417's Wine-Tasting guide

A round-up of tastings at local wine shops. Cheers!

Taste Wine Anytime

Diamond Ridge Market
2816 S. Ingram Mill Rd., Springfield, 889-2660 or 800-222-4734, pfiwestern.com
No boots are required to walk up to the counter at Diamond Ridge’s tasting bar, owned by PFI Western Store and located in a building just to the south of the main shop. All you need is an open mind and a willingness to try wines with Western names (as well as Italian, French, Spanish and Californian ones) while surrounded by saddles, tack and everything a cowboy or girl could want. Wines are open and poured every hour of every day the market is open.

 

TGIF

WineStyles
1362 E. Republic Rd., Springfield, 417-882-3737, winestyles.net/springfield
Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m., a themed collection of whites and reds is open for sampling. It may be Italian night, California dreaming, or new world vs. old; regardless of the name, everyone is welcome to sip at no charge. Staffers pour and answer questions at two stations. Wines can be purchased by the glass or the bottle. WineStyles also has wines open for tasting all day every Saturday.

417 Taste Club and More

Vino 100
2145 W. Republic Rd., Springfield, 417-883-8466, vino100springfield.com
Themed tastings are held Friday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. Admission is free. Other events scheduled during the month may include Vino & Pizza ($10), the wine club social (free to wine club members), the 417 Taste Club events and many others.

Gourmet Experience Weekends

Brown Derby International Wine Center
2023 S. Glenstone Ave., Springnfield, 417-883-4066 or 800-491-3438, brownderby.com
Each Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., a tasting table on the east end of the chain’s flagship store features wines, spirits and whatever the Brown Derby staff would like you to try that weekend. While shopping, simply walk by, see what they have open, and taste any that you would like. Staff will tell you about your selection and point out its price and location in the store, should you wish to take some home.

Branson’s Boutique Tasting

Palate
110 E. Main St., Branson, 417-335-2675, palateonline.com
Palate offers casual, themed tastings every Thursday night from 5:30 to 7 pm. Hand-selected wines from various regions of the world are featured, some of which were previously unavailable in the Ozarks. Very often these are wines that are very highly rated, but don’t carry a comparably high price tag. An initial charge of $10 is waived upon the purchase of even a single bottle of wine. Palate is also expanding into Monday tastings which focus more on food and wine pairings. As of press time, it had not been established whether there would be a charge for these.

More Tri-Lakes Wines

Two other locations in the Branson/Hollister area that don’t have specific tasting times are The Wine Company (1447 State Highway 248, Branson, 417-334-4551) and Southtown Spirits (Southtown Shopping Center, Hollister, 417-336-9000). Southtown Spirits has a featured brand open nearly every day for anyone who walks in. Tony White at The Wine Company opens a selection nearly every Friday evening after 5 p.m.

Club it

A great way to expand your wine horizons is to join a wine club. In Springfield, WineStyles and Vino 100 offer similar choices for $35 per month that include wine, discounts and events. Brown Derby has wine clubs that start at $45 per month.

Brian Goodell writes about wine from his southwest Missouri organic farm.