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Living On The Vine: Shawnee Bluff Winery Pairs Lake Vintages With A Phenomenal View

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Shawnee Bluff Winery - Double Bluff With A View

Well-drained Missouri soil at Shawnee Bluff’s vineyard lifted St. Vincent grape vines to be kissed by Missouri’s sun and rain. From those grapes, owners Gail Griswold and Barrett Elwyn have drawn Double Bluff, a red wine now being poured and sold at Shawnee Bluff Winery located high above Lake of the Ozarks with a fine view of the Community Toll Bridge.

The views from Shawnee Bluff are without doubt one of the essential reasons to visit. From decks high atop the bluff, guests watch the waters moving below. Looking up, large birds of prey, eagles, surf air currents. Breezes below carry the light, fresh scent of trees and flowers.

The property was first a motel constructed in 1931. Renovated rooms to rent offer the same spectacular views as those available to tourists seated on one of the winery’s decks. A swimming pool is as blue as Bahama waters during the season and always refreshed by a soothing fall of water from an artistic wine bottle pouring into the pool. Nearby, on Friday, Saturday and Sundays, live music invites people to dance or at least tap the feet.

Indoors, the tasting room and bistro are cozy. A fireplace adds warmth and charm during cold months. Wood paneling enhances the effect of a cabin in the woods. A new bar provides seating and food service. Bistro tables just behind expand the space available. Live music is often scheduled for weekend afternoons. 

The Dish: Charcuterie Platter

The Dish: Charcuterie Platter

In July 2016, Koty Zuroweste joined the Shawnee Bluff team as chef. Like the St. Vincent grapes growing on Shawnee Bluff land, Zuroweste comes from Lake of the Ozarks’ soil. He’s a native who learned his trade in kitchens at the lake.

The heart of any Charcuterie Platter is cured meats. At Shawnee Bluff, those meats are Salami, Pepperoni, and Capicola, an Italian cold cut from smoked, cured pork shoulder or neck. Each meat on the platter is sliced paper thin and presented in a fan shape on one corner.

At the center and extending diagonally along the platter are cheeses, including a creamy Baby Gouda, extra sharp and aged cheddar from Tillamook, a tangy Iowa Amish Bleu Cheese, and buttery baked brie. These pair nicely with the meat selections as well as the large round crackers, two of the black pepper variety, two water crackers, and two whole wheat. Sliced French bread with crumbled parmesan and herbs along the top is another option.

Thinly sliced Red Delicious apples pieces, seedless red grapes, and pickled peppers add sweet and tangy notes to the meat and dairy bites. Even more piquant was the tomato jam made with heirloom tomatoes grown in Tuscumbia, Missouri at Winfrey Century Farm. These burst with flavor after simmering in a white balsamic syrup made at Shawnee Bluff. That jam is another traditional element of a Charcuterie Platter, often used to “frost” cheeses such as brie on cracker.

A similar platter component delivers just as much flavor: Piquante Peppers stuffed with a goat cheese mousse created in the Shawnee Bluff kitchen. These were drizzled in a different balsamic syrup, darker and enriched with fresh herbs.

A lavender chive blossom, fully edible, dressed the platter and when nibbled, added mild onion flavors to accompany the meat and cheeses. Microgreens also adorned the platter like ribbons draping the food. From Restoration Farms in Stover came Popcorn and Sugar Snap Pea Shoots to add a sweet finish.

Every bite of the entire platter is so edible and delicious--a perfect companion to Shawnee Bluff wines.

The Wine Flight: Double Bluff in a Goblet

Double Bluff - St. Vincent Grapes of Missouri
St. Vincent Grapes - Shawnee Bluff Winery

St. Vincent grapes are native in Missouri, and as such, they grow well in the Ozarks soil. Shawnee Bluff has cultivated them and brought forth a deep red wine they call Double Bluff.

Light and lightly sweet, Double Bluff pairs well with conversation, camaraderie, cheese, and hearty sandwiches, salads, or pizza. It’s also one of three in a tasting flight called Swept Ashore. Each wine pairs with a cheese, and both wine and cheese arrive on a board completed with microgreen flourishes.

The extra-sharp aged Tillamook cheddar stands up to a deep dark Norton, full of flavor, sweet at first sip before fading to dry and satisfying in the end. Double Bluff pairs with the creamy Baby Gouda from Wisconsin. Retro Red, a 75/25 blend of Chambourcin and Syrah grapes, completes the Swept Ashore flight. It is rich in fruit flavor, and like the Norton, has a dry finish, especially when paired with a hard parmesan cheese.

Swept Ashore is but one of six flight pairings available. Each provides an opportunity to find the perfect measure of the grape’s flavors pulled from the fine Missouri land to deliver full-bodied wines in red or white from Shawnee Bluff where views, music, and food round out a fine afternoon fading into evening.

 

Shawnee Chef's Picks

Stuffed Piquante Peppers

• Select sweet Cherry or Peppadew peppers from the produce aisle or local famer’s market, when available. Canned peppers may also be used, but drain them well before stuffing and serving.

• Dice shallot, garlic, and herbs including fresh oregano, parsley, and thyme, using the brunoise technique (a knife cut requiring julienned vegetables and herbed that are then given a one-quarter turn before being diced again to render the vegetables and herbs tiny)

• Whip the diced vegetables and herbs with goat choose in an amount sufficient to stuff the number of peppers in use

• Before serving, drizzle with Balsamic Syrup

 

Balsamic Vinegar Drizzle for Stuffed Piquante Peppers

• Simmer equal parts balsamic vinegar and sugar until the liquid reduces to a syrup.

• Let rest with springs of thyme until needed.

• When cooled, serve over stuffed piquante peppers.

 

White Balsamic Vinegar Syrup for Pickling Vegetables

• Simmer equal parts white balsamic vinegar and sugar until the liquid reduces to a syrup.

• Add heirloom tomatoes and simmer until they pop.

• Cool and serve

Wine & Cheese Pairings at Shawnee Bluff Winery
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