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No shame in that. Truth be told, I'm more of a beer than wine guy, but I'll gladly drink (or eat) almost anything you set in front of me.framer wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2021Kind of funny listening to you guys talk about varietals and what-not; whenever I'm in Wine Country, I'm the shmuck sitting at the table happily drinking a Bud Light.
Can't say as I've ever had anything from Ste. Gen. I've had Herman, Augusta, and St. James wines. (And I always leaned a little more towards the St. James area products than the Herman or Augusta.) Will have to try the Ste. Gen stuff. Chaumette and a Chambourcin you say?bwcrow1s wrote:Chambourcin from the bootheel is my bread and butter. Norton's alright. But I see more publicity thrown toward Augusta/Hermann than Ste. Genevieve which I think has superior wines, and food. Chaumette's menu is, at least was, really good last time I went.
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I'm surprised they didn't add this property to their holdings:
https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/mo/ ... _34821018/
https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/mo/ ... _34821018/
^That's exactly the kind of independent business that I hope can remain independent as Augusta goes through this period of change (The White House had always been one of my favorite restaurants).
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I didn't realize that Augusta was in St. Charles County.
I thought it was in Franklin County due to its relative proximity to Washington, MO.
St. Charles Tourism is going to love this. And Franklin County has to kind of like it, too.
The winery will be roughly 15 minutes from Washington, 40 minutes from downtown St. Charles, and 50-55 minutes from downtown St. Louis.
If this actually ends up happening, is done well, and actually draws tourism, this should be a great thing for the region.
I also wonder if this won't push some of St. Charles' sprawl southward toward Weldon Spring, New Melle, Defiance, etc. Not really familiar with any of those places. Just looking at at a map.
I thought it was in Franklin County due to its relative proximity to Washington, MO.
St. Charles Tourism is going to love this. And Franklin County has to kind of like it, too.
The winery will be roughly 15 minutes from Washington, 40 minutes from downtown St. Charles, and 50-55 minutes from downtown St. Louis.
If this actually ends up happening, is done well, and actually draws tourism, this should be a great thing for the region.
I also wonder if this won't push some of St. Charles' sprawl southward toward Weldon Spring, New Melle, Defiance, etc. Not really familiar with any of those places. Just looking at at a map.
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I hope not. I doubt there will be sprawl southwest of 64. That area is drastically different than the rest of St. Charles County in terms of topography. The main reason St. Charles saw so much sprawl was because most of it is pretty flat land, which makes it cheaper to build on, and even the hilly areas of St. Charles were previously farmland so they lacked a bunch of trees, but once you drive southwest of 64 on 94, it gets pretty hilly and densely forested. Plus you have the August A. Busch Conservation Area and Weldon Spring Conservation Area which can't be touched.
There has been some sprawl on that side of 64 but it's further north in Lake St Louis and Wentzville. That area is also pretty flat and consists (or consisted) of farmland. I also don't think the curvy two lane roads of Weldon Spring, Defiance, Augusta, etc. can handle a lot of sprawl. And that begs the question... if this project ends up being as big of a tourist attraction as people hope, will it require a multi-lane highway? I like to drive on 94 through Defiance and Augusta on warm weekends and the traffic usually consists of huge charter buses, motorcycles, and nice cars. Those charter buses are heading to and from the wineries but a lot of the other traffic is for weekend joyrides. If they widen 94, it'll lose its character but I also don't want a separate multi-lane highway.
There has been some sprawl on that side of 64 but it's further north in Lake St Louis and Wentzville. That area is also pretty flat and consists (or consisted) of farmland. I also don't think the curvy two lane roads of Weldon Spring, Defiance, Augusta, etc. can handle a lot of sprawl. And that begs the question... if this project ends up being as big of a tourist attraction as people hope, will it require a multi-lane highway? I like to drive on 94 through Defiance and Augusta on warm weekends and the traffic usually consists of huge charter buses, motorcycles, and nice cars. Those charter buses are heading to and from the wineries but a lot of the other traffic is for weekend joyrides. If they widen 94, it'll lose its character but I also don't want a separate multi-lane highway.
