Visiting Ken and Becky Miller and their Sugar Creek Winery in Missouri, USA

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller with Ken and Becky Miller and Becky Miller's son, Christopher Lorch

Sugar Creek Winery is a boutique winery about an hour away (by car) from St. Louis in Missouri.

I visited Sugar Creek Winery recently with fellow participants of the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri. DrinkLocalWine.com – which is about is about spotlighting wine made in the 47 States of the US that are not one of the big three: California, Washington State, and Oregon - held its third annual conference on April 1-3, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri. I have provided an overview about the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri here. One of the highlights of the conference was the DLW 2011 Missouri Twitter Taste-off; 20 wineries participated with 2 wines each. I have provided a general overview about the wine producing State of Missouri here. Missouri is relying heavily on French American hybrid grapes; I have written about it here. Interestingly, the first American AVA was the Augusta AVA in Missouri; see here. This is the first of the final three postings about 3 Missouri winemakers: Montelle Winery, Mount Pleasant Winery and Sugar Creek Vineyards and Winery.

Wine Producer Missouri

Missouri produces top-flight wine, although it does so with few European (vitis vinifera) grapes – such as Chardonnay or Merlot - in sight. Missouri’s more than 100 wineries specialize in French-American hybrid grapes and native American grapes like Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, and Norton - the latter one being the most prominent Missouri-grown variety. The State’s climate is harsh and humid and vinifera grapes have a hard time to thrive under these conditions, although recently there has been more interest in planting vinifera grape varieties.

Picture: Map of Missouri

Missouri’s wine history dates to the 1830s, when German immigrants established Hermann and the Missouri River as one of the main viticulture areas in the US, growing the American grapes that they found there when they arrived, including Norton. 50 years later, more wine was produced in Missouri than in any other State in the US. But then came Prohibition and brought Missouri’s wine industry to a halt. However, Missouri’s wine industry came back, starting in the 1960, in particular after French American hybrid grapes became available. Indeed, the Augusta AVA in Missouri is the first AVA (gaining the status on June 20, 1980, eight months before the Napa Valley AVA).

Today, Missouri has more than 1,400 acres planted in grapes and more than 100 wineries. Missouri is again a serious wine producer, relying heavily on French American Hybrids when it comes to quality wines. However, overall, Missouri has become a small player, accounting for less than 0.5% of total production in the US.

Sugar Creek Winery

Sugar Creek Winery is owned and run by Ken and Becky Miller, who founded it in 1994. "Great wines come from great grapes" says Ken, and it has been Sugar Creek's goal to achieve this from the beginning. Old vineyards have been replaced with popular varietals such as Vidal Blanc, Cynthiana (Norton), Chambourcin, Chardonel and Seyval Blanc.


Pictures: Sugar Creek Winery in Missouri

The property is beautiful. This lovely winery is situated atop a large hill, overlooking the Missouri River Valley. They have a large outdoor seating area where kids can play, while adults sip on their winery bought wine, or eat their food brought from home. The old turn of the century farmhouse serves as the wine tasting accommodations.

Owner Ken Miller says grapes for wine always had a place at his family table since he was a youngster growing up in Melrose Park in the Chicago area. His grandfather immigrated to America from Italy early in the century and carried with him a fondness for wine-making

Early on Becky Miller's son, Christopher, joined the family operation at Sugar Creek Winery. He spent two years educating himself about wine in the Napa Valley area of California, where he has worked in the Plump Jack Vineyard. He is now the winemaker. Christopher is a soft-spoken, straightforward guy. It was fun to listen to him.

Sugar Creek Winery produces about 5.000 cases annually and sells them mostly at the winery.

The Wine Portfolio

Picture: The Sugar Creek Winery Wines we Tasted

Dry Wines

Vidal Blanc

Crisp dry white wine fermented in stainless steel with French Oak chips added during cellaring/aging. Estate grown and bottled. Fruit forward with underlying tone of oak.

Chardonel

Hybrid of Chardonnay and Seyval grapes. Fermented and aged in French Oak barrels. Full bodied oak, butter and citrus tones. Chardonnay parentage dominates its flavor profile. Estate grown and bottled.

Chambourcin

Dry red aged in American Oak. Soft red with bright forward fruit flavors of Cherry Lifesaver. Finishes with a smooth taste of cherry pie baked in an oak oven. Estate grown and bottled.

Cynthiana (Norton)

Native American dry red wine aged in American Oak. AKA Norton. Well rounded with hints of plum, raisin, and black cherry flavors. Finishes well with its own tannins. Estate grown and bottled.

Michael’s Signature Red

Michael’s Signature Red is a medium-bodied dry red wine with a taste of ripe fruit, berry tones and a touch of smoke. This is a Sugar Creek wine. From new vine to late harvest, fermentation to the final product, every bottle begins and ends in the hands of the family who owns the land, works the land and lives there. Every vintage is crafted by Sugar Creek’s winemaker, Chris Lorch, who spent years honing his winemaking style in Napa Valley. Today he and his family work to turn the challenge of an ill-tempered climate and the tough grapes born and raised to survive it, into great wine that is uniquely Missouri.

Semi-dry Wines

"Missouri drinks semi-dry. About 55% percent of the wines we sell are in the semi-dry style." said Ken.

La Rustica White

Friendly blend of Vidal/Seyval grapes, fermented in stainless steel. Slightly sweet and fruity start with a dry finish.

Birdlegs Blush

Chambourcin grape fermented in stainless steel. Skins of grapes are removed when it becomes a pretty ruby color. Light citrus tones with a lively finish.

