The Wine Road - Missiouri part 1
This blog series is more about wine touring, than the wines they make at those locations. As such, I am going to skip over the various wineries we have visited in the last few days, and concentrate on a single property that epitomizes the emphasis on wine touring, even to the detriment of the wine.
South of Saint Louis, just an hour away, in the heart of the country, lies the quaint town and wine region of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. A visit to the tasting rooms in town is not much different than any other tasting room.There are wines to taste, and gifts to buy.
Follow the wine route out to the country and again it all seems like any wine country anywhere. Lots of country, and a few vines. That is until you turn on to Highway WW. Obviously, they were thinking WoW when they named this road!
Crown Valley Winery (and neighboring Chaumette Winery) are huge. Not just by the standards of a Midwestern winery, but by any standard. The parking lot can hold dozens of busses and hundreds of cars. The building is simply impressive in scope, and the thousands of acres with Elk, Bison and Angus cattle (much less vines) add to the surreal surroundings.
Here is what wine touring is really about. An hour from a major city, this is an adult fantasy land. As in any amusement park those that come here come to indulge. The hordes sip and swallow with very little regard for what they are tasting. Quantity, not quality, is the catch word for these consumers, and so the winery gives them what they are looking for, while conspicuously charging for everything they can.
Crown Valley Winery is by far and away one of the best funded wine ventures I have ever seen, anywhere. From the imported French wine maker, to the countless plastic wrapped barrels just waiting to be used, no expense has been spared. There is no wine technology they don't have, and no whim unfulfilled. All to make mediocre wine that nobody is really paying attention to.
There is a chicken and egg thing here. Since the consumers do not expect quality, and they are willing to buy anyway, there is little attention paid to making the best wines possible. Since the wines are mediocre at best, the consumer pays little attention to what they are drinking. A vicious cycle that is in the winery's favor, since the consumers still buy almost 50,000 cases a year from Crown Valley alone.
There are tigers and musicians and picnic areas galore. There is an incredible walk to the tasting area where you promenade directly over the tops of the stainless steel fermenting tanks. There is every wine nick knack known, just waiting to be bought. What there isn't, is a tradition or even an expectation of quality wines.
With the exception of the sweeter white wines, I have not been a big fan of much of the wine of the Midwest. It seems unlikely that these wines will make much of a dent in the national marketplace, but they don't really have to. As long as there are people willing to visit, and to buy from the winery, there will be a place for these properties. From the quaint mom and pops, to the megalithic destinations, wine touring is alive and profitable, in Missouri.
Next time we will look at the plethora of wines just to the west of Saint. Louis.
South of Saint Louis, just an hour away, in the heart of the country, lies the quaint town and wine region of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. A visit to the tasting rooms in town is not much different than any other tasting room.There are wines to taste, and gifts to buy.
Follow the wine route out to the country and again it all seems like any wine country anywhere. Lots of country, and a few vines. That is until you turn on to Highway WW. Obviously, they were thinking WoW when they named this road!
Crown Valley Winery (and neighboring Chaumette Winery) are huge. Not just by the standards of a Midwestern winery, but by any standard. The parking lot can hold dozens of busses and hundreds of cars. The building is simply impressive in scope, and the thousands of acres with Elk, Bison and Angus cattle (much less vines) add to the surreal surroundings.
Here is what wine touring is really about. An hour from a major city, this is an adult fantasy land. As in any amusement park those that come here come to indulge. The hordes sip and swallow with very little regard for what they are tasting. Quantity, not quality, is the catch word for these consumers, and so the winery gives them what they are looking for, while conspicuously charging for everything they can.
Crown Valley Winery is by far and away one of the best funded wine ventures I have ever seen, anywhere. From the imported French wine maker, to the countless plastic wrapped barrels just waiting to be used, no expense has been spared. There is no wine technology they don't have, and no whim unfulfilled. All to make mediocre wine that nobody is really paying attention to.
There is a chicken and egg thing here. Since the consumers do not expect quality, and they are willing to buy anyway, there is little attention paid to making the best wines possible. Since the wines are mediocre at best, the consumer pays little attention to what they are drinking. A vicious cycle that is in the winery's favor, since the consumers still buy almost 50,000 cases a year from Crown Valley alone.
There are tigers and musicians and picnic areas galore. There is an incredible walk to the tasting area where you promenade directly over the tops of the stainless steel fermenting tanks. There is every wine nick knack known, just waiting to be bought. What there isn't, is a tradition or even an expectation of quality wines.
With the exception of the sweeter white wines, I have not been a big fan of much of the wine of the Midwest. It seems unlikely that these wines will make much of a dent in the national marketplace, but they don't really have to. As long as there are people willing to visit, and to buy from the winery, there will be a place for these properties. From the quaint mom and pops, to the megalithic destinations, wine touring is alive and profitable, in Missouri.
Next time we will look at the plethora of wines just to the west of Saint. Louis.
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