Bel-Aire Estates Winery

October 12th, 2013, my mother and I were on our way to Saint Ansgar, IA. This was the only winery left within two hours from my house that I had left to visit. Bel-Aire Winery was just a few miles out of Saint Ansgar and just off the main road was a big sign for the winery. We pulled off onto the gravel road and it was a short drive before you came upon the next sign to turn onto the property. We pulled up the drive which was lined with apple trees. There were a couple more signs that lead back to the tasting room. Upon entering the tasting room, we were greeted by the owner. They had a nice little tasting bar, some shelving with bottles of wine and a few items for sale too. We decided to start with the tasting and the owner asked what we liked for wine. I told her I preferred semi-dry to sweet wines and I didn't mind dry wines if they didn't leave cotton balls in my mouth. She suggested four wines that they currently had to offer. I believe the first one we tried was their Bluebell which was a semi-sweet rose. It was quite good so we tried the Rosey Ass wine next. This wine was another rose but it was sweeter than the last. I believe the next one we tried was their Happy Ass which was a sweet apple wine. The last we tried was their Strawberry-Rhubarb. I think this was my favorite of theirs because of the shocking taste profile. You first get that sharp rhubarb taste at first sip and then you finish with a smooth strawberry flavor. It was awesome how it started tart and finished smooth and sweet. We were informed that they change their available wines regularly so it is best to check back on their website to see what wines they have available at the time.
After enjoying their samples and having conversation with the owner, we decided to look around and go through the items they had for sale. I ended up buying two bottles of wine, their Strawberry-Rhubarb of course, and then a bottle of their Rosey Ass. But I think my favorite buy of the day was the bead necklace that was the shape of a grape cluster. I figured that I had been to enough wineries and had drank enough wine by now that I deserved to wear and represent the fruit of the vine.
We had a great little road trip and we were glad we finally made it to Saint Ansgar to Bel-Aire Winery. Our only complaint about their winery was that the fruit flies would not leave us alone. It was annoying but our visit didn't take too long so we were only bothered for a little bit. We both thought they had a cute little acreage and had a good little winery. If you are looking for a quick stop to get some wine, this is the place to go. It is not too far from the Minnesota border and not too far from Northwood where the casino is. It was a good road trip and I am glad I got to spend the day with my mother.

Brush Creek Winery & Sunset Ridge Winery

This particular weekend was planned based on the fact that my wine stock was basically nonexistent. My friend and I decided to plan a little day trip to get away and drink some wine. I invited my husband along as the DD. It was October 5th, 2013 and we decided to head to the Dubuque area. We had planned to go to a couple of wineries south of Dubuque but one was temporary closed for remodeling. So we had to change plans but it all worked out because there was one in Dubuque, that I had mentioned in earlier posts, that did not have a tasting room when I was in the area in 2011. We started the day by stopping at a winery that I had already been to. Crimson Sunset Winery was one of our favorites so we figured, why not stop again, maybe I could convince my husband to purchase a couple of bottles. So anyway, we stopped at Crimson first and we were surprised, Lisa remembered who we where and remembered our last visit. We had a good conversation with her and sampled the whites again. I was glad that they tasted as good as I had remembered considering the last time I was there, it had been my fourth winery of the day. So we stayed for a short time and then left with a couple of bottles in tow. We had another great visit at Crimson Sunset and it remains one of my top favorites so we will definitely be returning often to their place.
Our next stop took us over to Bellevue, IA to Brush Creek Winery. At this winery, you got to sample four wines for free and then anything over four you had to pay $1 for each additional sample which was donated to the local fire department. I ended up trying five samples. I started with their Razzy Red which was one of their semi-dry wines and was a raspberry wine. I thought it was a little syrupy, tart and had a hint of acidity so it was a little too much for me. Next I tried the By the Dam Good Wine which was a semi- sweet blush. It was one of my favorites because it had a little bite with a smooth finish. Next I had their Foxy which was my favorite of all I tried at their winery. It was a light white similar to a Riesling  but it had a hint of sweetness at first sip and then a smooth finish. Next was the Girls r Meaner which I had to try just because of the name. It was quite good though and I got a light grapefruit flavor. Last one I tried was the Sweeter than Springtime which was good as well but a little to sweet for my liking and I got a stronger floral flavor. Overall it was a good winery. The owners were very nice and very helpful. They had a cute little dog running around which is always fun to give a little attention to.
Our next stop was to another winery that my husband I had already been to. We were heading to Dubuque to go to a new winery anyway so we decided to stop into Barrel Head Winery again. When we we arrived, they were pretty busy so we had to wait for a couple of people to leave before we could get samples. We got there right before closing time so we only tried a few samples and then bought a bottle of their new champagne to go.
Our last stop of the day was to Sunset Ridge Winery in Dubuque. Again, I had tried to go to their winery back in 2011. At that time, they hadn't opened their tasting room. In fact, they had just opened their winery a few months prior to this visit. So anyway, we found their new place and when we first pulled up, there was no one else there so we thought they might be closed. But we found their owner sitting in the patio area and they said they were still open so we went into the building for some samples. I believe I tried their Pinot Grigio, their Rosy Cheeks, Sweet Apple, and Sweet Steuben. I really liked their Pinot, Sweet Apple and Sweet Steuben. After having a couple of samples, a bunch of people starting coming in. We decided to try there seasonal sangria and we got a pitcher of it and sat out in their patio area.  They had a really pretty facility. The building was nice and their tasting room area was very cute. They had the patio area covered and it was a really nice setup. I got a couple of pictures of my friend and I in front of the fountain. We really liked their wines and really liked their facility. Again, we had another great day driving around and drinking wonderful wine. We made a coupe of old stops and a couple of new stops. Both new places were definitely worth the stop and I can't wait to dip into the case of wine we got between all four stops that day.

Two Saints Winery & Madison County Winery

This adventure begins on a cold, rainy, fall morning. It was September 28th, 2013 and my friend and I needed a bonding day. She has a hobby that she is very passionate about, as do I, needless to say. So we figured, lets combine the two and create a fun-filled day that would appease us both. So we left from my house early that morning with the coffee thermos in tow. We knew we were heading south of Des Moines but the exact plan had yet to be decided. The overall plan though was to hit a couple of wineries and the rest of the day would involve exploring the Bridges of Madison County and looking for letterboxes. Letterboxing is my friend's hobby. If you have not heard about letterboxing, it is basically a scavenger hunt that requires you to leave your mark when you find the box and then take their mark with you. I don't want to say too much about it but if you're intrigued, visit http://www.letterboxing.org/.

So anyway, it was a couple of hour drive but once we got close, we decided to start the day with looking for a letterbox at Roseman Bridge. It was our first hunt for the day and thankfully, it was a successful find.

 

Our next stop was at Imes Bridge. Unfortunately, that letterbox was no longer there. The owner had left a comment saying he believed it to be gone but we figured we would try looking for it anyway. After about fifteen minutes of looking with no avail, we decided to move on. But to boost our spirits, it was just a short drive to the first winery of the day.

