SERENDIPITY REIGNS SUPREME AT RIVER RIDGE WINERY

COMMERCE -- Serendipity reigns supreme at River Ridge Winery.

Serendipity is the name of a dry white wine produced at the winery. It is a blend of three varieties of French hybrid grapes.

But serendipity, which denotes a pleasant surprise, also could well describe River Ridge owners Jerry and Joannie Smith.

The Smiths delight in the outdoors, whether it is planting trees on their Christmas tree farm near Commerce or pruning in the vineyards.

There is an easy familiarity about them. They greet visitors to the winery with a relaxed attitude that fits perfectly with their blue jeans attire.

River Ridge Winery is situated in a century-old, white frame house on a hilly, 80-acre farm, two miles north of Commerce on County Road 321. The winery -- one of only two in Southeast Missouri -- is four miles from the couple's Christmas tree farm.

The Smiths received their state and federal licenses designating River Ridge as a winery in August 1993. The winery officially opened for business on Sept. 17 of this year.

"You wouldn't believe opening weekend, people were everywhere," Joannie Smith said.

Some 500 people visited the winery that Saturday and another 500 turned out the following day to taste and buy the wine.

People from all over the region have visited the winery in recent weeks.

The Smiths figure to sell about 1,000 gallons of red and white wines this year.

The farmland includes more than a quarter-mile of bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River.

The Smiths have dreams of building a house there to take advantage of the view.

A former Navy pilot and fired air-traffic controller, Jerry Smith always wanted to own a family winery.

Ironically, he grew up in a dry county in Arkansas.

"I bought this farm in the fall of 1980 and planted grapes in the spring of 1981," Jerry Smith recalled.

Today, the vineyards cover three acres, situated a short uphill walk from the farmhouse-turned-winery.

"We grow eight different varieties of grapes," Smith said. "What grapes don't want is wet feet. You've got to have well- drained soil."

In the leafy vineyards, the Smiths harvest both red and white grapes. They pick them by hand with the help of friends.

They have already harvested all the grapes this year.

"We picked 8,000 pounds of grapes," Joannie Smith said.

Growing the grapes is just the first step. The grapes must then be crushed. The grape juice is mixed with yeast and allowed to ferment in 55-gallon stainless steel containers, after which it is aged in white oak wine barrels and then in wine bottles.

The whole process takes about a year to 11/2 years for white wines. For red wines, the process takes three to five years.

The Smiths age their red wines in oak barrels for one to three years. After they are bottled, the wine is allowed to age another six months to a year.

For a dozen years, Jerry Smith lived in the farmhouse that serves as the winery.

Over the past 18 months, the Smiths have spent countless hours renovating the house for use as a winery.

The ceiling is covered with wallpaper featuring a grape design. The kitchen has been turned into a wine-tasting area.

New half-moon front porch steps greet visitors. The porch is supported by wooden posts, each one incorporating a carving in the shape of a Bordeaux bottle.

But the rugged character of the house still remains. The interior door frames stand helter-skelter. There are new wood floors. Built over the old flooring, they retain its charming unevenness.

"The house leans forward about a foot from top to bottom," Joannie Smith pointed out.

But for Joannie and Jerry Smith, the house has become the perfect winery. And the Smiths have acquired a real taste for the business.