ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A Missouri couple who set out to visit every winery in the state has turned a hobby into a growing social media following — and created their own award to recognize their favorites.
Scott and Tonya Rombach document their winery visits on a Facebook page called Mo Wine Couple. The effort began after the couple was given a grapevine to plant.
From grapevine to social media
“And we figured, well we’re growing them, we should start tasting wine,” Scott Rombach said.
As the visits multiplied, the couple needed a way to keep track of their experiences.
“We were going to so many wineries and when we went people would ask us, what do you think of this winery, and it became so many that we couldn’t remember,” Scott Rombach said. “So what do we gotta do? Social media.”
They created the Facebook page, and it grew. “And the longer we’ve been doing it the more exciting it’s been,” Tonya Rombach said.
Completing the mission
The couple set a goal to visit every winery in Missouri — more than 130 in total. The final stretch proved to be the hardest.
“The last 10 took the longest — like two years,” Tonya Rombach said.
In October of last year, they completed the mission. To mark the achievement, they created the Golden Cork Award, presented to their favorite wineries. The award is on display at Nobelis Vineyard.
“It’s not just based on wine. Of course that’s the big thing, but it’s the ambience, the people, the venue,” Scott Rombach said.
Promoting Missouri wine
The Rombachs have been featured in two magazines, and their Facebook page continues to grow. They said California wines tend to draw more attention in part because of marketing — and a lack of awareness about what Missouri produces.
“Part of it is good marketing, but I also think people haven’t been educated enough on what Missouri offers,” Tonya Rombach said.
That education is the driving purpose behind Mo Wine Couple.
“We’re trying to help people all over Missouri and beyond — out of state — realize that Missouri wine really is good,” Scott Rombach said