County of winery: Gasconade County
Location of winery: 330 E. 1st St., Hermann
Founded: 1856
Building constriction: 1856/1870/1880
Phone: 573-486-5959
"Hermannhof's ten magnificent stone cellars and charming brick superstructure are among the 100 early Hermann buildings placed on the National Register of Historic places by the Federal government. Construction of a brewery/winery commenced in 1848 and was completed in 1852 in the French section of Hermann. Hermannhof's wine making was initially a small part of this very successful brewery. By 1904, the Hermann area produced 3 million gallons of wine, most of which were produced by small wine growers, many of whom utilized the facilities of Hermannhof. Prohibition began a forced long sleep for Hermann with the vineyards being uprooted and the equipment destroyed or sold to Europeans.
"In 1974, the Hermannhof Cellars were purchased by the Dierberg family and renewal began.
"Today, all the cellars are utilized in premium wine production of 15,000 cases. These historic cellars contain casks made from white oak from the forests of France and Missouri. Here the wine continues to improve with age until it is dispatched to bring joy and sunshine to connoisseurs. Other cellars are employed in the making of sparkling wine in the original "méthode champenoise".
"Grapes becoming wine is a natural process. Hermannhof is designed to preserve the grapes' natural character and quality. To make Hermannhof wines the most natural to exist, the winery not only utilizes the latest equipment and methods, but has provided funding, equipment, and personnel that have attained national recognition in original viticulture and enological research. This dedication to quality has enabled Hermannhof to become the first two-time winner of the Brown-Foreman Trophy for "Best New World White Wine", along with numerous other awards.
"A visit to Hermannhof Winery is like a step into small-town German traditions. In addition to fine wine, Hermannhof is also proud to offer fine, locally-made German sausages.
"Tour the stone wine cellars and building (both are on the National Register of Historic Places.) Our winery is open daily. We are located on Highway 100 at the eastern edge of Hermann, near the Missouri River, with easy access to Amtrak and antique shops.
"Hermannhof remains a small winery dedicated to quality rather than quantity. The quality is apparent as America's only two-time winner of the Brown Forman Trophy. Our wines have also won medals and honors." ~ Hermannhoff Wineries, About Us
Building Descriptions on NRHP:
"330 East 1st Street, Hermann Brewing Co/Hermannhoff Winery, 1856/1870/1880, Contributing
(survey #219)
Outbuildings: Press house/bottling building, Non-contributing; Sausage factory building, Non-contributing; Gazebo, Non-Contributing
"The winery was constructed in three building campaigns. The largest portion of the building,
built c. 1855-56, is a 2-story brick building with hipped roof and rock-faced stone
foundation. It has a centered double-leaf entrance with a segmental arch opening and multipane transom. The entrance is flanked by two 6/6 wood windows. The second story has 5,
evenly spaced 6/6 windows. There is also a gabled dormer with 6/6 window. Attached to
the main block is the second, narrower addition constructed in 1869-70. This 2-bay section
has a double-leaf entry with transom. First and second story windows have segmental arch
6/6 windows. This building also has a small gabled dormer. The third addition is a one story
frame building resting on a stone foundation. The pedimented entrance has transom and
sidelights and there is a 6/6 window with classical surround. There are several buildings and
structures associated with the current winery/restaurant business in the building. Directly
behind the building is a larger bottling works with brick foundation and first floor and upper
floors clad in vertical board siding. Facing Frene Creek southwest of the building is a
building once used as a sausage making facility. It is brick with end gable roof and full
width porch. A heavy timber gazebo sits at the southeast corner of the historic building. The
bottling works, sausage factory and gazebo are considered non-contributing because they
were constructed well after the period of significance." ~ NRHP Nomination Form