Hour-long documentary traces the history of Missouri wine

Emmy-winning producer and host Catherine Neville is releasing Winemaking in Missouri: A well-cultivated history, a special hour-long tasteMAKERS documentary that traces the nearly 200-year history of Missouri's rich winemaking past. From phylloxera to prohibition to the impacts of a changing climate, the documentary features wine makers and experts detailing the history of what was, and is again today, one of the state’s leading industries.

Beginning in the early 1800s, European immigrants began establishing settlements in Missouri, particularly along the Missouri River valley. Along with other cultural traditions, they brought their culinary preferences with them, including the cultivation of grapes for making wine. Vines were planted, grapes harvested and juice fermented and soon, a wine industry was born. The industry expanded to become one of the leading industries in Missouri, which was for a time the second largest wine producing state in the country.

Weaving historic images with in-depth interviews, Winemaking in Missouri touches on winemaking’s inflection points across the decades. Neville brings together Jon Held from Stone Hill Winery, Pat and Peter Hofherr from St. James Winery and Angie Geis of Noboleis Vineyards along with Annie Gunn’s sommelier Glenn Bardgett and Doug Frost, one of the world’s only dual Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine.

With the rolling hills of Missouri as a backdrop, this new documentary uncovers the roots of one of the United States’ most storied wine regions. After a series of live screenings, the film will make its television debut on Nine PBS and then roll out to other regional PBS stations, with national distribution through American Public Television to follow later this year.

Winemaking in Missouri is sponsored by Midwest Dairy and the Missouri Pork Association with additional support from Missouri Wines.