Willow Spring Mercantile is quite a unique boutique retailer in Excelsior Springs, MO. They sell craft beers and distilled spirits. However, our favorite thing about this shop is that it offers the largest selection of Missouri Wines in the state. They have wine from all around the state of Missouri and their stock frequently rotates depending on the season.
The other special thing about the Mercantile is the downstairs bistro where they offer lunch with local ingredients (paired with Missouri wine!) but also, once a month they have a gourmet Four Course Wine Dinner that showcases a local Missouri Winery's wine perfectly paired with delicious fare. We partook in this Four Course Wine Dinner with Michael’s parents for a special Valentine’s Day Dinner that was an absolute culinary and wine delight.
Michael and I arrived early to look around at the wine and other items around the Mercantile. We then made our way down the stairs to our table to wait for his parents. The downstairs of the Mercantile offers a very cozy feel. The chairs and tables are mixed-and-matched. There’s doilies and tablecloths on the tables with fresh cut flowers. It’s a very homey country kind of feel. The staff asked if we would want a bottle of wine for the table, but we declined, deciding to wait until Michael’s parents came, to see if we would want a bottle then.
The main difference between this special Valentine’s Day Dinner compared to their other Four Course dinners they offer was that each course had a different winery instead of just focusing on one winery. The last time Michael and I had been there for a Four Course dinner, Riverwood Winery was the spotlighted winery. One of the owners talked about the winery and each bottle of wine they were offering for that night. This was missing tonight so it seemed to be a long period of time between courses.
I knew it was getting closer to getting our first course when the servers started to appear with the first wine which happened to be from Riverwood Winery. They were then later followed by a small square plate of Italian sausage with a roll. Michael’s mom and I devoured the first course. Michael debated wondering if the green leaf was edible or decoration. In which he got a dry response from his dad, “It’s spinach.”
The second course slowly arrived which was a salad. We all told Michael that the green stuff in it was spinach in case he was confused if it was edible again. The paired wine was from Noboleis Winery, which is a winery that Michael and I have yet to visit, but have tried a handful of their wines and always enjoy them. The wine was a Dry Rosé which was, unsurprisingly, quite good. We then tried it with our spinach salad. Michael’s dad and I both said that the wine paired very well with the salad dressing. Somehow it made the Dry Rosé a bit sweeter.
We all were excited for the third course to come since the first two have been great and this one was to be the main course. I was a little worried about the mashed potatoes being mashed with horseradish, since I’m not a big fan of horseradish. However, the horseradish wasn’t really that harsh. Everything was so good. The meat was very tender. The wine as Michael put it "was his happy place," since it was a Chambourcin from Crown Valley Winery.
Then the dessert was served with a Port wine from Stone Hill Winery. The dessert was so amazing. Michael’s mom figured out that the chocolate bar we were getting reminded of by the dessert was a Heath bar. Of course, when it was served we all informed Michael that the green on the side of the dessert was mint, not spinach.
Michael and I already know that we will be trying out other Four Course Wine Dinners at the Mercantile. While they are expensive, the food and wine experience are worth splurging at least once or twice a year.
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