 

 

Just east of Saint Charles, IA sits Two Saints Winery. As we entered, we realized we were the only visitors. It was nice though, I prefer it to be that way just because its easier to have a conversation with the owners or the people working the bar. We glanced around and saw quite a selection of items for sale but we decided to start with the wine samples. We decided to try the sweeter side of their wine list because we felt it would best suit of taste preferences. I tried their Confessions, Rapture, Edelweiss, Frontenac Blush, St. Pepin, and Trinity. Confessions was very smooth and was a nice white that had subtle hints of a few fruits but I got the hint of white peach. I also really liked their Edelweiss because it wasn't too sweet yet very smooth and would pair well with just about anything. Their Frontenac Blush was very good. It had a slight cherry flavor, which I don't usually prefer, but it was so subtle that you barley noticed it. Plus you also got a hint of strawberry which worked quite well together. I also really enjoyed their St. Pepin. It had those more exotic fruit flavors that I have really come to enjoy. We had a great time visiting with one of their owners. We told our story for the day and gave her some insight about what letterboxing was. It was a great stop and it put us in a great mood for more wine.

Just on the west side of Saint Charles sits Madison County Winery and Twisted Vine Brewery. I believe the brewery side of this establishment is rather new but we decided to try both since we were already there. We started with wine though and we got to try five samples for free. I decided to go with their Gold, Hunter's Moon, Midnight Rain, Pink, and Strawberry Blonde. Their Gold was the driest of all that I tried there and was a bit too tart and acidic for my liking. Their Hunter's Moon was very smooth and was much more to my liking. Their Midnight Rain was quite dry too but I also picked up on the earthy smoky characters which were interesting but not what I go for either. Their Pink wine was a semi-sweet which was very good and very easy to drink. We finished up with the wine samples and then decided to try a couple of beer samples. We moved to the front window to sit and chat and sip on the brews. They had a great patio area that I bet would be awesome on a warm summer night. I had to get a couple of pictures because it was a beautiful view.

 



 

 

 

So that would end our adventure with wine for the day, but our day was far from over. We went to Holliwell Bridge next which we were able to find two different letterboxes at. We then went to Cedar Bridge and we found one letter box there. We had a good time at Cedar Bridge because it is the only covered bridge that you are able to driver over.

 

 

 

The next bridge we visited was Hogback Bridge, the one I wrote about when I visited Covered Bridges Winery with my husband in 2011. Again, we were not able to find the letterbox, but we did find the heart that my husband and I drew our names in on the inside of the bridge. I was happy to see it was still pretty visible but it had faded a little.

 







The last bridge would take us into the town of Winterset. Cutler-Donahoe Bridge was in the middle of a city park. There was obviously homecoming events going on in town because there were a ton of teenagers in the park taking pictures. Of course, we were not able to locate the letterbox on the bridge but we had a couple more to try. We ended up only finding one more letterbox in a cemetery just on the edge of town. In total, we attempted to find twelve different letterboxes and were only able to find five.

 

So by the time we finished our adventure, you can assume we were pretty beat. And starved if I might add. So we drove to Des Moines, got some food in our belly and then made our way towards home. All in all it was a great day and a very successful one at that. We got to see all the Bridges of Madison County, we found a bunch of letterboxes, and my favorite part, we got to try lots of great wine.

 





Wide River Winery- Le Claire

On this particular day, I was traveling for work. It was June 5th, 2013 and I was in Moline, IL for the day. I was on my way home and I remembered that there was a winery in Le Claire, IA that had recently opened. So I took a small detour and took the exit for Le Claire. The winery was easy to find, it was right on the main drag. I felt a little odd going in there by myself but I figured, what the heck. So I parked out front and crossed the street. There were a few other people there so I just found a spot up at the bar and waited for the server. She gave me their wine list and we exchange small talk for a little while. She was very nice and told me about their original location in Clinton, IA. I told her I was in the area for work and I figured I should stop and take advantage of being in the area. I tried five of their wines, all of which were very good. My favorites were Ms. D'Meanor White and Blushing Testimony. The Ms. D'Meanor White was dry and not too dry. I've come to the realization that those have become my favorite. The Blushing Testimony was a blush wine but it had that taste of a concord. I considered it a semi-sweet and I thought it was really good. I sat there for a little while and sipped on my samples. I didn't want to drink too much too quickly since I still had a 2 hour drive home. Their building was quite beautiful and it appeared that they had put a lot of work into making it look nice. I purchased a couple of bottles, thanked them for their hospitality and went on my way.

I wasn't quite done with Le Claire yet though. I had one more stop and it was just up the road. I had seen it on my way to the winery and I couldn't pass up on stopping. I don't know how much the rest of the world knows about the TV show American Pickers but their main office and where they originated from, as far as I know, is in Le Claire, IA. If you don't know what the show is about, I will give you a quick blurp. These two guys, Mike and Frank, travel around the country buying peoples junk to fix up and resell. The show has been on for several seasons now and like I've said in earlier posts, Iowa isn't known for too much so we are kind of proud of these two guys. It is a reality show, but I think they represent our state well. They are no Honey Boo Boo, and I thank God for that! Anyway, they have their little shop that doesn't take too long to walk around but the cool part was that they display some stuff shown on the show. Most of it was for sale but they also had a bunch of labeled items for sale too. I ended up buying a couple of magnets and car stickers for my father and my husband. They both love the show.
So my uneventful day of work ended with a great little adventure. If you are ever the Quad Cities area, stop in to both places and that will surely be the treasure of the day.

 

 

Daly Creek Winery, Deja Vine Winery, Tabor Home Winery & Crimson Sunset Winery

As the title of this post illustrates, the girls and I had a big weekend. It was May 4th, 2013 and three friends and I were off to eastern Iowa. I had designed our trip to try and get to as many wineries as possible. I had a list of all the wineries in a sixty mile radius but we started our adventure with Daly Creek Winery in Anamosa, IA. We arrived just shortly after noon and started with tasting some of their dry wines. They have a good dry red wine called Penitentiary Red. They named that one because of the state prison in town. We then moved on to the dry whites which were good as well. Next was the semi-sweets and then the sweets. Some of my favorites were Gothic White and Moonbeam Blush. I ended up buying the the Gothic White and the Penitentiary Red not only because they were very good wines but they also had really cool labels. So after tasting several of their wines, we figured we better get a quick bite to eat before we moved on to the next. It was perfectly planned of course, we had lunch at the first winery, they are a bistro as well. They had an extensive menu and our waitress was very helpful and gave us some great tips of what to try. After enjoying a great meal and some good wine, it was time to move on.
Our next stop was to Deja Vine Winery in Martelle, IA. We pulled up to a small downtown area and found the little shop. We were the only ones there, other than the owner, so we got to take our time and enjoy what we were trying. Again we started with the dry wines and worked our way down to the sweeter wines. My favorites were their semi-sweet Radiance, their semi-dry Midwest Blush, and their sweet Chatouille Pink. We got to try as many samples as we wanted and the owner was a very nice man. He gave us an explanation of how they came up with the name and how they got started. It was a great little winery that had some great wines.
As a little side note, we kept seeing signs that said Grant Wood Highway. With our first winery having a wine titled Gothic White and the label had a picture of Grant Wood's American Gothic image on it, we thought we might be close to the actual house from that piece of art. We were driving through this little town, that I can't remember the name of, and we saw this old white house that looked similar to the house from the painting, so we stopped. We didn't see any signs telling us if it was the right house so we ran up and I took a quick picture of my friends on the porch. After the picture, we found the info about the house. Unfortunately, we were at the wrong house, in fact, we weren't even close to the original house. We thought it made for a funny story though.

