Le Bourgeois Wine Garden, Rocheport, Missouri

        Storms threaten the Missouri river valley. Still, for Beverly and Larry Lamb, it is a perfect time to find a little relaxation with a glass of wine. It is Larry’s birthday, and the couple is enjoying one of the best views of the landscape in central Missouri.

Although weekends find a crowd of people at Les Bourgeois wine garden, they’ve got the place almost to themselves.

Les Bourgeois’ wine garden consists of an old-fashioned A-frame building with the roof stretching nearly to the ground and picnic tables on a scenic bluff overlooking the Missouri River and the Katy Trail. However, it is not the only reason to come to the countryside between Columbia, Mo., and tiny Rocheport, Mo. Les Bourgeois is more than the wine garden and the restaurant. It is also a winery, which is open for tours and wine tastings. It is the third-largest of the 56 wineries in the state, producing 90,000 gallons of wine each year.

As visitors walk through the winery door, the intoxicating aromas of wine fill the air, sweet and fruity. A cat that lives in the winery slinks between the tanks and laps up water from a puddle, a result of the heavy rains of the day. The sounds of the machines pumping and clicking are a slow background rhythm – but soon, harvest will be in full swing.

His job can be stressful, Bomgaars said. In September, he makes key picking decisions.  The time the grapes come off the vine affects the flavor of the wine.

“[Harvest is] when it’s really exciting,” Bomgaars said. “You’ve got all your grapes coming in. You’re trying to make decisions like whether to pick today, two days after it’s sunny, or what’s going to happen to the grapes.”

Les Bourgeois’ wine makers ship some grapes from California, but most of the grapes for Les Bourgeois wines are grown in their own Missouri vineyards, just a short drive down a hilly gravel road from the winery.

The late afternoon sun finally comes out to stay. Occasional booms from bird cannons are the only interruption in the vineyards’ peaceful atmosphere. The canons are only blast noise, but they scare away birds, deer and other animals that come to sample the grapes.

When the long production process is through, it is time to taste the wines. Wine tasting engages almost all of the senses. Experts suggest wine drinkers try to predict what their mouths will taste judging by what aromas their noses smell. People perceive aromas differently. One person might smell apple in a particular wine, while another will smell oak or even toasted marshmallow.         

Pat Gerke, a wine taster who jokes about getting paid to drink wine all day long, said the best way to learn about wine is by experience. Wine drinkers never know when they will decide they like something new, she said. Also, just knowing a particular wine does not mean much, because any two bottles of wine from the same batch can taste different. Gerke also advises asking to try a wine in a restaurant before ordering a full glass, so as not to waste money or wine.

“Everybody’s palate is different,” Gerke said. “That’s why we make so many different kinds.”

The crowd that Les Bourgeois attracts is as diverse as the flavors in the wine. Couples and families, bikers on the Katy Trail, college students – people of all kinds visit the winery.

“All the sorority girls will get all dressed up and come out to the winery, and they think it’s fancy,” said Laura Royse, director of marketing and sales. “But it’s all mulch, so it’s funny how they stumble around.”

The diversity of the vineyards’ clientele is no surprise. The view of the sky, river and trees from the bluff is reason enough to make the trip. Rain or shine, the view, like the wine, is always different – and always surprisingly beautiful.

Photos by Lissa Snyders