• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe
logologologologo
  • Blog
    • Recent Posts
    • Interview with a Winemaker
  • Beyond the Vines
    • Family Travel
    • Travel Security
    • Check-In Hotel Reviews
  • Wine Travel Guides
    • Step-by-Step Guide to Planning a Wine Trip
    • Canada, British Columbia
    • Italy
      • Piedmont
    • United States
      • Arizona
      • California
        • Napa Valley
        • Santa Ynez Valley
      • Colorado
      • Idaho: Boise
      • Michigan
      • Missouri
      • New Mexico
      • New York: Finger Lakes
      • North Carolina
      • Ohio
      • Oregon
      • Pennsylvania
      • Texas
      • Walla Walla, Washington
  • Wine Pairings
  • Wine 101
    • Sustainable Wine 101
    • Get to Know the Grapes
  • Shop
    • Gift Guide for Wine Lovers
    • Amazon Travel Gear Store
    • Travel Booking Sites & Resources
  • Blog
    • Recent Posts
    • Interview with a Winemaker
  • Beyond the Vines
    • Family Travel
    • Travel Security
    • Check-In Hotel Reviews
  • Wine Travel Guides
    • Step-by-Step Guide to Planning a Wine Trip
    • Canada, British Columbia
    • Italy
      • Piedmont
    • United States
      • Arizona
      • California
        • Napa Valley
        • Santa Ynez Valley
      • Colorado
      • Idaho: Boise
      • Michigan
      • Missouri
      • New Mexico
      • New York: Finger Lakes
      • North Carolina
      • Ohio
      • Oregon
      • Pennsylvania
      • Texas
      • Walla Walla, Washington
  • Wine Pairings
  • Wine 101
    • Sustainable Wine 101
    • Get to Know the Grapes
  • Shop
    • Gift Guide for Wine Lovers
    • Amazon Travel Gear Store
    • Travel Booking Sites & Resources

Missouri Wine Travel Guide

BY CARPE TRAVEL

Did you know the Missouri River Valley, aka the Missouri Rhine Valley, was the second largest wine producing state in the United States, prior to the 18th Amendment, which enacted National Prohibition in 1919 – the ban of alcoholic beverages. (Ohio was the first!) When the 21st Amendment took effect in 1933 doing away with that nonsense, the country could finally sip wine again (legally), but it forever changed the wine industry in the United States and those states that had initially lead the way.

The following Missouri Wine Travel guide shares a brief history of Missouri’s wine country, along with where to sip, where to stay and things to do beyond the vines. Cheers!

CLICK TO SEE TABLE OF CONTENTS
HISTORY OF MISSOURI WINE
MISSOURI WINE
WINE REGIONS
PLANNING YOUR VISIT
WHEN TO VISIT
WHERE TO STAY
WHERE TO EAT
WHERE TO SIP
GETTING TO & AROUND
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
MORE THINGS TO DO IN MISSOURI
INTERVIEWS WITH WINEMAKERS
wine icon

A SHORT HISTORY OF MISSOURI WINE COUNTRY

The Missouri Rhine Valley, otherwise known as the heart of Missouri Wine Country, is the area along the Missouri River between St. Charles and Hermann. It was the German researcher and explorer, Gottfried Duden who gave the area this name in a book he published in 1829 after extensively researching and  exploring the area. The book gave romantic and glowing descriptions of the lower Missouri River Valley between St. Louis and Hermann, Missouri. It’s believed his book encouraged many Germans to immigrate to the state, resulting in more than 38,000 Germans settling in the lower Missouri River Valley between 1830-1860.

During this time frame, the German Settlement Society in Philadelphia decided to leave the city to establish a colony where only the German language and customs would be practiced and preserved. They too moved to the Missouri River Valley and founded the town of Hermann. The town’s name is derived from a German folk hero who led a battle against the Romans in 9 AD. (Hermann will later become the state’s second American Viticultural Area (AVA) and a popular wine destination.)

Wine Fact Icon

The settlers of Hermann doubled the size of the town’s roads because they believed it would one day be larger than Philadelphia.

The German settlers brought their love of wine and the Rhine to the Missouri River Valley. The first wine was produced in the town of Hermann in 1846 at Stone Hill Winery, still in existence today. The town of Augusta soon followed the grape-growing business, with so many local growers the town formed the first cooperative wine making effort in the Missouri River Valley, the Augusta Wine Company. In 1889 Mount Pleasant Winery was founded in Augusta.