Sunset Red

Chambourcin, Cynthiana and Noiret blend, fermented in stainless steel, sometimes oak chips. Smooth blend, plum in color with spicy berry or cherry lifesaver flavors.

Semi-sweet Wines

Boone County White

A blend of Delaware and Chardonel grapes, fermented in stainless steel. Refreshing, crisp start with floral aroma and melon tones on the pallet.

La Rustica Red

A medley of grapes make this sweet wine full of cherry and berry flavors.

Sweet Wines

Peach Hollow

Sweet white, concentrated peach juice, fermented in stainless steel. Light in texture, like biting into a fresh peach.

Blackberry Thicket

This Blackberry thicket fruit wine is brought to you by the Sugar Creek Family in Defiance, Missouri. Whether you’ll be drinking it at home or joining us at the winery, rest assured you’ve made the correct choice. Here at Sugar Creek, we use our special state –of-the-art technology and a little gazebo magic.

Raspberry Patch

Sweet red, Chambourcin and Noiret grapes with raspberry concentrate. Great chilled or heated with a cinnamon stick.

Dessert Wines

Signature Port

Cynthiana grape with a select brandy added during fermentation. Perfect after dinner or serve with chocolate, salty nuts, or Stilton cheese.

Picture: Sugar Creek Signature Port

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Visiting Tony Kooyumjian at Montelle Winery in Missouri

Visiting Charles Dressel and his Mount Pleasant Winery in Missouri

Visiting Charles Dressel and his Mount Pleasant Winery in Missouri

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Charles Dressel, President, at Mount Pleasant Winery in Missouri

Mount Pleasant Winery, in Augusta, is one of the oldest wineries of Missouri. George Muench, who came to the area with his brother, Frederick, from Germany, founded Mount Pleasant Winery in 1859. Built from the wood and abundant limestone of the area, the winery and cellars were completed in 1881.

I visited Mount Pleasant Winery recently with fellow participants of the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri. DrinkLocalWine.com – which is about is about spotlighting wine made in the 47 States of the US that are not one of the big three: California, Washington State, and Oregon - held its third annual conference on April 1-3, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri. I have provided an overview about the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri here. One of the highlights of the conference was the DLW 2011 Missouri Twitter Taste-off; 20 wineries participated with 2 wines each. I have provided a general overview about the wine producing State of Missouri here. Missouri is relying heavily on French American hybrid grapes; I have written about it here. Interestingly, the first American AVA was the Augusta AVA in Missouri; see here. This is the first of the final three postings about 3 Missouri winemakers: Montelle Winery, Mount Pleasant Winery and Sugar Creek Vineyards and Winery.

Wine Producer Missouri

Missouri produces top-flight wine, although it does so with few European (vitis vinifera) grapes – such as Chardonnay or Merlot - in sight. Missouri’s more than 100 wineries specialize in French-American hybrid grapes and native American grapes like Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, and Norton - the latter one being the most prominent Missouri-grown variety. The State’s climate is harsh and humid and vinifera grapes have a hard time to thrive under these conditions, although recently there has been more interest in planting vinifera grape varieties.

Picture: Map of Missouri

Missouri’s wine history dates to the 1830s, when German immigrants established Hermann and the Missouri River as one of the main viticulture areas in the US, growing the American grapes that they found there when they arrived, including Norton. 50 years later, more wine was produced in Missouri than in any other State in the US. But then came Prohibition and brought Missouri’s wine industry to a halt. However, Missouri’s wine industry came back, starting in the 1960, in particular after French American hybrid grapes became available. Indeed, the Augusta AVA in Missouri is the first AVA (gaining the status on June 20, 1980, eight months before the Napa Valley AVA).

Today, Missouri has more than 1,400 acres planted in grapes and more than 100 wineries. Missouri is again a serious wine producer, relying heavily on French American Hybrids when it comes to quality wines. However, overall, Missouri has become a small player, accounting for less than 0.5% of total production in the US.

Mount Pleasant Winery

Mount Pleasant Winery was founded in 1859 by George Muench and his brother, Frederick, from Germany. The original cellars were completed in 1881 and were built from the wood and abundant limestone in the area. When Prohibition hit in 1920, the winery was forced to close and all of the vines were removed. In 1966, the winery was reopened; it was one of only two wineries in the State at that time. In 1980, the Augusta Appellation was created and became America’s first AVA.

Pictures: Mount Pleasant Winery in Missouri with Founder George Muench (top picture)

Today, Mount Pleasant is the largest grower of grapes in the Augusta AVA with over 60,000 vines on 85 acres with 16 diffferent gape varieties. These include Chardonnay and the Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, but these vinifera grapes account for just a fraction of the total, not exceeding 5,000 vines. Mount Pleasant Winery relies heavily on French American hybrid grapes, including Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Rayon d'Or, Vignoles, St. Vincent, Chambourcin, Couderc, Chardonnel and Cynthiana, as the other wineries in Missouri I visited.

Wine Portfolio

Mount Pleasant produces a variety of red and white table wines, with semi-dry, dry, and sweet styles. It also produces fortified wine (using the "port wine" designation) and sparkling wine.

Pictures: The Wines of Mount Pleasant Winery

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Visiting Tony Kooyumjian at Montelle Winery in Missouri

Visiting Tony Kooyumjian and his Montelle Winery in Missouri

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Tony Kooyumjian at Montelle Winery

Montelle Winery is located atop Osage Ridge just one and a half miles east of Augusta, Missouri. It commands a magnificent view of the Missouri river, the village of Augusta and the surrounding farms and vineyards. The present owner, Tony Kooyumjian, acquired the winery in 1998.