Our third stop for the day was to Tabor Home Winery in Baldwin, IA. This winery was a little tough to get to, at least by the way we took to get there. It was out in the country and the roads were very curvy and we ran into a lot of dead ends and T- intersections. We eventually found it and made our way up to the neat little building they had designated as their tasting room. There was a cute little area with art work and wine themed knick knacks. We all had to go to the bathroom before we started tasting again so we took our turn and made our way around the shop while we waited for each other. After we took our short break, it was back to the grind. We had a very nice young gal who helped us with our samples. I tried one of their dryer reds, all of their whites, both of their semi-sweets and a few of their sweet wines. I had quite a few favorites. First Bloom, Catawba Rose, Electric Raspberry, and Heritage Red. By the time we finished our samples, it was obvious that we had been drinking wine all day. It was still early though so we wanted to get to one more winery before heading to the hotel.
Our last winery for the day was to Crimson Sunset Winery in Cascade, IA. We were on the highway, almost to the destination, according to the GPS, and all the sudden, there it was. Well not the building itself but the sign and the driveway. It comes up quick so make sure your driver is paying attention. After pulling into the drive, you go down the curvy and secluded road and eventually come up to the house. You can tell they are working on remodeling but what they have completed, looked really good so far. As we walked up to the door, we were greeted by a lovely young woman. She took us over to the tasting bar and asked what brought us there on that day. We gave her our story and then she shared their story. She gave us their wine list and she explained what they had to offer. They charge for their samples but you can sample one wine or three or all of their reds or all of their whites or everything they have to offer. We all decided to try all the whites. We started off with their driest and it was like an explosion in my mouth. By this point in the day, I had had a lot of wine but I was stunned when I tasted their first wine. It was so amazing! We then moved down their list and all the rest were just as amazing as the first. We all discussed the quality and how amazing we thought their wine was. Their wine list states that their grapes are certified organic and that they do not add water or cane sugar to their wines. The love and care they put into their vineyard shines through when you taste their wines. I do have to mention that their wine is quite a bit more expensive than other wineries I've been to but it is totally worth it. I only purchased one bottle but I knew I would be back so one bottle, to save for a special occasion, was all I needed. They had gotten busy by the time we finished and we were all getting tired and ready for another meal so we headed on our way. We didn't get to talk with Kevin but we had a lot of conversation with Lisa. She is a very lovely woman and made our visit to Crimson Sunset winery all the better, if that was even possible.
Our day had been full of good wine, fun adventures, and great memories. We made our long drive to the hotel and finished the night with some food at a local brewery. It had been a long day and we were all exhausted so we didn't get to enjoy their brews but their food was good. We made our way back to the hotel and called it a day.
Overall, it was a great little trip. We got to see many new places, had tons of laughs, and best of all, we made more memories.

Van Wijk Winery & Tassel Ridge Winery

My first winery adventure for 2013 started on March 9th. By this time in the year, the snow had melted enough that we felt safe driving a few hours away to the small town of Sully, IA. A couple of friends and I decided to head out on this Saturday afternoon to drink some wine and maybe some beer too. Our first stop took us to Van Wijk Winery. I was glad to see that this winery had re-opened because at one point in 2012, I had looked up this winery on the internet and found that they had closed to do some remodeling. On the day we had arrived, their facility was a whole new place. Check out their website for before and after pictures. The building is so unique that I got a picture of the outside of their building. When we entered their tasting room, we found a beautifully renovated room. We noticed that there were a still few small details that were being finished but we were still surprised at what they had done so far. From what we were told, the building was a former church and since they had taken it over, it had changed to be far from a church. One of my friends had made a funny comment about their tasting cups. They used these little clear ounce cups that were similar to what some churches had begun to use for communion. She asked if they were keeping with the church theme with their tasting cups, which we thought was funny. Anyway, they had broken their wines up into two categories, Old World and New World. They gave us a brief description of the difference between the two and my friends decided to try just one of the Old World selections but I was feeling a little more brave and tried a few. They did not have any sheets with their wine list available so I am having a hard time remembering all the names of the ones I tried. I know that their Always and Forever wine must have been one of my favorites or I wouldn't have bought a bottle. I remember it having nice tart fruit flavors and it was dry but smooth and easy to drink. We tried most of their semi-sweet to sweet New World selections and all were very good. Again I am having a hard time with the names of what we all tried but I liked most all of them and another one of my favorites was their Sweet Melody. They allowed us to sample as much as we wanted and we were grateful for their service. On the day we visited, they were going to host their first wedding in their facility since they had re-opened. We didn't want to get in the way of the people that were about to start coming in so we decided to head on to our next destination.

Our next stop on this rainy March day would take us to Tassel Ridge Winery in Leighton, IA. This winery was on a much bigger property, had a much bigger facility, and had obviously been in production for a lot longer than the first winery we had visited. When we entered this facility, they were just finishing up with one of their events were they we showing people how to pair food with different wines. It was still quite busy in there and the bar was pretty full. We decided to start by walking around and examining their facility. When you first entered their main entrance, you come in on the upper level and you can view the lower level where they make wine. In the back half of their building, there are these big open glass windows to highlight their expansive wine creation area. I remember these large silver vats used to store their wine. We were surprised at how big their facility was. We finally made it up to the bar and we reviewed their wine timeline. They have quite a large selection of different wines. They display their wine list on a sweetness scale that looks like a timeline of wine. I decided to try all of their dry whites, a few of their sweet whites, most of their rose's, and a couple of their reds. They had so many to choose from, it was hard to make a decision about what to try. The staff was very helpful in asking for descriptions of what we liked that helped us to make a decision. After finishing with our samples, we decided to grab a bottle to take home and keep on chugging along.

Our last stop of the day would take us to a brewery. What better way to even out the palate than switching from wine to beer. Good beer that is, not that watered down crap too many people in this country choose to drink. We moved along to Knoxville, IA to Peace Tree Brewing Co. We decided to get their flight of beer to try all they had to offer and although there were a few I liked better than others, it was a nice way to finish the day. I like beer, but I think I prefer to go to wineries because there is usually a wider array of options that are better suited to my liking. But overall, it was another great day making good use of a rainy spring afternoon. 

