Pairing Your Food & Wine 101

If you want to host a delicious meal, while also appearing to be an expert wine connoisseur, learning about food and wine pairing is a must. While there’s a bit of a science to it, the best thing about it is that as long as YOU like the pairing, you’re right. Differences in taste buds could mean that ideal pairing could be a little different, however, there are still a few things that can help you make a no-fail choice when it comes to wine and food pairing. Here are a few suggestions to make you look like an expert.

Sparkling Wines

When serving a sparkling wine, there are a few things to keep in mind. You want to try and pair it with light and/or salty menu options. All the while avoiding red meat, spicy dishes, and cream sauces. Some good pairing suggestions would be halibut, eggs, or oysters, and a good cheese suggestion is gruyere.

Try these varieties from Seven Springs:

• Muscato Sparkling
• Blushing Springs

Rich White Wines

These types of wines have a very distinct flavor profile and can be paired with some delicious dishes. They will go great with fatty or creamy dishes, but you’ll want to avoid smoked meats, Asian dishes or tomatoes. A few suggestions for serving would be with a creamy sauce, buttery fish, or a pasta salad. If you are pairing it with a cheese tray, camembert is a great choice!

Try this variety from Seven Springs:

• Chardonel

Dry White Wines

If dry whites are your style, you’re in luck! There are some great menu options that pair well with this type of wine. You’ll want to opt for light and/or tangy choices while staying away from red meat or blue cheese. A few delicious choices would be white meat, salad, or mushrooms. For a cheese pairing, you could enjoy gouda with your dry white!

Try these varieties from Seven Springs:

• Dry Vignoles
• Traminette

Sweet White Wines

If you want to pair sweet white with your next meal, you should consider serving spicy and/or sweet choices! You’ll want to avoid foods that are sweeter than your wine and dark chocolate. A few scrumptious choices would be spicy food, curries, or fruity desserts - and if you’re pairing cheese, brie is a fantastic choice!

Try these varieties from Seven Springs:

• Spring Fling
• Vignoles

Light Red Wines

Light red wines go wonderfully with earthy and/or woody menu choices but don’t pair so well with BBQ sauce, smoked foods or salty foods. Because you’re serving a light red, you can opt for white meat, cured meat, or truffles. When pairing cheese, Swiss goes wonderfully!

Try this variety from Seven Springs:

• Spring Red

Medium Red Wines

Rich and/or savory meals are perfection when you want to serve a medium red wine. However, you’ll want to avoid spicy foods, raw fish, or oysters. Red meat, braised dishes, or potatoes pair incredibly well with this wine, and when serving cheese, choose a flavorful gorgonzola!

Try this variety from Seven Springs:

• Sangria Rojo

Bold Red

There’s nothing better than a bold red to set the tone for your meal. With any bold flavors, though, you’ll want to pair them strategically. Pair it with other bold and or/fatty choices, but avoid seafood, egg dishes, and light salads. It can pair well with stew, lamb or pate, and a nice smoked cheddar is perfection.

Try these varieties from Seven Springs:

• Seven’s Red Heaven
• Syrah
• Norton

The Best Wine Pairings

If you really want to enjoy some wine pairings at the Lake of the Ozarks, come out to Seven Springs Winery! We have a delicious menu with light sides, salads, and finger foods all with the best wine paired with it. You’ll enjoy your evening with us, and we look forward to serving you. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook to stay in touch. We have some great events coming up, like our Valentine’s Day Dinner, Jack Willhite’s Rock & Roll Comedy Dinner Show, a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater, and the Wicked Wine Run! You won’t want to miss a thing - so stay tuned!

Come for the wine...Stay for the atmosphere...Remember the view! 

Seven Springs is the finest Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks with a full-service facility perfect for outdoor weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events, and parties.  Call us today to make reservations for your special event!

Seven Springs Winery

573.317.0100

846 Winery Hills Estates

Linn Creek, MO 65052

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How To Pair White Wine

Fresh and cool flavors are just part of the reason we love white wine. It can be paired with many different dishes, from appetizers to dessert, and no two white wines are exactly the same. At Seven Springs Winery, we have six white wine varieties that will pair well with your dinner and tempt the taste buds. Here are a few different types of food to consider trying with your next white Missouri wine.

