MEMO: MISSOURI WINE WINNERS NAMED AT COMPETITION

Stone Hill Winery's 1999 Port has won the Governor's Cup for the best Missouri wine entered in the 2001 Missouri Wine Competition.

Missouri wineries are becoming contenders in the worldwide grape and wine market, said Patty Held-Uthlaut, spokesperson for Stone Hill Winery.

Stone Hill's 1999 Port beat five other Best of Category winners to take top honors in the 2001 Missouri Wine Competition, the state's largest. This year's contest featured 174 Missouri wines and one grape juice entry, which were judged by six wine experts.

Stone Hill Winery won five gold medals at the competition and 22 medals overall.

Six Missouri wines took top honors in the competition, said Jim Anderson, coordinator of the Missouri Department of Agriculture's Grape and Wine Program, which sponsored the event.

The winners:

* Les Bourgeois Winery, Rocheport, won Best of Class in the dry white competition for its 2000 Chardonel.

* Hermannhof Winery, Hermann, captured first place in the best dry red class with its 1998 Norton and in the best late harvest/ice class for its 2000 Vidal Eiswein.

* Adam Puchta Winery, Hermann, captured first place in the best sweet white class for its Vignoles.

* Stone Hill Winery, Hermann, won best sparkling wine for its 1997 Brut and received first place in the best fortified/port class for its 1999 Port.