fbpx

Tag Archive for: andrew meggitt

Making wine is the true passion of St. James Winery’s Executive Winemaker, Andrew Meggitt’s, and it’s no surprise, as a New Zealand native, that Sauvignon Blanc is one of his favorite wines. To honor Meggitt’s exceptional winemaking skills as well as his homeland, St. James Winery has released a new Sauvignon Blanc for 2016.

The Sauvignon Blanc Meggitt has crafted for St. James Winery is a straightforward, honest wine with bold, clean favors and the characteristic Sauvignon Blanc zing on the palate. This new wine also reflects Meggitt’s penchant for blending old and new world winemaking techniques, techniques he learned earlier in his career while working at wineries in France and New Zealand.

Made with fruit from Washington state’s Yakima Valley, Meggitt’s Sauvignon Blanc has aromas of guava, kiwi, and white peach. Enjoy a bright fresh palate and characteristic flavors of key lime and bell pepper. A dry white wine, St. James Winery’s Sauvignon Blanc has no residual sugar and 12% alcohol.

Look for St. James Winery Sauvignon Blanc online at stjameswinery.com and in stores wherever St. James Winery wines are sold.

St. James Winery, the largest and most awarded winery in Missouri, has been making exceptional wines for more than 45 years.Learn more about St. James Winery at stjameswinery.com

St. James Winery Sauvignon Blanc Bottle Shot:
https://www.stjameswinery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/sauvignon_blanc_store.png

Tasting Notes
https://www.stjameswinery.com/pdfs/dry_sauvignon_blanc.pdf

Andrew Meggitt, Executive Winemaker at St. James Winery, has had exceptional year in wine competitions.

Andrew Meggitt, Executive Winemaker at St. James Winery, has had exceptional year in wine competitions.

St. James Winery’s Executive Winemaker Andrew Meggitt is a veteran of the wine industry for more than 20 years, having worked in wineries in both the New and Old Worlds.

This experience has brought a new kind of innovation to the American wine industry, and he’s chosen to take this entrepreneurial spirit to the Midwest. He spends his days meeting with his team, collaborating on new ideas, and embracing new challenges.

In this interview, Andrew Meggitt discusses what it’s like to be an entrepreneur in the Midwest wine industry.

Andrew Meggitt, Executive Winemaker at St. James Winery, has had exceptional year in wine competitions.

Andrew Meggitt, Executive Winemaker at St. James Winery, has had exceptional year in wine competitions.

Wine has been called “poetry in a bottle.” If that’s the case, then the results of the 2014 wine competition season make it clear that St. James Winery’s Executive Winemaker, Andrew Meggitt, is a wine poet laureate.

“Last year during harvest, the fruit quality from our vineyards was superb, and I thought we could expect some excellent wines, but one would never imagine the record number of awards we have won this year,” said Andrew.

Outstanding is the word that describes the year Andrew and the St. James Winery winemaking team have had in international and national wine competitions in 2014, earning top honors at three international competitions, receiving 13 Best of Class awards, bringing home more than 70 gold medals. The winery was also named one of the Top 15 Wineries in the World.

“Our Riesling won the John Rose Award for the Best in Riesling at the Finger Lakes Wine Competition in March. In April, Friendship School White won Grand Champion at Pacific Rim. In May, it scored 95 points at Los Angeles, and in July, was named Best White Wine at Long Beach Grand Cru, “ Andrew said. “It’s been a very good year.”

In addition to the award winning Riesling and Friendship School White, St. James Winery’s Moscato earned Best of Class at three international competitions: Pacific Rim, Riverside, and Los Angeles. The 2013 Vignoles won two Best of Class awards: Riverside International and New World International. Friendship School Red and Riesling each won Best of Class at Pacific Rim, bringing the total for Best of Class awards to an impressive thirteen. Additional honors include two Double Gold medals for the 2013 Pioneer White at Finger Lakes and Florida.

“One thing worth noting is that we have a lot of different wines and flavor profiles that have been successful in competitions,” Andrew said. “ These wines are made from grapes grown and harvested here in St. James, proof that world class wines come from Missouri’s Ozark Highlands AVA.”

Andrew’s devotion to the Ozark Highlands AVA comes from his commitment to terroir: how the climate, soils and terrain affect the taste of wines from a particular region. Originally from New Zealand, Meggitt finished his university degree there before traveling the world for three years learning more about all the different winemaking styles and methodologies, and soaking in the way terroir influences the wine.

Andrew joined the winemaking staff at St. James Winery in 2002 and soon afterwards was named executive winemaker. Under his direction, St. James Winery has consistently been among the top four gold medal awarded wineries in the US. In 2013 he was named to IntoWine.com’s list of “Top 100 Most Influential U.S. Winemakers,” and in 2014 St. James Winery ranked in the top 15 on the World Association Wine and Spirits Writers and Journalists list of “Top Wineries of the World.”

Andrew quickly acknowledges the work of everyone at St. James Winery. “There are so many factors that have to come together to make a great wine. There’s the vineyard personnel whose work on the vines give us the best grapes possible. At harvest our crew brings the grapes in quickly and at the peak of flavor. Without all of them, I’m just a guy standing in front of a big empty tank. Then there’s the rest of the winemaking team, and the cellar staff and bottling line staff – our entire team plays a role in the wine that goes into the bottle.”

St. James Winery is the largest and most awarded winery in Missouri. Founded by the Hofherr family in 1970, St. James Winery celebrating more than 40 years as a family owned and operated winery; St. James Winery wines are sold in 18 states. Find the winery online at www.stjameswinery.com.


Andrew Meggitt, executive winemaker at St. James Winery, was recently named to IntoWine.com’s list of “Top 100 Most Influential U.S. Winemakers.” A native of New Zealand, Meggitt joined the winemaking team at St. James Winery in 2002 and moved to the position of executive winemaker in 2006.

IntoWine.com recognized Meggitt for his work as executive winemaker, work which has consistently placed St. James Winery among the top gold medal awarded wineries in the U.S. The article also noted Meggitt’s stretching the boundaries of traditional winemaking by integrating both old and new-world techniques.

When asked about the recognition, Meggitt said,“I’m very happy to be named to the list, because being on it is better than not being on it. But in truth making wine is such a team effort, seeing just my name up there…, well, it isn’t accurate. Winemaking, at least here at St. James Winery, is more like an orchestra, one in which we all participate equally to create a vast array of music. No one person can play all the instruments at the same time, but together, we can create something very special.”

“Obviously Andrew’s recognition is great for St. James Winery,” said Peter Hofherr, CEO of St. James Winery, “but it also boosts awareness of Missouri winemaking as a whole. His inclusion on this list of 100 Influential US Winemakers really draws attention to Missouri as an emerging wine region and the high quality wines we are producing here.”

About St. James Winery
St. James Winery is the largest and most awarded winery in Missouri. Founded by the Hofherr family in 1970, St. James Winery celebrates more than 40 years as a family owned and operated winery. St. James Winery’s award-winning wines are sold in stores throughout the Midwest and the South. St. James Winery is online at www.stjameswinery.com.

IntoWine.com
IntoWine.com has made it their goal to aggregate the collective knowledge and experience of the wine community on one site, a site geared purely for those people who are into wine. They have contributors from nearly all walks of “wine life” including sommeliers, chefs, bartenders, waiters, wine industry professionals, wine producers, as well as a gaggle of super enthusiasts. Visit them online at www.intowine.com