From the moment he was aware of his birthright—and even before that—Nathan Held could feel that he was destined to carry on his family’s legacy at the legendary Stone Hill winery in Hermann. His childhood memories involve running around the winery’s cellars—“the best playground,” he recalls—and drinking thimbles of wine well before he was technically allowed to imbibe. His parents were careful not to push him into the business, however, allowing him to find his way into the wine industry on his own, via undergraduate studies at Saint Louis University and wine graduate school at Cornell’s school of Viticulture & Enology. That journey, of his own taking, has resulted in Held’s unyielding passion for not only his family’s storied winery but also for the Missouri wine industry overall. It’s a passion that he hopes to instill in everyone who encounters Missouri wine, even if they might first greet his enthusiasm with a raised eyebrow.