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Missouri State University wins three awards in wine competition

Date: July 11, 2008
Contact: Dr. Karl Wilker
(417) 547-7512

SPRINGFIELD —Missouri State University’s Mountain Grove Cellars won three awards at the 2008 Indy International Wine Competition, held June 26-28 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. A silver medal was awarded for the Maroon Blends wine made from Norton and Chambourcin grapes, while bronze medals were awarded for the Norton dessert wine and a Chambourcin wine.

This is the second year Missouri State has competed in the competition. In 2007, their Ruby Port wine won a bronze medal. Dr. Karl Wilker, associate professor of enology, oversees the commercial wine program.

“Winning these awards is a tribute to much teamwork and knowledge that reaches from vineyard management to careful winemaking practices,” said Dr. Anson Elliott, director of the State Fruit Experiment Station and head of the department of agriculture. “It provides credibility to the excellent teaching, research and outreach that is being achieved. Karl Wilker and his colleagues are to be commended.”

Missouri State’s entries were pitted against more than 3,200 wines produced by labels from across the country and around the globe, including California and Italy.

Currently, the university has seven wines available for consumption, including the four award winners. These wines can be purchased online at https://www.ws.missouristate.edu/mtngrvcellars/.

The university’s 190-acre Mountain Grove Campus is home to the Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station, which is the catalyst for many of the university’s plant science research programs and advisory programs in commercial fruit crops and public education. The campus is a USDA quarantine site for operation of the Grape Importation and Certification Program, as well as home to numerous groundbreaking research initiatives, including the renowned Vitis Gene Discovery Program, which is part of the Center for Grapevine Biotechnology.

Additionally, Missouri State-Mountain Grove helps coordinate the Viticulture Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA), which is an National Science Foundation-funded partnership between the Missouri State University system; two year schools in Iowa, Illinois and Oklahoma; state agriculture agencies; vineyards and wineries with a 21st century vision for education in grape growing and winemaking. The goal of VESTA is to establish programs of study in viticulture and enology through collaborations with educational institutions, government and industry tailored specifically for the Mid-America region.