Adam Puchta, America’s Oldest Family-Owned Winery, Celebrates 150 Years

When Adam Puchta began his winery in the rolling hills of Hermann in 1855, it seemed unlikely that he was thinking a century and a half into the future. This summer, sixth-generation Tim Puchta and his seventh-generation sons, Spencer and Parker, will lead his winery’s celebration of 150 years of continuous family ownership, making it the oldest family-owned winery in the United States. Adam Puchta enjoyed great success with his wines, selling them locally, nationally and internationally until the U.S. government shut him down when Prohibition was ratified in 1919. When you visit the tasting room, just a couple of miles west of Hermann, there is still a very ominous sign – “Closed by order of the Volstead Act.” This was the act that actually enforced the 18th Amendment, eliminating the manufacture, sale or transportation of alcoholic liquors within the United States. When Prohibition was finally repealed in 1933, with the passage of the 21st Amendment, the farm was still growing some crops and a few grapes for home winemaking, but there was no real market for the grapes that made the family so famous decades before. After the repeal, most of the American taste for alcoholic beverages was focused in the spirits world of distilled products. Years of dry (or mostly dry) life pushed the demand for stronger drinks to a much higher level than it had been prior to Prohibition. In 1990, Tim Puchta reopened his beloved family farm winery in the Frene Valley near Hermann, with the dream of once again having the Puchta name associated with fine wines. With a combination of the Old-World charm of the estate and Tim Puchta’s technical and scientific background, he has grown his winery from 8,000 gallons in 1999 to the present potential capacity of nearly 100,000 gallons. He estimated this year’s production will be “60-some-thousand gallons,” but if the winery’s growth continues at the same 64-percent pace as last year’s, it won’t be long until it’s producing at full capacity. Tim Puchta’s training and experience as a respiratory therapist have been a great asset to the detailed lab work that all winemakers must frequently conduct. Some of my favorite times with him (other than “research” in his cellar, often very late at night) have been spent in his brightly lit lab with various blends of grapes, adjusting sweetness and color. The highlight of recognition came when Tim Puchta (known familiarly simply as Timmy, sort of like a grapevine version of Cher or Madonna) was awarded the Governor’s Cup at the 2000 Missouri Wine Competition for his 1997 Estate Bottled Norton. To illustrate the magnitude of 150 years of continuous ownership, we have similar examples from other states. The Mirassou family of California celebrated 150 years in 2004 with its sixth generation, but unfortunately the family had sold the winery to the Gallo family in 2002, at 148 years of family ownership. The current oldest family winery in California is the Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma, which marks 1857 as its inaugural year, putting it two years away from its 150th. (One of my favorite moments in wine history was at the 20th Annual Mid-America Wine and Grape Conference at the Lake of the Ozarks in February. At that event, I had the pleasure of introducing patriarch Jim Bundschu from the second-oldest family winery to Tim Puchta from the oldest family winery in the United States.) The Benmarl Vineyard in the Hudson Valley of New York State claims the title of America’s oldest continuously producing vineyard, with grape-growing dating from 1772. Although old and historical, it has had numerous owners during its history of over two centuries. The title of America’s oldest winery is claimed by Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, N.Y., with its first commercial vintage in 1839. Again, it’s had numerous owners, but with the one great distinction of being in continuous operation for the entire time, making wine for the church during Prohibition. Interestingly, the first winery in the Western hemisphere was Casa Madero, established in 1597 at the Mission of Santa Maria de Las Parras in the wine region of Coahuila in northeastern Mexico. It is now in its fifth century of business. Check the Web site www.adampuchtawine.com or call 573.486.5596 for a schedule of events and offerings like an anniversary port and new wines to be introduced later this year. Adam Puchta Winery wine suggestions: Vignoles – Lightly sweet and amazingly flavorful for sipping on the deck or enjoying with anything Thai or Mexican. Norton – Becoming another flagship producer in Missouri for our official state grape. This superb red is perfectly suited for grilled lamb. Port – Rapidly becoming another one of Missouri’s international style of wines, just waiting for great cheeses and roasted nuts. Adam Puchta’s ports sell out quickly. The signature port is available only at the winery; the vintage port only select stores.