Brittany Kyles and Avonlea Schoeneberg posing with their glass of wine for Fox 2’s Studio STL filming segment.
Summertime is still in full swing in the Midwest, with plenty of opportunities left to enjoy a day by the water! We talked about some of my favorite Missouri wines to sip poolside or lakeside this August on Fox 2’s Studio STL, here they are!💧☀️
A clip of Brittany Kyles and Avonlea Schoeneberg on Fox 2’s Studio STL Wine Down Wednesday segment.
August is Vignoles Month, and I can understand why! This versatile grape can produce wines for every palate. With flavors like pineapple, peach, and pear, Vignoles is delicious served chilled for a crisp, refreshing cool-down by the pool. 🕶️
Noboleis Vineyards Vignoles, Adam Puchta Winery Dry Vignoles, and Mathany Vineyards Sweet Vignoles.
🍷 Dry Vignoles from Adam Puchta Winery in Hermann, MO
🍷 Semi-Dry Vignoles from Noboleis Vineyards in Augusta, MO
🍷 Sweet Vignoles from Mathany Family Vineyards in Lake Ozark, MO
August is also peak peach season, and peach wine is the perfect companion for lake or pool days. It’s like enjoying a peach orchard in a glass! Served chilled, its bright, fruity flavors make it an easy sipper on hot August afternoons. 🍑
Montelle Winery Peachy Wine and Stone Hill Winery Seasonal Peach Wine
🍷 Peachy from Montelle Winery in Augusta, MO
🍷 Seasonal Peach from Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, MO
Is there ever a bad time for a glass of rosé? Rosé is incredibly refreshing and perfect for even the hottest August days. With notes of strawberry, raspberry, and peach, an ice-cold glass is an easy crowd-pleaser wherever summer takes you. 🌹
Mount Pleasant Estates St. Vincent Rosé
🍷 St. Vincent Rosé from Mount Pleasant Estates in Augusta, MO
All of the wines we talked about on the episode!
Missouri Wines are having their summer moment, and honestly, so should you. Grab a chilled glass of Missouri Wine, find a float, and let summer do the rest!☀️😎
A perfect wine for summertime just also happens to be celebrated in August! This versatile grape can make award-winning wines for all flavor appreciation types, and the 2026 Missouri Wine Governor’s Cup results prove that!
Missouri Governor’s Cup Vignoles Wine Winners
This years Best of Class winners included:
Dry White: 2025 Dry Vignoles from Adam Puchta Winery
Semi Dry White: 2024 Vignoles from Noboleis Vineyards
Sweet White: 2025 Vignoles from Mathany Family Vineyards
The 2026 Missouri Governor’s Cup winner was the 2025 Dry Vignoles from Adam Puchta Winery.
Vignoles grapes are very hardy in Missouri and are one of the first you may see being harvested. Vignoles wines can feature crisp flavors like pineapple, pear, and peach to fresh citrus and florals making it the perfect wine for summertime sips!
Vignoles wine pairs really well with foods that have a slight kick to them! General Tso’s chicken is my personal favorite Vignoles wine and food pairing! If you’re looking to pair it with something sweet, go for a cheesecake or crème brûlée type sweet treat.
A plate of General Tso’s chicken and white rice paired with a glass of Vignoles Wine
As always though, drink what you want with what you want to eat it with. No one’s judging your personal preferences in my book ever!
What do you have with twelve bottles of award-winning Missouri wine, food, food, and more food, and a group of people ready to have their pallets put to the test? It must be time for a whimsical award-winning Missouri wine tasting!
Who will be the favorite out of them all?
Ten folks gathered (properly socially distanced) to enjoy an evening of tasting twelve of Missouri’s award-winning wines from eight different Missouri wineries.
One of the best times of the year in the Midwest is definitely peach season! Whether you’re picking some up from your local farmers market or spending a day picking your own at Eckert’s Family Farms, it’s a great time of the year for all–so it makes sense that peach wine would be so popular here too! 🍑
Here are some of my favorite peach wines made by amazing Midwest wineries!
Create your own fun mini wine bottle string lights that will light up any occasion!
Here’s what you will need!
• Plastic mini wine bottles with screw caps (available at most liquor and grocery stores in singles and 4-packs)
• String lights with attachable/detachable bulbs (here’s an example! bit.ly/2JUbG6P) **bulbs should be no larger than 0.7” or they won’t fit inside of bottle neck
• Hand drill with 16/34” drill bit
Step 1. Go get some tacos, drink the wine, feel real fine.
Step 2. Remove the wine bottle labels. Soaking them in warm soapy water usually does the trick!
Step 3. Make sure there is no liquid left in the bottles!
Step 4. Safely drill a hole (I used a 13/64″ bit) in the screw cap of the bottles.
Step 5. String each individual light into each screw top hole, then secure the bulb onto the light.
Step 6. Screw each cap back onto each wine bottle and voila! You have a fun string of lights any wine lover would be proud to own!