About White Wine

There are hundreds of varieties of white grapes that can be used for wine. They can come from all areas of the world and can have many varied flavors. Unlike red wines, that can have dark, romantic flavors, and sometimes even spicy - you'll find more fruity tones in a white wine. From citrus flavors to apple or papaya, white wine is full of flavor.

Dry Vignoles

Aromas of tangerine and oranges. Crisp vibrant acidity precedes a long and refreshing finish.

Pair With: Our dry Vignoles would taste fantastic when paired with a spicy dish or meals that are "fragrant." Curries and spice (especially a spice with heat) can make the wine seem drier, and then accentuate the citrus notes. You can also try pork loin or tenderloin.

Chardonel

Light to medium straw color. Medium body, fruity with toasted oak.

Pair With: This medium-full bodied wine pair wonderfully with roast chicken or turkey. Because this wine has an "oaky" flavor, it would also pair beautifully with a smoked salmon or trout.

Traminette

Light straw with green hues. Light bodied, with a fruity yet off dry finish.

Pair With: This wine will pair well with medium-bodied dishes, especially those that are spicy or slightly sweet. You can pair it with heavier fish, shellfish, chicken, pork and veal, as well as Pacific rim foods from China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Mexico.

Vignoles

Mid straw color with olive green tone. Flavorful bodied, peach, melon & citrus.

Pair With: The fruity flavors in this wine pair well with spicy or Asian dishes. You can also try Swiss cheese or salmon. A delicious fruit chutney would also pair beautifully with a Vignoles wine.

Muscato Sparkling

Brilliant light straw, tropical fruit & flowers. Light bodied, fruit forward sparkling finish.

Pair With: This variety of wine is easy to pair with many types of foods, but it pairs especially well with sweet desserts. Pastries, puddings, ice cream, cake - you really can't go wrong.

The Best Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks

Seven Springs Winery and Vineyards sits atop 160 acres of rolling Missouri foothills between Camdenton and Osage Beach. The winery is less than a 10-minute drive from either location. The covered porch and patio area are ideal for enjoying a glass of wine and admiring the beautiful views.
Our winery serves Missouri wines, sangrias, and a few micro-brews for those with an alternative pallet. We offer wine tastings and a light menu consisting of soups, sandwiches, cheese trays, and bread with various dipping oils. Come for the wine, stay for the atmosphere, and remember the view!

Come for the wine...Stay for the atmosphere...Remember the view! 

Seven Springs is the finest Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks with a full-service facility perfect for outdoor weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events, and parties.  Call us today to make reservations for your special event!

Seven Springs Winery

573.317.0100

846 Winery Hills Estates

Linn Creek, MO 65052

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The Beginners Guide to All Things Vino

While you don't need to be an expert to enjoy a bottle of the best wine at the Lake of the Ozarks - it can be a fun way to start a new hobby. Wine is a historical beverage, dating back thousands of years. It's been created out of many different ingredients from a rice and honey wine to the most common ingredient today: grapes. With the many flavors that can be found in a glass of wine, and the fact that those flavors can be altered by one simple step - we wanted to give you the low down on wine types, glasses, and even how to read a label.

Popular Wine Varieties

White Wine

Wine can be described as dry or sweet, and it all depends on the amount of residual sugar left in the wine. Residual sugar is any natural grape sugars that are left after fermentation. If the fermentation process uses up the sugar, it is a dry wine. If the fermentation process stops before it uses up all of the sugar a sweet wine has been produced.

• Chardonnay
• Riesling
• Pino Grigio
• Sauvignon Blanc

Red Wine

One of the most popular topics regarding red wines is usually the body and tannin level. The wine body is dependent on how the wine feels in your mouth. It can be similar to the feeling of a wine being thick or thin. Light or thin bodied wines are ver watery, medium bodied is like regular milk, and full bodied is more like cream. Tannins naturally occur in the plants, seeds, and skins of grapes. Tannins add dryness, bitterness, and astringency in the middle of your tongue and the front part of your mouth.

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Pinot Noir
• Shiraz

Your Wine Glass Guide

There are several different types of wine glasses, and each one is ideal for different types of wines. Granted, you could use a different glass than is suggested, but there is a reason each glass is suggested.

Large Red - the bowl shape allows the wine to breathe and is best for cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, and merlot.

Small Red - it's narrower at the top, which directs the wine to the nose. It's ideal for Shiraz and Zinfandel.

Large White - this glass is smaller than the red, with a wide bowl. You'll enjoy chardonnay and chablis in this glass.

