The Missouri Wine and Grape Board is launching a new campaign, “Wine Your Way,” centered around a new, interactive strategy: the Palate Profile Tool, which aims to “empower Missourians to learn more about Missouri wine and receive suggested wine varietals based on food and drink preferences.”
The Palate Profile Tool casts a wide net beyond wine preference questions, with such categories as Beverages, Wines, Flavor, and Food Ingredients. In Beverage, for example, a prompt asks, “What is your beverage preference?” Upon choosing coffee, the next question asks what type of coffee, leading to a prompt about sweetness or bitterness, which leads to more information about body-style and the sweetness level of a recommended wine. Each section has a series of questions that not only suggest a Missouri wine grape (or two) to try but also links to a page to learn about that grape and its key regions, brands, characteristics, pairing recommendations, and more.
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To help increase Missouri wine awareness, sales, and tourism, the Wine Your Way program will also partner with Missouri restaurants, retailers, tourist locations, event spaces, and other hot spots, including farmers’ markets. The MWGB is currently partnering with large farmers’ markets across the state, with a dozen rotating wineries currently participating in the project.
“Farmers’ market clientele want to experience possible purchases and hear from the makers themselves,” says Annette Alden, marketing director for the MWGB. “Unlike other shopping trips that are speed- and task-oriented, they enjoy these markets at a slower pace and are eager to try new things.”
By helping educate consumers about Missouri’s wines, it can also help address a potential hurdle for some winemakers. “Retail shelf space is very hard to obtain. When consumers taste our wines, they buy our wines,” says Glenn Bardgett, Annie Gunn’s long-tenured sommelier and a Missouri wine enthusiast. “We have a great potential to market our wines to new generations of nonprejudiced customers. Missouri wine quality will match any international wines at comparable pricing and style.”
The Background
The Missouri Wine & Grape Board aims to enhance the quality and recognition of Missouri wines, while preserving the unique cultural heritage of the region. Founded in 2005, the MWGB supports the $3.2 billion Missouri wine industry, its local vintners, and grape growers through research, marketing, and educational initiatives.
“We want to share the message that Missouri wine is for everyone,” says Alden, “whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur or someone who’s just starting to explore the world of wine—while also supporting local tourism and businesses.”
“For those who want to learn more about Missouri wines, we’re here to help expand your palate and teach you all there is to know about Missouri wine, our wineries, and how to enjoy it your way,” says MWGB director Jim Anderson.
In 2006, the Board founded The Institute for Continental Climate Viticulture and Enology (ICCVE), which conducts research on indigenous, experimental, and international grape varieties, as well as viticulture techniques to help plan for the future and expansion of the Missouri wine industry. The ICCVE is now called the Grape and Wine Institute and housed at the University of Missouri–Columbia.
Asked whether the Grape and Wine Institute’s current initiatives are focusing on warming weather patterns and what will continue to thrive in our market, Alden says, “You hit the nail on the head. Grapes in any region are facing a challenge, and we are testing not only our current noble grape varieties but also a series of alternate grapes that may produce additional great wines in the changing climate. The uniqueness of the classic Missouri wine grapes can be both a blessing and challenge—and their awareness is our No. 1 goal of this new campaign. We want to create a culture of confidence and recognition through these new tools.”
Denise Mueller is a St. Louis-based Certified Sommelier and Certified Specialist of Wine. She owns the Mid-American School of Wine and the wine course PreSomm, with wine books and wine courses available at PreSomm.com.