 

Snus Hill Winery & Prairie Moon Winery

It was a short time until my next winery trip. Seven days to be exact. Some girlfriends and I needed something to do with our Saturday afternoon. One of my friends had recently gotten really big in the the activity they call Letterboxing. It is basically a scavenger hunt where someone has hidden a stamp. They tell you which town it is in and then they give you clues to try and find the stamp. My friend had done several already all over the Midwest so we decided to use this day to find a couple of letterboxes and stop at a couple of wineries. It was October 20th, 2012 and it would be my last winery visit for the year. The four of us met up to head to Snus Hill Winery in Madrid, IA. We made it to our first stop for the day and headed in to try their wine. They had plenty to offer so we dove right in. We informed the lady working that we all preferred semi-sweet to sweet wines and she started us off with their Edelweiss. We told her that was a good starting point for us so next we tried their Sven Red, Raspberry, Kitten, Cat Nip, and finally, High Trestle Taille. I was feeling brave on this particular day and the hostess was telling us about her favorite wine. She said it was their most popular and had just been restocked. I told her I was willing to try it so I did. It was titled Boule de Poils which is similar to a Sauvignon Blanc and I was surprised to discover that it was amazing. They consider it a dry wine but it doesn't put cotton balls in your mouth. It is actually quite smooth and I will definitely say at this current time, it is at the top of my list. It is also safe to say that this might be the first wine that really opened my eyes, and my palate to the dry side of wine. It was my favorite for the day and I will state that this is one of few wines that I have had several times after leaving the winery. But anyway...moving on. We finished up with our samples and finished chatting with our server. She asked us what we had planned for the rest of the day and we filled her in. We told her all about letterboxing and she also told us about this new brewery that had just opened up in Boone, IA. We decided to check it out so we headed on our way with wine bottles in tow and moved along to our next destination.

We decided to try and find the letterbox that was in this town before stopping at the brewery. The letterbox was an easy one to find. Once we found the house, it was only a few short clues that quickly lead us to the hiding spot. We took their stamp mark and left ours and went on our way as if we had never been there. It was a quick drive to our next stop. We found Boone Valley Brewery in the middle of town. We stopped in and the place was empty. We introduced ourselves to the owner and sat ourselves at the bar and decided to try and couple of flights. I sampled all of their brews and they were quite good. I ended up purchasing a growler of beer that I knew my husband would enjoy. We had a few more stops to go so we decided to keep chugging along.

Our last winery visit for the day was to Prairie Moon Winery in Ames, IA. This was another winery that happened to be hosting a wedding on the day of our visit. It was just starting to get pretty busy when we arrived at our destination. We hurried in to the tasting room and thankfully, the wedding was in the back so most of the people were out of the way but the tasting area was still quite busy. We had to wait a short time but eventually got up to the bar and a gentleman started helping us with some samples. We tried their Prairie Sauterne, Moon Beam White, Blushing Moon, and their Glo. All of their wines were very good. The people just kept packing in so it took some time to get all of our samples. I would say it was worth the wait though. We enjoyed ourselves and we took off with a few bottles to take home.

 

 

Our day was almost done, we had one more letterbox to try and find and then we could start heading back. This letterbox took us down by the Iowa State campus and over to the veterinary center. The clues for this letterbox where much more elaborate so it took us quite a bit longer to find this hidden treasure. After awhile of scavenging through the brush, we finally found it. We got the stamp, brushed ourselves off and headed on our way back home. It had been another long day but quite successful and eventful for a Iowa autumn afternoon.



 

 

 

This will wrap up 2012. I made it to a total of 30 wineries by the end of the year and I've already continued into 2013 but I haven't gotten too far along yet. I've had one trip so far and I have another one coming up this weekend. So now that I can say I am all caught up...keep checking back...there is plenty more to come for 2013.

 





Penoach Winery & Jasper Winery

It was October 13th, 2012, only two weeks since my last trip that I would make it to the next set of wineries. My husband and I and another couple were on our way down to the Des Moines area for a friends housewarming party so we decided to use part of this day to check out a couple more wineries. We made it to our friends new house, he gave us the tour, and we worked on making this Saturday afternoon more enjoyable by watching the Iowa Hawkeyes kick some butt and try some of our friends first batch of home brew. As the people started piling in and the crowd got rowdier and rowdier, we found ourselves out on his back deck trying to plan our movements for the rest of the afternoon. After the game wrapped up, the boys decided to make a change in plans. The boys told us they wanted to stay at the house but they also said, "you girls go ahead." So I asked a couple of other girls that were at the party too to come along and check out some wineries with us. We were going to try and stop at Schade Creek Winery in Waukee, IA but we were disappointed to find out that the city of Waukee would not allow them to sell wine in their tasting room. Of course, we had a couple of other options so we took off for Adel, IA.
It was about a twenty minute drive to Penoach Winery. We pulled in and found a lovely yet rustic farmstead. It was a beautiful property and reminded me of something I would like to own if I lived on an acreage. They had a little building with a lovely covered patio where they had their tasting room. We walked in and found a couple of other people there for the same reasons we were. We wandered around their store for a few minutes before squeezing up to the bar. With four in our group and another group of four and another couple, that made it a tight fit to get some samples but we made it work. We chatted for a bit while examining their wine list. The lady who was working appeared to be a little overwhelmed with this many people to manage all on her own so we reassured her to take her time and to get to us when she had a second. We started with their Picket Fence White which is a semi-dry LaCrescent. It was quite good but I moved on to their Frontenac Rose' which was very good as well. I then had their Iowa Edelweiss which was a semi-sweet white with nice tropical flavors. Next was their Brianna which was my favorite of all they had to offer. I also had their St. Vincent, Girls Night Out, Dallas County Apple, and finally the Raspberry. All of their wines where very delicious. By now, more people had made their way to the winery and were waiting for a turn so we quickly finished up and picked out a few bottles to take with us. We would now be heading back to Des Moines to swing through Jasper Winery.
We made it back to town and went straight to our next stop. We made it to Jasper Winery right before they were finishing up with samples for the public. They were closing early this particular evening because they were hosting a wedding. They allowed us to try their wines and then asked that we finish in the wine room. Since we were a little rushed, we stuck to the side of their wine list that hosted their sweeter choices. We tried the Edelweiss, Bed Head Red, Lucy Lane and their All-Night White. All of their wines that we had were very good. They were all smooth and went down very easily. We decided to buy a bottle and head to the wine room where they made, bottled, and stored most of their product. They had several tables and chairs set up for plenty of people to sit at and we were quite surprised to see how many people were still there even though the wedding had already started. We chatted for a short time and then decided to grab a couple of bottles for the road. We also wanted to try and go to Vines to Wines in Des Moines, IA but we discovered that this was not your typical winery. At this place, you make an appointment, pay a small fee to visit, then you pick and stomp your own grapes. We decided that this type of winery sounded awesome but was better suited for a day with more time. We had used the day wisely so now it was time to get back to the party.
By the time we made it back, it had been several hours since we had last seen the boys. We were not surprised to see that the boys had made good with their afternoon and spent it as they usually do, drinking way too much beer than they should have. But we figured we had all had a long day so we filled ourselves with water and food to sober up and then headed back to home. We made it safely and soundly back to our residence but at the end of a long day, we were all thankful to have had a great time doing what we love most. Wine Wine Wine!!!