Small White - even narrower than the last glass, it directs the aromas right up to your nose. Try Riesling, Pinot Gris, or Sauvignon Blanc in this glass.

Flute - when you want to enhance bubbles, this is the perfect glass. It's ideal for champagne and sparkling wines.

Dessert - It's a small glass that directs the wine to the back of the mouth. Sherry and port are two types of wine that are ideal.

Reading Your Wine Label

There are a few key things you will notice on a wine label, all of the being as important as the other. 

You can find the producer of the wine listed on the label. This is going to tell you what winery produced the wine, but not necessarily where the grapes were grown. 

The vintage will tell you what year the wine was produced. This is important because weather affects wine flavor, and every year will have a slightly different taste.

Do you want to know what type of grapes the wine was made from? The variety is listed on the label, and the wine must contain 75% of that type of grape.

There are some areas that have better grapes than others, because of this, the region will be listed on the label.

Finally, if you want to distinguish how bold the wine taste is, sometimes you can rely on the alcohol content, which should also be listed on the label.

The Best Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks

If you're looking for a glass of wine that surpasses your expectations - you should try Missouri wine. Our grapes are grown at our Lake of the Ozarks vineyard, you'll even see them as you drive in. Our wine is expertly made, and we're sure you'll enjoy it. You are welcome to come visit us and try a few for yourself! Try three free, or for a small fee you can try all of them (and get a small gift!). Our winery is nestled into the Ozark hills, and it's the perfect place to kick back and enjoy a glass of vino.

Come for the wine...Stay for the atmosphere...Remember the view! 

Seven Springs is the finest Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks with a full-service facility perfect for outdoor weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events and parties.  Call us today to make reservations for your special event!

Seven Springs Winery

573.317.0100

846 Winery Hills Estates

Linn Creek, MO 65052

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5 Ways to Become a Wine Connoisseur - For Beginners

For beginners, the world of wine can be an intimidating place sometimes. It's filled with individuals who wear the right clothing, sip their wine the correct way, and then come back with a thousand flavors they found in that one swish. While it may seem complicated, there are a few things you can do to make the pomp and circumstance become a lot less difficult, and a whole lot more enjoyable for a new wine connoisseur. At Seven Springs Winery, we feature a variety of Missouri wines, and we would love to share them with you - you don't even have to hold your pinky out when you sip ;).

Here are a few things you can do while tasting a wine that actually do make a difference in the flavor, and can help you learn to pick flavors out. Of course, this may take some practice, so you'll have to grab a few friends and head down to the winery!

Look

This step should really take no more than five seconds, so you don't have to stare into your glass for too long. You're looking at the color and opacity of the wine, is it red or white? Does it have a dark appearance, or can you see through it? Finally, you'll observe the "legs" or viscosity of the wine. Many of the details are things you'll find quite obvious, maybe even on the bottle, but it can be fun to observe the glass before enjoying it.

Smell

When you're smelling a wine, you don't have to think of it in tiny terms. You don't have to be able to pick out every single little detail about the wine, but instead, take a long whiff and catch the bold broad flavors. Do you smell citrus or orchard fragrances? Breaking the scent down slowly from the larger aspects keeps you from getting frustrated. You can divide the fragrances into these categories:

Primary

Do you smell fruit, herb, or floral? These are the first elements you'll search for when smelling the best wine at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Secondary

These scents will come from the winemaking process, most likely the yeast, and will possibly remind you of cheese rind, nut husk (almond, peanut), or stale beer.

Tertiary

Finally, this comes from the aging process. Sometimes it's from the bottle, others from a barrel, and they will mimic these flavors: roasted nuts, baking spice, vanilla, autumn leaves, old tobacco, cured leather, or mushroom.

Taste

Now comes the fun part! This is how you can get the full taste of the wine, and even after you swallow you'll find that the flavors change because you're enjoying them with an entirely different area of your palette. Do you taste anything salty, sweet, sour, or bitter? These are things that you can only appreciate from your taste buds.

Can you "touch" the wine? This is caused by the alcohol content and the tannins. If you notice that wine is thicker than water, that is what causes this. Tannins are in all wines, and they are what give you the dry feeling that people mention about wine.

Enjoy!

Now that you've analyzed the wine, think about it! Did you enjoy the flavor combination? Was something off balance? Or was everything perfect and as it should be? Once you've found a wine that sits well with your palette, it's time to kick back and enjoy a bottle of it at our beautiful Lake of the Ozarks winery!

