Bolivar couple set to launch winery

A Bolivar couple with a common love of wine are on the verge of launching a winery on their property.

Paul and Jenna Folbre, who purchased a 22-acre property in 2022 at 4681 S. 140th Road to serve as a residence, also had a vision to plant a vineyard there. That’s exactly what they did with the help of Kelly Webb and Jerry Moore, Paul’s mother and stepfather, respectively.

Now, the Folbres are getting close to opening Movino Winery, as they also work on event space that will be contained within a two-story, 10,000-square-foot building on the property. The lower level is used for winemaking and processing, while the upstairs will have a tasting room, retail area and space to host community events, such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and corporate events.

“We have a thousand vines in the ground currently, which is just about an acre and a half across five different varietals,” Paul said, estimating a mid-March opening for the winery, which the couple owns via Missouri Wine Farm LLC. “So, we’ve done kind of like a sampling vineyard currently, and then we have ambitions to grow to 6-8 acres of total planted vine.”

Paul said four additional wines are in production in addition to the five that will be ready by launch day. The initial varietals are expected to be norton, chambourcin, vignoles, traminette and catawba. The couple isn’t currently considering online sales.

“That’s too much right now,” Jenna said. “We will just sell it here for the time being.”

However, Paul said there have been requests to carry the wines with local retailers.

“We’re exploring those options as to what that looks like to make sure that we don’t go head over heels on our promises,” he said, adding the cost to purchase a bottle will likely start at $30. “We want to be good partners to the community, so just trying to make sure we do it right.”

While Paul continues to work as a financial adviser for the Edward Jones office in Bolivar, Jenna said she retired in November from her job as a point-of-care coordinator at Ozark Community Hospital to focus full time on the new venture.

Declining to disclose startup costs, Paul said he and his wife love the wine culture and wanted to spread that attraction to others in Polk County and the surrounding area.

“Wine is an element of the wine culture, but we’ve been blessed with the ability to travel the world and see the wine culture in a lot of different countries,” he said, including visits to Italy, France and Napa, California, which is the heart of the Napa Valley wine region. “The commonalities and social aspect of snagging a bottle of wine and sitting down and talking and sharing trade secrets and just the immediate friendship and bonds created from wine has been the biggest attraction for us.”

The winery will be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, which the couple hopes will also be advantageous for those looking to book events. Jenna said the venue will host its first event in May.

“We are going to close down to the public every third weekend of the month for scheduled events, just so we’re not constantly kicking patrons out,” she said, adding the venue will have a 150-person capacity.

The Folbres say they’ve received a lot of support from other wine businesses in the area, such as Three Moons LLC, a family-owned vineyard in Buffalo, and Red Fox Winery and Vineyards LLC in Ulrich. He said both wineries have been supportive in knowledge, product and connections. Red Fox is helping the couple produce some of its wines upon launch.

“Honestly, without those two organizations, there’s no way that we’d be opening up,” he said.