Stone Hill Winery, Hermann, Missouri

Nestled in central Missouri among the farms and small towns lies a group of wineries. Although Missouri is not as well known for wines as certain parts of the world, it is host to many vineyards and wineries, which offer tasty and reasonably priced wines. Among the oldest and best known of these is Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri. 

Thomas Held, director of sales and advertising for Stone Hill Winery, said Hermann is a city with much to offer because of its distinct German culture.

“Hermann itself has 70 to 80 bed and breakfasts, German architecture, rolling hills, vineyards on the hillside, romance and ambiance,” Held said. “You can put yourself back in time, and it can be quite romantic.”

Stone Hill quickly established itself as a leader in winemaking. Founded in 1847, the winery grew to produce more than 1.25 million gallons of wine by the turn of the 20th century. At that time, Stone Hill Winery was the second largest wine producer in the United States and the third largest producer in the world.

Stone Hill’s progress halted when Prohibition outlawed alcohol in the United States. Held said the winery closed during that time, and its cellars were used to grow mushrooms. 

“When Prohibition hit, it killed Missouri’s wine culture,” Held said. “Growing grapes in the Midwest isn’t easy. Hard rain and harsh winters make it difficult to compete with California.”

After remaining closed for decades, the winery was restored in 1965 and has been producing wine ever since. Stone Hill tends more than 150 acres of grapes and produces a wide variety of wines.

Because of Missouri’s climate, most of the wines produced at Stone Hill and throughout the state are not made from the same grapes grown on the West Coast. Rachel Williams, a Stone Hill employee who leads guests in wine tasting, said grapes commonly used for winemaking such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir cannot survive in this climate, so Midwest producers have created grapes that can.

Williams explained that hybrid grapes such as Chardonel and Chambourcin have similar flavor profiles to traditional winemaking grapes but contain a blend of American and French varieties designed to withstand the weather.

“Most European grapes don’t grow in this region because of our climate,” Williams said. “We develop and use hybrids, and they have worked great.”

The grape that remains a point of pride in the Stone Hill collection is the Norton. In order to produce a specific dry red wine, each Norton grape is hand picked and aged in French, Hungarian and American oak barrels. The winemakers move the wine through each barrel over the course of one year. By using three different kinds of wood to age the wine, it develops a complex flavor, designed to improve with aging for a period of 10 years or more. This style of winemaking is rare in the United States and displays Stone Hill’s appreciation for European tradition.

Stone Hill offers 19 types of wine, ranging from dry red to sweet white. Each wine is aged for a specific amount of time in different kinds of barrels, depending on its particular type.

“We want to satisfy everybody,” Held said. “The guy who likes sweet wine is just as much of a connoisseur as the guy who drinks dry red. We’re not in the business to tell people what they should drink.”

To make sure the whole family feels welcome, the winery also provides four different juices for those who are too young to partake in the wine tasting. In addition to the more traditional wines, Stone Hill also produces a cream sherry and an aged port wine.

“Our port is aged longer than our traditional wines,” Held said. “You can drink it now, or it can sit in your cabinet for 20 or 30 years. It will just get better over time.”

Stone Hill Winery also has expanded to include a location in Branson, Missouri, as well as one on Highway 70 near Columbia, Missouri. Each location offers a different specialty and experience. Hermann remains the headquarters, and it provides a traditional tour and a restaurant featuring its wines.

The Columbia location is aimed at merchants, business people and those who don’t have time for a full tour. It also produces Stone Hill’s sparkling wines, including Blanc de Blancs, which is made using the traditional French method, the Methode Champenoise. The Branson location is aimed at providing a full experience that is distinct from that of the Hermann location.

“In Branson, we try to touch everyone’s senses,” Held said. “We show a video, bake a wine product to release a wine scent. … People watch the bottling process, and we do tasting. We hope to tease the senses.”

With three locations, distribution across the Midwest and dozens of varieties, it is easy to find a bottle to enjoy. As production increases and patrons continue to visit, it is clear that wine culture in Hermann is alive and well. Since reopening in the 1960s, Stone Hill Winery has emerged once again as a serious player in the wine world.

Photos by David Mohl 

http://www.stonehillwinery.com/

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