Spoil Your Senses at Seven Springs Winery

From flavor to beauty, you'll find many different aspects of our winery that appeal to all of your senses! Our selection of wine is varied and created to appeal to many different style and palettes, while our winery has beautiful views and great places to sit back and enjoy the freedom of a night spent enjoying wine. Come out and visit us sometime, we're certain you'll never want to leave!

Come for the wine...Stay for the atmosphere...Remember the view! 

Seven Springs is the finest Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks with a full-service facility perfect for outdoor weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events and parties.  Call us today to make reservations for your special event!

Seven Springs Winery

573.317.0100

846 Winery Hills Estates

Linn Creek, MO 65052

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Candy & Wine Pairing for the Adult Trick-Or-Treater

Have you ever seen the videos that show how kids react when their parents eat all of their Halloween candy before they wake up the next morning? Well, that will be you when you realize that candy can be for the grown-ups too when you pair it with your favorite Missouri Wine. If you're ready to break out the corkscrew and candy wrappers, here are a few pairings that you may really enjoy.

Candy & Wine Pairing

Nerds
Muscato Sparkling

Starbursts
Traminette or Spring Red

Skittles
Traminette or Dry Vignoles

Candy Corn
Muscato Sparkling, Traminette, or Vignoles

Mounds
Muscato Sparkling & Blushing Springs

Kit Kat
Muscato Sparkling or Syrah

Tootsie Roll
Blushing Springs

Butterfinger
Vignoles or Blushing Springs

Twix
Bold Red or Blushing Springs

Snickers
Syrah, Seven's Red Heaven, or Blushing Springs

Reeses
Spring Red or Seven's Red Heaven

Heath
Blushing Springs

M&M
Syrah or Seven's Red Heaven

Hershey's
Traminette, Vignoles, Spring Red, or Syrah

Our Seven Springs Wine

Wine pairing may seem like a complicated art where you have to perform all sorts of fancy wine rituals. First, you have to smell the wine, then swish the wine, and finally roll it around your mouth until it's completely coated while following it up with a bit of the most delicate chocolate. You can actually enjoy any type of wine pairing, and you don't have to include any specific form of enjoyment (though you can if you want to!). Wine pairing is simply about finding two flavors that go together in your mouth like peanut butter and chocolate. You can try any of our wine pairings, or you can make some up on your own. Come grab a few bottles of our amazing wine at the Lake of the Ozarks and start trying them with your favorite candies!

Dry Vignoles
Aromas of Tangerine and oranges. Crisp vibrant acidity precedes a long and refreshing finish.

Chardonel
Light to medium straw color. Medium body, fruity with toasted oak.

Traminette
Light straw with green hues. Light bodied, with a fruity yet off dry finish.

Vignoles
Mid straw color with olive green tone. Flavorful bodied, peach, melon & citrus.

Spring Fling
Light straw color with a lime green rim. Light bodied with fruity, citrus & lychee.

Muscato Sparkling
Brilliant, light straw, tropical fruit & flowers. Light bodied, fruit forward sparkling finish.

Blushing Springs
Sparkling red wine, sweet berry aromas with a semi-sweet finish.

Spring Red
Semi-sweet red with a hint of black cherry and a velvet finish.

Syrah
Aromas of currant, blackberry, black pepper with a subtle vanilla oak finish.

Norton
An opaque deep plum color, tobacco, oak. Full bodied, spicy smooth persistent finish.

Sangria Rojo
A light, refreshing blend of sprite, orange juice, and Dry Rougeon wine

Seven’s Red Heaven
Beautiful deep plum color with refreshing, Crisp fruit flavors & a distinct sweet finish.

Happy Halloween From the Seven Springs Team!

We hope you have a safe and happy Haloween, and that you or your kids find plenty of candy to pair with your wine. If you're looking for a great place to come out and enjoy the evening, we welcome you to a night of amazing food and wine at the best winery at the Lake of the Ozarks!

Come for the wine...Stay for the atmosphere...Remember the view! 

Seven Springs is the finest Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks with a full-service facility perfect for outdoor weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events and parties.  Call us today to make reservations for your special event!

Seven Springs Winery

573.317.0100

846 Winery Hills Estates

Linn Creek, MO 65052

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Embracing Fall Flavors with Your Favorite Wine

The fall season is finally upon us, and one of the greatest parts about it is the flavors. Of course, when you pair those flavors with wine, it's even better! From hearty soups and stews to cozy desserts like pumpkin pie and apple crisp fall eating is a bit different than summer - as is the wine. Check out a few of these foods that will go best with your favorite Missouri wine!

