`GRAPE EXPECTATIONS': SALES OF MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS WINES INCREASE GRAPE INTERESTS

Jerry Smith racked 1997 Vidal off of the lees. The process pumps the wine from one container to another to aid the natural clarification process.

Wanted: Grape growers.

Missouri and Illinois grapes are in high demand as the popularity of wines produced in the two states continue to grow.

Sales of Missouri wines and juices have increased steadily over the past five years, to more than 325,000 gallons in 1997 by the state's 37 wineries.

More than 7.2 million gallons of wine were sold in Missouri a year ago, giving Missouri wine a market share of 4.27 percent.

Illinois has more than a dozen wineries, with six more expected to start operations this year. Less than 1 percent of the wine sold in Illinois is produced in the state, but sales have increased so much during the past five years that grape growers can't keep up with the demand.

In Illinois, there are only about 120 acres of grapes growing and about 40 percent of the grapes used in Illinois wines are purchased from other states.

There's a real shortage of grapes right now, said Ben Maragni, coordinator for the Center of Workforce Development at Shawnee Community College, where a "viticulture" course was introduced this semester.

Ted Wichmann agrees there is a grape shortage.

"I grow grapes, but I probably buy more grapes than I raise," said Wichmann, who operates the Owl Creek Vineyard near Cobden.

Wichmann this year loses one of his grape sources. A grower he previously purchased grapes from is opening his own winery this spring.

Wichmann sells about 80 percent of his wine at the winery and sells about 20 percent to area stores and restaurants.

Wineries are opening faster than the vineyards can develop. It takes five to seven years to get a crop from a vineyard.

A typical vineyard produces four tons of grapes an acre, said Wichmann. In Illinois, 90 percent of the grapes grown are used to make wine. Nine percent of the crop is sold as fresh fruit, and 1 percent as juice.

Wine experts say a ton of grapes can produce about 150 gallons of wine. At five bottles per gallon, that's about 750 bottles of wine a ton, or about 3,000 bottles an acre.

In Missouri, winemakers grow most of the fruit used in their wines.

"I grow about 95 percent of the grapes used in our wine production," said Jerry Smith of River Ridge Winery near Scott City and Commerce and the Mississippi River.

"I do buy some grapes from a couple of grape growers in the immediate area," said Smith. Smith and his wife, Joannie, opened the winery in 1994, but the vineyards had been established in 1991.

River Ridge produced about 8,000 bottles of wine in 1997, its third year of production.

That was a significant increase from the 552 gallons produced in 1996.

"Our production will continue to increase," said Smith, whose eventual goal is about 20,000 bottles. "We recently planted another acre of grapes, which will give us more fruit for production."

Smith agrees that the wine industry is growing and that more grapes are needed.

River Ridge sells most of its wine at the winery but has inquiries from 15 to 20 businesses from the immediate area into the St. Louis area wanting to sell River Ridge wines.

Another Southeast Missouri winery is the Ste. Genevieve Winery at Weingarten, south of Ste. Genevieve. A tasting room and retail sales outlet is in downtown Ste. Genevieve.

The wine industry has an impact on the economy, not only in dollars spent on grapes and wine, but for the accompanying tourism dollars.

Missouri's 37 wineries attract more than 2.5 million people a year, half of them from out of state.

The wine industry pays big dividends in Union County of Southern Illinois, where there are three wineries -- Owl Creek Vineyard near Cobden, Alto Vineyard at Alto Pass, operated by Paul Renzaglia, and Pomona Winery, operated by George Majka and Jane Payne.

The wineries attract a steady stream of customers every weekend between April and late summer. A fourth winery is expected to open in the area this year.

Growing grapes can be an attractive opportunity for the right person, says Jim Anderson, program director for a special grape-growing incentive offered by the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

In an effort to counter the grape shortage in Missouri, the department is offering financial incentives for prospective or existing grape producers to grow more grapes.

It's not a quick-fix solution. It takes a grapevine from five to seven years to produce mature fruit. However, a continuing incentive should help get more grape acres planted and eventually put Missouri on the right track to meet demands, said Anderson.

A grape-growing incentive was offered last year and has resulted in 35 additional acres of grapes. At maturity, this small acreage increase could yield more than 130 tons of grapes, which translates into more than 100,000 bottles of wine or juice.

To qualify for the incentive, growers must agree to plant a minimum of one acre of grapes, up to a maximum of three acres, and new growers must agree to plant a minimum of three acres, up to a maximum of five acres. All growers must agree to produce three harvests.

Applications and additional program information are available by contacting the Missouri Department of Agriculture, Market Development Division, Grape and Wine Program, P.O. Box 630, Jefferson City, Mo., 65102 or by calling 1-800-392-WINE.

At one time in history, Missouri wine production was second only to California. During the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, Missouri wine production topped the 3-million-gallon mark.

Missouri grape growers use about 1,100 acres for grapes, and some of the grapes are not used for wine.

Research on grape and wine production is conducted at Southwest Missouri State University's Fruit Experiment Station in Mountain Grove. The experiment station staff specializes in enology and viticulture and will provide technical advice and assistance on growing grapes.

"Enology" is the study of winemaking, and "viticulture" is the art or science of growing grapes.

A "wines and vines" class at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, focuses on wine's place throughout history and production of wines. Outlined in the course are processes involved in fermenting grapes and turning their juices into wine. This includes field trips to visit local wineries where students get a hands-on experience, harvesting and pressing grapes.

Shawnee Community College near Ullin started a course on the wine business this semester.

The Shawnee course is basically "viticulture," said Maragni. "We have 47 students in two sections this spring." Maragni said he anticipated big interest in the class.

During an informational seminar conducted by Shawnee Community College, a total of 176 people indicated interest in growing grapes. The class involved grape growing -- selection, sampling of dirt, varieties and pruning.

"We're working on a one-year certificate in viticulture," said Maragni. Shawnee would be the first college in Illinois to offer the viticulture certificate.

Additional courses, such as pest management or pruning practices, will be offered as continuing education workshops for vineyard owners and winery proprietors.