Winery opens near Millersburg

Regina Ruppert pours a sample of Touch of Black N Gold, a black currant merlot, at Serenity Valley Winery Saturday morning. Ruppert and her husband, Lee, moved their winery to the Millersburg area from O'Fallon in November.
Regina Ruppert pours a sample of Touch of Black N Gold, a black currant merlot, at Serenity Valley Winery Saturday morning. Ruppert and her husband, Lee, moved their winery to the Millersburg area from O'Fallon in November.

MILLERSBURG - The owners of Serenity Valley Winery may be new to Callaway County, but they certainly are not new to the wine-making business.

Lee and Regina Ruppert relocated their 5-year-old boutique winery from O'Fallon to a spot on County Road 342 just outside Millersburg in November and opened their doors a month later.

"We made the move partly to be closer to our daughter and partly because we were looking for an outdoor location - before we were in a strip mall - and we didn't want to be on top of other wineries," Regina Ruppert said. "We decided this was the ideal spot."

Serenity Valley will be at the Taste of Jefferson City event from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday at Capitol Plaza Hotel.

Lee Ruppert said he started as a wine maker and viticulturist 20 years ago because "after a fashion, it's a family tradition."