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. After graduation, Jon gained winemaking experience in Switzerland and Canada before returning to work alongside his parents in 1983. In 2017, Jon and his wife Karen purchased Stone Hill Winery where he works today as President and CEO while occasionally sneaking out to the vineyards to enjoy his passion of tending to the vines. Jon has served on numerous wine and grape industry boards and committees during his career at both the state and national level.
