Steve Millburg
Missouri Wines: a Virtual Tasting
Do French and California vintners face some competition from the heart of the Midwest? We threw a wine party to find out.
 
Seyval? Vidal? Norton? What kinds of wines are these?
They’re Missouri varietals, but even many wine enthusiasts haven’t heard of them. The Midwestern climate doesn’t suit such familiar grapes as Chardonnay and Merlot, so Missouri winemakers turned to hardier vines. To assess the results, we gathered nine people, a mix of experts, neophytes, and in between. They tasted 10 bottles from the wineries of Hermann, Missouri. As their comments indicate, they were in for some surprises.

Brut Reserve Hermann Champagne 2001
Hermannhof Winery, 800/393-0100 or hermannhof.com. Dry sparkling wine made from Vidal Blanc grapes in the classic French méthod champenoise. $24.99.

The Californian: “Fresh.”
The Unconnoisseur Traveler: Smells light—lighter than champagne.
The Dark-Beer Drinker: Maybe a little apple-y.
The Food Editor: It’s nice. It’s clean. It doesn’t have a lot of depth, though.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: It’s much better than what I expected it to be, but it’s overpriced.

Vidal Blanc 2004
Hermannhof Winery. A fruity white wine, dry to semidry, often compared with such Italian wines as Pinot Grigio. Pronounced vee-DAHL. Goes well with seafood. $11.99

The Rookie: This smells like champagne.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: It’s grassy, like a Sauvignon Blanc.
The Food Editor: It’s green and grassy, with kind of a mineral taste.
The Unconnoisseur Traveler: I like it. It’s fruity but not over the top.
The Dark-Beer Drinker: It’s not real complex. It’s pretty simple.
The Rookie: Not a lot of aftertaste.
The Food Editor: It would be good with oysters.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: Or scallops.
The Californian: Or sushi.

Vidal Blanc 2004
Stone Hill Winery; 800/909-9463 or stonehillwinery.com. A dry, fruity white wine with a touch of oak. Goes well with seafood and poultry. $8.49

The Food Editor: This gives me a headache.
The Californian: This is much sweeter and a lot stronger than the first Vidal Blanc.
The Food Editor: It’s sweeter and greener. Grassier. It would be good with food, I think, but I wouldn’t drink it on its own. This is the first one that isn’t flat at the finish.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: It’s definitely worth $8.49.
The Californian: The fruit is a surprise.
The Lady Who Relies on the Kindness of Waiters: I really like it. It’s what I’m used to.

Seyval Blanc 2004
Hermannhof Winery. A medium-bodied, dry white with an herbal flavor reminiscent of Chenin Blanc. Pronounced say-VAHL. This estate-grown release is fermented in stainless-steel tanks. $11.99.

The Food Editor: Wow. This reminds me of our white burgundies.
The Californian: The smell is much stronger than the Vidal.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: More acidity.
The Dark-Beer Drinker: It really has a mineral water taste to me. It has that kind of mineral bite. That’s not a bad thing.
The Unconnoisseur Traveler: There’s more going on with this one than with the last one.
The Rookie: It’s a little bit deeper.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: Not four bucks deeper, though.
The Food Editor: I think overall I’ve been really surprised at the quality of these wines.
The Californian: Who knew?

Wine bottles
photography: Rex Perry
Chardonel
Non-vintage, OakGlenn Winery; 877/486-5057 or oakglenn.com. Chardonel (shar-duh-NEL), a cross between the Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc varietals, produces a dry white wine often fermented in oak. It goes well with seafood and hearty chicken dishes. $20.00

The Food Editor: This smells like a dirty martini.
The Rookie: It doesn’t have a good smell.
The Dark-Beer Drinker: This marriage between Chardonnay and Seyval did not work. It needs a divorce.
The Californian: You’ve given up on this too soon. As it warms up, it gets more interesting.
The Food Editor: Once it warms up, it is much better. Once again, you would never guess that this is a Missouri wine.
The Unconnoisseur Traveler: Look; it’s thick, like gold.
The California Climber: This would go well in place of a red.
The Californian: I would serve this to people who wanted to sip the wine.
The Food Editor: It would be good with prosciutto.
The California Climber: Or a cheese plate. I would cook with it too.