I visited Montelle Winery recently with fellow participants of the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri. DrinkLocalWine.com – which is about is about spotlighting wine made in the 47 States of the US that are not one of the big three: California, Washington State, and Oregon - held its third annual conference on April 1-3, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri. I have provided an overview about the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri here. One of the highlights of the conference was the DLW 2011 Missouri Twitter Taste-off; 20 wineries participated with 2 wines each. I have provided a general overview about the wine producing State of Missouri here. Missouri is relying heavily on French American hybrid grapes; I have written about it here. Interestingly, the first American AVA was the Augusta AVA in Missouri; see here. This is the first of the final three postings about 3 Missouri winemakers: Montelle Winery, Mount Pleasant Winery and Sugar Creek Vineyards and Winery.

Wine Producer Missouri

Missouri produces top-flight wine, although it does so with few European (vitis vinifera) grapes – such as Chardonnay or Merlot - in sight. Missouri’s more than 100 wineries specialize in French-American hybrid grapes and native American grapes like Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, and Norton - the latter one being the most prominent Missouri-grown variety. The State’s climate is harsh and humid and vinifera grapes have a hard time to thrive under these conditions, although recently there has been more interest in planting vinifera grape varieties.

Missouri’s wine history dates to the 1830s, when German immigrants established Hermann and the Missouri River as one of the main viticulture areas in the US, growing the American grapes that they found there when they arrived, including Norton. 50 years later, more wine was produced in Missouri than in any other State in the US. But then came Prohibition and brought Missouri’s wine industry to a halt. However, Missouri’s wine industry came back, starting in the 1960, in particular after French American hybrid grapes became available. Indeed, the Augusta AVA in Missouri is the first federally approved AVA (gaining the status on June 20, 1980, eight months before the Napa Valley AVA).

Picture: Map of Missouri

Today, Missouri has more than 1,400 acres planted in grapes and more than 100 wineries. Missouri is again a serious wine producer, relying heavily on French American Hybrids when it comes to quality wines. However, overall, Missouri has become a small player, accounting for less than 0.5% of total production in the US.

Montelle Winery

Montelle Vineyards is a very scenic winery, apparently the most scenic in area. The view from the large patio is gorgeous, so the best is visiting on a beautiful spring or fall day when you can marvel at the rolling hills and beautiful colors of the rural land around you. “In the high season and with good weather, we have up to 1500 people coming through during a day” said Tony.


Pictures: Montelle Winery

The Augusta region was nationally known for its wine during the 19th century, but Prohibition halted the state’s winemaking for decades. Then, in the late 1960s and early1970s, a few pioneering souls began to refurbish the old vineyards and winery buildings. One of these pioneers was Clayton Byers, who founded Montelle Vineyards in 1970; it was the third winery in Missouri to open up again. The winery was later purchased in 1998 by present owner and wine maker Tony Kooyumjian.

Montelle Vineyards is located in the Augusta AVA. “It is our mission to produce wines that exemplify the uniqueness of this eleven square mile area” said Tony Kooyumjian.

Winemaker and Owner Tony Kooyumjian

Tony Kooyumjian is a third generation vineyard owner and grape grower. His grandmother immigrated to California from (Turkish) Armenia in 1915 and established a vineyard in San Joaquin Valley, which she operated with her son until 1960. Tony initially decided to choose a career other than grape growing; he became a pilot.
While working as a pilot, Tony’s appreciation of wines, along with a statewide resurgence in interest to reestablish the Missouri wine industry, lead him to reopen the old Weprich Winery in St. Charles; his first vintage was 1980.


Pictures: Tony Kooyumjian at Montelle Winery

In 1988 Tony moved to Augusta and established the Augusta Winery in the center of the town. In 1998 he purchased the Montelle Winery. In 2001, Tony made the decision to retire early from the airlines and devote all of his energy to producing fine wines in Missouri. Although he never received a formal education in Enology, Tony attended numerous short courses at various Universities and read and researched the subject extensively.

The Wine Portfolio

Montelle Vineyards has achieved recognition for its dry and semi-dry table wines. These wines include Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles and red wines such as Chambourcin and Cynthiana (Norton). Montelle Vineyards are also noted for dessert (Port and Icewines) and fruit wines. The fruit wines include blackberry and raspberry fruit wines. In addition, Montelle is also the first winery in Missouri with a distillery. It produces four kinds of brandy: apple, peach, cherry and grape grappa).


Pictures: The Wines of Montelle Winery

Montelle Vineyards produces 40.000 cases annually. Half of it is sold on the premise, the remainder in Missouri and neighboring States.

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French American Hybrid Grapes - Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc and Others

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller at Sugar Creek Vineyards & Winery in Missouri with Winemaker Chris Lorch

Vitis Vinifera, Vitis Aestivalis, Vitis Labrusac and Other Grape Varieties

When I am in a wine store in Washington DC or Frankfurt am Main, I absolutely never see any Villard Blanc, Seyval Blanc or Chardonel in the shelves. It is always Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, to name a few. This should not come as a surprise because the latter are all vitis vinifera or so-called European grapes, indigenous in the Eurasian area and vitis vinifera grapes are without any doubt the best in the world for fine table wine. But there are other grape varities in the world, although the world wine market is dominated by European grapes, accounting for 90% of the market: Vitis aestivalis, native to eastern North America, Vitis rupestris, native to North America, Vitis riparia, native to northeastern North America, Vitis amurensis, the Asiatic grape variety, native to Siberia and China, Vitis rotundifolia, native to the southern half of the United States and Vitis labrusca, native to northeastern North America. Concord and Niagara are two prominent domesticated offshoots of this species.

