Meet the Experts: 3 tips for adding wine to your holiday gatherings with Rob and Denise Bullock, owners of River Ridge Winery

When Rob and Denise Bullock first visited River Ridge Winery in 1995, they knew very little about wine. They had never participated in a wine tasting, they had never bought a bottle of wine and they didn’t know anything about winemaking.

At the winery, though, Rob says they had a “good experience” that opened up “a much bigger world of wine and food and daily enjoyment that is out there.” They began to learn more, and more than 20 years later, bought the winery in 2016. Now, they grow the grapes and make the wine, as well as manage the vineyard, winery and café so others can have an approachable place to learn how to “enhance their lives” with wine.

At the winery, they make and keep at least a dozen wines on the tasting bar, including dry, semi-dry, semisweet and sweet wines.

“We’re trying to make sure [visitors] have a positive experience and really make the whole wine world approachable for anybody interested and wanting that kind of experience,” Rob says. “Great wine, great food, great atmosphere all wrapped together out here in the country.”

Here, Rob shares three tips for adding wine to your holiday meals while you entertain.

__1. Think of the people you’re entertaining.__

It’s important to know your guests and their preferences, and then have the wine they enjoy drinking at your gathering for them. Rob says dry wine drinkers tend to only drink dry wines but may venture into sweeter wines, while sweet wine drinkers usually stay in the sweet wine profile. If you’re unsure of your guests’ preferences, stick with the classic pairings of red wine with heavier dishes and white wine with lighter dishes.

__2. Keep it casual.__

In most of the wine-drinking world, Rob says wine is a part of everyday life; it’s not something done in excess, it’s something centered around meals. Because of this, Rob says you don’t need to serve wine in fancy glasses; tumblers or non-stemmed glasses work great. If you do want to match glasses with wines, though, the bigger, bolder wines go best in bigger, bolder glasses, while white wines like smaller glasses.

__3. Serve the wines at the correct temperature.__

The darker the wine, the closer it should be to room temperature when served, while white wines should be chilled. Rob says the quickest way to chill a bottle of wine is to put it in a half-gallon pitcher with ice around it and water over it. Spin the bottle a few times, and it should get chilled in less than 10 minutes. Depending on your guests, Rob says it’s good to have one bottle of wine per two people at a party.

850 Co. Rd. 321

Scott City, Mo.

(573) 264-3712

https://www.riverridgewinery.com

Hours of operation

Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Fridays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.