💻📱Be sure to follow me for all of my online shenanigans!
Cedar Lake Cellars, a year-round winery and event venue, recently added four new wines to its existing inventory of 50.
3 Swans Chardonnay, Napa Valley Reserve (2016) – Buttered citrus, marmalade, and hints of brioche and white flower nuances are apparent in this full-bodied wine. The name and label refer to the winery’s three swans that grace the property’s three-acre lake.
Pomegranate Sparkling Wine – A semi-dry wine with aromas of cherry, blackberry, and strawberry.
Cedar Lake Cellars Moscato (2018) – This wine features sweet aromas of peaches, fresh grapes, orange blossoms, and crisp lemons.
Cedar Lake Cellars Rosé (2018) – The newest Rosé is a versatile crisp, dry wine with bright acidity and structure.
The winery currently sells craft and domestic beer, as well as 16 Cedar Lake Cellars California or Paso Robles wines, 3 Swans handcrafted wines from the West Coast, 25 wines of the world, and signature wine slushies. A mixed drink menu features a wide assortment of liquors and mixes to choose from.
Cedar Lake Cellars is open year-round Fri. and Sat. from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for those 21 and older with live music scheduled throughout the weekend.
Ever have the hankering for something sweet and sugary, but with the delicious flavors of some of your favorite wines? Chocolate Storybook has got you officially covered with their selection of wine flavored cotton candy!
Chocolate Storybook has all of your favorite boozy flavors in cotton candy form! From Champagne, Rosé, and Merlot–to Mimosa, and even Pina Colada, you will have a hard time picking out your favorite flavors to try!
If you’re looking for something other than wino flavors, you have to check out all of the other crazy flavors the company offers!
One of my main goals on my wine journey is to take the “snobbery” out of wine, and have fun with it! I’ve always loved everything vintage, and have a love for the pin-up style! That is where the idea to host a pin-up contest at a winery came from!
Whimsical Wine Woman-Photo by Megyme Productions
When Hidden Lake Winery owner Angela Gorazd contacted me saying she wanted to make some sort of “pin-up” event happen at their winery, we sat down for a brainstorming and wine session. I wanted to host a fun event mashing wine and pin-ups together that everyone could enjoy…that’s when “Miss Hidden Lake Winery” was born! After months of planning and tons of excited interest and support from the community, we soon realized wine and pin-ups go PERFECTLY together, and make for a fantastic time!
Hidden Lake Winery owner Angela Gorazd(Miss Ruby Rosé for the evening) and ME! ready to take on the event!
At 8pm on the dot fifteen beautiful ladies graced the stage competing for the following titles:
“Miss Off Duty” – one of the wineries own wines (3rd place)
“Miss Old Hippie” – also another one of the wineries own wines (2nd place)
“Miss Hidden Lake Winery 2019” (1st place)
Pictured in order: Miss Margo, Miss Swannie, Miss J Marie, Miss Cha Cha Ooh La-La, Miss Loosie Lovegood, Miss Millie Manhattan, Miss Roxie Heart, Winery Owner; Miss Ruby Rosé, Miss Stella Noir, Miss Ruby Steele, Miss Lady Haha Hotwheels, Miss Maria Divine, Miss LuLu Le Papillon, Miss Aurora Borealis, and Miss Kiki Rose
The competition was fierce as all of the ladies brought their best outfits, poses, and unique stage presence to engage the audience! In the end the judges had a hard time narrowing down the winners! After plenty of math checking followed by more math checking just in case…the final scores had been tallied up and the winners were finally selected!
3rd Place- Miss Stella Noir 2nd place- Miss Millie Manhattan and 1st place- Miss Cha Cha Ooh La-La
Our three beautiful winners graced the stage! Miss Stella Noir took home the 3rd place Off Duty title. Miss Millie Manhattan took home the 2nd place Old Hippie title.
Photo by Andrew Dobson
Miss Cha Cha Ooh La-La was crowned Miss Hidden Lake Winery 2019! She graced the stage and won over the judges hearts for the evening! Winning comes with some extra perks too! Miss Cha Cha will get an overnight stay at one of the Hidden Lake Winery Cabins to relax and kick back after all of her pin-up shenanigans! Congratulations Miss Cha Cha Ooh La-La!
All fifteen of the beautiful contestants and the host of the night!
All of these beautiful ladies brought their best and it showed all night long!
After the pin-up competition, the crowd was kept up and on their feet dancing all night long thanks to CHAMPAGNE FIXX who’s musical talents kept us going well past 11pm!
Champagne Fixx rocking out with the crowd!
If you needed a break in between dancing, you could also head back to the Barrel Room for some pin-up style shopping with our hand picked vendors for the night!
The winery was packed and it will always be a night remember! We can’t not wait until the next one AND hopefully eventually work this into a Miss Illinois Wine Event at the Illinois State Fair!
Here are some of my favorite peach wines made by amazing Midwest wineries!
Whimsical Wine Woman 