River Valley Winery, Old Bank Winery & Train Wreck Winery

After my big trip to the Amanas, I took a couple of months off to finish out the summer and start the fall with a bang. It was September 29th, 2012 and my husband and I decided to head west. We started the day with River Valley Orchards and Winery. As we pulled into this beautiful orchard, we stopped and looked around at the gorgeous view. Eventually we made our way into the winery and as we entered, another couple was just leaving. We had the place all to ourselves except of course, for the owners who were working on making another batch of wine. We sat at the bar and the Mrs. decided to help us. She was a very nice woman and surprisingly young. She gave us a list of their wines and explained to us what they had to offer. We ended up trying all of their wines but some of our favorites were Fall Gold, Big Leaf, Bees Yak, Red Crapp, and White Crapp. Their Fall Gold is a yellow raspberry wine. Yes, you read correctly, I said yellow raspberry wine. Neither of us had heard of yellow raspberries before but we like black and red raspberries so we tried it and it was surprisingly delicious. Their Big Leaf is a rhubarb wine and is light and had a perfect balance between tartness and sweetness. The Bees Yak is made with what else but honey. It is a sweet wine and goes exceptionally well with chocolate. The Red Crapp and White Crapp are two completely different wines but both excellent. The White Crapp is like a Moscato and has subtle tones of lemon, tea, and peaches. The Red Crapp is made with pinot noir grapes and blackberries. All of their wines were excellent and we were so thankful that they would let us try them all. The best part about this winery was that they grew all of their products used to make their wine or else bought them from their local neighbors. Swing through Humboldt, IA sometime and try their wines.
After finishing up with our first winery for the day, we tried going to Mt. Valley Vineyard and Winery in Forest City, IA but when I called them to make sure they were opened, they informed me that they no longer had their tasting room open. They said that they still make wine but you can only buy it in stores around the area. I thanked her for the information and we decided to move on to our other stops.
Our next stop would take us to Kanawha, IA to Old Bank Winery. As we pulled into this small farm town, do you think we were surprised to find that this winery was a converted old bank. We walked into this old building where we found an older woman cleaning up. She was the owner and as we entered, she greeted us and gave us a history of the old building and how her and her husband started making wine. After a short chat, we then decided to try their wines. They had several different fruit wines as well as many others. We tried their Strawberry, Raspberry, Rhubarb, Strawberry Rhubarb and many more. Some of our favorites were Banker's Holiday and Edelweiss. All of their wines were very good. We were having a nice time just chatting and sipping wine but we had another winery to get to and their winery was close to closing time. We decided to move on and head to our next stop.
Our next visit was to Train Wreck Winery in Algona, IA. As we pulled into their parking lot, they looked pretty busy. By this time in the day, we were starving and needed something other than wine to fill our stomach. They were right next to a Pizza Hut so we decided to stop there for a pizza. By the time we finished our supper, the winery had pretty much cleared out. We went into the building which was a converted train stop and there were a couple of other people just finishing up so we wandered around and examined the facility first. We discovered that this winery had been started by a professional football player who was originally from this area of Iowa. His name is Dallas Clark and he did some amazing things with this old building. The concept was unique and a great success. They had converted this old building into a modern and sleek venue while still maintaining the old charm and classic history. After the other people left, we made our way to the bar and the friendly woman served us with a few of their wines. I tried Gandy Dancer, Caboose, Kate, and Cranberry. Their Gandy Dancer is a semi-sweet white wine that was well balanced and very good. Their Caboose wine was a sweeter white wine and probably my favorite. Their Kate wine was a sweet red but high acidity. The last wine I tried was their Cranberry which was a new addition to their selection and had a nice balance of tartness. Overall, I enjoyed all of their wines and we decided to finish our day with a couple of glasses out on the patio which of course, was right next to the railroad tracks. We finished the day while the sun was going down relaxing and having nice conversation between husband and wife. The day was done but my wine tour of Iowa was far from over. We had surely enjoyed ourselves on this lovely fall afternoon.

The Amanas

As I stated in my last post, this particular weekend was a big trip for my girlfriends and I. We started our trip on July 27th, 2012 by visiting a couple of wineries in the area and we then moved on to all the wineries in the Amanas on the following day. The Amanas are known for their German heritage. It is a small area of Iowa where they utilize the culture as a tourist attraction. Not only do they have wine, the have a brewery, arts and crafts shops, and much more. But we had a big day planned so we had to get started early.
We decided to start with their most famous winery, Ackerman Winery. They have a lot of different fruit wines as well as some cranberry blends and finally a few more traditional wines. I decided to try a bunch of their fruit wines. I tried some nontraditional ones like rhubarb and mango. They were good but very acidic. The wines were okay but the small samples they give you to taste was plenty. The best part of their visit was examining their building and searching through all the items they had for sale as well as exploring their history. But we had many other places to go so we moved on after a short visit.

The next winery we visited was only a block away but tucked away behind another business. It was Sandstone Winery. This winery was pretty good but far from great. It was a little odd at first because it was very dark inside and the woman behind the bar was very rude upon our arrival. After we tasted a few, they were very similar to the last winery. We then asked for bottles to buy and then she started to be a little nicer to us. We think she thought that we were just there for the free samples and not to actually buy anything.
We then walked down a few blocks stopping in a few different shops as we passed. Next we found White Cross Winery. There was no one else waiting so we got right up to the bar and tasted what they had. They had European style wines but not like the German style that we had already tried. This wine was much lighter, not so thick and syrupy, and did not have that strong acidic finish. We tried eight of their ten wines and all were much better than the last two wineries we had just visited. The woman working there was also very sweet to us and treated us very well. If you go to the Amanas, this is the winery to visit.
The last winery we found that was right in town was Village Winery. This winery again, was just like the first two. High acidity, thick and syrupy, and lots of fruit wines. By this time in the day, I was pretty burnt out on the German style wine so I only tried a couple of different flavors. They have a large store with lots of knick knacks for sale so I rummaged through that section for awhile.
We tried looking for a couple of other wineries that I had on my lists but we couldn't find them. We started the morning expecting to find at least eight different wineries but we ended up finishing with just five. The three that we couldn't find are Vines & Wines, Grapevine Winery, and Little Amana Winery. We found all of the addresses that they had listed for these three places but when we got there, it was a different business. After exploring the central area of the Amanas, we only had one more to check on that was a little outside of town.
We almost missed it but we saw the sign and made a quick turn to Ehrle Brothers Winery. This was an old farm house where a retired man decided to make wine and sell a few items. We tried a few of his wines but by now, we were all pretty burnt out on wine and his wines were the same as all the others. By this point, we had sensed a pattern for the style of wines that the Amanas had to offer. So if you like highly acidic wines with many different fruit options, the Amanas are your place to go. My friends and I didn't fare so well after finishing our Amanas tour but it was a good experience and we were all glad we at least tried it.

