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Exploring Missouri's Wine Country

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By Bob Carter

Posted August 6th, 2007

California Travelers' Trivia: Historic and Contemporary--Fabulous Firsts, Fascinating Facts, Legendary Lore, One-of-a-Kind Oddities, Tantalizing Trivia

Recently, I had the opportunity of journeying Missouri Highway 94, also known as the Missouri Weinstrasse. The trip took me through the picturesque Missouri Road where we discovered award-winning wines at four family-owned wineries.

The Missouri Weinstrasse, complete with its sweeping vista of the Missouri River Valley covers rolling hills formed by the Ice Age some 20,000 years ago. The glacier dust soil, together with a favorable climate makes it possible to grow remarkable wine grapes. So remarkable in fact, that in 1979, the region was certified as America's first Viticultural area.

Four family wineries, Blumenhof, Augusta, Montelle and Sugar Creek, create more than one hundred different wines. If you're interested in learning more about America's first Viticultural Area, follow this link to check out the Missouri Weinstrasse website.

My final experience on the strasse included an excellent catered dinner prepared by the owners, staff, and chef of Cuisine d'Art Catering, Inc. of Eureka, Missouri.

A highlight was meeting the chef, Scott Payne, and being awarded an official Ambassador medallion at Blumenhof Vineyards and Winery, winner of scores of awards at prominent wine competitions.

Meet Chef Patrick Scott Payne
Chef Payne, began his 15 year private apprenticeship under the tutelage of French Chef Jean Pierre Auge. Under Chef Auge's guiding, these years were spent honing his craft and perfecting his skills in the art of French cuisine: patissiere, saucier and chacuterie.

He later acquired the position of Executive Chef for the Mark Twain/Mercantile Bank of St. Louis, Missouri. During his tenure as executive chef, Scott was responsible for creating classical French menus, plus producing and coordinating corporate and private events for 30-300 guests. He was creatively challenged on a daily basis to accommodate the upper echelons of the banking industry.

Chef Payne spent some time with Chef Terry Conlan of the Lake Austin Health Spa in Lake Austin, Texas, expanding his experience to include Southwestern low-calorie nouveau cuisine. Additionally, he took a sabbatical to travel to Europe to refine his culinary skill and experience European cuisine first hand.

In May of 2000, Scott joined the creative team of Beth Williams and Chef Brenda Harris as Sous Chef in their versatile cafe and catering business, Cuisine d'Art, Inc.Chardonnay.