| Most of the town's along the
Missouri Weinstrasse (wine road) have a decidedly Germanic flavor,
thanks to their founding fathers, and many have several buildings or
entire districts on the National Historic Register. Augusta, Dutzow,
Defiance, Marthasville, Washington, New Haven, Berger and Hermann
offer bed and breakfast inns, wineries, restaurants, antique shops,
museums, state historic sites and other attractions.
There are festivals, craft fairs, art shows,
antique shows, country auctions and other events throughout the year.
Many events have a German flavor, such as the Maifest and Oktoberfest,
where lederhosen, oompah bands, and wurst (sausage) abound.
The 200-mile-long Katy Trail State Park, one of
the longest Rails-to-Trails projects in the country, runs alongside
the river and the wine country.
German immigrants from the Rhine River valley
brought their customs and culture to the Missouri River Valley in the
1830's. The area overlooking the Missouri River is officially
recognized as America's First Wine District. Today, Missouri
wineries along Hwy 94 are receiving considerable attention for wining
national and international wine competitions. In addition to tasting
fine wines, visitors can enjoy the tours, specialty shops, bakeries,
bed and breakfasts, fine restaurants and live entertainment. Bikers
and hikers can take in the scenery along the Katy Trail, a former
railroad right-of-way converted into a scenic path through the valley
If you’ve ever
wanted to take a daytrip to a Missouri winery—or plan a romantic
weekend getaway—this web page is for you.
In 1980, oenophiles (wine connoisseurs) around the world took note
when Augusta was designated the first American Viticulture Area,
similar to the appellation controllee districts in France. Seven
California districts and one in Oregon had filed applications with the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, but the honor went to the
15-square-mile area surrounding Augusta. In making the decision, 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.
That's right. Missouri has long been a wine-producing state. In the
early 1800s, Missouri was the nation's second state in wine
production, behind No. 1 Ohio. During the Civil War, Missouri was
briefly the nation's leading wine producer. At the turn of the
century, Stone Hill Winery in Hermann was the nation's second-largest
winery, producing more than a million gallons a year.
Then along came Prohibition. Wineries were shut down or converted
to other uses, and grapevines were ripped out and replaced by other
crops. After Prohibition, wineries began to reopen in Missouri, but
the serious regrowth of the wine industry in the state began in the
'60s and '70s. Leaders in that rebirth were winemakers in Augusta and
nearby Hermann, which received its wine district appellation in 1983.
Towns cluster along both riverbanks like grapes on a vine:
Defiance, Augusta, Washington, Dutzow, Marthasville, New Haven,
Berger, Hermann. Each claims at least one winery. In September and
October, as the harvest moves into full swing, they celebrate with
festivals.
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