Augusta is the nation’s first American Viticultural Area (AVA) established on June 20, 1980 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Clayton W. Byer, president of Montelle Vineyards, and Lucian W. Dressel, president of Mount Pleasant Vineyards, on behalf of local vintners proposing a viticultural area along the north bank of the Missouri River named "Augusta."
History
The town of Augusta, situated on the hills overlooking the Missouri River Valley about west of Saint Louis, was founded in 1836 by
Leonard Harold,
a follower of
Daniel Boone, for a
riverboat landing along the Missouri. Harold originally laid out the town as Mount Pleasant on part of the government land he purchased in 1821. The town site was chosen as a excellent river landing known as Augusta Bend.
In 1855, the town was incorporated as the city of Augusta becoming a prosperous agricultural community, producing mainly grain, livestock, and wine grapes. The town, as a trading center, supported numerous craftsmen, merchants, hotels, and wineries. In 1859,
German-American Georg and
Friedrich Muench founded one of the earliest wineries in the area, Mount Pleasant Winery.
[Durfur (1999), p. 43] The 1872 Missouri River valley floods changed the course of the river abandoning the riverboat landing leaving dry land with a distinct soil type between the town and the river. The area's early vineyards were planted in the 1880s and began receiving recognition for the distinctive flavor profile of the wine being produced there. In the later parts of the 19th and early 20th century, the area's production volume helped the
Missouri wine industry compete with
Ohio wine for market share east of the
Rocky Mountains.
The advent of the national Prohibition had a dramatic effect causing winery closures and vineyards being uprooted. The revival period in the 1960s led to the reopening and founding of many area wineries.
At the advent of the 21st century, Augusta AVA wines began exporting to Germany. In 2003, Augusta Winery's 2001 Chardonel vintage won "Best US Wine" from the German wine magazine Selection at their yearly competition in Mainz.
Terroir
The bowl-like ridge of hills to the west, north, and east and the Missouri River on the southern edge of the area provide a setting which differentiates the local climate of the Augusta area from the local climate of the surrounding areas. Located west of St. Louis along the Missouri River, the area is known for its
Floodplain and
alluvial plain landforms shaped by the winding river. The
soil in this area is a type of
loam known as Hayne Silt-Loam which is heaviest in
clay composition in the areas closest to the river but has more
silt concentration in the higher elevations where most of the vineyards are located.
Viticulture
Augusta viticultural area cultivates some
Vitis vinifera including Cabernet Sauvignon,
Pinot noir,
Chardonnay, and
Merlot as well the indigenous
Vitis aestivalis, Norton varietal, the official grape of the State of Missouri.
French-American
hybrid grapes like
Chambourcin, Chardonel,
Couderc noir,
Seibel grapes,
Seyval blanc, St. Vincent and
Vidal blanc are also popular plantings.
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