Discover Northwest Iowa

I live in Central Iowa, and I travel a lot, but seldom to Northwest Iowa. Last week I was in Sac County – Odebolt – to speak about Iowa wines. They claim that Odebolt used to be the Popcorn Center of the World www.odebolt.net and at one time also grew more grapes than any other county in Iowa. (Can anyone verify this?)

As I entered the county, I noticed the beautiful, colorful quilt blocks on some of the barns. The 8’ square Barn Quilts (www.barnquilts.com/) grace historic barns and corncribs in Sac County. A tour route brochure maps out the trail and describes each designated building. A 4-H project of Kevin Peyton of Sac City, the quilt patterns carry agricultural or heritage-related names.

I enjoyed the Barn Quilts –even without the descriptions from the tour route brochure. I can imagine each farm family is proud to have their 50 + year old building on the tour.

Kevin Peyton had an idea and carried through to create something special in his county.

It reminds me of the members of Iowa’s grape and wine industry – folks who have a vision, figure out the details, put in the work and make it happen. When we buy
Iowa wine, we give them the support they need to make a living and contribute to the interesting happenings in the state.

Timber Ridge Vineyard is up the road from Odebolt, but there are not any wineries in Sac County. The closest is Danish Countryside Wine and Vines in Elk Horn (Elk Horn is the largest rural Danish settlement in the U.S.) in Shelby County.  

The folks I visited with were familiar with both … and had been to other Iowa wineries.

When I got home, I saw a newsletter from the Sac Economic & Tourism Department and the front page story announced that The Progressive Farmer magazine had just named Sac County #7 in Best Places to Live in Rural America (not just Iowa!) They site a picturesque landscape, great education and a wonderful sense of community.

Makes me think vineyards and wineries could only make it better!

Cheers!Barb 

Time to Relax

Friday night my husband, Frank, and I attended the Indianola Rotary Club’s Annual Dinner. The beautiful event was held at La Vida Loca Winery, located between Indianola and Martensdale in Warren County.

La Vida Loca produces fine country fruit wines, made from locally-grown berries and fruits: apple, blackberry, cherry, grapes, peach, plum, raspberry, rhubarb, etc. I liked the medium-bodied white Edelweiss, from the grape with the same name. Those who enjoy white zin reached for Prima Rosa. If you enjoy “a kick”, try the Jalapeno – most folks use it in cooking, but Frank and others enjoyed sipping it.  http://lavidalocawinery.com/

The newly completed reception room is wonderful. You can seat 120+ people, and there is an alcove that is perfect for serving. The European Buffet was catered by Christiani’s VIP Catering, and I’m sure many of you know from past experience, that the meal was beautifully displayed and the food was exceptional. The desserts were unbelievable! http://www.christianiscatering.com/.

It was a nice, relaxing evening out in a lovely setting with fabulous food, enjoyable wine and the good company of my husband’s fellow Rotarians.

Cheers!

Barbara

Winery Fun!

The snow is melting and the sun is shining!

 

That puts me in a great mood for some fun. Wine fun, that is! And I can tell you that this spring there are more events at wineries in Iowa, and the Midwest than ever before.

The Spring issue of Make Mine Wine, which is at the printer right now, has a 3 page list of late March – May winery events.  Currently the March events are listed on our web site at MakeMineWineMagazine.com – just click the Events and Classes heading on the left. We update the site whenever we hear of another event, so check back often, grab your calendar and schedule some fun.

Have you been to the Wine Trail at Hermann, Missouri?  If not, plan a getaway this spring. The Wurstfest (sausages, sausages, sausages) is the fourth weekend of March and Mayfest is the third weekend of May. You’ll experience the Old-World charm of a 19^th century German village when you visit Hermann. German Immigrants from Philadelphia founded the community and developed the wines which now win awards and draw tourists year round.

George Husmann was one of those early winemakers, and in our Spring issue, you’ll learn more about Hermann and where George went when he left Missouri! Take a guess!

Wine tasting, music, friends, wine tours … it’s all fun! Plan some today.

Cheers!

Barbara

Wine Tasting

The snow is melting and the sun is shining!

 

That puts me in a great mood for some fun. Wine fun, that is! And I can tell you that this spring there are more events at wineries in Iowa, and the Midwest than ever before.

The Spring issue of Make Mine Wine, which is at the printer right now, has a 3 page list of late March – May winery events.  Currently the March events are listed on our web site at MakeMineWineMagazine.com – just click the Events and Classes heading on the left. We update the site whenever we hear of another event, so check back often, grab your calendar and schedule some fun.

Have you been to the Wine Trail at Hermann, Missouri?  If not, plan a getaway this spring. The Wurstfest (sausages, sausages, sausages) is the fourth weekend of March and Mayfest is the third weekend of May. You’ll experience the Old-World charm of a 19^th century German village when you visit Hermann. German Immigrants from Philadelphia founded the community and developed the wines which now win awards and draw tourists year round.

George Husmann was one of those early winemakers, and in our Spring issue, you’ll learn more about Hermann and where George went when he left Missouri! Take a guess!

Wine tasting, music, friends, wine tours … it’s all fun! Plan some today.

Cheers!

Barbara

Grapes

Today I was  Waterloo at KWWL TV and was interviewed on the KWWL News at Noon Show by TV News Anchor Chris Carter. Chris grew up in Los Angeles and thinks of Napa Valley when he thinks of wine. He is interested in the Iowa wine industry and understands the economic potential of grapes and wine on tourism in the state. 

He asked a good question about the grapes grown in Iowa which, of course, are not the same grapes grown in California. The length of time for the interview did not allow me to provide a long answer to the question, nor does the space here.  It’s a topic will be covering from time to time in Make Mine Wine.

We’re familiar with Chardonnay, Chablis, Merlot, and Zinfandel, for example. They are named after grapes. That doesn’t mean that the wine is always named after the grape. The classic white wine grape Chardonnay is grown in France, California, Virginia, and Finger Lakes, New York. Chardonnay wine comes from Chardonnay grapes. In France, Chablis is also made from Chardonnay grapes, but in California, Chablis wine can be made from a variety of grapes. Merlot is grown in California and France, and Merlot wine is the product. White Zinfandel is produced from Zinfandel grapes. 

In Iowa and the Midwest cold-hardy grapes grow in the vineyards.  At this point most of us don’t recognize the names of the grapes or the wines named after them. I have no doubt that we will learn them! If you have been trying Iowa wines, you may recognize some of these: 

Marechal Foch is a French-American hybrid that can withstand temperatures below zero, is grown in Canada, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Midwest, and produces red or rosé wine.  

St. Croix is also winter- hardy and produces a red wine.   

Frontenac wine may have a hint of cherry/berry/plum.

Edelweiss grapes produce a sweet white wine.

Lacrosse is used for dry and semi-dry whites. 

These are a few of the grapes being grown in our area. Local vineyards are growing these and other cold-hardy grapes for use in Iowa and Midwest wineries. Of course, each wine-maker creates their recipe, and name for their wine  – so when you stop by a local winery, ask them about the grapes in their wine. Before long, you’ll have a sense of the grapes that produce the wines that you ask for again and again!

Cheers!

Barbara