Picture: Chardonel from Chaumette Vineyards and Winery

But Villard Blanc, Syval Blanc and Chardonel do not belong to the non-vinifera grape varities. What are they? They are French American hybrid grapes.

French American Hybrid Grapes and Missouri

Hybrid grapes are grape varieties that are the product of a crossing of two or more Vitis species. This is in contrast to intra vitis species crossings, typically between vVitis vinifera grapes. French American hybrid grapes are crossings with both European and American vitis species involved.

Picture: Vignoles, Chambourcin and Seyval Blanc from Montelle Winery

Importantly, the French American hybrid grapes have stronger winter hardiness and are more resistant to fungal diseases, which is a great advantage for a region like Missouri. Therefore, in Missouri – and in other States of the US – you find a lot of French American hybrid grapes. Indeed, the revival of the Missouri wine industry relies on French American hybrid grapes, – along with Norton, an all American hybrid grape.

When the German settlers arrived in Missouri in the 1800s and started to grow wine, they did this with the native American grapes varieties they found in Missouri. So, before prohibition, when Missouri was a dominant wine producer in the US, Missouri produced its wine with American grapes, like Concord and Norton. Then came the phylloxera crisis (grape root louse) to Europe in the 1860s and biologists fought to rescue European winemaking. One route they went was crossing the European grapes with American grapes. They developed what is now called French American hybrid grapes. These try to combine the elegance of the European grapes with the robustness of the American grapes. Eventually, Europe went the way of grafting European grape vines on American rootstocks, which solved its problem, but at the same time these French American hybrid grapes came into existence.

French Amereican Hybrid Grapes and Organic/Biodynamic/Natural Winemaking in Europe

French American hybrids have also become a renewed focus in the context of the organic/biodynamic/natural wine movement in Europe, as chemical plant protection treatments can be cut back considerably. The recently developed varieties Rondo and Regent are examples of newer hybrid grape varieties for European viticulturalists. Regent now accounts for 2 percent of Germany wine production. See more here.

Picture: Chambourcin from Sugar Creek Vineyards and Winery

French American Hybrid Grape Varieties in Missouri

Chambourcin - Its parentage is uncertain; it is one of the parents of the new disease resistant variety, Regent, which is increasing in popularity among German grape growers. See here. Andrew Meggitt, executive winemaker, St. James Winery said: “Chambourcin is much less fragile than Norton.”

Seyval Blanc – One of the first French American hybrid grapes; is popular in England and the Finger Lakes region. “When I started to grow Seyval Blanc, 80% of the wines were fermented in a sweet style at my winery; now it is the opposite” said winemaker/owner Tony Kooyumjian of Montelle Winery and Augusta Winery.

Chardonel - Is a late ripening white wine hybrid grape, developed in New York State as a crossing of Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay.

Traminette - Developed by Cornell University; Gewürztraminer is one of its parents; a rather new grape variety.

Vignoles – Popular in the Finger Lakes region and along the Missouri River; another very aromatic grape variety. "Lends itself well to a slightly sweet wine.” said Tony Kooyumjian.

Picture: Marechal Foch and Chardonel from The White Rose Winery

Marechal Foch – Developed by the Alsatian Eugene Kuhlmann in France.

Vidal Blanc - Cory Bomgaars, head winemaker, Les Bourgeois Vineyards said: “This is one of my favorites. It is such a workhorse. And I do not see the volume affecting the flavor.”

Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri

I learned all the above at the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri. DrinkLocalWine.com – which is about is about spotlighting wine made in the 47 States of the US that are not one of the big three: California, Washington State, and Oregon - held its third annual conference on April 1-3, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri, and I was very happy to be able to participate in it.

I have provided an overview about the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri here. One of the highlights of the conference was the DLW 2011 Missouri Twitter Taste-off; 20 wineries participated with 2 wines each. See here. I have provided a general overview about the wine producing State of Missouri here and have written about the Augusta AVA - the oldest American Viticultural Areas.

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In the Oldest AVA - American Viticultural Area - Augusta in Missouri

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Charles Dressel, President, at Mount Pleasant Winery in Missouri

Not many people now this, but Augusta in Missouri was the first AVA gaining the status eight months before the Napa Valley AVA .

I visited the Augusta AVA recently with fellow participants of the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri. DrinkLocalWine.com – which is about is about spotlighting wine made in the 47 States of the US that are not one of the big three: California, Washington State, and Oregon - held its third annual conference on April 1-3, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri. I have provided an overview about the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri here. One of the highlights of the conference was the DLW 2011 Missouri Twitter Taste-off; 20 wineries participated with 2 wines each. I have provided a general overview about the wine producing State of Missouri here.

Wine Producer Missouri

Missouri produces top-flight wine, although it does so with few European (vitis vinifera) grapes – such as Chardonnay or Merlot - in sight. Missouri’s more than 100 wineries specialize in French-American hybrid grapes and native American grapes like Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, and Norton - the latter one being the most prominent Missouri-grown variety. The State’s climate is harsh and humid and vinifera grapes have a hard time to thrive under these conditions, although recently there has been more interest in planting vinifera grape varieties.

Picture: Map of Missouri

Missouri’s wine history dates to the 1830s, when German immigrants established Hermann and the Missouri River as one of the main viticulture areas in the US, growing the American grapes that they found there when they arrived, including Norton. 50 years later, more wine was produced in Missouri than in any other State in the US. But then came Prohibition and brought Missouri’s wine industry to a halt. However, Missouri’s wine industry came back, starting in the 1960, in particular after French American hybrid grapes became available.

