Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/620640
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m J a n - F e b 2 016 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 1 3 1 Under state liquor laws, an establishment that makes 200 gallons of wine per year can trade as a winery. However, the 22 Percent Manufacturer Solici- tor license (MS22), together with other permits, allows businesses that call themselves Missouri win- eries to buy-in all of the wine they sell from off-site, including from California. Traditionally, Kooyumjian explained, Missouri win- eries made their own wine from local grapes under a domestic winery license. In recent years, however, the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Con- trol (ATC) has permitted more and more businesses to trade as wineries using the MS22. One result is the emergence of what some local vintners call "faux wineries," sometimes positioned near local wine trails, which don't produce their own wines. "The biggest problem is the confusion that it causes with the public and the erosion of the brand, Missouri wine," Kooyumjian said. Missouri has a wide array of winery business mod- els. The broad winery definition rule and the absence of many restrictions on buying in fruit have helped to grow the industry from 50 wineries in 2005 to nearly 130 today. On a typical Missouri wine trail, you can find former farms that are now family-run wineries making wine from local grapes. There also are upscale, Napa-style establishments run by entrepreneurs, and they offer wines made on the premises from local grapes, as well as wines made out of state. Others grow some grapes and make some wine, but rely heavily on rent- ing out their facility for events or weddings. Then there are the businesses that call themselves wineries, but actually are restaurants or outlets for Californian and other out-of-state wines. For example, Coopers Hawke Winery & Restaurants, based in Chi- cago, has two locations in Missouri. The outlet in Kan- sas City describes itself as a winery and restaurant, but the wine is all made in Chicago from bought-in + Under the state's Liquor Control Law, Missouri Wine's mandate is focused on promoting locally grown grapes. + The number of Missouri wineries has grown from 50 in 2005 to nearly 130 today. + The 22 Percent Manufacturer Solicitor license (MS22), together with other permits, allows busi- nesses that call themselves Missouri wineries to buy-in the wines they sell from off-site. + The Missouri Wine subcommittee is considering a name for state wineries that don't make all of their wine: Missouri Wine Gardens. AT A GLANCE 1-866-WINERAC 1-509-524-8500 rackandmaintenancesource.com