Covered Bridges Winery

Well I did my research and found three different lists to help guide me on my adventure. The first list had over fifty wineries and the last two added an additional forty-three wineries for a total of ninety-four. I also wanted to have a map to reference so I could do some grouping and hit multiple wineries at once to help save time. I took out an old Iowa map and started drawing circles around all the cities where a winery was located. Everything was now ready.
It had been a couple of weeks since my visit to John Ernest Winery and once again, I was looking for something to do on my Saturday afternoon. It was September 10th, 2011 and my husband made the pick. He chose Covered Bridges Winery in Winterset, IA. He was intrigued because he had never visited any of the infamous Covered Bridges of Madison County. Us both being born and raised Iowans, we had to be true to our state and visit one of the few things that makes Iowa a tourist attraction. I looked up their website to make sure they would be open, and I discovered that they were hosting a local band that evening. With our enthusiasm piqued, we jumped in the car and started driving. Rather than taking the boring stretch of interstate 35, we took this opportunity to explore some of the back roads of Iowa. We finally arrived at our destination tucked behind rows and rows of grapevines. There was a patch of grass that had been turned into a tasting room and music festival. We walked up to the covered bar where they were giving samples and introduced ourselves. The people were so helpful and friendly and best of all, their wine was delicious. Even my husband was amazed. We got to sample all of their wines and my favorites were Cedar Bridge, Brianna, Francesca's Folly, and Hogback Bridge. After we finished sampling, we bought a bottle and headed to a couple of empty seats, sat back, and let the afternoon slip away while listening to the smooth sounds of the band. After finishing the bottle, and then another, we bought a couple more and headed home. But our mission was not complete. On our way out, we found one of the covered bridges and stopped to explore. We read all about the history of Hogback Bridge, took a walk down it's wooden planks, and even carved our names for an everlasting memory of our presence. It turned out to be a glorious day and even today, having visited twenty-nine other wineries in Iowa thus far, Covered Bridges has remained one of my favorites. So if you are ever in the area and are touring the famous Bridges of Madison County, make sure to stop and visit our friends and Covered Bridges Winery. You will surly be pleased.

John Ernest Vineyard & Winery

It was a few months later when I made it to the next winery. August 27, 2011, a friend and I were looking for something to do to fill our Saturday night. She had heard that John Ernest Winery regularly had a band on Saturday nights. We checked their website and found their event calendar. Sure enough they had a band that night so we hopped in the car and headed for Tama, IA. When we pulled off of the highway, it was only a short drive up the gravel road where we came upon a sea of cars. We were surprised at how many people were there. We thought this must be the local hot spot on warm summer nights when they have a band to rock the night away. We walked into the tasting room and the bar was packed. We explored the building and patiently waited for a spot to open up at the bar. After a short wait, we were in. We made our move and went in to get a tasting. The gentleman who helped up was the brother-in-law of the owner. He was very helpful even though he was no wine connoisseur, not that we were. I sampled four of their sweets, one of their semi-sweets, and a couple of their dry wines. As I stated in my first post, this is where I discovered that I prefer sweeter wines. I was grateful though that they let me try the dry wines. Can't knock it until you try it, or at least that's what they tell me. Some of my favorite flavors were River Bottom Red, Timber Ridge, and Dusty Road. Once we finished sampling, we headed out to the patio where the band was jamming and where we were served with a winerita. This was another tasty treat that I was being introduced to for the first time. We sat in the grass next to the grapevines listening to the sweet sounds of the band, sipping a frozen drink, and had intense conversation about love and life. I turned to my friend and said, "I really enjoy doing this. I'm going to look for other wineries in Iowa and start going to them more often." It was not long after that day that I did the research and started my mission.

Eagle City Winery

So now to play a little catch up. My first winery visit goes back to April 9th, 2011. Some friends and I got together for our annual spring fling. We decided to try something different and take a little drive to Eagle City Winery near Iowa Falls, IA. The drive took us out into the countryside, off of a typical Iowa gravel road. We found the little farm tucked away in a cluster of trees. Our arrival was greeted by a friendly old dog and his master Dr. Ken Groninga. They lead us into the tasting room where we found endless bottles of wine and cute little knick knacks. After rummaging through all the items for sale, Dr. Groninga offered to take us on a small tour of the back room where the wine process happens. Once we finished the tour we headed to the bar to do some sampling. We reviewed the wine list and I decided to skip the dry wines and dive right into the sweets. I sampled many different flavors that they had to offer. Concord, riesling, cranberry, edelweiss, raspberry, etc. Of all the different tastes, their raspberry wine was my favorite. It was not too sweet yet not too tart. Raspberries are one of my favorite fruits so it only makes sense that I would love their wine. Some of my other favorites were the rieslings. They offer three different types of reislings and all were very good. After tastings several flavors, we bought a couple bottles and headed out to the vineyard. We sat outdoors in one of the most beautiful scenery settings that I have ever seen and sipped on delicious wine. It was one of the most relaxing days I had had in a very long time. The experience was rewarding on so many levels. My friends and I had a great time and we will definitely be back if not just to visit the beautiful farm.