TRAVEL / CITY GUIDES The charm of Hermann, Missouri draws many a wine lover June 3, 2013 11:11 PM MST View all 19 photos The town of Hermann, Missouri. Cori Solomon Sitting on board a flight to St Louis, I am reminded of my visit to Hermann, Missouri, the charming town that is situated along the Missouri River in the heart of the Missouri Wine country. The location of Hermann is reminiscent of the Rhine River Valley and the quaint German Towns that reside along its banks. The German influence on Hermann is very evident as you walk the streets, dine in restaurants and view their historic buildings and furnishings. I was fortunate to spend the day, touring the town with Jim Dierberg, who is very prominent in the community and owns two of the wineries in center of town, Hermannhof and Dierberg Star Lane. Jim s influence in restoring the town is quite evident as one notices the continual extensive renovations that have occurred over the years. Jim s vision is to preserve the customs and history by creating a living history museum, thereby bringing all the elements of the 19th century together through the restoration of homes, installation of period furnishings, recreation of farms, Cori Solomon blacksmith shops, and carriages. This work in progress is augmented by the wineries themselves.
As I spoke with Jim, you know there is a tremendous love for this area. There was a gleam in his eyes as he showed me the various aspects of Hermann. Speaking with the locals they could not stop praising what Jim Dierberg has brought to this community. Many of the original wineries that date back to the 1800s still exist and have become part of what is called the Hermann Wine Trail. The trail consists of six wineries spanning from Hermann to New Haven. The wineries are Stone Hill Winery, Hermannhof, Adam Puchta Winery, OakGlenn Winery, Bias Winery and Röbller Winery. If you are looking for history and traditional wines from Missouri the Hermann Wine Trail offers just that. Stone Hill Winery is the oldest winery in the area. It beginnings trace back to 1847 and by 1900 it was the third largest winery in the world and second in the nation. Since 1965, the Held Family has owned this winery. The winery is built on a hilltop overlooking the town of Hermann. The views are enchanting. What is interesting about this winery besides its award winning wines is the cave, a stone cellar that during prohibition grew mushrooms and kept people employed during this dreary time in our history. Today it is back to it original use, storing and aging the wines in oak barrels. Hermannhof Vineyards dates back to 1948 and features ten stone cellars in a brick superstructure that are one of 100 early Hermann buildings that are on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally Hermannhof was a brewery and winery. Many small wine growers used the Hermannhof facility to produces their wines. In 1974 the Dierberg Family purchased the winery. The historic cellars are used in production of their wines holding the white oak barrels that are created in both France and Missouri. Hermannhof uses some of the cellars to make their sparkling wine. The wine is created in the Methode Chamenoise style. The wines are characteristically sweet, appealing to the Midwest palate. Hermannhof like the other wineries does have some drier wines. I enjoyed the Seyval, a French hybrid that is very much in the style of Sauvignon Blanc. Hermannhof s flagship wine is White Lady of Starkenbburg. This was the first wine that Hermannhof produced and is made in the style of a German Riesling. Adam Puchta Winery is the oldest family run winery in Missouri. The Puchta family opened the winery in 1855. The winery is off the beaten path but offers a different type of adventure in wines. You might say it is more countrified. As a wine maker Tim Puchta prefers to make the dry styled wines and it is certainly evidenced by the Vidal Blanc, Chardonel and my favorite the Dry Rosé. What makes this winery stand out is the Ports and Sherry. Adam Puchta offers two ports, the Signature Port and the Anniversary Port. Both are excellent. The 1855 Sherry is a must try. The Carmel flavor enhances the sherry, which is aged 6-7 years. Although I did not get to visit the winery on this particular trip, I got to taste the wines of Röbller Winery at an event I was at. I was quite impressed with this family owned winery. The wines had the depth and quality of California wines. For those that hanker a fabulous California wine you cannot go wrong with the seventh winery on the
