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Published Sep/Oct 2006 |
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In and around Ste. Genevieve in southeast Missouri, a cluster of wineries make up the Route du vin, the state’s newest wine road.
By Joe Pollack |
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 he founding date of Ste. Genevieve and its home county of the same name are lost somewhere in the mist of history, as if a French fur-trader looked at a calendar and map through the bottom of a wine glass that had been filled too many times during the evening.But between 1722 and 1749–at least 15 years before the founding of St. Louis–the village, named for the patron saint of Paris, came into being in southeast Missouri. With the Mississippi River to the east and the Ozarks to the west, the county has been a center of agriculture. In recent years, it also has become grape-and-wine country, and today, with the 2006 harvest in full swing, it is a major player. The Sainte Genevieve Winery is in town and four wineries are about 20-30 minutes south and southwest. State Highways B, C, P and WW, plus gravel-topped Boyd and Cave roads, make up much of the county’s Route du Vin, the newest wine road in Missouri. Sainte Genevieve Winery is located in a turn-of-the-century home. Cave and Charleville wineries are cozy, rustic and informal. Chaumette and Crown Valley are larger, offering various amenities. While each winery is a different experience, they share some similarities, including Missouri’s finest red grape, norton. Norton is a constant at Missouri wineries. Vintners approach it the way their French counterparts look at cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir, classic grapes with long aging potential. Norton is hardy and was found growing wild on this continent by the first settlers. Most Missouri white wines come from crossbreeding vitis vinifera (wild European grapes), like chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, with grapes like seyval and vidal, the latter a cross of ugni and seyval. Chardonel, a chardonnay-seyval cross, also is used by many Missouri winemakers, as is traminette, from gewurztraminer and a grape known only as J5385. With this bit of viticultural background and a warm early autumn weekend waiting for you, it’s time to explore the wineries of Ste. Genevieve County, beginning with Sainte Genevieve Winery, the oldest on this route. Wine and local history In downtown Ste. Genevieve, where the community’s French and German heritage are constantly in view, the Sainte Genevieve Winery (245 Merchant St.) does many seasonal fruit wines, sweet and quite tasty, including one from local elderberries. On the drier side, a norton blend and a pair of seyval and vidal whites were tasty. This family owned winery was established in 1984 by Chris and Hope Hoffmeister who operate the business with daughter, Elaine Mooney. Some of the grapes for their wines are grown in the 13-acre vineyard. The winery offers three bed-and-breakfast rooms upstairs. Historic buildings, shops and restaurants all are within walking distance from the winery. Taking it underground With a cave below its winery, tasting room and picnic pavilion, Cave Vineyard (21124 Cave Road) is aptly named. A saltpeter mine in Revolutionary War days, the cave reportedly was used as a hideout by Jesse James after he robbed the local bank in 1873. The wines age in stainless steel or Missouri oak barrels in the winery atop the cave. Owner-winemaker Marty Strussione and his wife, Mary Jo, established the vineyard in 2001 as a family endeavor. Cave Vineyard’s 14 acres of vineyards include white grapes from chardonel and traminette, reds from chambourcin and norton. Strussione makes chardonel in several stages of sweetness; the versatile grape is especially good in the late harvest variety, with peach and apricot overtones and a lush aroma. Norton, from 2004, has 18 months of aging, good cherry flavors and a lengthy finish. The Strussiones, along with their daughter and son-in-law, Laura and Matt Oliver, will be pleased to offer visitors samples of these wines in the tasting room. Deep-rooted history and traditions Charleville Vineyards (16937 Boyd Road) is rich in French, Missouri and American history. Owners and winemakers Jack and Joal Russell are descendants of Joseph Chauvin de Charleville–captain of the French militia at Kaskaskia, Ill.