Jon Held grew up in a Missouri vineyard tagging alongside his parents in their original 4-acre planting of Catawba grapes in Pershing, Missouri. In 1965, his parents, Jim and Betty Held, moved to Hermann and reopened Stone Hill Winery thus beginning the reawaking of the Missouri grape and wine industry. That year also saw new vineyard plantings for the Held family and as the vines grew so did Jon’s passion for grape growing and winemaking. Jon studied Viticulture and Enology at California State University, Fresno where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1980.

Sarah is one of the owners of Baltimore Bend Vineyard. The first grapevines were planted in 1997 and the winery was opened in 2003. As a small business owner, Sarah has been instrumental in all aspects of the vineyard and winery’s growth over the years, and currently oversees all winemaking and vineyard operations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a certificate in enology from Washington State University. 

Cory Bomgaars, Vice president of Winery Operations and Partner at Les Bourgeois Vineyards, started his career in the Missouri wine industry in the early 1990’s. After studying Biology and Chemistry at the University of Missouri, he moved to California to study viticulture and enology at the University of California Davis. Cory is passionate about the growth and development of the Missouri wine industry.

Chris Chinn, a fifth generation Missouri farmer from Clarence, was named Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture in January 2017 by Missouri Governor Eric R. Greitens. Director Chinn has held leadership positions in agriculture on the local, state and national level for more than 19 years, working to move the state’s agriculture industry forward.

Barbara Gibbs Ostmann has served on the Missouri Wine and Grape Board for more than 17 years. A travel, food and wine journalist, Ostmann has been writing about Missouri wine since 1975. She was the Food Editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for 18 years, syndicated food columnist for the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group for 12 years, and has co-authored 13 books. She takes bottles of Missouri wine – usually Norton – around the world on her travels. Ostmann is the founding president of the St. Louis Culinary Society, founding vice-president of the St.