MISSOURI'S MOST SCENIC WINERY

Missouri  isn't exactly the first place you think of when thinking wine. However, there are over 125 wineries in Missouri with the majority concentrated along the rolling hills on either side of the mighty Missouri River. These wineries are a huge tourism business for the state: over $220 million is spent annually on wine-related tourism.

During our recent family visit to the far northwest suburbs of St. Louis, we ventured out on a rainy Saturday for a scenic fall drive through the back roads along Missouri Highway 94, the Missouri Weinstrasse, historically known as the country's first designated wine trail. When German settlers first arrived to this region in the 1800s, it reminded them of everything they loved about their homeland with the sweeping vistas of the Missouri River valley and the Osage Ridge with its tree-covered slopes. Surprisingly the 15 square miles surrounding the town of Augusta, Missouri beat out areas such as the Napa Valley in California to be awarded as the country's first American Viticulture Area (AVA) due to its unique soil, climate and long tradition of local wine varietals. 

Of the four larger wineries along the Weinstrasse (there are actually 8 wineries in the area surrounding the town of Augusta), we chose to visit the Montelle Winery which is described in the Official Missouri Travel Guide as "atop a ridge, 400 feet above the Missouri River bottoms". The views, despite the rainy weather, did not disappoint:

But we didn't come just for the spectacular views. There was some wine to be tasted...

The winery is in a small building located at the top of a winding, curving driveway.

    

Once inside customers stand at the counter and are allowed up to 5 free separate tastings of the 19 or so different varieties.

Some of the wines we tasted were:
Dry Vignoles described as a "dry white, strawberry and pineapple bouquet"...

Chardonel, described as a "dry white, apple, pear and fig bouquet"...

River Country White, described as a "semi-dry white, fruity bouquet, spicy overtone"...I prefer sweeter, white wine, so this was the one I really liked, and we bought a bottle of it.

River Country Red, described as a "semi-dry red, black cherry aroma, soft body...as a red wine lover, this was the one husband really liked, and we bought two bottles of it.

The winery's Klondike Cafe serves a selection of salads, sandwiches and pizza.

We ordered a 12-inch Classic pizza...that was one of the best pizzas I've eaten...delicious taste with a really, crispy crust.

   
Unfortunately the weather was rainy the day we visited. On warmer, dry days, visitors sit on the multiple outdoor decks and enjoy the resplendent valley views while sipping their vino varieties.

During inclement weather, wine connoisseurs can enjoy their vino in the winery's two-story indoor patio. The upper-level level overlooks the lower level where live music plays on the weekends. All visitors were really enjoying themselves and dancing to the band. Since it was Halloween, many were dressed in appropriate costumes.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the winery despite the weather. The wine is delicious, the staff were friendly and knowledgeable and the food delicious.  On our next visit to Missouri wine country I would like to visit the other wineries in the region.

Note to bicycle enthusiasts: Augusta, Missouri is a popular stop along the Katy Trail, a 240-mile-long bike and walking path built along the former Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad (known as the K-T or Katy Railroad). It runs from Machen, Missouri to Clinton, Missouri. It is currently the longest rails to trails trail in the country.

Just a few more scenes from Missouri's most scenic winery:

 
For more information on Montelle Winery, click here.
For more information on the Missouri Weinstraße, click here.
For more information on Missouri wine industry, click here.
For more information on the Katy Trail, click here.


Thank you for visiting,

 A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by me. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

THE CITY OF FOUNTAINS

Kansas City, Missouri is nicknamed The City of Fountains.  And it is...there are over 168 fountains located through the city.  

When we traveled to Kansas City to visit the previously mentioned art exhibition: Manet to Matisse: Impressionist Masters from the Marion and Henry Bloch Collection at the Nelson-Atkins Museum, we stayed at the Hampton Inn located in the area of Kansas City known as the Country Club Plaza area.  This area, just a few blocks west of the museum, is located between 45th Street and 51st Street to the north and south and Broadway and Madison to the east and west (see map).  It has a myriad of upscale shopping and dining possibilities.  The architecture is based on the Moorish style of Seville, Spain (one of the city's sister cities) with buildings decorated with arches and beautiful mosaic tiles.

Some of the beautiful architecture...

And the colorful tiles decorating the buildings...

We walked from the hotel down West 47th Street to the museum. (In hindsight this wasn't such a great idea since it was mid-August with temperatures in the mid 90s.)  But our walk allowed us to see many of the city's beautiful fountains:

Located on 47th Street in front of the American Eagle Outfitters store, the fountain above shows Neptune in his chariot pulled by the trident, dolphin and sea horse.  A city favorite, the 1911 original lead cast was purchased just for its scrap metal.  In the 1950s, it was found on top of a train car full of scrap metal by workmen at a salvage company.

One block east on 47th Street located in front of the Cheesecake Factory is this fountain showing the Greek god Bacchus holding court, surrounded by nymphs and satyrs.  Another 1911 original lead statue, weighing 5 tons, it was purchased in England and installed in 1969 in its present location.

Just one block further east on the opposite side of 47th Street is the beautifully-designed Seville Light fountain.  Carved from several types of marble, this fountain is an exact replica of the Plaza de Los Reyes fountain in Seville, Spain.

Located just across the street from the Seville Light fountain is the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, the most-popular and most-photographed of all the city's fountains.  The 1910 figures originally adorned a mansion on Long Island, New York.  In 1958 they were brought to Kansas City.  The four horsemen are said to represent the four major rivers: Mississippi River (the Indian riding the horse and beating off an alligator), the Volga River (with the bear), the Seine and the Rhine.  Over the years several figures have been stolen. J. C. Nichols was a prominent developer of commercial and residential real estate in Kansas City.