Today, Missouri has more than 1,400 acres planted in grapes and more than 100 wineries. Missouri is again a serious wine producer, relying heavily on French American Hybrids when it comes to quality wines. However, overall, Missouri has become a small player, accounting for less than 0.5% of total production in the US.

American Viticultural Area

An AVA is a designated wine grape-growing region in the US. There are currently about 200 AVAs. They differ considerably in size, ranging from the Ohio River Valley AVA at 26,000 square miles (67,000 km2) across four States to the Cole Ranch AVA in Mendocino County, California, at only 62 acres. Unlike most European wine appellations of origin, an AVA specifies only a geographical location from which at least 85% of the grapes used to make a wine must have been grown. Further, nor do AVA designations limit the type of grapes grown, the method of vinification or the crop yield.

The Augusta AVA in Missouri

The Augusta AVA was the first federally approved American Viticultural Area gaining the status on June 20, 1980. It is located near the city of Augusta, west of St. Louis along the Missouri River. The area around the present day city of Augusta was founded in 1836 as a riverboat landing along the Missouri. In 1859, Georg and Friedrich Muench founded one of the earliest wineries in the area, Mount Pleasant Winery. See below. Flooding in the Missouri River valley cause the river to change course in 1872, drying up the area's riverboat landing and leaving a distinct soil type in the area between the town and the river.

Pictures: Tony Kooyumjian talking about the Augusta AVA

I have visited 3 wineries in the Augusta AVA, Mount Pleasant Winery, Montelle Winery and Sugar Creek Winery.

Mount Pleasant Winery

Mount Pleasant Winery is one of the oldest wineries of Missouri. George Muench, who came to the area with his brother, Frederick, from Germany, founded Mount Pleasant Winery in 1859. Built from the wood and abundant limestone of the area, the winery and cellars were completed in 1881.

Picture: Mount Pleasant Winery

Today, Mount Pleasant is the largest grower of grapes in the Augusta AVA with over 60,000 vines on 85 acres with 16 diffferent gape varieties. These include Chardonnay and the Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, but these vinifera grapes account for just a fraction of the total, not exceeding 5,000 vines. Mount Pleasant Winery relies heavily on French American hybrid grapes, including Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Rayon d'Or, Vignoles, St. Vincent, Chambourcin, Couderc, Chardonnel and Cynthiana, as the other wineries in the Augusta AVA I visited.

Mount Pleasant Winery sells 25.000 cases of wine annually.

Montelle Winery

Montelle Winery is located atop Osage Ridge just one and a half miles east of Augusta. The present owner, Tony Kooyumjian, acquired the winery in 1998. Tony is a third generation vineyard owner and grape grower.

Picture: Montelle Winery

Montelle Vineyards is a very scenic winery, apparently the most scenic in area. The view from the large patio is gorgeous, so the best is visiting on a beautiful spring or fall day when you can marvel at the rolling hills and beautiful colors of the rural land around you. “In the high season and with good weather, we have up to 1500 people coming through during a day” said Tony.

Montelle Vineyards has achieved recognition for its dry and semi-dry table wines. These wines include Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles and red wines such as Chambourcin and Cynthiana (Norton). Montelle Vineyards are also noted for dessert (Port and Icewines) and fruit wines. The fruit wines include blackberry and raspberry fruit wines. In addition, Montelle is also the first winery in Missouri with a distillery. It produces four kinds of brandy: apple, peach, cherry and grape grappa).

Montelle Vineyards produces 40.000 cases annually. Half of it is sold on the premise, the remainder in Missouri and neighboring States.

Sugar Creek Winery

Sugar Creek Winery is a boutique winery in the Augusta AVA, owned and run by Ken and Becky Miller, who founded it in 1994.

Picture: Sugar Creek Winery

This lovely winery is situated atop a large hill, overlooking the Missouri River Valley. Owner Ken Miller says grapes for wine always had a place at his family table since he was a youngster growing up in Melrose Park in the Chicago area. His grandfather immigrated to America from Italy early in the century and carried with him a fondness for wine-making

Early on Becky Miller's son, Christopher, joined the family operation at Sugar Creek Winery. He spent two years educating himself about wine in the Napa Valley area of California, where he has worked in the Plump Jack Vineyard. He is now the winemaker.

Sugar Creek Winery produces about 5.000 cases annually and sells them mostly at the winery.

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Wine Producer Missouri – Once a Major Force in the US Wine Market, then Non-existant and now on a Rebound with French American Hybrid Grapes

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with winemaker/owner Tony Kooyumjian (Montelle Winery and Augusta Winery) in Missouri.

Wine producer Missouri? When I told my friends that I was going to St. Louis for a wine conference on locally produced wine, they were very surprised because they had been under the impression that wine is produced in California, Oregon and Washington State, but not in the Mid-west in Missouri. They are wrong.

DrinkLocalWine.com – which is about is about spotlighting wine made in the 47 States of the US that are not one of the big three: California, Washington State, and Oregon - held its third annual conference on April 1-3, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri, and I was very happy to be able to participate in it.

I have provided an overview about the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri here. One of the highlights of the conference was the DLW 2011 Missouri Twitter Taste-off; 20 wineries participated with 2 wines each. See here.

Missouri

Missouri became part of the US under President Jefferson in the context of the so-called Louisiana Purchase, whereby the US acquired 828,800 square miles of land from France in 1803. The Louisiana Purchase encompassed all or part of 14 current US States from Louisiana in the South to two Canadian provinces in the North (about ¼ of the current US territory), doubling the size of the US in 1803.

