DRINK: Some prefer Chocolate Rain, but for others, chocolate wine is the double-shot of awesome that rocks the house. Naughty But Nice Chocolate Wine from local vintner Westphalia Vineyards has been earning rave reviews, and while it may not be for all palates, this dark red Norton with chocolate extract is sure to be a conversation starter at any holiday party. Love chocolate? Love wine? It's certainly worth a shot - we mean glass. Available at Friar Tuck's, friartuckonline.com; Lukas Liquor Superstore, lukasliquorstl.com; Local Harvest Grocery, localharvestgrocery.com; and The Wine Merchant, winemerchantltd.com. Read the full story here >>
August 30, 2011
Dear Mary and Terry,
Below is a review of your fine wines and establishment I posted to the website Catchwine.com. I hope the review let's you and everyone else who reads it know how much we enjoyed our time with you on August 13th this year. We will be back. If you care to use any of this on your testimonials page, feel free to do so.
"This tasting room is located in the very charming village of Westphalia. And the tasting room itself is in a wonderful old hotel with the restaurant, party rooms and gift shop on the main level. Upstairs is the large tasting room and a sports room to boot. Wrapped around half of one side and all of the back of the building is a multi-level deck with additional seating. It is a very interesting building right from curb appeal and all the way through. There is a very cozy bar / restaurant next door, too. Next door be sure to try a Stag Beer. Mary Neuner, co-owner and wife of Terry, who apparently focuses on the restaurant portion of the enterprise, welcomed us on arrival and immediately made us feel right at home. Terry, co-owner, husband of Mary and winemaker, was very knowledgeable and a warm, friendly host.
We really liked their dry reds. I liked the 2006 Norton Reserve that was offered in the tasting room best. It was smooth, had a distinctive Norton nose and yet had also a hint of Brandy-like undertones present. Coming in at a very close second for me was the Cabernet Franc. It was smooth with a bit of spice from the first sip and had a very nice warm, flush, comfort inducing feel to it. Coming in at #3 was Westphalia’s blend of Norton and Cabernet Franc which Terry has named Prodigal Son. It was very nice again and really has its own signature that is similar yet different from the two wines that make this blend. My wife liked Prodigal Son the best. She was very smitten by it. She couldn’t stop raving about it. Next for her was the Cabernet Franc and the Norton. The difference between the three red wines is very small. We both gave these three reds four stars out of five which means we would go out of our way to get these wines again. We give the entire operation and the town of Westphalia four stars as well. By the time we had what seemed like a quick tour, enjoyable tastings and chat with Terry and dinner, we we’re very surprised to learn that 3 ½ hours had passed.
When it came to time purchase our wines at the end of our stay, Terry told us he was selling only the 2008 Norton Reserve and not the 2006 which we had tasted. I was a little apprehensive about this since I liked the 2006 so much. WOW! A couple days later we opened up a 2008 Norton Reserve in a relaxed setting, gave it just a little time to breathe and this Norton was fabulous. It was all the 2006 was and more. The 2008 had even deeper hints of what I would describe as pipe tobacco, mocha, nut, vanilla and raspberry or some type of berry anyway. It was so layered and complex and yet so smooth. It warrants the first five star rating I have ever given to a red. A five star rating means that I have to have this wine as a part of my life. On the Norton Wine Travelers’ recommendation, we drove out of our way to visit this winery. Based on these wines and really our total experience, we will drive out of our way to visit Westphalia again whenever possible.
As a final aside, for those of you who are Norton enthusiasts, Terry shared that Jenni McCleod, owner of Chrysalis Winery in Virginia, had visited Westphalia a week before us. Those of you who have read Todd Kliman’s enthralling book “The Wild Vine”, which is about the Norton grape and the varied cast of characters along the way, know the story has many interesting Virginia – Missouri connections. What Kliman’s book didn’t tell us is that Jenny is originally from Westphalia, Missouri. Jenny herself is yet another one of these connections."
Thank you for being a highlight of our recent vacation. Really a highlight of 15 years of visiting wineries.
Guy and Ernene Mockelman
Omaha, NE
"I am the glad recipient of the bottle of Westphalia "Prodigal Son" (2008) that you gave to my brother-in-law, Boris Bauer, of the Norton Wine Travelers mentioned in your blog. Boris wanted me to share my impressions:
The wine presents a dark, reddish-brown color which is expected from a Norton but there is also a bright ruby halo around the outer edge, altogether pleasing.
