July 18, 2023
And the winners are…
We would like to congratulate our winners from this year’s Missouri Wine Competition and acknowledge the 265 wines that represented all regions of Missouri wine country. Thirty wineries participated in this competition, all contributing to producing the highest quality wines Missouri has to offer.
Each wine that was entered was blindly tasted and evaluated by a panel of seven judges from across the U.S. and one industry judge. Through this process, wines were awarded bronze, silver, and gold rankings. Wines that received a gold medal distinction competed for the honor of a Best of Class award. The top wines from each category then competed for the ultimate recognition, the prestigious Governor’s Cup Award. This award is presented to the best wine in the state.
The winner of the 2023 Governor’s Cup is Stone Hill Winery’s 2020 Old Vine Reserve Norton. The C.V. Riley Award for best Norton went to Stone Hill Winery’s 2020 Old Vine Reserve Norton. The C.V. Riley award recognizes the official state grape and is named after the first state entomologist, who also helped save the French wine industry.
“It’s a great honor to be awarded the 2023 Governor’s Cup, C. V. Riley award and Best of Class Dry Red for our 2020 vintage Old Vine Reserve Norton” says Jon Held, Stone Hill Winery President. “This wine is extremely unique since it’s produced entirely from a pre-prohibition vineyard of Norton vines planted during the 1860’s. This tiny ¼ acre vineyard only yields two to three barrels of wine per year. This precious vineyard was the source of cutting wood for renewed plantings of Norton as the Missouri wine industry was restarting in the 1960’s. It is a special tribute to win with a wine from these old vines since we celebrated the 175th anniversary of Stone Hill Winery last year. As always, our success is due to all the members of our dedicated team whose efforts continue to produce stellar wines year after year.”
The Husmann-Jaeger award for best white varietal wine went to St. James Winery’s 2022 Vignoles. This is the first year this award is being presented and it is named after George Husmann and Hermann Jaeger. Both of these influential men were integral in the early development of the Missouri wine industry.
“We are honored to be recognized for the best white varietal wine in Missouri,” says Andrew Meggitt, St. James Winery Executive Winemaker. “Given the changes in our climate, our teams in the cellar and vineyard have been working hard to make adjustments to how we grow grapes and make wine. This award confirms that the changes we are making are increasing quality.”
A big round of applause for this year’s Best of Class winners:
Sparkling: Stone Hill Winery – Blanc de Blancs
Dry White: St. James Winery – 2022 Vignoles
Semi-Dry White: Jowler Creek Winery – 2022 Vignoles
Sweet White: Stone Hill Winery – 2022 Vignoles
Dry Red: Stone Hill Winery – 2020 Old Vine Reserve Norton
Semi-Dry Red: Augusta Winery – 2019 Barrel Select Chambourcin Estate Bottled
Sweet Red: Montelle Winery – Stone House Red
Dry Rosé: Röbller Vineyard – St. Vincent Rosé
Semi-Dry Rosé: St. James Winery – Friendship School Rosé
Sweet Rosé: St. James Winery – Velvet Rosé
Dessert: Adam Puchta Winery – 1855
Late Harvest/Ice Wine – Stone Hill Winery – 2021 Late Harvest Vignoles
Fruit: St. James – Sparkling Blackberry
This was the third year of the label competition, which was judged by an expert panel of judges. This competition helps recognize wineries that have stand-out labels, design elements and overall bottle appearance. The winners of each category are below:
Traditional Label: Noboleis Vineyards – 2022 Amber Vidal Blanc
Contemporary Label: Les Bourgeois Vineyards – Collector’s Series: 2022 Noiret
Alternative Packaging: Noboleis Vineyards – Swirl Raspberry & Papaya Sangria
Best Wine Series: St. James Winery – Explorer Collection: Project 1970, 38 Degrees North, Estate Norton, Vignoles
People’s Choice Award: Dale Hollow Winery – Catawba
Find the complete list of the 2023 award-winning wines here. Make sure to taste these wonderful winning wines next time you’re exploring Missouri wine country.