I originally intended this post to be a short list of organic Missouri vineyards and wineries. Silly me. Organic wines in Missouri seem to exist only in the magical world of rainbows and unicorns. Probably because of the high humidity and plentiful bugs we enjoy here.
I did find a handful of wineries that practice sustainable viticulture, though not organic. Those wineries are listed below:
Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery They use IPM, sheep, chickens and bats to minimize the need for synthetic controls.
Platte City, MO
Lambs and Vines Winery They spray fungicides only when needed. They use sheep instead of herbacides.
Diggins Township, MO
Mount Pleasant Estates They use IPM and focus on building quality soil to limit the need for pesticide use.
Augusta, MO
Riverwood Winery They do not use fungicides, but have sprayed herbicides between rows in the past. Per their website they are transitioning away from using herbicides.
Rushville, MO
While I was saddened to discover there are no organic wines available in my new home state, I did learn one important piece of information. When planting grapevines in our garden, I should stick with native varieties well adapted to our growing conditions. Norton it is!
Worthy mention: I came across a few articles from 2012 referencing an organic wine produced from grapes grown at Gascony Vineyards, but that wine doesn’t appear to be available currently.
