Missouri’s wine history runs deeper than nearly anywhere in America. German immigrants settled the Missouri River Valley in the 1830s, founding Hermann and later Augusta, which became the country’s first designated American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1980. By the late 19th century, Missouri was producing more wine than any other state—until Prohibition brought everything to a halt. When vineyards returned in the 1960s and ’70s, so did the need for serious wine education.
The University of Missouri’s Grape and Wine Institute (GWI), founded in 2008, leads that effort today. The GWI supports vineyard research, enology workshops, and professional training for growers and winemakers statewide. (gwi.missouri.edu) Complementing it, Missouri State University–West Plains and several community colleges offer hands-on certificate programs in viticulture and fermentation science.
On the professional wine-service side, PreSomm, based in St. Louis, provides a structured eight-week foundational course that prepares students for future certifications such as CMS or SWE—offering a regional bridge between hospitality and advanced study.
