Barbara Gibbs Ostmann has served on the Missouri Wine and Grape Board for more than 10 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. Louis Chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier, a board member of the Missouri Rhine Valley Association, and a past board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and The Culinary Trust. She lives with her husband and pets on a small farm near Gerald, MO.  

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 currently serving as President of the Missouri Vintners Association. Cory is passionate about the growth and development of the Missouri wine industry. For the past twenty years Cory has been instrumental in the success of his company while working towards the improvement of quality, reputation and the expansion of the Missouri wine industry.

Linda is co-owner of Cedar Crest Vineyards in Callaway County where Seyval, Norton, and St. Vincent varietals are grown. The vineyard was first planted in 2001 and Linda has hands-on experience in every aspect of vineyard management. She has a special appreciation for growing wine grapes and is fascinated with the understanding of how everything from soils to cultivation practices impact grape flavor. Linda is a licensed CPA with an undergraduate degree in Accounting and an MBA. Her work experience includes administrative positions in IT and Finance with the University of Missouri and William Woods University. As President of the Missouri Grape Growers Association, Linda is dedicated to educating Missouri grape growers on the many resources available to them in our state while also assisting them in becoming advocates for the importance of the grower in the industry.

In 1918 Edward Roethemeier purchased 280 acres in Lawrence County which was nestled just 4 miles northeast of the village of Freistatt. Edward was one of the first farmers in the region to begin cultivating grapes, bottling and selling wine. Much like others in the state of Missouri at the time, selling wine was a profitable business for Edward until prohibition hit. As a child Ken Meyer spent many hours in his Grandfather Roethemeier's vineyard picking grapes for pocket money, never realizing this chore would provide the memory that would become the driving force behind Meyer Farms Wine. Beginning in 2007 with Vignoles, Norton and Seyval Blanc, Meyer Farms now cultivates 30 acres, adding Catawba, Chambourcin and Valvin Muscat, a hybrid new to Missouri, developed at Cornell University.