Photo courtesy The Wonderful Wines of Missouri

Wine-touring: Announce that you’re going wine-tasting in Missouri, and some folks will assume you’ve already had too much to drink. The fact is, by 1870, Missouri was the second-largest wine-producing state in the U.S. Today, many Missouri wineries are clustered near the Missouri River, from St. Charles to Hermann, on a route known as the Missouri weinstrasse (wine road), in recognition of the German immigrants from the Rhine River valley. We stopped at the Montelle Winery on Route 94, with its superb view of the river and countryside 400 feet below, crossed the river at Dutzow, and wound our way along Route 100 to Hermann. We stopped first at Hermannhof Winery, originally opened as a brewery in 1852, then traveled up the hill to Stone Hill Winery, for a fascinating cellar tour and convivial tasting experience. Although a bit out of the way, be sure to stop at Adam Puchta Winery, one of only a handful in the US that predate Prohibition, and one of the state’s best. In Rocheport, enjoy a meal and a great sunset view with your wine at the bistro at Les Bourgeois Winery.