Vine revival: More than 30 wineries have opened in Missouri in last two years

Three glasses of wine stand on a table, each a different color. A bold burgundy, a rich red and a pale pink.

The burgundy wine is dry, with a hint of oak. The red is peppery and tannic, and the blush is bright and sweet with a hint of apple that hits the tip of your tongue on the first taste.

All three wines were made from the same kind of grape.

Yielding different characteristics from a single vine is the hallmark of winemaking, and Steve Rothert, co-owner of Rothbrick Winery, said manipulation of a grape's natural characteristics is what makes winemaking an art form.

"The cool thing about wine is that it can be as simple or complex as you wish to make it," Rothert said. "We've got a lab and you can keep track of grape characteristics, and you can make wines according to whatever recipes you have. So it's fun on a lot of levels. There is a big learning curve to winemaking and a lot of work involved, but wine is cool."

Steve Bricknell pours a glass of wine at the recently opened Rothbrick Winery in Jackson. (Kristin Eberts)

Rothbrick is one of more than 30 new wineries to open in Missouri in the past two years, bringing a resurgence to the wine industry in the state.

Missouri has a long history of winemaking. It was the nation's second-largest wine producer, behind New York, until Prohibition all but destroyed the industry in 1919. It wasn't until the 1960s that Missouri winemaking experienced a rebirth with the reopening of three of the state's original wineries.

With 99 wineries now in operation, Danene Beedle, marketing director for the Missouri Wine and Grape Board, said the industry is steadily growing.

"The Missouri Wine and Grape Board has done a number of things to help the industry," Beedle said. "We've started research at the University of Missouri to develop better grape hybrids and new varieties that are better suited to Missouri's climate. We also support the wine industry with marketing initiatives, such as the Passport Program."

The Passport Program allows wine lovers to earn points each time they visit a Missouri winery and redeem those points for prizes, including dinners and weekend getaways.

Beedle said the recent economic downturn has helped the industry, and many families who can no longer afford to go away on vacation are now opting to take day tours and weekend getaways to local wineries instead.

Suzanne VanderFeen, owner of Vines 2 Wines Excursions in Cape Girardeau, conducts tours of many of the wineries that participate in the Passport Program and said she's noticed more people visiting wineries in the past year.

"I would say we're busier now because there are more wineries to go to in the area, especially near Cape Girardeau," VanderFeen said. "A lot of the wineries have also expanded, so now they offer more of an experience with food and entertainment. Rothbrick is a winery that just opened up, and it's a good example of that. On top of wine tasting, they have horseback riding and cabins and they are very family-friendly."

Rothbrick, owned by Steve and Lorri Rothert and Steve and Julie Bricknell, is one of the latest wineries to open in Southeast Missouri.

Steve Rothert said the group decided to open the winery near Shawneetown as a joint effort after being introduced by a fellow winemaker.

"Bob Breuer out at Tower Rock Winery worked with Steve and Julie and bought grapes from them for some years," Rothert said. "I bought this land with the idea of growing some grapes, and Bob told me I should go check with Steve Bricknell because his vineyard looked very nice. So that's how we hooked up."

The Bricknells became interested in wine making after growing grapes for 10 years and selling their harvest to local wineries. Rothbrick is the couple's first venture into making wine, and although it's considered to be a romantic profession, Steve Bricknell said running a winery is not as idyllic as some might think.

"It's just like any other business," Bricknell said. "Most people have this romantic idea about owning a vineyard, but the truth of the matter is it's a lot of hard work. It's also a lesson in adaptability because you have variables that you can't control. The weather, for instance. That affects how the grapes grow and what kind of wine they're going to make. It also determines when you can pick your grapes, so you can't always work around a set schedule."

Bricknell said the paperwork alone was time consuming, and took nearly a year to complete before the winery could operate.

"You have about a year's worth of paperwork to fill out, and liquor licenses to apply for," Bricknell said. "You also have to get your wine labels approved and undergo health inspections if you plan on serving food."

Rothert said now the winery is open, the new challenge is learning how to replicate the first wines they've made.

"What we want is to be able to replicate the wines we've already made," Rothert said. "So far things have turned out very well. We hope to do this on a fairly consistent basis, but we're still learning. That's the thing about grape growing and winemaking. With wine you've got one harvest a year and it takes a couple of years to know what you're going to get. So you have to be patient."

Despite the hard work, Bricknell said the result is worth the effort.

"For me, it's the goal of achieving something," Bricknell said. "This is a product that you put your heart and soul into, and it's enjoyable to watch other people enjoy your product. That's actually the best part of it, I think. The money's not really the driving force. It's getting to share our wine and seeing people's faces when they're enjoying it."

ssemmler@semissourian.com

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