AUGUSTA, Mo. — Charles Hart, a southern Missouri grape grower, is suing the Hoffmann Augusta Winery.
The lawsuit alleges that more than $170,000 worth of grapes rotted on the vine after the winery led Hart to believe it intended to purchase his entire yield, before purchasing only a fraction.
Hart met with Don Simon, Hoffmann’s CEO of Missouri operations, in November 2021 to discuss purchasing Hart’s entire yield of grapes, according to court documents. Hart indicated he had some longtime customer relationships he would like to continue with but was otherwise willing to sell all the remaining grapes to Augusta.
The winery ultimately “took delivery of some grapes at the price reflected in the proposed contract,” and Hart was able to sell some of his grapes to former customers and commercial buyers and “resorted to opening up his vineyard to the public to ‘pick your own,’” the lawsuit said.
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