Doug Frost

The Norton grape being designated as Missouri’s grape flies in the face of its history and origin. Our wine columnist Doug Frost explores this robust wine and guides us to the wineries with the best Nortons, often called Cynthiana.

Missouri Life’s wine columnist is one of only three people in the world to achieve the two highest wine degrees. A happy little secret is that Missouri wines make better cocktail ingredients than California wines or Europe’s best.

Regional pride is real; I share it. I take perverse pleasure in correcting people who assume that I live in some coastal wine mecca. I often mention my experiences when I give talks around the world about the wine market.

Doug believes there is a popular misconception that Missouri sparkling wines are always sweet—not to say there is anything wrong with a sweet wine. “There is an unfortunate view, usually held by people who are less informed, that sweet wines are less serious than dry wines,” he says.