'Tis the Season to Cook, Serve Savory Local Specialties

Adding a gourmet touch to the yuletide table is easy, especially with a little help from St. Louis' chefs and vintners. Each offer an assortment of savory original recipes perfect for this year's round of holiday buffets and cocktail gatherings.

Setting the seasonal table with a little originality can be a challenge. This year, I took inspiration from the Hermann Wine Trail vintners and the St. Louis Originals – St. Louis’ independent restaurateurs. Each has created unique recipes designed to give the holiday menu a gourmet touch using traditional favorite ingredients such as cheese.   Cheese is a popular element in holiday recipes, and is the theme of the recent  Just Say Cheese Holiday Wine Trail. The annual event produced by the Hermann Wine Trail presented a collection of unique cheese dishes paired with wine. For example, Chef Andrew Durbin of Stone Hill Winery’s Vintage Restaurant’s pairs a Traminette with his Ham and Cheese Crisps, a sophisticated yet simple recipe using …

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Diversion Destinations

Winery's Roots Extend to 19th Century Immigrants

Stone Hill Winery — about an hour's drive from the area — is one of the top wineries in Missouri and is open for tours seven days a week.

You’ve seen Stone Hill wines in your local grocery store and maybe you’ve even had a few glasses of the winery's famous Norton red. But to understand what makes Stone Hill winery so interesting, you need to know a little history about the wine business in Missouri. Stone Hill Winery is located in Hermann, MO, about an hour's drive from St. Louis County. The town was settled by German immigrants back in 1837, and like other immigrants, they came to this part of the world looking for cheap land and a shot at the American dream. While many Germans settled in St. Louis and introduced us to the fine art of beer making, a few hardy souls pushed on to the Missouri River valley and went about the even finer art of wine-making. In its glory days, …

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