Gorgeous Days Paired with Wine Tours Will Make You Happy!

 

If you are like me you treasure each perfect summer day, and it looks like we’re going to have three in a row for this long Labor Day Weekend.

 

Clear away every excuse and get out and enjoy them.

 

A great outing – for a day or the weekend — is visiting wineries. Tasting is fun, touring is fun, and the live music and other events are fun too. Do you have guests for the weekend? Surprise them with a wonderful visit into Midwest Wine Country!

 

Make sure you arrive in time to do some wine tasting. Then select a bottle to enjoy during the event. In many cases you can purchase snacks, and sometimes meals, so check out the Website and plan to visit your favorite winery or explore a new one.

 

Yesterday’s blog gave you specifics on grape stomping opportunities. If you don’t want purple feet, there are still plenty of other great events:

 

Wine tasting at the Des Moines Renaissance Faire, Pleasant Hill. Aug 30 – Sept 1, 6 & 7, 13 & 14.

 

Snus Hill Winery, Madrid. August 29, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Billy Club with Country/Variety. www.snushillwine.com

 

Summerset Winery, Indianola. August 29. 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Fat Twosday. www.summersetwine.com

 

Fireside Winery, Marengo. August 29. 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Dogs on Skis. www.firesidewinery.com

 

Sugar Grove Gathering Place, Newton. August 30. 6:00 -9:00 p.m. Flatland Frank & the Flat Cats, classic rock. www.sugargrove.com

 

Grape Escape Winery, Pleasantville. Wine-In Movies (watch a movie at the winery!). www.grapeescapeiowa.com.

 

Prairie Moon Winery, Ames. August 31, 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. Joe & Vicki Price with Americana/Folk. www.prairiemoonwinery.com

 

Snus Hill Winery, Madrid. August 31. 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. The Rivieras with 50s and 60s.

www.snushillwine.com

 

Summerset Winery, Indianola. August 31. 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. The Eldorados. www.summersetwine.com

 

Millstream Brewing, Amana. August 31. 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. 4th Annual Festival of Iowa Beers. www.millstreambrewing.com

 

Whispering Pines Winery, Keosauqua. August 31. 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. 1^st Anniversary Harvest Band. www.whisperingpineswinery.biz

 

Please check with the wineries for the latest details.

 

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.MakeMineWinemagazine.com

Have a Grape Experience. Stomp Grapes in Midwest Wine Country!

Join the newbies and experienced grape stompers heading into the vineyards from now through September. Help with the harvest. Meet some fun and friendly folks. Taste wine. And take some photos to send into the Make Mine Wine magazine’s Midwest Wine Country Photo Competition.

 

Make plans to attend one of these upcoming events … or just check with your local winery and see if they have a harvest festival coming up.

 

Park Farm Winery’s 2^nd Annual Grape Stomp is this weekend in Bankston, Iowa, August 30, from 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. Contact rguerrero@parkfarmwinery.com.

 

It’s “No-Pick-y, No Stomp-y” at White Oak Vineyards near Cambridge, Iowa.  They pick and stomp two weekends, so check it out at www.whiteoakvineyards.com.

  

Summerset Winery, Indianola, IA celebrates Fall Harvest every Saturday from Mid-August through September pre-paid reservations required. The fee covers breakfast, lunch, a commemorative T-shirt and wine in the vineyard, with a portion of the proceeds going to Dollars for Scholars. After breakfast and picking, the party begins with grape stomping and more.

 

Prairie Crossing Vineyard & Winery, Treynor, Iowa, will host their Harvest Party on Saturday, September 6, from noon to 9:00 p.m. www.prairiecrossingwine.com.

 

Pre-register for the Grape Picking Festival with John Ernest Vineyard & Winery in Tama, Iowa, by calling 641-484-8048.  The first 100 people can take part each Saturday, September 6^th or September 13^th.

 

Sugar Clay Winery’s 3^rd Annual Grape Stomp & Harvest Festival will be all day September 20^th in Thurman, Iowa. Stop by for live music, kids and adult grape stomps, crafters, food and wine! Check www.sugarclaywinery.com for details.

 

In Lake Lillian, Minnesota you can stomp three days in a row, September 5 – 7, at the Olde Country Winery and Vineyard’s Grape and Harvest Festival. There is a lot going on – including cash prizes, and while there you can see the world’s tallest wine bottle. RV parking is available. www.oldecountrywinery.com.