Although today Missouri is usually considered part of the Mid-west, historically Missouri was considered by many to be a Southern State. The first European settlers were ethnic French from Canada, who created their first settlement in Missouri at present-day Ste. Genevieve. St. Louis, about an hour north of Ste. Genevieve, was founded soon after by ethnic French from New Orleans. St. Louis became the center of a regional fur trade with Native American tribes. Traders shipped their furs from St. Louis by river down to New Orleans for export to Europe. St. Louis expanded greatly after the invention of the steamboat and the increased river trade.

Picture: Map of Missouri

As many of the early settlers in Missouri migrated from the South, they brought enslaved African Americans for labor, and a desire to continue the institution of slavery. At the same time, from the 1830s to the 1860s Missouri's population almost doubled with every decade and the newcomers were Irish and German immigrants, not sympathetic to slavery. The result of this was many years of struggle between Union and Confederation supporters, in which the Union forces prevailed.

Missouri Wine Industry

Missouri’s wine history dates to the 1830s, when German immigrants established Hermann and the Missouri River as one of the main viticulture areas in the US, growing the American grapes that they found there when they arrived. Wineries like Stone Hill, in Hermann, and Mount Pleasant, in Augusta, were pioneers. 50 years later, more wine was produced in Missouri than in any other State in the US. In the 1880s, Stone Hill Winery in Hermann was the second largest winery in the US and the third largest in the world. Its wines won awards at the world fairs in Vienna in 1873 and Philadelphia in 1876.

Pictures: The Wines of Missouri

But then came Prohibition and brought Missouri’s wine industry to a halt. However, Missouri’s wine industry came back, starting in the 1960s, in particular after French American hybrid grapes became available. Indeed, the Augusta AVA (American Viticultural Area, the American equivalent of the French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée - AOC) in Missouri is the first federally approved AVA (gaining the status on June 20, 1980, eight months before the Napa Valley AVA).

Today, Missouri has more than 1,400 acres planted in grapes and more than 100 wineries. Missouri is again a serious wine producer, relying heavily on French American hybrid grapes and native American grapes like Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, and Norton - the latter one being the most prominent Missouri-grown variety. The State’s climate is harsh and humid and vinifera grapes – like Chardonnay and Merlot - have a hard time to thrive under these conditions, although recently there has been more interest in planting vinifera grape varieties.

However, overall, Missouri is a small player now, accounting for less than 0.5% of total wine production in the US.

Missouri Grape Varieties

When the German settlers arrived in Missouri in the 1800s and started to grow wine, they did this with the native American grapes varieties they found in Missouri. So, before prohibition, when Missouri was a dominant wine producer in the US, Missouri produced its wine with American grapes, like Concord.

Then came the phylloxera crisis in Europe and biologists fought to rescue European winemaking. One route they went was crossing the European grapes with American grapes. They developed what is now called French American hybrid grapes. These try to combine the elegance of the European grapes with the robustness of the American grapes. Eventually, Europe went the way of grafting European grape vines on American rootstocks, which solved its problem, but at the same time these French American hybrid grapes came into existence.

Missouri is taking advantage of them. Revival of the state's wine industry started in 1965 with the reopening of Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, followed by the opening of Mount Pleasant Winery in Augusta on the north side of the river.

French American Hybrid Grapes

Chambourcin - Its parentage is uncertain; it is one of the parents of the new disease resistant variety, Regent, which is increasing in popularity among German grape growers. See here. Andrew Meggitt, executive winemaker, St. James Winery said: “Chambourcin is much less fragile than Norton.”

Seyval Blanc – One of the first French American hybrid grapes; is popular in England and the Finger Lakes region. “When I started to grow Seyval Blanc, 80% of the wines were fermented in a sweet style at my winery; now it is the opposite” said winemaker/owner Tony Kooyumjian of Montelle Winery and Augusta Winery.

Chardonel - Is a late ripening white wine hybrid grape, developed in New York State as a crossing of Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller at Mount Pleasant Winery with Mount Pleasant Winery President Chuck Dressel

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with owners Ken and Becky Miller at Sugar Creek Vineyards and Winery

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Hank Johnson, Owner of Chaumette Vineyards and Winery

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Tim Puchta, Owner of Adam Puchta and Sons Wine Company

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Jim and Jan O'Horo from the White Rose Winery

Traminette - Developed by Cornell University; Gewürztraminer is one of its parents; a rather new grape variety.

Vignoles – Popular in the Finger Lakes region and along the Missouri River; another very aromatic grape variety. "Lends itself well to a slightly sweet wine.” said Tony Kooyumjian.

Marechal Foch – Developed by the Alsatian Eugene Kuhlmann in France.

Vidal Blanc - Cory Bomgaars, head winemaker, Les Bourgeois Vineyards said: “This is one of my favorites. It is such a workhorse. And I do not see the volume affecting the flavor.”

American Grapes

Norton remains the most prominent Missouri-grown grape variety, Missouri’s signature grape. It is also known under the name Cynthiana and believed to be a variety of vitis aestivalis. Among the two dozen or so grape species native to North America, only one has proven itself capable of good dry table wines - Norton. “American grape varities are good for sweet wine but they are not good for dry wines” said Tony Kooyumjian. Norton is also very popular in Virginia and I have written about it here.