Cedar Ridge Winery & Fireside Winery

This was the beginning of a very exciting weekend for my girlfriends and I. We were off for a weekend away to the Amana's. But first, we decided to start this weekend on our Friday night after work. On our way to our hotel, we made our first stop at Cedar Ridge Winery in Swisher, IA. We pulled into this amazing place and found that it was very busy. The bar was full when we first walked in so we examined their wine selection for a short time. Some room opened up and the four of us stepped up to the bar. We sampled quite a few of their wines and all of them were amazing. I would say that it is safe to say that they have one wine that has to be my favorite wine of all I've had thus far. The wine is called St. Pepin. It is a middle range white wine. The crisp light flavors and the balance of sweetness makes this an exceptional wine. This winery was also the first time I have ever tried a port wine. All I can say about that is that it is a little too much for me to handle. After we finished sampling, we decided to order a couple of things from their food menu to enjoy out on the patio. They had a local band playing that night so we figured that was why they were so busy. We sat for awhile drinking wine while we snacked on the food they served us. We had a great time and I would classify this winery as one of my top five for overall experience. The family that owns the winery we very pleasant and very helpful, the property was astounding, and the wine was exceptional. But we decided to move on because we had more to do. We took off and headed to our hotel that we would be staying at for the weekend, got checked in, grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to the next winery.
Our next stop was to Fireside Winery in Marengo, IA. The sun was making its way to the horizon when we made it to the winery. This winery was also hosting a local band that evening so they were very busy as well. When we pulled up, they had a small tasting bar setup out front and also inside. We went to the bar out front because they weren't busy. A couple of the ladies who worked there showed us their wine list and I decided to start with a couple of their red wines. I tried the St. Croix and the Serenade. They were both quite good and packed full of fruit flavor. I then tried a couple of the blush wines. I had their Spark and their Firefly. Their Spark wine was also very good and was full of exotic melon flavors. I finished my tasting with their white wines all of which were very good. I had their Blu, Storyteller, and Glow. Their Glow wine was pretty sweet but had nice tropical fruit, peach, and apricot tones. Blu was probably my favorite wine that they make. It is also in the middle range on the sweet to dry spectrum. The four of us then decided to split two different bottles and we headed out to the patio. By this time, it was dark out and it was just starting to cool off. We found an open table, poured a couple of glasses, and examined the property. Their patio setup was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. This is still my favorite winery when it comes to their vineyard and the scenery. They had fire pits out in the yard, beautiful gazebos, and spectacular landscaping. You have to see this place. Maybe it was the big bright moon out in the sky but this place was so relaxing and I would spend every summer night there if I could. Usually they are only open till 6pm on Friday nights so you have to catch them when they have a band because they stay open later. Anyway...this was just the beginning of a great weekend and it was already starting out to be an awesome time.

Garden Winery, Old Town Winery & Santa Maria Winery

On June 2nd, 2012, a couple of girlfriends and I decided we needed another road trip to visit some more wineries. We headed out early one Saturday morning to travel to Fort Dodge, IA. When we got to town, we had a little trouble finding the place. We let our GPS try to get us to the building but we couldn't seem to find it. We drove round and round trying to get there. We ended up heading back to the same area where the GPS originally took us. As we came down the steep hill and over the railroad tracks, there was only one small section of buildings before it became a deserted area of town. We had seen this all before only fifteen minutes earlier but we were looking more closely. There it was...right around the corner and we had almost missed it again. The sign was small but we found it this time. There was a young guy loading up a truck with some boxes. We pulled in and asked if they were still open for a tasting. He said that he was leaving soon for a wine tasting at another location. He invited us in and we got right to it. He was the owners son and he was a great help and knew a lot about their wine. He let us sample their Edelweiss, Sunset, Brianna, Morning Mist, Sweet William, Cranberry, and their newest wine, Moonlight Arbor. They were all very delicious and it was difficult for us to choose which ones to buy. My favorites were the Edelweiss, Brianna, Sweet William, and Moonlight Arbor. The Edelweiss was similar to many of I've had before but it was still very good. Their Brianna was another good sweeter white with excellent fruit tones and is similar to a Moscato. Their Sweet William is their version of a Concord wine. It was a good interpretation and not too sweet which a lot of them are. I think my favorite of all that they had to offer was the Moonlight Arbor. It is similar to Zinfandel and has a great rose color and excellent mild tones that makes it easy to drink more than you probably should. But after sampling several wines, we knew it was time to go. We each bought a couple of bottles and surprisingly enough the owner's son and we were heading to the same place. We were off to a small town that was hosting a multiple vendor wine tasting called Sip and Sample in Lakeview, IA. We said our thanks and headed on our way.
We headed to Lakeview and as we pulled into the beautiful town, we drove around awhile and found where they were having the event but it wasn't going to start for a couple more hours. We found a small place that was serving quick burgers and ice cream treats. We each order something for lunch and headed to a park right next to the big lake that the town surrounded. We had a great little picnic even though it was windier than heck. We finished our lunch and drove around the small town to kill the time. Eventually, the event started, we paid the small fee to enter, got our wine glass and sample tickets, and made our way around to each of the vendors. They weren't all wine vendors. Some were food, purses, arts and crafts, and much more. They even had a live band. We stayed there for a couple hours wandering around and collecting as many free samples as we could. We visited the Garden Winery table and they were offering their wine made into sangria. That was our favorite treat from all the vendors. We used up our tickets and decided to head out. This day was far from over so we headed to our next destination.
We arrived a short time later to Ida Grove, IA to Old Town Vineyard and Winery. We didn't have to travel too far into town before we had to take a quick right and head up a steep hill. We were heading into an area that was obviously for people with a lot of money. We found the acreage by the sign at the front of the drive. We pulled in and found their tasting room. We walked in and there were a couple of other people tasting wine and chatting. Their tasting room was beautiful. They had decorated it very beautifully and they had put a lot of money into making it look very nice. After wandering around a bit, we went up to the bar and met the owners. They were very nice and gave a quick history on how they got started. They were a retired couple and decided to spend their later years making and selling wine. We examined their wine list and were surprise to find they only had a few different flavors. They told us that most of their wines were on the dry side but we decided to try them anyway. We tried all five flavors that they had available. Most were too dry for our liking but not terrible. After sampling what they had, we decided to buy a bottle and sit out on the patio and enjoy the amazing view. We bought a bottle of their LaCrescent and sat out on the patio on this warm summer afternoon chatting about all that was currently going in our lives, past memories, and all the things we had planned for the rest of the summer. We finished the bottle and I bought another for home. Although the wines were too dry for us, they were still good and this place had an amazing facility. We had one more place to go before the day was done so we started driving once again.
We pulled into Carroll, IA and the GPS led us to our destination. This winery was another one that was in the middle of downtown. We found a parking spot on a side street and walked into Santa Maria Winery. The place was very busy and while we searched for an open table, we gazed at all the different bottles of wine they had as well as the other items they had for sale.  We found a table by the front window and sat down and waited for the waitress. Eventually a nice lady came over and asked if we were here just for wine or food as well. It had been several hours since our lunch in the park so we decided we needed both. We order some bruschetta to start us off while we looked over the wine list. She said that we could have four samples so I tried the Sweet Willey, Ringneck Red, Berazzled, and the My Blackberry. The Sweet Willey was a very sweet white and had good flavor. Next was the Ringneck Red which was similar to a Concord and quite good. The Berazzled was very good as well and not too sweet. Last was from their fruit section and My Blackberry was very very sweet but again, had that good berry flavor. After finishing our samples, we ate our supper and then scoped out the building. The main entrance is filled with tables and are obviously for serving food and wine tasting. They had a back area where you could see the wine vats. As I walked toward the back, there was a lot of commotion and I discovered that there was a wedding going on. They must also have a large back room that can be reserved for parties. After making our way around the place, we grabbed a few bottles to take with us. By this time, it was getting dark and we knew we had a long drive home. It had been a long day by the time we finally made it home, it was past midnight. We had a great time exploring these small Iowa towns and getting to sample many different wines. Even though we were exhausted by the end of the day, we had good food, even better wine, and best of all, each stop made us closer as friends.

