Text from plaque
Mount Pleasant
Winery
Established 1859
LARGEST
PURVEYORS OF AUGUSTA APPELLATION WINE
America's 1st Wine District As Designated by the United States of America
Mount Pleasant
Winery grows its grapes locally and ferments, ages, cellars and bottles all of
its wine at the Winery in Augusta. The U.S. Federal Government enacted Law 27
CFR §4.26(a) in 1978, which provided for the establishment of American
Viticultural Areas. On June 20, 1980, Augusta, Missouri became the first
recognized American Viticultural Area. The second viticultural area, Napa
Valley, was not recognized until January 1 of 1983. The requirements for "estate
bottling" are very strict and require that the bottling winery and the vineyards
where all of the grapes are grown be located in the same viticultural area. In
addition, the winery must own or control the vineyards where the grapes are
grown, and the wine must be produced in one continuous process, never having
left the premises of the bottling winery. Because our grapes are grown within
the boundaries of this distinctive area, Mount Pleasant can label wines as
"Augusta Estate Bottled Wines." As the largest purveyor of Augusta Appellation
wine, the proprietors of Mount Pleasant Winery hold their product to a higher
standard and accept the responsibility to insure that Augusta remains one of the
leading viticultural areas of America.
VINEYARDS
Bluffs along the Missouri River act as a natural barrier and protector from the
extreme elements for the three valleys that make up the Augusta Appellation:
Schluersburg, Augusta, and Emke. Estate-grown grapes are farmed on the
surrounding hillsides of these valleys. Even though the entire viticultural area
is unique with its deep, dark topsoil left by the Ice Age, each vineyard
location is different in makeup and lends itself to different taste profiles.
The experienced vineyard master makes the decisions as to where the different
varieties are planted. Mount Pleasant grows their grapes on the hillsides rather
than in the fields of the river bottomlands because these areas are not
susceptible to frosts and floods. Hillside plots also allow optimum sun exposure
and access to southeasterly breezes prevalent in the appellation. Small-plot,
hillside farming involves some of the most expensive, agricultural techniques in
the world, yet provide the highest quality fruit year in and year out. It takes
three years for a vine to bear fruit and five years before it is at full
production. Every year Mount Pleasant plants additional vines to keep up with
the demand for Augusta Appellation wines.
FROM GRAPES TO WINE
During late summer, the vineyard crew harvests the grapes, and the fruit is
quickly transported to the "crushing area". Here, the grapes are crushed and
pressed into juice. Once the juice is extracted from the grapes, it is
transported through underground pipes to several large tanks located at the
winery and to small barrels located in the cellars. Fermentation is the natural
process of yeast converting fruit sugar into alcohol and CO2. This process can
vary from three to sixty days, depending on style, variety, temperature, and
selected yeast strains. According to the winemaker's discretion, some of the
wine is aged in oak barrels while some varieties remain in stainless steel
tanks.
LAB AND BOTTLING LINE
Winemaking is not only an art; it is a science as well. The laboratory is used
throughout the winemaking process to test the wine for proper blending, pH,
acidity, tannins, alcohol content and overall quality assurance. Once the wine
meets our high standards, the wines are bottled on the bottling line. Even after
the wine is bottled, the winemaker utilizes the lab to insure quality and proper
aging.
MOUNT PLEASANT'S COMMITMENT TO QUALITY
Since wine is subjective, there is no such thing as the "best wine." Therefore,
Mount Pleasant Winery is always striving to be better. While some wineries only
cellar or bottle their wine, Mount Pleasant Winery certifies that our wines are
produced at the winery under our control. Our customers can be confident that
Mount Pleasant wines are of the highest quality and compare to the finer wines
of the world.