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Originally Posted by Dutch
So where is Missouri wines now on the international rep scale? I would have never guessed Missouri for wines but I'll be darned if it doesn't seem to have the perfect climate for this.
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Missouri actually used to be #1 in the U.S. in wine production before prohibition, including two of the largest three wineries in the nation (both which still exist and produce wine). Missouri is often referred to as 'America's First Wine Country'. Pretty good read at this link starting on page 390 if interested.
A History of Wine in America
When prohibition hit, the wine makers had to switch gears. Many of them actually used their cellars and caves to start mushroom production. After prohibition, the winemakers were slow to restart the industry, allowing areas like California to take the reins and surpass Missouri. Below is an old article that does a pretty good job of summarizing that part of the history.
A Tradition Of Wine-making Grows Again In Missouri, The Vines Are Reviving After A Dry Spell Caused By Prohibition. - Philly.com
The big three now are California (623 million gallons), New York (23 million gallons), and Oregon (6 million gallons). After that, there are eight states (Missouri, Washington, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia) that all produce between 1,000,000-1,900,000 gallons.
No online distribution yet, but that has more to do with the fact that we need all of our wine to cover the 350+ events that we'll have this year in addition to the walk-in traffic seven days a week.