BlueStem Winery & TownsEnd Winery

My next winery visit would be a few months after the last trip. My goal has always been at least one winery per month but sometimes, we get busy and the time just seems to slip by. It was April 14th, 2012 and my girlfriend and I headed out on this rainy spring afternoon to the winery that is closest to my home. That first stop took us to BlueStem Winery in Parkersburg, IA. This winery is smack dab in the middle of downtown. They don't grow their own grapes so there is no need to have their winery out in the country. They buy their grapes and fruits from dealers to make their wine. They make their wine in the basement of the old building. The owner gave us a tour of the process but not before we had some samples first. He allowed us to sample many different flavors. We tried Once in a Blue Moon which was very sweet. It is made from many different fruits which is also the case of most of their wines. Some others we tried were Feelin' Groovy, Tongue Twister, Crystal Moon, Starry Night, and Dancing in the Moon Light. Their Feelin' Groovy wine was packed full of flavor. It is low on the sweetness spectrum but it still had strong fruit flavors that give you that sweet edge. After the sampling was over, that was when we were shown how the wine is made. We finished our visit with a friendly chat with the owner while discussing which wines to buy. After wrapping up our chat and buying a couple different bottles, we let him know we were off to our next stop and we thanked him for his hospitality.
Our next stop was only a half hour drive west to Hansell, IA to TownsEnd Winery. We pulled into the drive and found a cute building designated as their tasting room next to rows of grape vines. We walked into the tasting room and were greeted by a very pleasant woman. We chatted for a few minutes discussing where we were from while we looked at their wine selection. Unfortunately for us, they are a busy winery so they were out of a few flavors that we were hoping to try. We did get to try several different wines though. We sampled their Frontenac, Mulberry, Cranberry, Black Raspberry, Harvest White, and their Concord. Their Frontenac is a semi-dry wine with cherry and plum favors. It was smooth and quite good but a little too dry for me. Their Mulberry wine was very good. It is made from the berries of local mulberry trees and it had a subtle berry taste that was semi-sweet. The Cranberry was very good but similar to many others that I have had. The Black Raspberry was awesome and probably my favorite of the day. It is super sweet and should be consumed in small doses with a few bites of chocolate. You take a whiff and then a sip of the wine, then a bite of chocolate, then another drink of the wine. The chocolate helps bring out the rich berry flavor. We also tried the Harvest White which is an apple wine with good flavor but it was a semi-dry as well. The last one we sampled was their Concord which is usually quite sweet but they described their process for making it. They don't add extra sugar which is usually what other wineries do to make it sweeter. They just let their grapes add the natural sugars. That makes the final product semi-dry but with excellent flavor. As we finished our samples, we picked out a few more bottles to take with us on our way and found a couple of other items in their clearance section to please our satisfaction for the deal of the day. As we wrapped up, another group was arriving so we paid for our items, said our goodbyes and headed for home. Once again we had an excellent day and we didn't even have to travel too far from home. It was a great day to waste what would have been a boring rainy afternoon.

Barrel Head Winery & Stone Cliff Winery

It was another one of those weekends when my husband and I were looking for something special to do. We reviewed my map with the circled areas where the wineries were located and decided to head back to the Dubuque area. It was January 28th, 2012 and we started with Barrel Head Winery. It was a little difficult to find because our GPS took us on a route that was way out of the way. Once we finally made it, we pulled in and headed into the tasting room. It took a couple of minutes before the owners wandered in but while we waited, we enjoyed the view of the vineyard. The tasting room was in the middle of construction at the time we visited. It was a work in progress but they were off to a good start. The bar they built was beautiful and had amazing detail. Once the owners came in to greet us, we sat down and let the owners walk us through their wine selection. Similar to the last winery I talked about, this winery was new and still working on getting their feet wet on forming a high quality business. They didn't have a list so we trusted the owners to let us taste the wines that they believed we would like. To our surprise, all of their wines were delicious. I can't recall the names of all of their wines but one that I do remember that will always stick out in my mind was their rhubarb wine. It was one of the most unique flavors I have ever had in a wine. We had plenty of samples and were feeling pretty good while we chatted with the owners. We had a great time and we made a connection with that couple. They even invited us to come pick grapes at harvest season. They described the three day process and it sounded like a good time. But after we had been there for long enough, we remembered that we had another place to visit so we said our goodbyes to our new friends and headed on our way with several bottles in tow. Our next stop was to one of the largest and most popular wineries in Iowa.
The fifteen minute drive took us to the port of Dubuque to Stone Cliff Winery. The building was beautiful and located right next to the Mississippi River. The building was formerly a brewery and the owners of Stone Cliff Winery turned it into their lovely tasting room while still maintaining the rich history of the large brick building. The room was buzzing and there were several people sipping on glasses and sharing bottles. They charge five dollars for a tasting but you get to keep the wine glass so it ends up being a pretty good deal. You get to have five different samples so I tried their Riesling, White Zinfandel, Red Fox, Moscato, and their Spiced Apple Wine. My husband tried a couple of other different ones so I got a small sip of their Cabernet Sauvignon and their Sweet Cherry Wine as well. They were all very good but my personal opinion is that they all lacked that special flavor that makes their wine stick out from everyone else. I would say that their wine is similar to the "big time" wineries that you can buy in any liquor or grocery store. It was funny because one of our discussions as Barrel Head was about the wineries who were trying to go "big time" and how they lack the true passion of making good wine. I wouldn't say that was the whole story for Stone Cliff Winery but it also felt like they were more concerned with making money and making their place look good rather than putting love and passion into making amazing wine. I'm no expert but I trust my palate. Their wines were good but lacked that extra punch that I have grown to expect from Iowa wine. Either way, it was a good day and we went home with lots of delicious wine.