Hermann Wine Trail, Dierberg & Star Lane. Located adjacent Hermannhof Winery, Dierberg Star Lane features some of the premier wines from California that Jim Dierberg produces in the Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria and Sta Rita Hills areas of Santa Barbara County. While visiting Hermann, one must visit Hermann s Museum at the German School. The museum originally a school details the history of Hermann from the very beginnings when the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia founded it in 1836. The town of Hermann is filled with Antique Shops and Galleries. One shop where you can view the works of local artists is the Kunstlerhaus Gallery & Pottery Shop. Those who love sausages and Bratwurst must visit Hermann Wurst Haus. My visit to Hermann included a stay at the Inn at Hermannhof, which I highly recommend. This charming Inn and its cottages that overlook the town and Missouri River have been completely restored in a cozy comfortable style yet has all the modern luxuries we look for when on the road. The main quarters of the Inn At Hermannof are located in the reconstructed Empire style Festhalle. In the mid 1880s the Monnig Store, an all in one hardware, mercantile, pharmacy and post office utilized the first floor of the Festhalle/Hermannof Inn. The upper floors housing eight guest suites were originally the home of its proprietor. The cottages were the original Haus Wineries of Hermann. Each house has been restored into a group of 19 lovely appointed guest suites. Each suite is decorated with period furniture typical of the town at the turn of the 19th to 20th century. As the Inn At Hermannhof is a bed and breakfast all guests congregate in the Festhalle for a delicious breakfast. Breakfast begins with a smoothie or yogurt parfait. The French Toast looked scrumptious. Knowing that I had allergies the management of the Hermannhof went out of their way to provide me with oatmeal, which from what I could gather was not on the normal breakfast menu something I could eat, showing that the Hermannhof is out to please all their guests. Dining in Hermannhof is very casual and I experienced two of the local restaurants. The Vintage Restaurant is located in the original stable and carriage house at Stone Hill Winery. The booths of the restaurant were the horse stalls and as you can guess the restaurant has a horse theme to it. Being from the west coast where fresh fish is quite abundant, I have to say the salmon that I tried was exceptionally tender. Of course the wines are those featured at the Stone Hill Winery. After sampling several of the wines on the list I opted for the full body, rich and fruity Norton. My second night took me to The Cottage Restaurant, which is definitely off the beaten path. The restaurant is located in a cottage type home in a setting that makes you feel like you are in a forest. The Cottage is very artsy and has an outdoor area, which is perfect for an Al Fresco dinner. The food is very much home style cooking and very tasty.
As I reminisce about my jaunt to Hermann during my flight back to St Louis, I am looking forward to my current trip where I will go back to New Haven to tour the Röbller Winery and discover more about their wines. For more information about Hermann, the Wine Trail, Wineries, Hotels and Restaurants: Stone Hill Winery Hermann 1110 Stone Hill Highway 573.486.2221 800.909.WINE (800.909.9463) Hermannhof Vineyards 330 East First Street 800.393.0100 Adam Puchta Winery 1947 Frene Creek Road 573.486-5596 Email: info@adampuchtawine.com Röbller Vineyard Winery 275 Röbller Vineyard Rd. New Haven, MO 573.237.3986 Dierberg Star Lane 338 East First Street 5734.86.1182 Museum of the German School 312 Schiller Street 573.486.2389 Kunstlerhaus Art Gallery and Pottery Shop 207 E. First St. Hermann, Mo. 65041 hermannkunstlerhaus@yahoo.com 573.486.2303
Hermann Wurst Haus 234 First Street 573.486.2266 The Inn at Hermannhof 237 East 1st Street info@innathermannhof.com 573.486.5199 or 888.268.1422 Vintage Restaurant 1110 Stone Hill Hwy Hermann, MO 573.486.3479 The Cottage Restaurant 1185 State Highway H 573-486-4300 mary@cottagerestauranthermann.com If you would like to follow more of Cori Solomon s articles, please subscribe below. To learn more about Cori Solomon visit WrittenPalette.com. SUGGESTED LINKS Missouri Wine Country, the history and the grapes Cori Solomon LA Epicurean Travel Examiner
2006-2015 AXS Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com