Located in a plaza located at the corner of Broadway and Ward Parkway is a statue of Pomona, the Roman goddess and protector of vineyards and orchards.  This fountain was imported from Italy and installed in 1969. 

For more information on the many other fountains in Kansas City you can visit the website: www.kcfountains.com.

THE PAINTING WAS STOLEN, BOUGHT, RETURNED, DONATED, RETURNED AND DONATED

I found out about the exhibition while reading an issue of Chicago magazine back in 2007.  There was an advertisement promoting Manet to Matisse: Impressionist Masters from the Marion and Henry Bloch Collection, an upcoming exhibition at Kansas City's Nelson-Atkins Museum.

Henry Bloch is the "H" of the H&R Block tax services.  To celebrate the opening of the Bloch Building at the museum. the Blochs agreed to an exhibition of 30 masterpiece Impressionist paintings from their private collection.  Henry Bloch has been a longtime trustee, chairman and benefactor of the museum.

One of the paintings included in the exhibition was a Degas pastel titled Dancer Making Points or in French, Danseuse Faisant des Pointes.  You can see a portion of the painting above because it was used in the promotion of the Bloch exhibition.  The Blochs had purchased the painting from a New York City art dealer in 1993 (THE "BOUGHT").

Imagine Henry Bloch's surprise when in 2005 he was contacted by the FBI regarding an art investigation of the Degas painting.  Mr. Bloch stated, "I believe I may have been first contacted in late 2005 by the FBI, who indicated that they were conducting an art investigation and wanted to confirm their information that we had purchased the Degas."  The FBI, Bloch said, "did not give any indication that it had been stolen and gave us assurances there was nothing to worry about. I nevertheless shared the inquiry with my attorney at the time who discussed it with the Director of the Nelson-Atkins. I do not believe I was contacted again by them until late 2007."

So what was this art investigation?

The painting, seen above, was originally owned by reclusive copper-heiress Huguette Clark.  Ms. Clark lived in New York City, but in 1991, at age 84, she moved out of her apartment and spend the remainder of her life in hospitals.  In 1992, the painting was discovered missing from her apartment (THE "STOLEN").

Huguette Clark's apartment (photo courtesy: www.dailymail.uk.co)

Valuing her privacy more than the painting, Ms. Clark chose not to file a police report nor did she register the painting on the international registry of stolen art.  Thus, the Bloch's attorney argued because Ms. Clark had made no attempt to try to find the missing painting that the Blochs now owned the painting in a kind of "finder's keepers, loser's weepers" claim.

Eventually through an agreement made between Ms. Clark and Mr. Bloch, Ms. Clark decided to donate the painting to the Nelson-Atkins Museum where the Blochs have agreed to donate their collection after their deaths.  The Blochs got to keep their painting and lucky Ms. Clark got a very large tax write-off.  But here's where it gets interesting...

In 2008 outside of the Bloch's home in Mission Hills, Kansas, one of the strangest (and shortest) art exchanges took place.  A representative of the Blochs walked outside and physically handed the painting to a representative of Ms. Clark (THE "RETURN").  

Ms. Clark's representative in turn walked over to a parked car in which a representative of the Nelson-Atkins Museum sat and gave him the painting (THE "DONATE") .

The museum representative turned around and gave the painting back to the Bloch's representative where it was rehung in the Bloch's living room (THE 2ND "RETURN").

The museum thus agreed to "lend" the painting to the Blochs; every year until their deaths, the loan will be renewed.  After the Bloch's death, all 30 paintings from the exhibition, including the Degas, will be donated permanently to the museum (THE 2ND "DONATE") even though technically the museum already owns the Degas.

All parties involved signed a confidentiality agreement so until recently only 3 of the 21 museum trustees were aware of the agreement.

All of this recently became public after the death of Ms. Clark in 2011 at age 104.  Many are questioning whether Ms. Clark was mentally capable of signing an agreement in 2008 at the age 102, basically giving away a $10 million masterpiece.  At the time of the painting donation her personal physician signed an affidavit confirming he felt his patient was "mentally and physically alert".  In addition, the trustees of the Nelson-Atkins Museum would not accept such a large donation from someone of Ms. Clark's age without verification of her mental capacity.

The real issue is the fact that three years prior to the painting exchange, Ms. Clark signed two new wills within six weeks of each other.  The first left her $400 million fortune to her family (the great-grandchildren from her father's first marriage); the second will cut them completely out of the fortune.  Instead the second will indicated Ms. Clark wanted her Santa Barbara, California home made into museum, gave millions of dollars to her nurse, gave a Monet masterpiece valued at $40 million to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., and gave huge gifts to her godchild, doctor, attorney and accountant.

So the question remains: If she was mentally capable of giving away the Degas at age 102, wouldn't she have been in her right mind when she basically disinherited her family at age 98.  However, the doctor is one of the beneficiaries of the second will and he also received substantial monetary gifts during the last years of Ms. Clark's life, so his truthfulness may be questionable.  Many family members also feel that Ms. Clark's attorney and accountant influenced her to sign a new will.  The attorney and accountant deny that charge.

To read more about this story there are several good web articles.  The most comprehensive is this one by MSNBC.  This MSNBC article give more information on the battle for Ms. Clark's estate such as her jewelry and apartments.  This article by the Daily Mail has old photos of Huguette Clark.  Here is a related article from the Santa Barbara Independent newspaper online where Ms. Clark wanted to built her museum.

In my next post I'll talk more about the exhibition and my favorite paintings in the museum's permanent collection. Until then, thank you for taking the time to read and feel free to leave a comment.