Fox Ridge Winery & Walnut Tree Winery

I finished 2011 having visited seven wineries in Iowa. We can now move on to 2012 which was a very successful year but you will read all about it soon enough. Some friends and I decided to start the year off right. Thankfully, the winter of 2011/2012 was very mild in Iowa so we got to keep moving on the wine tour as early as January 7th, 2012. It was a typical Saturday afternoon and a car full of girls and I decided to take a drive to Traer, IA. This was where we found Fox Ridge Winery. It was a short drive down a gravel road where we came upon a typical Iowa farm with a sign at the beginning of the driveway to let us know that we had arrived. We pulled up to the building that was designated as the tasting room and headed in for some wine. We met the owner who greeted us and led us to the bar. After reviewing the wine list, we started with the Ridge Red. This was their version of a concord wine. It had that typical concord taste and was very good. The next one I sampled was their Deti Vino. This was one of my favorites. It also had that concord taste but the sweetness was balanced just right. I moved on to their Bohemian Blonde which is a semi-sweet white wine that was very light, crisp, and had nice fruity tones. I then tried the After Midnight which is also a semi-sweet white made from edelweiss grapes and was also very good. I also got to try their Riesling, You're Making Me Blush, and their Cranberry. Their You're Making Me Blush was another one of my favorites. It is a semi-sweet rose and was simply amazing. Needless to say they had many delicious wines and a gorgeous facility. Their property would be great for a party and I am sure they reserve their tasting room for any type of event. But our day wasn't done. We decided to head to another winery in Marion, IA.
As we pulled up to what we believed to be Walnut Tree Winery, we were confused and wondering why we were in the middle of this small suburb town. We had pulled up to an ordinary white house that had a huge walnut tree out front. We sat in the car for a few minutes wondering if it was safe to go in. The house looked a little sketchy and far from what we imagined a winery to look like. We hated to pass judgement but we also didn't want to set ourselves up for a trap. After a few minutes, we all agreed that we came all this way, we should at least check it out. We all walked up the path to the garage and found a small sign. We knew we were in the right place but still a little skeptical. We opened the door and were relieved to find a little old lady waiting for us. We quickly discovered that this was clearly a small operation. The woman lived alone and had been making wine her whole life for personal enjoyment and had only been selling it in the last few years. She was retired so she figured she might as well make wine for another reason other than just as a hobby. She had one piece of paper with her list of wines and the samples were served in dixie cups. Although this tasting was very informal and rather odd, we still had a great time. The woman was very friendly and had great stories to tell us. I bought a few of her wines but I can't remember the names of her wine other than the ones I bought. We were all surprised, most of her wine was actually quite good. They all tasted like nothing I have ever had. They were unique but still quite delicious. We had a great time so if you are ever in the Cedar Rapids area, give them a call and setup an appointment to taste her wine. This trip can easily be considered one of the most memorable winery visits we have ever had. If you are looking for an interesting experience, check this place out!

Engelbrecht Family Winery

This winery trip was a special day for me. I decided I wanted to take the women of my family to the winery that was closest to my hometown. It was November 19th, 2011 and my grandmother, my mother, my two sisters, and myself headed to Engelbrecht Family Winery in Fredericksburg, IA. This was an amazing place. They not only make wine, they also have a bed and breakfast. You pull into the drive to find a big blue farm house and small building with a winery sign where you get greeted by a huge but exceptionally friendly dog. The owners were very charming and of course they served us with some samples of their wine. My favorites were Heritage, White, Irish Charm, and Raspberry. The Heritage is a smooth yet subtle concord wine. The Irish Charm and the Raspberry are both very sweet and should be served as dessert wines. The White is a crisp white wine blended with three of their different grapes. This wine is very similar to a riesling wine. Their White wine is one of my all time favorite wines. We all enjoyed the wine as well as the company of the owners. The icing on the cake with our visit to Engelbrecht was the variety of truffles that they had and of course, we had to try a few. After leaving the winery, we traveled to Marquette to Eagles Landing Winery to try their wines as well. We also stopped at Old Man River Restaurant and Brewery in McGregor for lunch. We sampled a couple of their brews which were delicious and where we also had an excellent lunch. It was a great day and the best part was bonding with the most important women in my life.

Winneshiek Wildberry Winery

The next winery visit was on October 22nd, 2011. On this particular weekend, we decided to head to an area where my husband and I have spent many simple days just enjoying the beauty of nature. That meant that we would be heading to the gorgeous area of Decorah, IA. We drove into the countryside and found Winneshiek Wildberry Winery. We pulled up and it appeared to be pretty busy. We were surprised to find that the tasting room was a converted barn which displayed some amazing woodwork throughout the building. The place was very busy so we had to wait awhile before it was our turn to taste. While we were waiting, we got to listen to a very annoying man go on and on about one of the wines that they had called Horny Heifer. I think we heard the phrase "Horny Heifer" at least twenty times in ten minutes. After a short wait, the annoying man left and there was room for us to try some wine. Even though we were annoyed with hearing "Horny Heifer" a million times, we tried the wine and it was delicious. My favorite was the Blackberry Blossom wine. They had several others that were very good and a few that were okay. They only let you sample five different wines so my husband and I shared our samples. After having our fair share of samples, we decided to sit and share a bottle of wine. It was close to closing time so my husband and I sat and drank some wine and chatted with one of the older ladies who was working there. Eventually we had to pack up the several bottles of wine that we bought and headed on our way. Before we headed home, we decided to try a new brewery in town. The brewery is called Toppling Goliath Brewing Company. My husband likes to drink wine but he loves beer. We stopped and sampled a few of their brews. They were good too but we thought that their beer had very strong hops flavor which really isn't our style of beer. After sampling all they had, it was getting late so we decided to head home. It had been a long day but a lot of fun. The Decorah area has always been known for the beautiful scenery but it is nice to know that they have more to offer than just a pretty view. The wine and beer in Decorah, IA is always worth trying. 

 

Eagles Landing Winery & Park Farm Winery

This day turned out to be quite an adventure. A friend and I decided to take a day trip to eastern Iowa. It was October 8th, 2011 and our first trip was to Eagles Landing Winery in Marquette, IA. We were surprised to find the cute little building in the middle of downtown. It was a busy day in this small river town. They were hosting some sort of festival and the town was hopping. We went into the winery and the place was busy. We walked around the shop while waiting our turn. After a few minutes we squeezed up to the bar and asked for a sample. This winery didn't charge for the tasting but they will only serve you five samples. On this occasion, I decided to try their Mrs. Sippi (Red), Big Red, Brambleberry, Campfire Hootch, and Honey 'n Berries. All were very good but my favorites were the Brambleberry which is a blackberry wine and the Campfire Hootch. We got back in the car and started on to our destination. We weren't headed to another winery but to Gays Mills to visit the apple orchards. My friend even found a great spot to get a planking picture in.

Our next visit took us all the way to Dubuque. We tried to find Sunset Ridge Winery but the address we found took us to the middle of a open field. I later found out that they do not have a tasting room yet. They only sell their wines in a few stores in the Dubuque area and at farmers markets. Our last visit of the day was to Park Farm Winery in Bankston, IA. This winery was off of a gravel road and up a small hill. Unfortunately there was a wedding going on so the place was packed. Besides the fact that the place was crawling with people in every corner, the property was beautiful. The building was extraordinary and the landscape could take your breath away. We made our way into the tasting room and once again had to wait to get a tasting. When we finally were able to get up to the bar, we found out we had to pay for the five sample tasting. If I remember correctly, I believe it was three dollars for the tasting alone or you could pay five dollars for the tasting and a Park Farm Winery wine glass. I went for the tasting and the glass. They don't have a long list of choices but they break them up into a sweet flight and a dry flight. I went with the sweet flight and got to sample all five of their sweeter wines. My favorites were the Iowa La Crescent and their Cheeky Blush. Their wines were all good but just based on wine, overall it would be towards the bottom of my favorites list. I got the feeling that they put a lot more time and money into making the building and property beautiful rather than making exceptionally delicious wine. I do have to recommend all people to visit this place though if not just for the view. It has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in all of Iowa. My tour is just beginning and my next stop was only a few weeks later but more on that later.