Photo Credit: More Than A Mom of Three

Creamy Parmesan Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Wine Pairing: Seven Springs Winery's Chardonel

Recipe from: www.MoreThanAMomOfThree.com

Ingredients:2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk or heavy cream
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbsp. flour
4 Tsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Place 2 Tbsp. butter and flour in a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk for 2-3 minutes until it begins to turn a golden brown.
• Add garlic and sautee 1 minute. Reduce heat to low
• Stir in stock, cream, parmesan cheese, and nutmeg, cook for 5 minutes.
• Whisk pumpkin, remaining butter, and cheddar cheese into mixture- simmer for 10 additional moments until cheese is completely melted and all ingredients incorporated evenly.
• Serve with a crusty bread for dipping or crackers.
• ENJOY!

Photo Credit: Life Made Sweeter

Slow Cooker Homemade Beef Stew

Wine Pairing: Seven Springs Winery's Norton

Recipe from: www.LifeMadeSweeter.com

Ingredients:2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1 - 2 inch chunks
1 -2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/3 cup flour
cooking oil
1 large onion, diced into large chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 cups beef broth, homemade or low sodium
1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into slices
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Sugar, salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large zip-top bag, combine flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, and thyme. Add meat and shake until well coated..
2. Browning the meat: (feel free to skip to step 5)
3. In a large skillet on medium high heat, add cooking oil and brown the meat on all sides. Meat will not be cooked through. (Be sure not to crowd the skillet - you may have to work in batches). Transfer browned meat into the slow cooker.
4. Put the uncleaned pan back on the stove and add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or two then add the soy sauce and tomato paste until just hot enough to deglaze the pan, about 1 minute. Pour into slow cooker.
5. With the beef inside the slow cooker, pour in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and celery and stir to combine.
6. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours, stir about half way through.
7. Adjust seasonings with sugar, salt, and pepper if necessary and serve hot with fresh parsley.

Photo Credit: Baking Mischief

Easy & Comforting Ham & Potato Soup

Wine Pairing: Seven Springs Winery's Dry Vignoles

Recipe from: www.BakingMischief.com

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups (about 2 large) russet potatoes, peeled and diced medium
1 1/2 cups (9oz) cooked honey ham, diced medium*
1/2 cup celery, diced small
1/2 cup onion, diced small
4 cups (2 15oz cans) chicken broth
5 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon (44g) all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salt

Instructions:

Boil
In a large pot, combine potatoes, ham, celery, onions, and chicken broth. Bring to a low boil and cook over medium heat until vegetables are fork-tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Make the roux
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly until flour is golden, about one minute. Slowly add in milk, continuing to stir so that no lumps form and cook until mixture is thick, about 5 minutes.

Combine
Pour flour and milk mixture into the soup and stir. Add pepper, and salt to taste.
Serve and enjoy.

Foolproof Pumpkin Pie

Photo Credit: American Heritage Cooking

Wine Pairing: Seven Springs Winery's Muscato Sparkling
Recipe from: www.AmericanHeritageCooking.com

Ingredients:1 (15 ounce) can pureed pumpkin
1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 large eggs, slightly whisked
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (rounded)
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 (9 inch) pie crust (bonus points for homemade!)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°
2. In a small saucepan, heat pumpkin, spices and salt over low heat. The pour into another bowl to cool to room temperature. [This step is optional, but I think it makes the canned pumpkin taste closer to fresh pureed pumpkin.]
3. Whisk all ingredients except piecrust together in a medium bowl until combined. Make sure there are no streaks of egg white because those will show up in the final product!
4. Pour into crust and bake at 425° for 15 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to 350° and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted 1 inch from the center comes out clean. If you don’t want to poke your pie, which will cause it to crack as it cools, you can jiggle it. It is done when only the center (1 inch diameter) jiggles. The pumpkin pie will set perfectly if allowed to cool completely prior to cutting.
6. Refrigerate in a sealed container or covered with foil. It will also keep for several days at room temperature if you prefer.