 

Are you going to be in the Chicago area? It’s a family affair September 27^th and 28^th, in Roselle, Illinois at  Lynfred Winery’s Oktoberfest and Pig Roast with kids’ and adults grape spitting, adult barrel races and grape stomping for kids, adult and couples. www.lynfredwinery.com.

 

You can enter the I Love Lucy look-a-like contest Sunday, August 24^th at the Kickapoo Creek Winery Grape Stomp in Central, Illinois. Expect wine, food, music and fun. www.kickapoocreekwinery.com.

 

The Grape Stomp at Superior Coast Winery in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan is held rain or shine on Saturday, September 13 at 11:00. The last two years the same person as won the contest for squeezing the most juice from their grapes – so practice up and go for the gold! www.superiorcoastwinery.com.

 

While I was at the Iowa State Fair, I heard a lot about the Harvest Festival in downtown Clear Lake, Iowa.  I don’t know if it the event is sold out yet, so give them a call or check the website to see if you can still purchase a Harvest Bag. The date is Saturday, October 4^th. www.clearlakeiowa.com/harvestfestival.

 

Don’t miss the fun! And don’t forget to send in your photos by October 1^st! Check our website, www.makeminewinemagazine.com for details.

 

Cheers!

 

Barbara Rasko

Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.makeminewinemagazine.com

Waterfront Seafood Market and Tassel Ridge Winery Present A Wine and Food Pairing Dinner

How can you resist?

Grilled Alaskan Halibut with Tarragon butter, new potatoes with parsley butter, and seasonal vegetables, all paired with our prize winning American Dry Riesling.

Greek salad paired with Prelude.

Seafood appetizers at the tasting bar with your choice of wine.

Cheesecake paired with Finalé Premier Red.

You can enjoy this memorable meal on Sunday, August 24^th, at Tassel Ridge Winery, Leighton, IA. Appetizers and wine tasting is at 6:00 p.m. Dinner is served at 6:30. Make reservations by August 22. Call 641/672-9463 by August 22.

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.makeminewinemagazine.com

To subscribe: email makeminewine@mcshi.com

Sip and Savor Fine Iowa Wines at the 4th Annual Iowa Wine Festival!

The Iowa State Fair is over, but the wine tasting continues this Saturday, August 23rd at the Iowa Wine Festival. The Square in Indianola is the place to be from 1:00 – 9:00 p.m.

 

You can enjoy unlimited wine sampling, purchase wines and visit with Iowa winemakers; sample the best from Chef Jon Wiler of Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar; cast a vote for your favorite Iowa Wine in the People’s Choice Award and browse the offerings of various local artists, food vendors and exhibitors.

 

The fun will be set to the music of Big Daddy Blues (2:00 – 5:00) and Tony Valdez and The Large Band (6:00 – 9:00).

 

Check out the schedule of events and be prepared to participate in the contests, games, bocco ball and grape stomping, the crowning of the Iowa Wine Festival King and Queen, and the silent auction with plenty of cool stuff. I can imagine the bragging rights – and noise – from the winner of the Whining Contest!

 

Best of all you can enjoy some of the best Iowa Wines from these fine wineries:

Eagle City Winery, Iowa Falls

Fireside Winery, Marengo

Grape Escape Vineyard & Winery, Pleasantville

Jasper Winery, Newton

John Ernest Vineyard and Winery, Tama

La Vida Loca Winery, Indianola

Little Swan Lake Winery, Estherville

Madison County Winery, St. Charles

Penoach Vineyard, Winery and Nursery, Adel

Rosey Acres Winery, Runnels

Southern Hills Winery, Osceola

Summerset Winery, Indianola

Tabor Home Winery, Bankston

Tassel Ridge Winery, Leighton

Two Saints Winery, St. Charles

Wide River Winery, Clinton

 

Bring your camera! This will be a great time to take some photos for the Make Mine Wine Midwest Wine Country Competition. Also, remember to bring a designated driver!

 

 

 

 

Full information for the event is online at http://www.iowawinefestival.org/. Tickets for this event are $25 in advance.

 

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.makeminewinemagazine.com

To subscribe, send an email to makeminewine@mchsi.com

Make Mine Wine Generates Interest in Iowa Wine Country

Hundreds of people are leaving the Iowa Wine and Cheese Garden with a copy of Make Mine Wine magazine … and it is exciting for me to see the high interest in Midwest Wine Country.