The Missouri River Valley grew to become the second largest wine producing state in the United States, prior to the 18th Amendment, which enacted National Prohibition – the ban of alcoholic beverages. (Ohio was the first largest wine producing state at the time.) When Prohibition took effect in 1919, government agents forcibly removed vines from the local growers and wineries, along with destroying their wine making equipment.

National Probition Sign

When the 21st Amendment was put into place, repealing Prohibition in 1933, little remained of the wine industry in Missouri. High liquor taxes and license fees lingered for decades preventing the wine industry from truly reestablishing itself. Minus a few. In 1965 some of Missouri’s oldest wineries began trying to restore the region. Stone Hill Winery began operating again in 1965 and St James in 1970. The families that opened these wineries were instrumental in the creation of the Missouri Wine and Grape Program in the 1980’s. The program helped establish a new tax on wine and provided the establishment of the Missouri Wine and Grape Program.

This new group also helped to make Missouri the home to the country’s first designated American Viticultural Area (AVA). The Augusta AVA in Missouri was federally recognized as an AVA on June 20, 1980. Seven California districts and one in Oregon had filed applications with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; however, the honor went to the 15 square mile area surrounding Augusta, Missouri. The bureau cited the unique soil, climate and wines, as well as Augusta’s long history as one of America’s oldest and foremost grape and wine districts. Napa Valley was the second AVA named after Augusta on February 27, 1981.

wine icon

MISSOURI WINES

Wine regions thrive between the 30-50 parallel of the equator. Missouri falls right around the 40th parallel, making it an ideal wine region. However, visitor will find the state doesn’t necessarily produce grape varietals they are familiar with, but rather varietals that thrive in the region. Which, is frankly what ALL wine regions should be doing…grow what grows well.

Top Grape Varieties

null
Catawba
Cyuga White
Chambourcin
Chardonel
Concord
Norton/Cynthiana
St. Vincent
Seyval Blanc
Traminette
Valvin Muscat
Vidal Blanc
Vignoles
Wine Fact Icon

In 2003, Missouri named the Norton grape as the official state grape. The Norton grape is also known as Cynthiana and Virginia Seedling. The grape is actually a Vitis aestivalis and was originally found in 1835 near Richmond, VA. (People most commonly know wines from Vitis vinifera grape varieties, such as Chardonnay can Cabernet Sauvignon.) The Norton grape is one of the most disease resistant grape varieties with some resistance even to black rot. It makes a dry red wine that is medium bodied with some fruity overtones.

wine icon

WINE REGIONS OF MISSOURI

Missouri is home to five federally recognized AVAs – Augusta, Ozark Mountain, Hermann, Ozark Highlands and the Loess Hills. The Missouri Wine Country is also home to more than 130 wineries and 11 wine trails. Here we will break out the different AVA’s and trails within each. Make sure to click over for more details on each region.

null

THE FIVE MAIN WINE REGIONS OF MISSOURI

Augusta

We’re busy bottling this information for you!

Hermann

We’re busy bottling this information for you!

Ozark Mountain

We’re busy bottling this information for you!

Ozark Highlands

We’re busy bottling this information for you!

Loess Hills

This Missouri AVA is the newest to the state. It was added in 2016 and is shared with Iowa. There are not currently any Missouri vineyards within this AVA. Yet.
missouri-AVA-map
GO TO INTERACTIVE MISSOURI WINE MAP
wine icon

PLANNING YOUR VISIT

Read on to find Carpe Travel’s first-hand travel tips and recommendations to help make your stay in Missouri Wine Country a memorable one.
null

WHERE TO STAY

When wineries are built, bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants, motels, craft shops and other tourist attractions are soon follow. The number of accommodations and things to do continue to grow so this list will be updated with new spots. (Let us know if you have some MUST DO’S.) Here’s our recommendations where to stay in Missouri wine country.

Hermann

The town of Hermann in the heart of Missouri wine country has more B&B’s per capita than any other town in the country. In other words, there are a variety of options for quaint accommodations. Our favorites include the following.

null
Herman Hill Vineyard and Inn
Hermann Crown Suites
The Cottage
Abigail’s Grape Leaf Bed & Breakfast
The Inn at Hermannhof
Additional information on Where to Stay Coming Soon!

WHERE TO EAT

Carpe Travel's Top Picks

null

Hermannhof Vineyards, Hermann

1855 Cellar Bistro, Hermann

Espresso Laine, Hermann

Vintage Restaurant, Hermann

Montelle Winery Cafe, Augusta

Augusta Brewing Company, Augusta

WHERE TO SIP

CarpeTravel_HermanHillsInn-6

Downtown Tasting Rooms

Carpe Travel’s Top Picks
null

Hermannhof Vineyards, Hermann

Among the Vines

Carpe Travel’s Top Picks
null

Montelle Winery, Augusta

Noboleis Vineyards, Augusta

Augusta Wine Company, Augusta

Stone Hill Winery, Hermann

Adam Puchta Winery, Hermann

wine icon

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Be sure to check out these Missouri Festivals and Events that are not to be missed!
null

Independence Uncorked

September
The 2nd Saturday in September, Bingham-Waggoner Estate in Independence, MO, Independence Uncorked is the largest wine festival in Missouri. It features 25 Missouri wineries sampling several of their wines, a guest spirits distiller, and over 2600 attendees. The day will also feature art, music, beer, food booths and wine classes. The festival is hosted at the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, an 1852 mansion and estate once owned by George Caleb Bingham, the famous Missouri artist. Proceeds from the events will go towards various national and local charities supported by the Rotary Club of Eastern Independence.

FIND OUT MORE
From A to Z: Top Wine Festivals in Every State Not to Miss
wine icon

MORE ABOUT MISSOURI WINE

Things to do both among and beyond the vines.
Winter Wineries
Winter Wineries to Sip In
Winter Wineries
Winter Wineries to Sip In
Montelle Winery Winemaker Tony
Getting back to ones roots. Interview with a winemaker, Tony Kooyumjianof Montelle Winery
Montelle Winery Winemaker Tony
Getting back to ones roots. Interview with a winemaker, Tony Kooyumjianof Montelle Winery
Missouri the first AVA wine region
The first official wine region in the United States isn’t where you might think
Missouri the first AVA wine region
The first official wine region in the United States isn’t where you might think
Will Travel For Wine Podcast Poster
Will Travel for Wine – Episode 2: Sipping through the history of Missouri Wine Country
Will Travel For Wine Podcast Poster
Will Travel for Wine – Episode 2: Sipping through the history of Missouri Wine Country
15 Fascinating Facts about Missouri Wine Country
15 Fascinating Facts about Missouri Wine Country
Check-In: Hermann Hill Vineyard and Inn
Check-In: Hermann Hill Vineyard and Inn
Explore Missouri and its more than 130 wineries. See Carpe Travel's wine travel guide for Missouri.
Who Knew There Was So Much to do in Columbia, Missouri
Explore Missouri and its more than 130 wineries. See Carpe Travel's wine travel guide for Missouri.
Who Knew There Was So Much to do in Columbia, Missouri
Load more
wine icon

INTERVIEW WITH A WINEMAKER

More interviews with Missouri Winemakers coming soon, meanwhile check out the entire series.

Sipping through the history of Missouri Wine Country with Tony Kooyumjian, winemaker at Montelle Winery

 

 

Interview with a Winemaker Series

The Ultimate Guide to wine tasting in the Missouri Wine Country

Sharing is Caring...
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

SB Featured Wine Travel Guides
Wine Country with Kids
gifts for wine lovers
Affiliate Disclaimer

This site contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, Carpe Travel will receive a small commission at no cost to you. This commission helps cover the expenses necessary to run this blog. Thanks for your support

© 2011-2020 Elaine Schoch/Carpe Travel. All rights reserved. May not use text or photos without permission.

Nice To Meet You!

Elaine Schoch, Carpe Travel

Cheers! I’m Elaine Schoch, the editor and founder of Carpe Travel. I’m an award-winning travel writer, wine judge and certified by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET II), one of the world’s leading providers of wine education and certifications and an American Wine Expert. More…

Subscribe & Sip In
More Of Carpe Travel

MENU

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Work With Us
  • Stories
  • Wine Travel Guides
  • Privacy Policy
  • Wine & Travel Blog Directory

© 2011-2020 Elaine Schoch/Carpe Travel. All rights reserved. May not use text or photos without permission. SEO by SocialSEO | HTML Sitemap | XML Sitemap