A Most Unique White Wine

Just north of Jefferson City, Missouri, perched on a bluff overlooking a lake and a stone's throw from Highway 54 is the Summit Lake Winery (www.summitlakewinery.com ).  The dark red building near Holts Summit beckons as motorists travel along the highway. Its hard to resist the urge to pull off for few minutes when you see the winery with its white porch and stone patio. 


Among its offerings are a nice menu of appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and soups, punctuated with a special or two. They also offer non-alcoholic beverages and beers for those who do not drink wine [they don't know what they are missing] or have been chosen as the designated driver that day [God bless them, everyone!].

For those who do drink wine, however, are several nice choices, including one of the most unique white wines I have ever sampled.  The Callaway Bluff is a blend of Vidal Blanc and Muscat grapes. So this semi-dry white wine offers a crisp, clean taste in which you may detect floral aromas and citrus flavors. Nice!

But wait! As you are enjoying the crisp, clean taste, here comes the light finish with a touch of sweetness.  Wow! Now, I have long since learned that I cannot do much sweetness.  I have to have my semi-dry and dry [and maybe super dry] wines.  But I am glad the nice young lady at the tasting counter explained Callaway Bluff and gently enticed me to try it.  The touch of muscat that only joins the party at the end, is delightful!

If you are headed to the State Capital, leave yourself an extra hour or so to experience the Lake Summit Winery and their wines.

A Semi-Dry Wine Made from Blueberries

Interstate 44 meanders in a southwesterly direction from St. Louis to Springfield, Missouri. Just north of Springfield is a family-owned winery with Norwegian influence -- Oovvda Winery. THe owners are glad to visit with guests and discuss their heritage and their wine-making.

Uniquely, the vintner enjoys making fruit wines with varying degrees of sweetness.  So, Oovvda doesn't just have Blueberry wine, this winery has semi-dry, semi-sweet, and sweet Blueberry wines. 

This week we tried a bottle of the semi-dry Blueberry wine that I had purchased during my annual visit to the area. We learned that in addition to red wines, some fruit wines need "breathing" time. Once the blueberry wine had been open for awhile, it was quite enjoyable.The wine had nice berry aromas with a touch of cinnamon. In fact,  pairing it with Italian cheese, really brought out the flavor of this wine.

Small Winery, Big Choices

Among the rolling hills of southern Missouri, the Ste. Genevieve area offers the wine enthusiast many nice wineries to enjoy, some large, some small.  Off Highway WW, down a quaint gravel road that runs beside a country stream, and atop a gentle hill is the Charleville Winery and Microbrewery. [www.charlevillevineyard.com] One of the owners might sit down with you and engage in comfortable conversation as you sip on one of their thoughtfully crafted, low volume wines. The view from the outdoor patio adds to the great experience.

This week we sampled a bottle of the Charleville 2006 Norton, a Missouri dry red wine. According to the notes on the bottle, this Norton was aged in oak for 12 months.  It had a rich, thick ruby color.  It was strongly oaky with flavors of plums and currants.  The berries gave way to a spicy smokiness, ending with a surprisingly smooth finish. This Norton would pair well with steak or other beef.

Severe Ice and Snow in Midwest - Softened by a Great Chambourcin

It was reported that the blizzard that hit the Midwest this week was over 1000 miles long and several hundred miles wide.  A dangerous mixture of heavy snow and ice, this storm caused airports, colleges, and a military base to join the list of closings that traveled across the bottom of our television screens for several days. Now we are getting frigid temperatures and treacherous refreezing. Ironically, on Groundhog's Day Punxsutawney Phil heralded an early spring.  Let's hope!

The Secret Society of Wine Girls was scheduled to meet at the height of the storm, but didn't feel our love of wine should overshadow common sense. So a rare, but wise, call was made to cancel our gathering for safety's sake.

Later in the week I was able to dust off and open an absolutely superb bottle of Chambourcin from Augusta Winery, vintage 2004. The nose of this medium bodied red wine was pleasantly oaky with a hint of what might be cedar. Outstanding! That flavor did not overshadow a subtle, smooth  taste of berries, and the finish was smooth and lasting. The stress of the week was put aside as we enjoyed sipping this wonderfully rich  wine. Another fine wine from Augusta Winery in Augusta, Missouri.