European Grapes

Recently, there has been a renewed interest in vinifera (European) grape varieties in Missouri and I indeed tasted some. But often the Merlots and Chardonnays made by Missouri wineries are wines made with fruit brought in from California, i.e., wines made from grapes grown in California and fermented and aged in Missouri. Such wines are identified as American wines on the back label, as opposed to Missouri wines or even more restrictive appellations. But advances in vine growing have furthered the prospects of planting vinifera grapes in Missouri.

Missouri Wine Regions

The best wines of Missouri are from one of the 4 AVAs in Missouri:

Augusta AVA: The first AVA in the United States. In the mid-1800s German immigrants found the Missouri River area just west of St. Louis to be well suited for growing grapes.

Ozark Mountain AVA: A large AVA with several smaller AVAs within its borders, including Augusta, Hermann and Ozark Highlands. It is the sixth largest AVA in the US.

Hermann AVA: One of the most historic wine regions in the US.

Ozark Highlands AVA: The fourth accorded AVA in Missouri.

If wines are labeled Missouri Table Wine, then they come from more than one Missouri AVA. Finally, you can also find wines in Missouri that are labeled as American Wines. These are wines made with grapes coming from out of state. Finally, one should not forget that under the AVA regulations, only at least 85% of the wines has to originate there and up to 15% can sourced from elsewhere.

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Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Jim and Jan O'Horo from the White Rose Winery; their Chardonel 2006 was my choice of best white wine

DrinkLocalWine.com held its third annual conference on April 1-3, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri, and I was very happy to be able to participate in it. DrinkLocalWine.com is about spotlighting wine made in the 47 States of the US that are not one of the big three: California, Washington State, and Oregon.

One of the highlights of the conference was the DLW 2011 Missouri Twitter Taste-off, which is the subject of this posting. 20 Wineries participated with 2 wines each. I have provided an overview about the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri here.

Wine Producer Missouri

Missouri’s wine history dates to the 1830s, when German immigrants established Hermann and the Missouri River as one of the main viticulture areas in the US, growing the American grapes that they found there when they arrived. 50 years later, more wine was produced in Missouri than in any other State in the US. But then came Prohibition and brought Missouri’s wine industry to a halt. However, Missouri’s wine industry came back, starting in the 1960s, in particular after French American hybrid grapes became available. Indeed, the Augusta AVA (American Viticultural Area, the American equivalent of the French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée - AOC) in Missouri is the first federally approved AVA (gaining the status on June 20, 1980, eight months before the Napa Valley AVA).

Today, Missouri has more than 1,400 acres planted in grapes and more than 100 wineries. Missouri is again a serious wine producer, relying heavily on French American hybrid grapes and native American grapes like Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, and Norton - the latter one being the most prominent Missouri-grown variety. The State’s climate is harsh and humid and vinifera grapes – like Chardonnay and Merlot - have a hard time to thrive under these conditions, although recently there has been more interest in planting vinifera grape varieties.

However, overall, Missouri is a small player now, accounting for less than 0.5% of total wine production in the US.

Missouri Twitter Taste-off


Pictures: Russ Kane, Vintage Texas, and Eric V. Orange, LocalWineEvents.com. Russ is on the left and Eric on the right

The Twitter Taste-off of Missouri wines was one of the highlights of the DLW2011. For a whole afternoon, participants were tasting the wines and blogging and tweeting about what they tasted, with the Twitter hash tag #DLWMO, with the tweets being shown on a large screen. The screen, changing constantly, was displaying real-time tweets by people present at the tasting, but also by people at home sitting in front of their computer and following the tasting via Twitter from there. These people could also sent tweets and participate in the discussion. And they did. Last year, at the DLW2010 in Virginia, 4 million Twitter impressions were recorded; this year’s number, I am sure, will be even higher.

The Wines we Tasted

7CS Winery
NV Midlife Crisis – Blackberry Mead, Missouri, 2010
Stagecoach, Vidal Blanc, Missouri, 2010

Adam Puchta Winery
Norton 2005, Estate Hermann, 2005
Signature Port, Missouri, NV

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Tim Puchta, Owner of Adam Puchta and Sons Wine Company. Adam Puchata wines won in 2 categories.

Augusta Winery
Chambourcin, Augusta,2008
Vignoles, Missouri, 2010

Buck Mountain Winery
Marechal Foch, Ozark Mountain, 2009
Vidal Blanc, Ozark Mountain, 2010

Cave Vineyard/Strussione Wine
Norton, Ozark Mountain, 2008
Cave Rock Off Dry, Ozark Mountain, 2009

Chaumette Vineyards & Winery
Chambourcin, Missouri, 2009
Chardonel Reserve, Ozak Mountain, 2009

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Hank Johnson, Owner of Chaumette Vineyards and Winery. Chaumette's Chardonel won in 2 categories.

Hermanshof Vineyards
Vidal Blanc, Hermann, 2008
Traminette, Missouri, 2006

Indian Creek Winery
Norton, Missouri, 2009
Vignoles, Missouri, 2009

Jowler Creek Winery
Norton, Missouri, 2008
Vignoles, Missouri, 2009

Les Bourgeois Vineyards
Norton, Missouri, 2008
Labelle (Vignoles), Missouri, 2010

Montelle Winery
Cynthiana, Missouri, 2009
Seyval Blanc, Montelle Winery, 2010


Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with winemaker/owner Tony Kooyumjian at Montelle Winery.

