I was in Kansas City, MO this past weekend for a business trip and visited the hotel’s rooftop, revolving restaurant for a glass of wine before heading off to bed. My wine of choice was a Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch, South Africa, which was a nice refreshing drink to counter the heat of the day. However, in perusing the wine list, I couldn’t help, but notice the offering from Missouri.

While MO doesn’t spring to mind as a world wine capital, the novelty was appealing and I couldn’t resist ordering a taste from my server. (When in Rome?) I am advised that it is a red, dessert wine, so I wait until I finish the dry, Chenin Blanc before taking the plunge.

The aromas are clean and youthful, but somewhat confected with notes of candied raspberry and cherry. On the palate, the wine is off-dry to medium-sweet (actually a lot less sweet than I had expected), with medium body, medium alcohol and low acidity. The medium intense flavors are of cherry with a medicinal or cough syrup character, followed by a bitter almond finish. The medium+ length is not as welcome as it might be due to the cloying and syrupy nature of the wine, lacking in overall structure, particularly acidity.

The wine was Harvest Red from Mount Pleasant Winery of Augusta, MO. This was actually the very first American Viticultural Area (AVA) enacted in the U.S. (1980). According to the winery’s website, the wine is a blend of St. Vincent and Couderc grapes. It was $6.00/glass on the Hyatt’s menu, but, thankfully, the server didn’t charge me for the taste-sized portion; it retails for $7.99 on the winery’s website.

For more information about Missouri wines, see: Missouri Wine Country.