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38 W i n e s & V i n e s M A R C H 2 0 1 4 P erched on a bluff high above the slow and muddy waters of the Missouri River sits a small A-frame cottage that was the humble start of one of the largest wineries in Missouri. In 1974, Curtis and Martha Bourgeois bought the cottage and lived there with their family while they built a home nearby. Several years later, one of the Bourgeois' sons had the idea to plant a vineyard. The vineyard soon supported a home-winemaking hobby that quickly grew into a small winery, and by 1991 the winery was producing several hun- dred cases of wine. The family pur- chased an old brick building that used to house a restaurant and an abandoned hotel off Highway 70 to house the fast- growing winery. The winery gained regional distribution and a strong following at the tasting room, but winemaking was split between cramped quarters inside and an outside area. Winemaker Jacob Holman joined Les Bourgeois Vineyards in 1999 as a part- time staffer in the tasting room, he even- tually moved into the lab and then production. For much of his time at Les Bourgeois, Holman was the one-man team in the cellar. He said that making wine outside may work in California or Washington, but it's a little challenging in central Missouri. During the summer, the winery had to spend a lot of money cooling the tanks down, and in the winter valves would freeze and Holman said he'd have to schedule routine cellar work around the weather. "There were times you couldn't even get to the tanks," he said. By the time the company was ready to expand, Holman was the winemaker and played a key role in planning the expan- sion. He said he wanted a smooth flow of grapes from receiving and crushing through fermentation and bottling. Aiming for smooth work flow The old winery was housed in a converted restaurant with tanks, barrels and storage split between two rooms and the outside. Holman helped design a winery with From an A-frame to Modern Winemaking Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Missouri grows into efficient, 51,000-case wine producer By Andrew Adams The A-frame building that housed the original winery is still used for wine tasting. Tanks encircle an open area in the new winery to help facilitate better workflow. Highlights • Missouri's third-largest winery recently completed an expansion of its winemaking facilities. • New winery equipment helps the winemaking team work with red hybrid grape varieties. • Better workflow and technology has improved overall efficiency. G R A P E G R O W I N G W I N E M A K I N G TECHNICAL REVIEW