Just an hour west of St. Louis, set along some of Missouri's most gorgeous scenery, is the tiny town of Augusta. The population hovers around 300 people, and it's still a hidden gem for most people not from the Show-Me State. However, this slow-paced small town is also home to one of the richest wine-making traditions in the U.S.-so much so that it actually earned the title of the first American Viticulture Area (an official wine-growing region) back in 1980.
The Willamette Valley had vineyards in the 1800s, but Prohibition and market forces kept it from becoming a true winemaking region until the 1960s, when rows of cool-climate grapes like pinot noir and chardonnay began to crawl across the Dundee and Tualatin Hills. A few wineries grew to more than 700 today, making the Willamette Valley a global wine sensation. Along the way, a handful of bottles helped define the valley's distinctive character.