Peaceful Bend Vineyard
Meramec, Missouri, NV
Whittenburg, Missouri, NV

Robller Vineyard Winery
Hillside Cuvee, Missouri, 2009
Hillside Blanc, Missouri, 2009

Seven Springs Winery
Seven’s Red Heaven, Ozak Highlands, 2008
Spring Fling, Ozak Highlands, 2007

St. James Winery
Chambourcin, Ozark Mountain, 2009
Vignoles, Ozark Mountain, 2010

Stone Hill Winery
Norton, Hermann, 2007
Vignoles, Missouri, 2010

Sugar Creek Vineyards & Winery
Cynthiana, St. Charles County, 2009
Chardonel, St. Charles County, 2009

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with owners Ken and Becky Miller at Sugar Creek Vineyards and Winery.

Wenwood Farm Winery
Century Farm Red, NA, NV
Country Estate White, NA, NV

Westphalia Vineyards
Norton Reserve, Osage County, 2006
Marie’s River Red, Osage County, 2009

White Rose Winery
Marechal Foch, Ozark Mountain, 2006
Chardonel, Ozark Mountain, 2006

Grape Varieties: American Grapes and French American Hybrid Grapes

When people think about American wine, they think about Merlot, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, to name a few. None of these grape varieties could be found on the list of the Missouri Twitter Taste-off. Why? Merlot, Chardonnay and Zinfandel belong to the group of vitis vinifera (European) grapes and are - until now - rarely grown in Missouri as they have a hard time to thrive under the climatic conditions of Missouri.

When the German settlers arrived in Missouri in the 1800s and started to grow wine, they did this with the American grapes varieties they found in Missouri. So, before prohibition, when Missouri was a dominant wine producer in the US, Missouri was this with American grapes, like Concord.

Then came the phylloxera crisis in Europe and biologists fought to rescue European winemaking. One route they went was crossing the European grapes with American grapes. They developed what is now called French American hybrid grapes. These try to combine the elegance of the European grapes with the robustness of the American grapes. Eventually, Europe went the way of grafting European grape vines on American rootstocks, which solved its problem, but at the same time these French American hybrid grapes came into existence. Missouri is taking advantage of them. The overwhelming majority at the Missouri Twitter Taste-off were French American hybrid grape wines:

Chambourcin - Its parentage is uncertain; it is one of the parents of the new disease resistant variety, Regent, which is increasing in popularity among German grape growers. See here. Andrew Meggitt, executive winemaker, St. James Winery said: “Chambourcin is much less fragile than Norton.”

Seyval Blanc – One of the first French American hybrid grapes; is popular in England and the Finger Lakes region. “When I started to grow Seyval Blanc, 80% of the wines were fermented in a sweet style at my winery; now it is the opposite” said winemaker/owner Tony Kooyumjian of Montelle Winery and Augusta Winery.

Chardonel - Is a late ripening white wine hybrid grape, developed in New York State as a crossing of Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay.

Traminette - Developed by Cornell University; Gewürztraminer is one of its parents; a rather new grape variety.

Vignoles – Popular in the Finger Lakes region and along the Missouri River; another very aromatic grape variety. "Lends itself well to a slightly sweet wine.” said Tony Kooyumjian.

Marechal Foch – Developed by the Alsatian Eugene Kuhlmann in France.

Vidal Blanc - Cory Bomgaars, head winemaker, Les Bourgeois Vineyards said: “This is one of my favorites. It is such a workhorse. And I do not see the volume affecting the flavor.”

In addition to the French American hybrids, there were a number of Norton wines. It is the most prominent Missouri-grown grape variety, Missouri’s signature grape, and also known under the name Cynthiana. It is believed to be a variety of vitis aestivalis. Among the two dozen or so grape species native to North America, only one has proven itself capable of good dry table wines. That grape is Norton. “American grape varities are good for sweet wine but they are not good for dry wines” said Tony Kooyumjian.

Recently there has been a renewed interest in vinifera (European) grape varieties in Missouri and I indeed tasted some. But often the Merlots and Chardonnays made by Missouri wineries are wines made with fruit brought in from California, i.e., wines made from grapes grown in California and fermented and aged in Missouri. Such wines are identified as American wines on the back label, as opposed to Missouri wines or even more restrictive appellations. But advances in vine growing have furthered the prospects of planting vinifera grapes in Missouri. But this is a slow process. And Missouri winemakers may prefer to stick with French American hybrids.


Pictures: The founder of Mount Pleasant Winery, Frederic Muensch; "American" Cabernet Sauvignon and "Missouri" Norton from Mount Pleasant Estates.

Missouri Wine Regions

None of the wines at the Missouri Wine Twitter Taste-off was labeled as American wines, i.e. made from grapes coming from out of state. A number of wines were labeled as Missouri wines, i.e. made from grapes from various wine regions in Missouri. Most wines were from more restrictively defined regions in Missouri. However, one should not forget that under the AVA regulations, only at least 85% of the wines has to originate there and up to 15% can sourced from elsewhere.

There are now 4 American Viticultural Areas (AVA) in Missouri.

Augusta AVA: The first AVA in the United States. In the mid-1800s German immigrants found the Missouri River area just west of St. Louis to be well suited for growing grapes.

Ozark Mountain AVA: A large AVA with several smaller AVAs within its borders, including Augusta, Hermann and Ozark Highlands. It is the sixth largest AVA in the US.

Hermann AVA: One of the most historic wine regions in the US.

Ozark Highlands AVA: The fourth accorded AVA in Missouri.

The Winners

Best White Wine: Chaumette Chardonel 2009
Best Red Wine: Adam Puchta Norton 2005
Media Choice Wine: Chaumette Chardonel 2009
People Choice Wine: Adam Puchta Port NV
C.G.E.Schiller Choice Red: Adam Puchta Winery Norton 2005
C.G.E. Schiller Choice White: White Rose Winery, Chardonel, Ozark Mountain, 2006

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