Missouri is home to the nation's first American Viticultural Area, at Augusta, and to the German-settled river town of Hermann. Cruv's map also covers Ste. Genevieve, the Meramec Region and Lake of the Ozarks, so you can see which wineries are open and what is coming up.
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Hermann sits in the Missouri River Valley between St. Louis and Jefferson City, where German settlers, inspired by wild hillside vines, planted grapes in 1837. Its AVA dates to 1983, and the Hermann Wine Trail runs to New Haven.
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Augusta lies west of St. Louis in the Missouri River area and became the nation's first AVA in 1980, covering about 15 square miles. The state wine board describes Defiance, Dutzow and Marthasville wine regions as close to Augusta.
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Ste. Genevieve, a town with French Creole roots an hour or so south of St. Louis, and Farmington are the main centers of the Route du Vin Wine Trail, set among southeast Missouri's hills by the Mississippi River.
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The Meramec Region sits in south-central Missouri's Ozark Highlands AVA, established in 1987, near the Meramec River. The state wine board lists a Meramec River Wine Trail there and traces the AVA's grape-growing tradition to the 1870s.
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The Lake of the Ozarks, a manmade lake created by Bagnell Dam in 1931, sits in central Missouri. The state wine board and tourism office list a Lake of the Ozarks Wine Trail, set among hills and lake views.
Norton, a native American grape, is Missouri's official state grape. State tourism also names Vignoles, Chardonel and Chambourcin among the varieties that grow well here.
Red
Norton, also called Cynthiana, is a hardy native American red and the official state grape. It reached Hermann in the 1840s, and wineries across the state grow it. The state wine board calls its wine bold, full-bodied and dry.
White
Vignoles is a French-American hybrid white, hardy enough for Missouri winters and one of the state's earlier-ripening grapes. The state wine board calls it one of Missouri's most versatile whites, made in styles from dry to sweet.
White
Chardonel is a Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay cross, developed at Cornell in 1953 and released in 1990. Grown in Missouri, it ripens late but is more cold-hardy than Chardonnay, and winemakers can ferment it in oak or stainless steel.
Red
Chambourcin is a French-American hybrid red grown in Missouri, a teinturier grape with dark juice. The state wine board describes its wine as smooth and medium-bodied with soft tannins, and says it adds depth to red blends.
