FOLLOWING YOUR HEART TO AMERICA’S FIRST WINE REGION by Craig Kaminer / Photography by Carmen Troesser
My favorite getaway places have always been those surrounded by picture-perfect scenery and with great food, wine, art, and authentic shops in which I can wander for hours. Perhaps it was living in Florence, Italy, for a year, taking getaways with close friends to Napa and San Francisco, or spending weekend afternoons at wineries in Sagaponack, N.Y., or Newport, R.I., that influenced me. And, because I have enjoyed a lazy Sunday drive with the top down to the Missouri towns of Defiance, Hermann, and Augusta, I was instantly drawn to the news stories about David and Jerri Hoffmann and their plans to invest $125 million in Augusta to create a luxury destination -- a combination of Blackberry Farm in Tennessee and a sort of Napa Valley of the Midwest. Frankly, my first response to these stories was to wonder if this couple who grew up in Washington, Mo., as the son of a milkman and daughter of a retail jewelry salesman, was that they had lost their minds and were soon to lose lots of money. But after I visited them at Mt. Pleasant Winery and toured their other vineyards followed by 66 slmag.net
hearing their story, vision, and business plan, I was sold. So much so that I have thought of buying a cabin nearby. True, David Hoffmann is a very convincing self-made billionaire with some 50 profitable businesses ranging from a global recruiting firm (DHR International Inc.) to real estate (the largest private owner of commercial real estate in Naples, Fla.) and private equity. But after seeing the landscape, the architectural plans, the hundreds of people hard at work making it a reality, and even sommeliers talking about the potential of the Norton and Chardonel grape varietals to compete on a national level, it’s hard not to drink the Kool-Aid. What makes Hoffmann’s plan so credible is that the business entities in his enterprise all complement each other. Companies include building supplies, destination management, transportation, event planning and design, a cruise line, hotels, and restaurants. A close look at the portfolio confirms that Hoffmann has executed on a grand level before and will do it again here. “We saw an opportunity in Augusta,” says David. “Achieving it is our sweet spot. We’ve done it before. This is what we do.”
