three miles from the Missouri River bluffs. Next to the vineyard, there is a twenty-two-acre space that complements the same intent and likeness of the habitat area behind the tasting room. This ecological diversity allows for the growth of great fruit. In addition to sowing wildflowers and other native grasses across an additional fifty-plus acres of undisturbed meadows, there are forty acres of second growth woodlands. This area was part of a 2022 forest improvement project to thin growth and girdle trees, allowing more sunlight on the forest floor for improved wildlife shelter.

Shades of green

Riverwood Winery grows varietals that are native to Missouri such as Norton, Frontenac and Marechal Foch. The grass between vines is mowed to prevent erosion on any sloping terraces. No synthetic pesticides are used on their vines and in 2023 they plan to eliminate the use of herbicides beneath the trellises. Instead, the growth will be burned, allowing the nutrients to return to the soil and vines.

Other sustainable practices they have implemented include going paperless with their receipts and recycling their tasting room bottles with local facilities. All of their wines have natural corks, which is 100% renewable, recyclable and biodegradable. Natural cork also reduces waste and harmful processing materials that can harm wildlife and the environment. It is a good environmental solution for wine closures, showing the smallest CO2 footprint.

Riverwood Winery believes that although they are a small winery that they can make a big impact by being a leader in the sustainability movement. This winery has offerings that all species can enjoy and benefit from, not just humans. They celebrate Earth Day, every day.

Visit Weston and enjoy the tasting room, accompanied by their carefully curated wildlife habitat. Share your wine and wildlife pics with us by tagging #missouriwine #mowine and @missouriwine on social media. Cheers!

Dwight and Jean Anne Crevelt are passionate about providing the best customer experience. So much so, that when they decided to open their own winery they made a point to travel to more than 500 wineries nationwide, researching how to create the best layout and business for their future patrons to enjoy.

After successful careers in the Las Vegas area, and raising their four children, Dwight and Jean were presented with an opportunity to move back to Missouri. They acquired the farm adjacent from Dwight’s family land in Walnut Grove, later securing the family farm as well. The six Crevelt’s (6Cs) joined with Jean Anne’s mother, whose surname was Cassins, to create the name 7CS. Rather than follow a nautical theme (Dwight was in the Navy), 7CS was modeled after a cattle brand, reflecting the county leading numbers statewide in cattle operations.

After researching the strong wine and grape past of Southwestern Missouri, and how well suited the family land was for growing grapes, the career option became evident for them. The winery was constructed in 2008 and opened for service in 2009.

After moving to Walnut Grove, Dwight and Jean Anne took classes through the Viticulture Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA) and were some of the first students of the program. This program equipped them with the experience and confidence to start producing the wine and mead their visitors love today.

At one time, they grew grapes in a 5-acre vineyard and had success, but just couldn’t keep up with the labor of both the winery and vineyard alone. Currently, they outsource the grapes needed for their wines. They make a range of dry to sweet wines, focusing on varietals such as Norton, Chambourcin, Vignoles and Vidal Blanc when they can source it. Currently, they focus on 40% wine production and 60% mead production.  Dwight says they have up to 10-12 meads in rotation at any time and customers really enjoy their wide range of flavor profiles. Dwight notes that the flavors pull from where the honey is sourced, picking up notes of the area and vegetation that surrounds the hive. This makes all of their meads a unique flavor and experience depending on the year, the hive’s production and the source of the honey.

Whether it is mead or wine, Dwight’s favorite part is tasting the end product with Jean Anne and discussing how to name them, as well as how to change up recipes for next time. They also enjoy creating new products from elderberries and aronia berries. They have dozens of acres of these superfood fruits and are proud to offer new kinds of wines in Missouri. Dwight says customers have fallen in love with these wines and 7CS is always working to create more.

Diversification is a large part of 7CS and the Crevelts take pride in their agri-tourism business. The Missouri Grown members grow a plethora of products through hydroponics and on their farmland. They grow an impressive variety of fruits and vegetables: Cucumbers, watermelons, lettuce, green beans, okra, garlic, horseradish, peppers and hot peppers, rhubarb, peanuts, tomatoes sunflowers and more. They utilize catfish in growing the produce as well, known as aquaponics, and have found a huge success providing fresh produce that you get to pick. This preference for consumers eliminates waste and ensures customer satisfaction. This focus on experience shows how Dwight and Jean often go the extra mile, no matter what the customer is shopping for.  

In addition to the large offering of products, 7CS also takes pride in hosting large events throughout the year. They have held events such as 5Ks, live music, cookoffs, themed gatherings, Paint Nites and annual Meadfests. They take pride in hosting new and exciting events that anyone can enjoy.

Dwight’s biggest goal as a winemaker is to expand and distribute their wine and mead on a larger scale. In their winery, the production capacity is set up to generate much more product, and distribution would allow them to grow into size and scale they have imagined.

“It’s a lifestyle as much as it is a business,” Dwight says. He and Jean Anne love their lifestyle of providing a one-of-a-kind experience for customers.

Visit Walnut Grove soon to try 7CS Winery’s wines, meads and whatever else that is in season to shop, enjoy or take home. Tag us in your travels with #missouriwine #mowine and @missouriwine.