A $100 million investment in a 700-acre property consisting of wineries and vineyards is in the works in St. Charles County.
AUGUSTA, Mo. (KMOV.com) --
In doing so, it has purchased four wineries and six vineyards, totaling more than 850 acres. It also has plans for a 12-hole golf course, amphitheater, hotel, five-star restaurant, paddle boats, carriage rides, trolleys and more.
Angie Geis, who co-owns Noboleis Vineyards with her sister, said she received an email last December from the Hoffmann Family of Companies expressing interest in purchasing her property.
"Obviously, it makes you a little curious so we responded to the email and that began some discussions," Geis said. "Probably then in January we reconnected and started having more conversations about what the vision was for Augusta."
Geis' parents bought the property off of Highway 94 in 2005 with a vision to turn it into a vineyard. In 2009, they built the winery to accompany the vineyards. In 2010, the tasting room opened to the public.
"Since 2010, we added weddings, we do small events on site, wine tastings, we have live music between April and October and we also allow picnic baskets so you can sit on the hillside with a picnic."
A few years ago, Geis and her sister officially took over the property, creating a business plan that included visions of innovation. It's one of the main reasons the family decided against selling the property to Hoffmann Family of Companies.
"The idea being what my parents gave to Noboleis is they basically gave it birth and got it to where it is, and what our generation's contribution is to take that and see how innovative we can be."
A piece of that innovation includes Swirl Sangria, a new drink created and sold at Noboleis. It officially launches on Friday, with plans for several local retailers to sell it in-store. A decision to sell the property would have forced the women to sacrifice their future plans.
It’s where Lewis and Clark once explored the Missouri River, but it will soon be home to a new luxury riverboat experience to provide a new way to explore Historic Missouri Wine Country. A new dock will soon be built at Klondike Park and will house Miss Augusta, a 96 ft. yacht with two levels.
This spring, the family decided to forgo the sale. Geis said she has no regrets about her decision, but often jokes with her sister.
"We keep saying, we're either really stupid or marginally smart!" she said.
With trolleys likely to drive by Noboleis, Geis said she's confident in her decision and believes independent businesses and the large development can coexist to ensure Augusta thrives.
"We love this place we really do. So much of our family and our heart is in this place," she said. "Our customers are so happy we didn't sell and I don't think we saw that coming. We're so grateful for that support."
May 31, 2021 at 12:30AM
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As $100 million Missouri wine country investment continues, one winery owner passes on offer to sell - KMOV.com
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