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!