From the Loire to Tuscany to Napa to ... Missouri?

(Aljazeera) - When news of a pending global wine shortage made headlines last month, wine lovers around the world feared they might not be able to find their Loire whites and Rioja reds as easily as they can now. Supply was forecast to fall as demand continued to rise, taking wine prices with it.

But in one small corner of the wine world, winemakers were gearing up for what was to be a record harvest.

A shortage of wine? Not in Missouri.

Missouri winemakers have been much busier than usual this fall as they work to keep up with what has been an especially bountiful grape harvest after a couple years of small yields.

“We’re going to produce a lot more wine than we have in perhaps any year,” said Dave Johnson, a senior winemaker at Stone Hill Winery in Hermann. “It’s one of the largest, if not the largest, productions.”

The result would bring in higher prices for grapes, thus higher prices for bottles of wine. What’s bad news in the Loire Valley or la Rioja could be good for business in Callaway County, Mo.

“Certainly if there would be a global wine shortage, it would be in the best interest of Missouri wine,” said Johnson, who has been a winemaker for 35 years. “There’s nothing that we’d like to hear more.”

Official yields won’t be reported to the state until April, but growers have already noticed the glut of grapes. Johnson said this year’s harvest has the potential to increase Stone Hill’s wine production as much as 30 percent, and it’s the same story at other Missouri wineries.

Coming out of a recession and unprecedented drought, it may be just the boost the state’s little-known wine industry needs.
Bigger crop than expected

According to a Morgan Stanley Research report, 2012 wine production was already short about 300 million cases — the largest shortfall in decades. Wine production in Europe dropped 10 percent alone that same year. Global demand for wine is also on the rise.

“Missouri has seen some increase in demand for Missouri wines in general,” Johnson said. “There are also more acres of grapes. There’s not a shortage of Missouri wine.”