Hi! I’m Katie, and along with my hubs, Clyde, we are the current owners of Peaceful Bend. We strive to make delicious craft beverages for you to enjoy at our tasting room, or at home. Clyde is our winemaker, beermaster, and distiller extraordinaire. I’m in charge of the tasting room, administrivia, and of course, quality control!
A little bit about Peaceful Bend’s history…..
Peaceful Bend began business in 1972 when Dr. Axle Arnesen, an OB/GYN from St. Louis retired from the medical field and followed his passion for wine. A history buff, Dr. Arnesen was familiar with the European wine regions and grape varieties. As a scientist, he was eager to see the new gape crosses that were being developed at Cornell tested and used in Missouri. So he planted a small vineyard of hybridized grapes and created blends of wines from the harvests following old-world techniques, regionally naming the wines after the beautiful rivers surrounding the Steelville, MO town where his farm was located.
The 1990’s were a tumultuous time for the winery, changing hands multiple times after Dr. Arnesen sold the winery and the 72 acres surrounding the building. But in 1998, Clyde and I found it up for sale. We had been working at a large winery in Hermann MO at the time, and started dreaming of owning our own business one day. After touring the property, we ‘put our hat in the ring’ so to speak, and with a LOT of help from family and friends, we took the reins in our hands.
The vineyard had suffered quite a bit before we took over, so we ended up pulling out the vines and purchasing Missouri-grown grapes to make our wines. We tried to stay true to Dr. Arnesen’s vision of creating old-world style blends that were named after our regional rivers.
We hit our own tragedy in 2016 when the original building burned down, taking our living quarters with it. Our community, family, and friends once again buoyed us and today we are back at it in a new building. Still making wines of distinction, but also making beer and distilling our own rum. Plus we added a small commercial kitchen and are offering a small menu for visitors.
We currently have two dogs who love visitors and an elusive cat that only makes an appearance when she darn well sees fit to do so. We also have a very small flock of chickens that do their best to keep our grounds free of insects, though admittedly that is a large chore for just 7 chickens.
We hope you can visit soon to try out our products, relax on one of our decks, listen to music or try out a class. For more event information, click here. And visit our FAQ page for answers to many other questions you might have; and to find us check out the map page.
Cheers! ~Katie