^ That was meant to quote your last paragraph about sprawl. Not sure why the quote didn't show up.
Yeah, 94 is a very pretty drive, but it's also rather notorious for accidents. If traffic increased, I'm sure there will be a push to 'improve" it.
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Oh . . . that smarts.
"That's why we wanted to alert you to some items that despite the pandemic we still have in absolute abundance . . . "
Why are we always a punchline? Oh wait. What did our senator do right before the insurrection? Never mind.
For those as have not see it . . .
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I do wonder why they are going with a 9-hole golf course.
I would think that building a really nice 18-hole course would fit the winery/bnb/tourism industry a bit better. But what do I know.
I would think that building a really nice 18-hole course would fit the winery/bnb/tourism industry a bit better. But what do I know.
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^I was thinking that myself. A 9 hole par 3 course hardly seems like a resort to me.
I'm a proponent of MO wines (and Augusta-based Montelle makes a really great grappa too). But I'm fine with the SNL treatment, for the record - it's a pretty funny skit.symphonicpoet wrote: ↑Jan 13, 2021Oh . . . that smarts.
"That's why we wanted to alert you to some items that despite the pandemic we still have in absolute abundance . . . "
Why are we always a punchline? Oh wait. What did our senator do right before the insurrection? Never mind.
For those as have not see it . . .
If you can't laugh at yourself...
-RBB
Are you saying that Tower Tee wasn't high class?!?KansasCitian wrote: ↑Jan 13, 2021I do wonder why they are going with a 9-hole golf course.
I would think that building a really nice 18-hole course would fit the winery/bnb/tourism industry a bit better. But what do I know.
-RBB
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^^Oh, I laughed. Also winced and groaned some. Yes, it's a good skit.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Augusta has always been a bit ramshackle in a nice way but could defiantly benefit from the right investment, I wonder where the hotel will be built and what relationship it will have to the town.
Jim Dierberg has put a lot of money into Hermann just up river with some nice results. I was told about 10 years ago he was exploring the possibility of running an excursion boat between St. Charles and Hermann I guess it was not worth the cost. But with Augusta now getting a river presence it could be a great addition - Imagine leaving from the Arch or St. Chuck riverfront with stops in Augusta, Washington (which has been adding some nice development), New Haven and Hermann
Jim Dierberg has put a lot of money into Hermann just up river with some nice results. I was told about 10 years ago he was exploring the possibility of running an excursion boat between St. Charles and Hermann I guess it was not worth the cost. But with Augusta now getting a river presence it could be a great addition - Imagine leaving from the Arch or St. Chuck riverfront with stops in Augusta, Washington (which has been adding some nice development), New Haven and Hermann
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Hmm. I'd been looking into buying a plot of land near Augusta. Might be time to pull the trigger if this looks to be real.
The Stone Hill Winery interview Alexis Zotos did for the Meet St. Louis podcast was a bit fluffy but a good listen.
https://overcast.fm/+NsdsdkMR0
https://overcast.fm/+NsdsdkMR0
One thing holding Augusta back is the lack of direct access to the river.
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Per the Business Journal, the Hoffmans have also bought Montelle and Augusta wineries plus 250 additional acres of vineyards.
With the latest wineries in its portfolio, Hoffmann is significantly expanding its presence in Augusta. Augusta Winery includes production buildings, a tasting room, an office building and cellars at 5601 High St.; the Owl’s Nest Hospitality Building at 266 Jackson St. and an adjacent 1.5-acre lot; the Wine & Beer Gardens at 5625 High St.; and three additional lots. Montelle, located at 201 Montelle Dr. off of highway 94, sits on 50 acres and has a tasting room, event center, hospitality house and storage building. In addition, Hoffmann said Friday it has a building in downtown Augusta currently under contract. It also expects to close soon on the purchase of more vineyards in the area.
“We continue (to have) discussions with other vineyards that we hope we will successfully acquire by April’s end,” the company said in a statement.
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I guess this might answer the question of what their plans are for downtown Augusta.
It sounds like they're about to take it over.
It sounds like they're about to take it over.