–and his wife, Genevieve Monique Rivard. The youngest Charleville son, Francois, fought at the Battle of Vincennes under George Rogers Clark, whose brother, William, later accompanied Meriwether Lewis. After the American Revolution, Francois Charleville was given 200 acres near Ste. Genevieve. The Russells have two guest rooms in a small cottage next to the winery, with splendid views across the valley. In the winery, a light, fruity, dry wine named chauvin is a fine quaffing summer wine. Francois is a blend of norton and St. Vincent, a lighter red wine that, like a pinot noir, pairs well with grilled salmon. Charleville also produces beer, with brew master Tony Saballa working in the Belgian style to produce a wheat beer and an amber ale, which is especially delicious. A second wine tasting room is located in the French Colonial district of Ste. Genevieve at the corner of Main and Washington streets. Wine, coffee and gifts made by local and regional craftspeople are offered here. Viva la France A short drive west to Chaumette Vineyards and Winery (24345 State Route WW) brings visitors to a different level. Chaumette’s tasting room is patterned after the vertical-log houses of early Ste. Genevieve, with its winery tucked away in the woods. The Grapevine Grill at the winery uses a unique grill that smokes and grills at the same time. It pairs those meats with a variety of French-influenced salads, vegetables and sauces. Its wide porch, perfect for dining al fresco when the weather permits, looks out on a sweeping, peaceful valley of farms and vineyards. The tracks of bulldozers are visible, presaging much construction. Owner Hank Johnson is serious about wine, too. An area of the vineyard is home to experimental grapes. Such experimental vines also grow at other Missouri wineries, like Stone Hill in Hermann and Les Bourgeois in Rocheport. Chaumette produces more than a dozen wines from Missouri grapes, ranging from dead-on dry to late-harvest sweet, something for all tastes. Some of the chardonel, for example, never touches wood, while oak is used to ferment and age others. A splendid rose is a blend of chardonel and chambourcin, while an ’04 assemblage marries several red grapes into a fruity, light-bodied wine that has the color of a French burgundy. And at one end of the tasting room’s parking lot is the tiny, gem-like chapel, St. Vincent’s-in-the-Vineyard. Once located in St. Louis County and now rebuilt to the same size at the winery, the all-faith chapel is available for weddings, receptions and other events. A destination winery fit for royalty Crown Valley Winery (23589 State Route WW), owned by Joe Scott Jr., is the largest and most ambitious of the wineries. Located on a 800-acre estate, visitors can experience wine tasting, live music on the weekends and more. Tiger Ridge Restaurant and overnight accommodations can be found at Crown Ridge, a 55-acre estate nearby also owned by Scott. The restaurant’s smoked Missouri trout and pepper-crusted bison loin, both of which are grown on the property, are delicious features. Chef Drew Poniewaz pairs wines and courses with a deft touch. In addition to Missouri grapes, Crown Valley imports California-grown juice from cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel and sauvignon blanc. That accounts for the title of “American wine” on many labels. Australian-born winemaker Daniel Alcorso has made wines in his native land and at American wineries. He’s responsible for some three dozen varieties. Tasting a few brought excellent marks for a nicely blended dry rose (perfect for a summer picnic) of chardonel, grenache and chambourcin, a white and two red grapes, respectively. A dry German-style riesling was crisp and fruity, with a fine balance between acid and alcohol, and a dry Vignoles, with a steely finish, was tasty. A cabernet sauvignon-shiraz blend, a tribute to Alcorso’s Australia, where the wine is common, was extremely flavorful, though young, and with nice notes of oak. There were excellent Missouri norton and vignoles, too, the latter with big bursts of melon and apricot flavor. A tour of the farm, available to visitors, shows off grazing elk, mules, cattle, bison and goats, along with a variety of waterfowl and more than 165 acres of vineyards, berries and vegetables. This is a major operation in terms of both wine and tourists, and Crown Valley is larger than any dual-purpose facility this writer has seen in California. Other Crown Ridge developments include Eagle Lake Golf Club and Restaurant in Farmington, 15 minutes west of the winery on state Highway F, and additional nearby lodging, shopping and dining venues. Visitors to Missouri, as well as Missourians, now have another major area to visit if they have wine on their minds and a thirst for an autumn adventure. Joe Pollack is a contributor from St. Louis, Mo. |
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