Jefferson City October 08

Because of the economy, we had cancelled our original plans to go to Washington DC this fall. So instead, we went on a much more modest trip to our own state capitol, Jefferson City. Along the way, we hit a lot of wineries and at the end counted up our total. After visiting 3 new wineries and 1 repeat, our Missouri total now stands at 19 out of the 72 listed in the guide book. We started at Phoenix and it will now stand as the worst winery on the list. We were greeted by the owners’ dog which was fine, but walking inside surrounded by buzzing flies and seeing that nothing was clean did not start us off well. The wine was horrible, mostly sweet and we just couldn’t wait to get away. We bought the best of the lot, a dryish red and got the heck out. 

The next winery, Wenwood could easily land on the other end of the spectrum. I loved this place. The owner is clearly educated in the craft of winemaking. Originally from Lake Geneva Wisconsin, he is now making wine on his wife’s family century farm in Bland, Missouri. We tried several really nice ones and loved his port which he calls Haffenwein. By a new legal agreement, the term port is now a reserve name for dessert wines made in Portugal much like champagne must be from France so Missouri makes sparkling wine. He also told us he is working with a cancer doctor to produce the state’s first certified organic wine. Our final stop was for lunch at the Summit Lake Winery which is just outside of Jefferson City. We had lunch up on the summit and enjoyed a nice cheese fondue with a bottle of St. Martin, a Norton/Chambourcin mix. You can now take your unfinished bottle when you leave so it made sense to order a full bottle even to just enjoy 1 glass each. 

Once we arrived at the capitol, we had it all to ourselves as it was Columbus Day. We walked around inside and out, took photos and enjoyed the quiet. It is an awe inspiring building and the photos will best speak to its beauty. Our hotel was very close and our room overlooked the Harry S Truman Building. We decided to go back and visit again during a busier times the next day. We ate dinner at O’Donohues’s Steaks and Seafood, located in an old remodeled warehouse in a up and coming neighborhood. We both decided on steak and potato. I tried not to fill up on the heavenly onion bread that came first and picked at a nice dinner salad that came with house creamy balsamic vinegar dressing. We had on our new Michigan rings and after dinner, when the dining room was empty; our waiter came over and asked how long we had been together. I replied 10 years and he told us that he his partner had been together for 22 years. He shared some stories about being out in a very conservative town like Jeff City. He also mentioned his good friend, Ted works at one of our favorite St. Louis hangouts, Boogaloos. After dinner, it was a beautiful evening, so we ended our day with a nighttime photo shoot back at the capitol.