On the nose, the wine bombards you with woods' earth and dried apricots with herbal and citric overtones.
In the mouth, there is an immediate burst of flavor, not just with the first but with each sip through at least two glasses (I stopped there). The wine is fruit forward but the fruit is luscious and ripe and complex almost like a late harvest wine. The finish is slow and lingering.
This wine would pair happily with home baked bread and ripe Camembert or Stilton following a meal, a bit like a Port.
Most of the Nortons I have tasted are such huge wines they overpower food so I am especially interested in how Norton blends with other grapes. "Prodigal Son" is a blend of Norton and Cabernet Franc and it is lovely.
Many thanks to you for making it possible for me to sample this wine. Next time, just send it directly to me!"
Doug V
Restaurants embrace Kobe beef, Japanese-style meat in Columbia
COLUMBIA — Terry Neuner worked eight years for 3M in Japan before his employers treated him to a Kobe beef dinner. The meal was worth the wait.
“It was so good, I knew then that this was something I wanted to bring back home,” said Neuner, who owns Westphalia Vineyards, a farm southwest of Jefferson City.
And he did bring Kobe beef to central Missouri—as much as anyone could have. Trademarked Kobe Beef is found only in Japan and costs up to 100,000 yen per kilogram, or $550 a pound, said Daisuke Terao of the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association. It is one of several brands of upscale beef from a Japanese breed of cattle called Wagyu. Scientists and farmers say Wagyu cattle produce some of the highest quality beef in the world, and it is prized for its flavor, tenderness and snow-white marbling.
Wagyu gonna do? Westphalia couple tends grapevines, fattens calves and waits for sons By Marcia Vanderlip, Wednesday, June 9, 2010
In 1973, Terry and Mary Neuner fell in love with 400 acres of rich land and forest in the Maries River valley near Westphalia. The land had been worked by German immigrants who had built their farmhouse sometime in the 1840s.
Terry Neuner watches his herd of Japanese wagyu cattle. The
horned breed produces wagyu Kobe beef, named for
the city
where the wagyu cattle were first bred.
“We loved the natural beauty of this place,” Mary said. But it wasn’t for sale.
They moved on. Terry’s career with 3M Co. took the couple and their three children to other landscapes. They lived in Brussels, Singapore and Japan.
In 1991, while they were in Europe, Mary’s aunt called from Westphalia. That farm was for sale. Terry jetted back and bought the farm, and they have been restoring the land, buildings and mending lots of fences ever since. Both in their early 60s, they hold out hope that someday their two sons — who live in San Diego — will take over the farm, the winery/vineyard and the Japanese wagyu cattle business that began when Terry retired from 3M in 2003.
November, 2009 Westphalia Vineyards Cabernet Franc Recognized by Wine Enthusiast Magazine as “Top Missouri Wine”
Westphalia Vineyard’s 2007 Cabernet Franc scored an 87 in Wine Enthusiast magazine, receiving the highest rating by any Missouri winery. Please visit their website www.winemag.com and search “Missouri wines” for a listing. According to Wine Enthusiast, “This wine has an elegant, refreshing character that offers complexity as well as approachability. The nose is a combination of red berry, spice and pepper, and on the palate, spicy, savory flavors give the wine a meaty complexity. Overall though, it offers good balance and minerality and a long, appealing finish. — S.K. (10/1/2009)”
What Makes Westphalia Vineyards Unique:
Westphalia Vineyards adds no sulfites during the production process. We are the only sulfite-free winery in Missouri, and among only three in the entire US.
Westphalia Vineyards uses exclusively Missouri white oak barrels, not only for aging but also for barrel fermentation of our red wines. This expensive and time-consuming method helps create fresh and vigorous varietals.
June 25, 2008 San Francisco, California Missouri winery Westphalia Vineyards wins a coveted Silver Medal at San Francisco International Wine Competition
The San Francisco International Wine Competition, the largest, most influential international wine competition in America, is judged by a prestigious panel of 45 nationally recognized wine experts. Judging is based on a blind, consensual procedure, ensuring that its rigor and integrity remain the nation’s most respected competition.