Rosé
Non-vintage, Adam Puchta Winery; 573/486-5596 or www.adampuchtawine.com. A dry rosé, a blend of Norton (red) and white hybrid grapes. Recommended to accompany grilled chicken, soft-shell seafood, or spicy Mexican food. $14.99.

The Unconnoisseur Traveler: I like this.
The Lady Who Relies on the Kindness of Waiters: I think it tastes like Kool-Aid.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: I agree.
The Californian: I would never normally buy an American rosé, but I think this is very tasty.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: It is drier than you expect from a rosé.
The Dark-Beer Drinker: Way above typical. It’s very clean. The smell is actually very surprising.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: Tart apple. Green apple taste.
The Food Editor: Kind of flat at the end, though. That’s my only disappointment. It’s crisp and clean. It would be great with spicy foods.

Norton Vintner’s Reserve
Non-vintage, Adam Puchta Winery; 573/486-5596 or www.adampuchtawine.com. Norton, also known as Cynthiana, is Missouri’s signature varietal. It produces a complex, full-bodied red wine that reaches its peak five to 10 years after its release. This version is aged in stainless steel with French and American oak barrel staves added. It goes well with red meat or dark chocolate. $22.99

The Food Editor: ‘Cynthiana’ is a prettier name.
The Lady Who Relies on the Kindness of Waiters: He’s right about the chocolate. It tastes like the rebirth of wonder.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: To me, it’s like a very, very young Cabernet Franc. And yes, it does go really well with dark chocolate.
The Lady Who Relies on the Kindness of Waiters: Well yeah. Celery goes well with dark chocolate. You can’t go wrong with dark chocolate, period.

Norton 2002
OakGlenn Winery; 877/486-5057 or oakglenn.com. Another rich, full-bodied Norton with a hint of spiciness. $25.00.

The Missouri Wine Fan: It’s a very deep, rich red color.
The Dark-Beer Drinker: Wonderful aroma.
The Food Editor: It smells like dark cherry.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: Great nose. I was getting a real red currant along with the cherry.
The Food Editor: It’s more feminine than the other one.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: More viscous on the tongue.
The Food Editor: The women think it’s soft and the men think it’s sharp.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: I think one of the best compliments you can pay a wine is that one sip calls for another. This fits into that category.
The Dark-Beer Drinker: It has a very unique taste. It’s not Cabernet. It’s not Merlot.
The Californian: I’d buy it for a special occasion.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: It’s definitely the best so far.

Norton Little Mountain Vineyard 2001
Hermannhof Winery; 800/393-0100 or hermannhof.com. Moderately oaked. $17.99.

The Unconnoisseur Traveler: It smells like wood.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: I get a little coffee. I get an oak and vanilla mix.
The Food Editor: I smell gingerbread. It’s nice.
The Missouri Wine Fan: It’s smoother than the last one but less interesting.
The Unconnoisseur Traveler: It tastes really generic to me.
The Californian: It makes me want to eat deer.

Norton Estate Bottled 2003
Stone Hill Winery. Aged one year in French, Hungarian, and American oak barrels. $17.99.

The Unconnoisseur Traveler: It’s darker and deeper than the last Norton.
The Rookie: This smells like a men’s wine.
The Lady Who Relies on the Kindness of Waiters: It’s tarter.
The Dark-Beer Drinker: Tarter, but it’s not bad.
The Food Editor: It gives me goosebumps. It’s too young, too tart.
The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: I’d like to see this age. In about a year, I think it would soften and smooth out. With all the Nortons, I think the thing to do would be to buy a case. Then drink two bottles a year and see how it ages.

Pouring the wine
photography: Rex Perry
Overall impressions

Consensus favorite white: Hermannhof Seyval Blanc

Consensus favorite red: OakGlenn Norton 2002

Love it/hate it divide: OakGlenn Chardonel

Every taster expressed some variation on the sentiment, “Wow, I never knew Missouri wines were this good.”


The Sophisticated Southern Wine Guy: There was only one I didn’t like. That’s very impressive.

Note: Outside the Midwest, Missouri wines may be hard to find in the grocery store. Many states prohibit wineries from shipping directly to individuals. Try your local wine shop. Or visit the wineries, taste for yourself, and buy what you like. See missouriwine.org or missouriwinecountry.com for more.
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