THE NEW AUGUSTA WILL OFFER PLETHORA OF THINGS TO DO by Craig Kaminer / Photography by Carmen Troesser
The town of Augusta, situated on the hills overlooking the Missouri River valley about 37 miles west of St. Louis, was founded in 1836 by Leonard Harold, one of the settlers who followed Daniel Boone to St. Charles County. The town was originally named Mount Pleasant, with the riverboat landing known as Augusta Bend. Harold laid out the town on part of the government land he purchased in 1821 -- the site being chosen for its excellent river landing. In 1855, the town was incorporated as the city of Augusta and by that time was a prosperous agricultural community producing grain, livestock, and wine grapes. A trading center, it supported numerous craftsmen, merchants, and hotels. In 1859, Georg and Friedrich Muench founded one of the earliest wineries in the area, Mount Pleasant Winery. Flooding in the Missouri River valley caused the river to change course in 1872, drying up the area’s riverboat landing and leaving a unique soil type in the area between the town and the river. The area’s early vineyards were planted in the 1880s and the area began receiving recognition for the distinctive flavors and profile of the wine being produced there. With Prohibition, local wineries closed and vineyards were uprooted. A revival period occurred in the 1960s that led to the founding of many of the area’s current wineries. Napa Valley of the Midwest? About That Wine... | The Augusta American Viticultural Area (AVA) was established on June 20, 1980, as the first federally approved American Viticultural Area, eight months before the Napa AVA in Northern California was 72 slmag.net
established. An AVA is a delimited grape-growing region with specific geographic or climatic features that distinguish it from the surrounding regions and affect how grapes are grown. Using an AVA designation on a wine label allows vintners to describe more accurately the origin of their wines to consumers and helps consumers identify wines they may purchase. The petition was submitted by Clayton W. Byers and Lucian W. Dressel, representing the local wine industry, to the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on October 16, 1978. The boundaries of this wine region encompass 15 sq. miles around the city of Augusta near the intersection of St. Charles, Warren, and Franklin counties. At the turn of the 21st century, wines from the Augusta AVA were exported to Germany. In 2003, Augusta Winery’s 2001 Chardonel won “Best U.S. wine” from the German wine magazine Selection at their yearly competition in Mainz, Germany. “I will honestly say that most people thought I was pretty brash to say we’re going to become the next Napa Valley’ but I think slowly we’re winning people over,” claims David Hoffmann. The Hoffmanns own four of the five vineyards which were in Augusta. “I think our wine is misunderstood on a national basis. We want to produce wine that people like and want to drink -- that has the same pizzazz as wine from other places but at price points that are a little bit more affordable and a better reach for people. We have the vintages to do so and already have been planting new vineyards -- about 50 acres a year which is a lot. The bones of greatness are here.”