Apple Crisp

Photo Credit: Tastes Better From Scratch

Wine Pairing: Seven Springs Winery's Syrah
Recipe from: www.TastesBetterFromScratch.com

IngredientsFor the crumb topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, diced into small chunks
For the Apple filling:
3-4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of salt
Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream and Homemade Caramel Sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium size bowl combine the crumb topping ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles small crumbs. Refrigerate while you prepare the apple filling.
3. For the Apple Filling: In a small bowl, combine melted butter and flour until well blended. Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla and stir well. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour butter mixture over apples and toss to coat. Pour apple mixture into an 8x8-inch baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and top is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
4. Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream and Homemade Caramel Sauce

Visit the Best Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks

Are you looking for a great place to enjoy the afternoon or weekend? Come out and visit us at Seven Springs Winery! Our winery is nestled quietly in the Ozark hills, and we have many cozy places to sit back and enjoy the view. Come drink the best wine at the Lake of the Ozarks!

Come for the wine...Stay for the atmosphere...Remember the view! 

Seven Springs is the finest Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks with a full-service facility perfect for outdoor weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events and parties.  Call us today to make reservations for your special event!

Seven Springs Winery

573.317.0100

846 Winery Hills Estates

Linn Creek, MO 65052

Like us on Facebook 

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Pizza Pie and Wine - Oh My!

If there's one type of day that requires hot pizza and chilled wine - it's a cloudy rainy fall day. At Seven Springs Winery, we know the advantage to sitting down to a delicious meal complete with an amazing wine paired with it - and it's even better when the meal is pizza. If you're curious as to which vino to pair with your pizza pie - here are a few of our opinions featuring the best Missouri wine!

Cheese Pizza & Spring Red

There's something basic and sublime in a cheese pizza. It has no pretensions but is still easily one of the most liked pizzas. A pizza like this needs something bold and equally loved to make the combo irresistible. We invite you to pair our Spring Red with your cheese pizza. Part of what makes the Spring Red so delicious is that it is a semi-sweet red with a hint of black cherry and a velvet finish. Combine these subtle - yet bold flavors with your cheesy goodness, and you'll see what we're talking about.

Pepperoni Pizza & Syrah

Did you know that pepperoni pizza is one of the most popular pizza flavors, and most liked? It simple, yet complex. We can appreciate the combination of fantastic flavors that are all rolled together. The tangy, red tomato sauce, melted cheese and robust pepperoni flavors are a combination that reminds us of years gone by and flavors of our childhood. You're not a child anymore, though, and you can now appreciate this pizza with sophistication and class that couldn't be achieved with bottles of pop. Try our Syrah red wine with your next pepperoni pizza. Aromas of currant, blackberry, black pepper with a subtle vanilla oak finish pair wonderfully with the classic pepperoni pizza.

Veggie Pizza & Chardonel

While veggie pizzas are typically associated with vegetarians or healthy eaters, there are some wonderful flavors combined into one exciting dish that can be appreciated by anyone. No matter what your reasoning for choosing this delicious combination of veggies, you'll want a wine that brings out each of the individual flavors. Cue the Chardonel wine. The light to medium straw color and medium body, fruity with toasted oak with combine perfectly with the delicious veggie pizza.

Meat Lover's Pizza & Norton

This hearty pizza has been assumed to be a "man's pizza" but that's certainly not the case. Combining all of your favorite meats onto one delicious crust with a flavorful tomato sauce and melted cheese is the perfect way to end a long work week or just a busy day. Pair this pizza with our bold Norton wine, and you'll be in for a delicious surprise. The opaque deep plum color combined with the tobacco, oak, and full bodied, spicy smooth persistent finish is going to perfectly complement the smokey goodness of any meat lover's pizza.

The Best Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks

At Seven Springs Winery, we know that good wine is made even better when paired with delicious food, great company, and beautiful scenery. At Seven Springs Winery, we combine all of the ingredients you need for an amazing afternoon, morning, or weekend pick-me-up, and we even top it off with live music on the patio. Come sit with us this weekend and enjoy a fabulous time - or at least come grab a bottle of wine to enjoy with your pizza and pajamas!

Come for the wine...Stay for the atmosphere...Remember the view! 

Seven Springs is the finest Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks with a full-service facility perfect for outdoor weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events and parties.  Call us today to make reservations for your special event!

Seven Springs Winery

573.317.0100

846 Winery Hills Estates

Linn Creek, MO 65052

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25 Words Every Wino Should Know

Whether you need to know some wine terms to impress your boss or you just want to know them for further enlightenment, there's nothing wrong with having a few good wine words under your belt. From complex words that describe the making of wine to words that describe the taste of wine - there are many words that can be used. At Seven Springs Winery, we have plenty of varieties of wine for you to choose from, so if you're looking for somewhere to practice these 25 words, we know exactly where you should go!

