Missouri wine

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Missouri (wine region)
Official name State of Missouri
Appellation type U.S. state
Year established 1821
Years of wine industry 1837-present
Country USA
Sub-regions Augusta AVA, Hermann AVA, Ozark Highlands AVA, Ozark Mountain AVA
Total area 69,709 square miles (180,545 km2)
Grapes produced Baco noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Catawba, Cayuga, Chambourcin, Chardonel, Chardonnay, Chelois, Concord, Couderc noir, De Chaunac, Delaware, Diamond, Edelweiss, Malbec, Marechal Foch, Merlot, Muscat Canelli, New York Muscat, Norton, Rayon d'Or, Riesling, Rougeon, Ruby Cabernet, Seyval Blanc, St. Vincent, Touriga Francesa, Traminette, Valiant, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles, Villard Blanc, Villard Noir, Vivant, Zinfandel[1]
No. of wineries over 50
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Missouri Wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Missouri. European immigrants, especially from German states in the early to mid-1800s, founded the wine industry in Missouri. Later Italian immigrants also entered wine production. In the mid-1880s, more wine was produced by volume in Missouri than in any other state. Before Prohibition, Missouri was the second-largest wine-producing state.

Missouri had the first area recognized as a federally designated American Viticultural Area with the Augusta AVA on June 20, 1980.[2] There are now four AVAs in Missouri.

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[edit] History

Native Americans cultivated local varieties of grape. These species were developed more by later European immigrants.

German immigrants to the Missouri River valley established vineyards and wineries on both sides of the river. Hermann, Missouri, settled by Germans in 1837, had ideal conditions to grow such grapes. By 1848 winemakers there produced 10,000 US gallons (37,900 l) per year, expanding to 100,000 US gallons (378,500 l) per year by 1856.[citation needed] Overall, the state produced 2,000,000 US gallons (7,570,800 l) per year by the 1880s, the most of any state in the nation.[citation needed]

In the mid-19th century, the phylloxera louse destroyed much of the Vitis vinifera grape crop in France. Missouri’s state entomologist, Charles Riley, encouraged the sending of resistant native Missouri rootstocks to France to combat the epidemic.[citation needed]

Before Prohibition, Missouri was the second-largest wine-producing state in the nation. The new amendment forced the shutdown or abandonment of all wineries except that at St. Stanislaus Seminary, in Florissant, permitted to make sacramental wines.[citation needed]

Revival of the state's wine industry started in 1965 with the reopening of Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, followed soon by the opening of Mount Pleasant Winery in Augusta.[citation needed] Soon winemakers began to reestablish Missouri vineyards and wineries throughout the state.

The federal government has also recognized the importance of winemaking and certified distinct regions qualifying as American Viticultural Areas (AVA). One distinct area was developed on the north side of the Missouri River in southwestern St. Charles County. The Augusta AVA was recognized in 1980. The Hermann AVA, on the south side of the river chiefly in Gasconade County, was designated by the federal government in 1983.

Italian as well as German immigrants introduced wine production in the Rolla, Missouri area. This is now within the Ozark Highlands AVA, designated in 1987 and including parts of several counties, from southern Gasconade County to Texas and Dent counties further south.

All three smaller AVAs are within the Ozark Mountain AVA, a designation covering southern Missouri from the Missouri River down, northwestern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma.

[edit] Grapes grown

Missouri's climate, with its long, hot summers, good sun exposure, and thin rocky Ozarks soil, is excellent for growing grapes. The moderate average temperature allows natural cellaring of wine. The winters, however, are too cold to reliably grow some popular grape varieties of the species Vitis vinifera found in Europe and California.

The most prominent Missouri-grown variety is Cynthiana/Norton, believed to be a variety of Vitis aestivalis. Other varieties grown include native American grapes, Concord and Catawba, as well as French-American hybrids like Vignoles, Seyval, and Chambourcin. Recently, there has been more interest in planting Vitis vinifera grapes varieties, especially Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Mourvedre.[citation needed]

[edit] Industry

The wine industry in Missouri is growing very rapidly. The market for Missouri wine is estimated to be far higher than current production. Currently, Missouri has more than 1,400 grape bearing acres. In 2008 over 888,000 gallons of Missouri Wine was sold. The market share of Missouri Wine within the state of Missouri was 7.95% in 2008. The wine industry in Missouri has consistently grown for over a decade and in 2009 over 88 wineries were open for business.

The state had a total of 47 wineries in 2003.[citation needed] The three largest wineries in Missouri are in order: Stone Hill Winery, Mount Pleasant Winery, and Les Bourgeois Winery.[citation needed] A state tax on wine imposed in 1984, now 12 cents per gallon, supports the Missouri Wine and Grape Program, providing scientific and marketing support for Missouri wines.[citation needed] The state government hopes to encourage the local wine industry by promoting Missouri regionalism: integrating grape agriculture with winemaking, the restaurant business, and tourism.

[edit] Gallery

Hermannhoff White Lady of Starkenburg wine

Stone Hill Norton wine of 2003

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Appellation America (2007). "Missouri: Appellation Description". Retrieved Nov. 16, 2007.
  2. ^ Code of Federal Regulations Title 27, Volume 1 ALCOHOL, TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND FIREARMS
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