Add Visiting a Winery to Your List of Fun!

Two visits to Central Iowa wineries yesterday put me in the mood to visit a few more. I stopped by Prairie Moon Winery in Ames and Rosey Acres Winery in Runnels. Matt Nissen at Prairie Moon was making preparations for a “two-band” weekend. No doubt the grape stomping and two nights of music will add up to plenty-o-fun! Check out the details at www.prairiemoonwinery.com.

Stop by Rosey Acres and say hi to Al and Sherry Meek and Tom and Karen Diltz. At least two people have got a kick out of “the tour”. The wine is excellent – Rosey Acres won People’s Choice at the Iowa Wine Festival in Indianola last weekend. Go with friends, grab a bottle and sit out on the lawn – there are tents for shade. What a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

I hope you will spend a little time at a winery this weekend. Check the events list at www.makeminewinemagazine.com for ideas on where to go and what to do. Salute the last long weekend of summer!

By the way, you can learn more about Prairie Moon Winery and Rosey Acres in the next issue of Make Mine Wine. The Central Iowa wineries will be featured – it’s an issue you’ll refer to again and again. www.makeminewinemagazine.com.

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

Publisher

Crowds are Enjoying Iowa Wines at the State Fair

You have five days left to sample Iowa wines and talk to winemakers at the Iowa State Fair – it runs through Sunday, August 19^th.  Not only that, you can buy a bottle of wine – any bottle for the State Fair Special Price of $12.00 – and sit in the shade and enjoy it, take it up to the campground, or pour it into a wine glass and stroll! The Iowa Wine and Cheese Garden is open and inviting … and fair-goers love it!

Two of the most popular wines on these hot August days is Rosey Acre’s Paradise Mist (I love the name!) and Red, White and Blue from Tassel Ridge. If you like Rieslings, Paradise Mist is for you. The traditional sweet white, Red, White and Blue is Concord-based and delicious.

The wines being sampled at the fair are certainly some of Iowa’s best. The wines were juried and you’ll find selected wines from twelve of Iowa wineries: Deja Vine, Eagle City Winery, Jasper Winery, Kaiser Home Winery, Madison County Winery, Park Farm Winery, Penoach Vineyards and Winery, Prairie Moon Winery, Rosey Acres Winery, Summerset Winery, Tabor Home Vineyards and Winery and Tassel Ridge Winery.

I’ve been in the booth each day showing off Make Mine Wine and have thoroughly enjoyed meeting each of you that have stopped by. Some have seen the magazine previously – others have not. It’s a hit since the wine-drinkers at the fair are curious about and interested in Midwest Wine Country.

I hear rave reviews about the Caba Moch and weekly music events at Summerset Winery in Indianola. The wines from Tassel Ridge, as well as the pairing dinners, are popular – and people rave about that beautiful green granite winery. Folks from the Eastern part of the state are thrilled to be close to the gorgeous wineries and great wines of Park Farm and Tabor Home. Lots of fans of Eagle City stop by, and the Central Iowa regulars love seeing their familiar winemakers … especially Jean Grebe and Al Meeks.

The fine people from TTC, Inc. created the inviting Iowa Wine and Cheese Garden. Kevin and Jayne Smith are true professionals and long-time concessionaires with endless energy and a friendly, competent staff. The booth is west of the Giant Slide—and you’ll see the stand under a big white canopy, ringed by a grape-stained bar set on French oak barrels (they are for sale and can be made into tables, chairs and a wine-chilling cooler).

Stop by, taste some great Iowa wine, and say hi. It’s the best new experience at the Iowa State Fair!

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

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August Wine Gardens

Let some beautiful wines tempt your senses this month at state fairs in Midwest Wine Country. Visit a wine garden. For me, the wine garden is an island at the state fair – an escape from the crowds pushing (or moseying) along the streets and sidewalks. You can stop by the wine garden, pay a few dollars, and taste or drink some of the state’s finest wines. At some state fairs you can purchase a bottle or two of your favorite to take home with you. 

State Fair season is upon us, so if you are close to one of these fairs, stop in and try some regional wine.

The Wisconsin State Fair is on right now, August 2 – 12, and if you’ve been there before, you’re familiar with the great wine and fun at the State Fair Wine Garden. The Wisconsin Winery Association started the event in 1996, and each year about twenty Wisconsin wineries offer their wines, from dry to sweet. The fair is held in West Allis, Wisconsin. 

The Iowa State Fair in Des Moines is August 9 – 19, and you’ll find the Iowa Wine Garden west of the Giant Slide. Stop by, visit with the winemakers and meet the wine. The Iowa State Fair is famous for food on a stick … but, don’t worry, you can get your wine in a glass with a stem!

The Illinois Wine Tent and Wine Garden at the Illinois State Fair is air conditioned! Wow! The fair runs in Springfield, August 10 – 19 and 19 wineries will have a selection of red, white, blush and fruit wines as well as national and international winning wines available for tasting.So when you’re worn out from the crowds, and tired of looking at big boars, big squash (looks like a pumpkin to me!), and the carneys on Midway, head for the wine garden at a state fair near you!

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

Make Mine Wine

                   

Grape Stomping Time is Near!

Grape harvest is about to begin in Midwest Wine Country and, as you may have guessed, grape harvest leads to grape stomping. Wineries will be stomping grapes from now through September, depending on the grapes they are harvesting, and you can see the current list of grape stomping events at  www.makeminewinemagazine.com.

Send us pictures of the grapes between your toes, and we’ll post the best on our Web site.  

Here’s a grape stomping event you won’t want to miss, whether you’re stomping or observing. Make plans now to be at Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri on Saturday, August 11^th for grape stomping, brats, live bluegrass music and winery tours and tastings (8:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.) You can also make dinner reservations in the restaurant. See http://stonehillwinery.com/locations/hermann/events/GrapeStomp.aspx for all of the details.

Kickapoo Creek Winery in Central Illinois (right off 1-74 (exit 82), about 10 minutes west of Peoria, will host their 2^nd annual grape stomp on Sunday, August 19^th. There will be wine, music and fun … and an I Love Lucy look-a-like contest! I’m not sure if you have to be a natural Lucy look-a-like, or if props are allowed! You can get more information by calling (309)495-WINE.

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko