The Stephen T. Colbert Memorial Better Know an AVA

Augusta AVA — Back to the Future

Yes, I am stepping backwards and looking at the first American Viticulture Area.

“Where is it in California?” you may ask.

I would have to tell you that you are looking at the wrong part of the world.

The Augusta AVA is in Missouri.

That’s right. The Show Me State.

And right now I am going to show you something about the history of wine in Missouri.

Wine has been produced in Missouri since the 1750s and in the Augusta region since 1830 largely by German settlers to the area. The Mount Pleasant Winery was opened in 1859 and only closed by Prohibition and became the second post-Prohibition winery re-opened.

The area is located in the growing areas near the Augusta Bend of the Missouri River which consists of alluvial plains and river bottoms containing the Hayne Silt-Loam (heavier clay topped with river silts). The grapes grown in the area consist largely of Norton (a local varietal and the official grape of the State of Missouri), hybrids such as Chambourcin, Chardonel, Couderc Noir, Rayon d’Or, Seyval Blanc, St. Vincent and Vidal Blanc as well as vinifera such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot.

Wineries in and near the AVA include:

• Augusta Winery
• Balducci Vineyards
• Bethlehem Valley Vineyards
• Blumenhof Winery
• Montelle Winery
• Mount Pleasant Winery
• Sugar Creek Winery

At the turn of the 20th century, Missouri ranked 2nd in wine production in the United States only to Ohio. Nearly a 100 years the State is working to reclaim its position in the wine world. Augusta’s award winning wines are working toward that goal.

This entry was posted on October 15, 2007 at 12:54 pm and is filed under Augusta, Stephen T Colbert Memorial Better Know an AVA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.