Whispering Oaks St. Vincent runs the table at La Galette Berrichonne

Whispering Oaks owner Larry Green pours one of his reds. Photo credit: Jennifer Peaco

Whispering Oaks Vineyard and Winery was the last stop on the 2014 wine tour. However, the biggest revelation came a few weeks later.

Some friendly folks we met at Tyler Ridge Vineyard Winery invited us on an outing to the French restaurant in Fordland, La Galette Berrichonne. The expedition included a stop at Whispering Oaks, where we acquired another bottle of St. Vincent, made in a dry, supple style.

La Galette Berrichonne does not serve wine, but it welcomes diners to bring their own wine, no corking fee assessed.

We took the bottle of St. Vincent into the restaurant, not knowing whether it would be a good pairing for anything on the preset menu.

However, the Whispering Oaks St. Vincent stood up admirably to all seven courses!

1. Seafood au gratin
2. Coq au vin croustade (chicken)
3. Quiche Lorraine with salad
4. Pork tenderloin with port sauce
5. Raspberry sorbet
6. Brie with slices of strawberries
7. Tarte aux cerises (cherries)

The touches of fruit and the emphasis on lighter meats helped the St. Vincent run the table. A great discovery. The US 60 Corridor is beginning to become a factor for The Good Life in southern Missouri.

By the way, Lisa Stacy, manager at Majestic Limousines, provided professional and congenial chauffeur service that was, for a big group, rather affordable.

Missouri Wine Snob notes

Vignoles: Best of the variety tasted on this tour: Crisp and not too sweet.

Traminette and Vidal (semi-sweet) have citrus notes.

Catawba has progressed through several stages over more than a decade of development at Whispering Oaks. The current Catawba is sweet, bringing out the full fruit flavor but keeping that grape’s unruliness in check.