Belmont: Views, food paired with wine

Belmont has great views from comfortable indoor and outdoor settings. Photo credit: Jennifer Peaco

A wood-fired over for pizzas.

The big covered patio overlooks rolling hills of vines and livestock, and the bistro features wood-fired pizzas among other fare. Belmont Vineyards and Winery has a stylish yet casual feel, and the wines are appealing as well.



Missouri Wine Snob notes

Norton: Smooth and tempered, similar to Heinrich’s.

Bella Rosso: A lighter, fruity red with a raspberry finish.

Chardonel: Subtle with flavor that veers more toward Chardonnay.

Rommelman Red: A semi-dry wine that looks almost like a blush, but it’s much bolder than a blush.

Cayuga: Every good winery seems to have a pleasant surprise waiting to be sampled. For Belmont, it’s the Cayuga. This one really stands out for its licorice finish.

Travel hints

When you are getting near the winery, disregard your GPS. Use a paper map or your noggin; its not hard to find.

Restaurants on this leg of the trip that we heard are good: Sybil’s in St. James. In Rolla, Gordoz (we ate there and can give it a thumbs up), Matt’s Steakhouse, Benton’s Square.

Restaurants in Cuba that we saw but lack knowledge of: Missouri Hick BBQ and Shelley’s Café. [Just saying there are places to eat there.]

One winery in the Steeleville area that we missed due to scheduling misfortune: Edg-Clif Winery. Nice setting.

In addition to grapes, livestock also are raised at Belmont.