Wine Culture in Gasconade County — It’s a Big Deal
By: Emma Tacchia, Logan Carter, Isis Irving, and Morgan Hurt
The art of winemaking and tasting is an important historical aspect to Missouri. Following the Civil War, there was an expansive mood for winemaking in Missouri. With a war, there is often a higher desire for alcohol, so it is not surprising that there was an increased want for wine. Though the entire state of Missouri is known for its winemaking, Gasconade County sets itself apart among others, specifically with the German-settled town of Hermann.
Back when Germans were in the process of emigrating to America, they started in Cincinnati, moved up the river to St. Louis, and continued to Hermann. Many Germans were attracted to this area because it had been romanticized by Gottfried Duden in his writing. The first settlers of Hermann came to the area with farming in mind, but upon their arrival, they soon realized that the hilly land would not be sufficient for farming. After this disappointment, the German-Americans decided to try winemaking, as they would need a source of income living in the United States. It is clear that they had much success as the town of Hermann and Gasconade County as a whole remains one of the most popular wine hotspots in the country.
While Germans who immigrated to Missouri found the land to be similar to the Rhineland of Germany, they had to work to figure out which varieties of grapes would successfully grow in this new environment and which ones would make quality wine. German immigrants began working with different vines in the 1840s. The grape varieties that are grown in Missouri must be able to withstand both the harsh winters and hot summers without the vineyard dying or the grapes ripening too quickly. Additionally, the grapes have to be able to produce enough wine and the wine must taste good. Finding this balance took time.
They first experimented with European vines but many of these failed to grow in the Missouri Rhineland, or were not up to par for winemaking. In Hermann, people adjusted and tried to work with Cape and Isabella grapes– varieties that were native and moderately better than the European varieties but they did not produce enough fine. They did however find success with the Catawba variety of wine. Successful harvest of the grapes led to the development of the commercial wine industry.
By 1904, Missouri produced approximately one-twelfth of the wine sold in the United States with the majority of that coming out of Gasconade County. The Stone Hill Wine Company in Hermann, MO grew to become the second largest winery in America with the largest series of cellars.
Stone Hill Winery is a national historic site and an exemplary example of German wine making in Missouri. It was founded in 1847, just ten years after Germans first came to the Hermann area. Upon arrival, they discovered a plethora of low quality wild grapes among the forests and hillsides similar to the Rhine, the Neckar, and the Main in their home country. This provided a perfect opportunity to experiment and improve the wild Missouri grapes. After several attempts with different vine types, the German Americans finally produced a high quality wine. By 1848, word of the success of wine growing in Hermann had spread amongst Germans all across the state.
During its one hundred and seventy-five years of life, Stone Hill has experienced an abundance of ups and downs. It was the second largest winery in the country, winning eight World Fair Medals in the late 1800s. During the anti-German sentiment fueled Prohibition, Stone Hill turned to mushroom growing in their underground arched cellars (the largest in America) to survive.
Afterwards, Stone Hill once again distinguished itself becoming a world-class winery that still thrives to this day. The company proudly displays its Germans roots through its historic tours, wine tasting, and Vintage Restaurant serving German specialities. Stone Hill also participates in events like Wurstfest, Maifest, and Oktoberfest, helping to renew interest in Missouri’s German history and culture.
In April of 1852, a poem was written in the Gasconade County newspaper Hermanner Volksblatt called “Anti-Temperenz”. In this poem, the Anglo-American temperance movement is satirized for its lack of fun and ignorance of the enjoyable things in life, mostly by comparing the Anglos to fish or cattle. In this poem, though, is the heart of German drinking (and specifically wine) culture.
German American drinking culture at this time was centered around the local beer gardens and taverns. These places acted as focal points of the community, bringing people of all social classes together for a drink. However, this drinking culture infuriated the Anglo-Americans who had already established their own laws on drinking. In many places, Germans had to set up their beer gardens outside city limits or risk being shut down due to the presence of Sunday Laws.
Sunday Laws are laws that prohibit certain activities on certain days, in this case preventing the sale or consumption of alcohol on Sundays, an activity Germans eagerly participated in. These laws were primarily passed municipally, though it also wasn’t uncommon to see them passed at the county level either. These laws are still present today, though usually in a much more limited capacity. Gasconade County currently does not allow for the sale of alcohol before 9 a.m. on Sundays, three hours later than any other day of the week.
It is clear that wine culture in Gasconade County is an important aspect of the area. Winemaking has been a part of the German-American’s lives from the very first moments they arrived in the county. From figuring out how they would produce their wine to sharing their opinions about new laws pertaining to drinking in their newspapers, Germans in Gasconade County have truly embraced their culture through the art of winemaking and drinking.
