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LARGEST PURVEYORS OF AUGUSTA APPELLATION WINE
Mount PleasantWinery 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
vineyards at mt pleasant wineryBluffs 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
Grapes from our Augusta, Missouri Vineyards
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
Estate Bottling at Mount Pleasant WineryWinemaking 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
Award Winning Wine from Mount Pleasant Winery
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.

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