“But Catawba wine has a taste more divine,
More dulcet, delicious and dreamy.”
-Longfellow
Missouri State University’s Mountain Grove Cellars brought home a silver medal this year from the 2009 Finger Lake International Wine Competition and the International Eastern Wine Competition. The award winning entry by Missouri State was a sweet 2008 Pink Catawba wine. Missouri State added an additional silver medal at the International Eastern Wine Competition for its Maroon Blend, a red hybrid table wine that combines the Norton and Chambourcin varietals and has a pleasant aroma of dark berry fruits with just a hint of oak.
Wines are scored based on categories such as taste, smell, and appearance. If a wine’s merits are high enough there are four rankings that it may be awarded: double gold, gold, silver, and bronze. Despite the silver ranking, Missouri State’s Catawba wine was the top wine in the Catawba category at the International Eastern Wine Competition and only two Catawba wines scored better at the Finger Lake Competition, both earning gold.
Catawba wine is produced from the Catawba grape. The grape, discovered in the 1800’s along the Catawba River in the Carolinas, was popularized by Major John Adlum. Now, the Catawba grape is primarily grown in the Midwest as well as New York and is one of the major grapes grown in Ohio. Catawba wine is considered among many to be the best and most popular wine native to America. The wine was immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his poem, “Ode to Catawba Wine.”
The silver ranking is a huge achievement for Dr. Karl Wilker, Mr. CJ Odneal, the Enology Research Program, its students and staff, as well as the rest of the Mountain Grove campus. They are a testament to the hard work and outstanding research being done at Missouri State University. To purchase one of Mountain Grove Cellar’s award winning wines or any of their other products visit: https://www.ws.missouristate.edu/mtngrvcellars/