Area residents are getting a taste for wine.

Deborah Weatherholt certainly thinks so. She and her husband, Jim, operate In the Wine Cellar, a downtown Cape Girardeau business that sells wines, beer, cheese, breads and gourmet foods.

The 3-year-old business recently expanded to offer daily luncheons.

Red wines have increased in popularity, in part because of reports about the health benefits of drinking such wines, Deborah Weatherholt said.

She and her husband gained an appreciation for wine while living in California, which produces more than 90 percent of the wine made in the United States.

"When we moved here there was no place to buy good wine. We always went out of town to buy it," said Weatherholt.

The couple decided that Cape Girardeau needed a good wine shop so they started one.

Weatherholt said a good wine doesn't have to be expensive.

"You can get a $5 bottle of wine that is really good or a $60 bottle of wine," she said. "We have some that are over $100."

Many of their customers buy wines that are priced at $15 to $20 a bottle.

Weatherholt said some of the less-expensive wines are the ones imported from Australia and Chile. "They have started producing real good wines and they are very affordable," she said.

Such wines can be sold for less because of cheaper labor and land costs compared to U.S. wineries.

Missouri has its share of good wines too.

L. Havelock Jackson, a local wine expert, said Missouri has over 30 wineries. By comparison, California has more than 700 wineries.

Still, Jackson said Missouri wines stack up well with their competitors.

"A lot of Missouri wines are excellent," said Jackson.

Missouri was once a leader in the wine-making business.

Missouri's Stone Hill Winery at Hermann was the third largest winery in the world at the turn of the century, Jackson said.

"What ruined everything was Prohibition and then World War II came along," he said.

Missouri wineries have rebounded since then. Today, a number of award-winning wines come from Missouri.

Eight Missouri wineries will present their best, prize-winning wines at a special tasting in Cape Girardeau on Nov. 18.

Jackson is organizing the wine tasting, which will be held at Celebrations restaurant, 615 Bellevue, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The cost is $15 per person. Reservations can be made by calling Celebrations at 334-8330.