Wine Bottle Lingo

Appellation
This will tell you where the grapes for the wine was grown.

Blend
If a winery takes two different grapes and makes one wine from them - this is a blend. At Seven Springs Winery, we have a blend called Left Side. It's a 2001 Vintage Norton blended with a 2008 fortified Norton.

Importer
This would be in reference to the person who brought the wine from another location. One thing to keep in mind is that they tend to have a specific taste, so if you like one wine from an importer, you may also like others.

Sulfites
This is a natural bi-product of wine fermentation. You will also not find more sulfites in red wine or white.

Varietal
While a variety might imply that there are several types of grapes, a varietal says that a wine is only made up of at least 75% of one grape.

Vintage
This only references the year that the grapes were grown and harvested - not necessarily the year the wine was produced and bottled.

Vintner
This is what the proprietor of a winery is called!

Wine Descriptor Lingo

Acid or Acidity
All grapes will contain some level of acid - thankfully because the acid is what preserves the wine. If a wine has a higher acidity level, it's generally a crisper wine.

Aroma
The aroma is something you will decide when you sniff the wine in your glass before taking a sip.

Balance
All of the elements that make up the flavor of the wine are combined together and called the balance. Those elements are alcohol, acidity, fruitiness, sweetness, and tannins.

Body
This doesn't actually refer to the quality of the wine, but the weight it holds in your mouth while you're drinking it.

Bouquet
A bouquet is a fragrance that is developed after the wine has been fermented and bottled. The bouquet of a wine can take years to develop.

Complex
Complexity can often be considered a good thing, and just as you love a complex story plot, there's something mysterious about a complex wine. The flavor, the tastes, and the very subtle nuances that you notice when you drink are what make a wine complex.

Finish

While this could be called the "aftertaste," phrasing it as the "finish" sounds much classier, don't you think?

Length
How long does the finish last in your mouth? This is what the length is describing, and it can be short or long, quick or lingering.

Mature
This describes a wine that is ready to drink. It has been aged appropriately and is ready to be enjoyed - now!

Texture
This is yet another word to describe the feeling you get when you let a good Missouri wine sit in your mouth. Full-bodied wines tend to have more texture, and as you try many different wines, you will find the texture you like.

Young
A young wine has generally been bottled and sold within a year. This is exactly how it's meant to be, and it's not generally as enjoyable if it's "aged."

Other Wine Lingo

Aeration or Breathing
When you let a wine "breathe" you are merely letting it sit out for a short while before drinking it. This can be done one glass at a time, or a whole bottle a time in a decanter.

Aging
Some wine is meant to be aged, while other wines are meant to be served while they are still young. If you have any doubts, you can ask the "vintner" when you visit our Lake of the Ozarks winery!

Case
In the United States, a case of wine is generally twelve 750 ml bottles.

Corked
Uncorked is good, corked is not good. When a wine is corked, it generally means that the cork, and thusly the wine, has been tainted. This can happen sometimes be caused by bad environments like a moldy basement.

Oxidation
An oxidized wine is one that has been left out in the air for too long. It can affect the color and the taste of the wine.

Sediment
Older wines with more tannins tend to have a sediment that either settles at the bottom or side of the bottle depending on how it was stored. You will generally find this in darker red wines because they have more tannins and color pigments to settle.

Tannins
Tannins are a natural ingredient from the skin of a grape. The higher the tannins, the drier the wine tends to be.

The Best Wine at the Lake of the Ozarks

Do you feel prepared to take on a conversation with a wine connoisseur yet? No matter how many wine words you have stocked in your mental dictionary, we are certain that you can enjoy our wine with or without them. We have been located at the Lake of the Ozarks for over seven years, and we look forward to continuing to provide the best wine at the Lake of the Ozarks! Come out and sit on the patio with us, enjoy a few glasses, and make a lot of memories.

Come for the wine...Stay for the atmosphere...Remember the view! 

Seven Springs is the finest Winery at the Lake of the Ozarks with a full-service facility perfect for outdoor weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events and parties.  Call us today to make reservations for your special event!

Seven Springs Winery

573.317.0100

846 Winery Hills Estates

Linn Creek, MO 65052

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