Missouri Wine Tour: The Cave Vineyard

(STE. GENEVIEVE, MO) — If anyone tells you Missouri is completely flat, don’t listen to them.

Home to The Ozarks, the southern half of Missouri provies to have beautiful views, back road drives, and be the perfect place for wine country.

Missouri is sometimes called the “Napa Valley of the Midwest,” and there’s a reason for that.

Planning for a weekend getaway to the Ste. Genevieve area, I came across a very intriguing winery. One that connects my love for wine, and my love for caves (Big Batman fan here, folks).

It didn’t take me more than 5 seconds to decide “that’s where I want to go” for our trip to Ste. Gen. So, we made it happen!

First we were treated to a behind-the-scenes wine pairing tasting, which was phenomenal.

We tried 5 wine samples, all paired with different cheeses, crackers, salami and chocolates.

Wine #1: Venti Anni White

Paired with Havarti cheese, this dry white wine is a Vignoles and Traminette blend, and is crisp, fruity and light. It also helped me realize I absolutely love Havarti cheese. Watch out Provel, you’ve got some competition!

Wine #2: Norton

Missouri’s state grape! You’ve probably heard of our tried a Norton red wine before. This variation has notes of plum, dark cherry and smoky tobacco. You can pair this with smoked meats and sharp cheeses. It was pepper jack, for us! Another favorite of mine. We also dipped the Norton into Biscotti, which was surprisingly delicious. The Cave Vineyard has a Biscotti Bar in the Winery Loft, nearby the Tasting Room. All of the recipes are based on Grandma Strussione’s Almond Biscotti recipe. Amazing.

Wine #3: Cave Rock Off Dry

This was my favorite wine of the tasting. The Off Dry is in the Semi Dry/Semi Sweet category, and I’d argue it leans a little bit more to the sweet side. Maybe 55/45, which was perfect for me and my group. Packed with citrus notes, this was one of the wines both myself and my friend Jessica purchased bottles of before we left.

Wine #4: First Time Blush

This was a close second. Definitely more on the sweeter side, but full of flavor, beautiful color and goes really well with that Havarti cheese again. It’s a Semi Sweet Rose; fresh and fruity, with hints of berry. This was my second bottle I bought.

Wine #5: Cave Rock Red

One of the sweet-listed wines on the menu, but I found it tasted a bit more in the middle than the First Time Blush! This red wine is packed with flavor and pairs well with chocolate.

We did not try this wine in the pairing, but the Cave Rock White is the top seller at Cave Vineyard. It’s got a pineapple and grapefruit aroma, and the sweet finish pairs well with dessert.

After our pairing tasting, we headed to the bar and had… another tasting! This one was a wine flight with 5 samples, which costs $8. This time I added a few other wines to my list I really enjoyed; the Rockin Rosie, which is similar to the First Time Blush. The Venti Anni Red, which is a dry, Norton and Chambourcin blend. Very nice as well.

After one Norton/Chambourcin blend, came the Grotta Rossa, a sweeter blend of Norton and Chambourcin. Very tasty.

Next came the Grande Bianco is a fortified dried white that I tried. It’s a dry traminette fortified with Grappa.

What is Grappa, you say? I learned about it here as well. It’s an Italian liquor made from the grape seeds, skins and stems left over from fermentation. It can even aid in digestion!

The Cave Vineyard also produces smaller-batch spirits like Brandy, Grappa, Schnapps, Bourbon and Whiskey. While there was none the day we came by, the son-in-laws of the family produce even smaller batches of beer! Cleverly titled SIL, the beer options come in wheat, and IPA. They can also produce stouts!

After we got done with our multiple tastings, we headed down to the place the Cave Vineyard gets its name from. The Saltpeter Cave.

It’s about a 200-yard walk downhill to reach the cave. It’s a great way to burn some calories off after all that delicious biscotti. You head down the path, through the forest, and there she is in all her beauty.

We saw two bats while walking through the cave. The sleeping, beautiful creatures were just hanging upside down at the top of the cave. You can picnic in the cave, or on a platform at the mouth of the cave. There are enough tables and chairs to fit roughly 100 people.

Here are a few reasons the Cave Vineyard is one of my favorite wineries I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to a lot).

1: Consistently high-quality, delicious wine.

2: Amazing selection of cheese, crackers, chocolates and meat. They do sell more meat in the fridge in the wine tasting room. I was tempted to buy a bunch and take it home with me. Next time.

3: The friendly staff. I want to send a heartfelt thank you to Laura Oliver, our wonderful host during the journey at the Cave Vineyard. She was extremely knowledgeable about the wines, the fermentation process, and gave wonderful history of the property. The bartenders were fantastic as well!

4: THE CAVE!

Of course this has to be one of the reasons. If you like caves, bats, and nature; come to the Cave Vineyard! It’s the perfect cool temperature inside the cave, so bring a picnic, have some wine, and relax!

Plus, you can see some bats. I’m always in for that. Unless they’re in my apartment, I may have an issue with that. But we would gently figure out how to relocate you.

Thank you to the Cave Vineyard for an amazing experience. My friends and I all had a wonderful time, and we’d love to come back! If you’re ever in the Southeast Missouri area, stop by and say hello!