Westphalia Vineyards is one of only three Missouri wineries to medal in the entire competition (also medaling: Stone Hill, St. James). Over 1,150 wineries from 21 countries entered the competition. Westphalia Vineyards competed against Californian, French, Spanish, Italian, Australian, South American, and other internationally renowned wine regions in the Cabernet Franc category. It is the only 2007 Cabernet Franc vintage to medal. At $14 retail is the also the least expensive Cabernet Franc that medaled, with some wines retailing for as high as $96 in this category. Cabernet Franc is a smooth red wine, very popular in Bordeaux, France.
Westphalia Vineyards founder Terry Neuner, on this impressive recognition:
“We entered our 2007 Cabernet Franc only a few weeks after bottling. We expect it to be an outstanding wine, and thought it had a chance to compete with the big boys. The fact that we add no sulfites, ferment and age in only Missouri white oak barrels, and really try to make our wines in a European style certainly helps in making fresh and vigorous wines that are ready to drink almost immediately. Still, we are pleasantly surprised by the results.”
"In celebration of a special occasion we popped the cork of a bottle of Prodigal Son that Eric gave me last summer. My technical ability to describe wine is limited at best. I am better at drinking than describing. However, our friends at the table described the wine as full bodied, complex, with a taste of oak. I just know I liked it a lot and the wine was gone too quickly, causing me to frantically search my wine rack for more Westphalia... It is time to place an order for the holidays."
Brian A (AKA The Captain)
"Thank you so much for the Westphalia 2008 Norton. Being such a new Norton, I wasn't expecting much, but boy was I wrong. Jane's comments were: "The wine is unsurpassed. Mellow on the palate, but great fruit finish. Norton character without the peppers and sours." This Norton was the blackest wine I've ever seen. I know we hear the term "inky black" often (isn't that just the darkest purple imaginable?), but this is midnight black, cave black, blackberry black, bear black, and you come up with other descriptors of black. There are faint aromas of something that I cannot detail. Damson plums? Currants? Nutmeg? I know this maybe a sacrilege in the world of Norton wines, but was I confusing this wine with the essence of an exceptional Sonoma Valley Russian River Zinfandel? This maybe better than what I imagine when anticipating a bold Norton, but all the while doing this with a medium distinctive oak finish. It's as close to the best of "drink now" Nortons that I've ever had, but willing to bet it could hold up well for a few more years. This is worthy of case investment.
Thank you again for making the effort to meet us in the wilds of St. James."
Boris
"Hello Terry, A couple of weeks ago my wife and I stopped in the Norton Room to taste some of your wine. During the tasting, my wife told you she gets serious headaches from drinking some types of red wine. You said she may not get headaches with your Cabernet Franc due to the low sulfates. You also asked that we notify you with the results of her drinking your red wine. We are pleased to report she did not get a headache after Drinking your Cabernet Franc. Sorry to have missed you yesterday but we stopped by and bought four bottles of the Cabernet to take home with us."
Russ
"OK, after the fight with UPS I just had to see if the prize was worth it so I cracked open a bottle of the Westphalia Vineyards 2006 Norton Reserve. Oh what a treat (and no, I am not letting its origins cloud my judgment... come taste it for yourself). For those not familiar with the Norton grape (another American varietal, this time red), this wine makes me think that a Zinfandel and a Syrah had a child. The color is a beautiful deep purply-red and produces firm, thick legs in my Riedel. The nose delivers peppery spicy goodness complementing the currant and berry fruits which are transported into the mouth along with a hint of vanilla (interesting note, Westphalia uses Missouri Oak for its barrels making Westphalia Vineyards the closest I can do in "buying Missouri") where we have the flavors mixed with balanced tannins and acid and providing a medium-long finish. The mouthfeel is interesting... it starts off a little soft but firms up the farther it goes through its finish. The juicy fruit makes me smack my lips after each taste and for some reason I cannot stop "sniffing" the wine (it's triggering something from my childhood but I cannot quite tell what it is).
This is a fabulous wine. I wish I had a nice juicy grill-seared steak (I can definitely see this as an alternative to the typical Zinfandel served at cookouts). This is a pretty big wine, drinkable now but should be able to keep a few more years. If you like Zins and Syrahs this wine from a young winery definitely deserves a checking out."
Terry Neuner watches his herd of Japanese wagyu cattle. The 
Westphalia Vineyard’s 2007 Cabernet Franc scored an 87 in Wine Enthusiast magazine, receiving the highest rating by any Missouri winery. Please visit their website 
