By Alex Menz
On the last leg of our trip we visited Adam Puchta Winery, the oldest continuously run family winery in the United States. Located in Herman, Mo., Adam Puchta Winery was established in 1855 and is currently run by Tim Puchta, the great-great grandson of the original owner, Adam Puchta.

At the winery, Wayne Brown, Tim Puchta’s nephew, spoke to us about the family’s history and their legacy.

After moving to from Germany to Herman, Mo., when he was seven years of age, Adam worked on his father’s farm until he left for California and the gold that he would find there. When he returned to Herman, he bought 40 acres of land from his father and began his winery.

Adam Puchta Winery produced its first bottle of wine in 1855. Their business was successful until Prohibition struck Herman and their vineyards were torn from the ground, destroying certain varieties of grapes that were specific to the Missouri region.

“It’s a small world as types of grapes go, and prohibition made it smaller,” Brown says.

Through Prohibition, the original farming operation continued to run until Prohibition ended and Adam Puctha Winery began producing again in 1988.

Now, Adam Puctha Winery produces 40,000 to 60,000 gallons of fresh grape juice a year and sells 13 different kinds of wine. Their top sellers include the Vignoles and the Riefenstahler.

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About the class

Students in the Wine Country Writing class, taught by Nina Furstenau, will be getting a chance to examine not only wine culture and how to write about it, but also how wine is produced and agricultural issues in the vineyard. During this four-day field reporting trip to Missouri wineries in the Ste. Genevieve, Augusta and Hermann areas, students will see A&K Cooperage in Higbee, watch Missouri oak barrels being produced, talk with winemakers and vineyard managers, and learn directly from experts in the field. Join the class with their blog series as they meet the people behind the Missouri wine industry.