 

With a reasonable price of $12.00 for 4 issues (plus Iowa Sales Tax), the high-quality magazine is attracting new subscribers … and I hear that many will leaving a four-issue gift subscription in Christmas stockings this year!

 

When folks walk towards me in the Wine Garden I ask a simple question, “Would you like a list of all of the wineries in the state?” I am answered with an enthusiastic “yes!” It is obvious that more and more people are visiting Iowa wineries, and the like it, and want more good information. Make Mine Wine is the guide they have been seeking.

 

If you would like a guide to Midwest Wine Country, with an emphasis on Iowa wineries and Iowa wine, take a minute today to subscribe to Make Mine Wine.

 

Send an email – makeminewine@mchsi.com – with your name and address. Indicate if you want your subscription to start with the current summer issue, or the fall issue coming out October 10^th. We’ll send you a bill … and you’ll be set. It’s that easy!

 

The Iowa State Fair continues through Sunday – so stop out and say hi and tell me about your wine tour experience.

 

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.makeminewinemagazine.com

“Really?” That’s Great! … Common Reactions in the Iowa Wine and Cheese Garden

Visitors to the Iowa Wine and Cheese Garden continue to be surprised.

 

Yesterday the new gourmet wine was introduced by Summerset Winery. It is an upscale version of their unexpected and too cool sport wines. The wines are great for walking around the fair – wine in plastic bottles (no necks) with screw caps. The gourmet wine has the traditional wine bottle figure and is lovely. The sport wines are the ever-popular Summerset Winery’s Caba Moch, Sangria style Rosé; and Harvest White, sweet and tart white Catawba with a hint of grapefruit in the finish. Summer Breeze, a slightly sweet pink, is the gourmet wine. All are chilled and ready to go at the Iowa Wine and Cheese Garden.

 

The Iowa State Fair teamed with Jasper Winery to create a commemorative wine bottle label – U Gotta LOVE IT – and it’s a hit for collectors, gift-givers and retail outlets with Iowa gift baskets. The wine is Jasper Winery’s new release, Edelweiss, is a striking blue bottle.

 

The Wine and Prime dinner was enjoyable, and Frank and I were pleased with our wine choice for the evening, Jean D’Arc from Santa Maria Vineyard and Winery. Jean D’Arc is a dry blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah and went well with the prime rib. By the way, the chocolate mousse was presented beautifully and was served on a chilled plate. Nice.

Yesterday I spoke with Rose from Santa Maria Vineyard and Winery. The winery is located at Willey in Carroll County, Iowa. They grow Frontenac, Edelweiss, Saint Croix and Brianna grapes and will have their first harvest this year. Like many wineries, they are looking for more grapes and would like to talk to anyone interested in starting a vineyard in their area.

She suggested I try their semi-dry white which is made entirely of Reisling. I did. It was excellent. The wine is Swan Lake White, and I purchased a bottle for a friend’s birthday. She will love it!

Hope to see you at the fair!

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko, Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.MakeMineWinemagazine.com

Couples Share a Few Quiet Minutes and Friends Relax with Friends at the Iowa Wine Garden

Good thing for cell phones when you want to get some friends together for a good time; I saw several people making calls and saying things like:

             “Come and meet me at the wine tent. Yes, a wine tent. We can sample Iowa wine here!”

            “You’re not going to believe it! We can buy sport wine — wine to go from Summerset Winery – and walk around the fair!”

            “Hey … come to the wine tent. We can sit down, have a glass of wine and catch up.”

 

That’s right! The Iowa Wine Garden is a great place to sit for awhile. There are several picnic tables, and folks enjoy sitting down to relax with their family or friends and their favorite wine.

 

I heard one young-at-heart, and over 70 year old lady spy a friend in the Iowa Wine Garden and, as she hid her glass of wine behind her back, loudly exclaim, “What are you doing in this wine tent!” They both had a hardy laugh!

 

Folks are getting a real education in the Wine Garden too. I visited with one couple and mentioned the number of wineries and vineyards in the state, and the fact wineries drew crowds for live music events, the man shook his head and said, “I must have been living under a rock. I had no idea any of this was going on. We’re going to get out there and experience it for ourselves!”

 

The Iowa Wine Garden gives a glimpse of what happens at Iowa wineries in Midwest Wine Country. People discover new wines, talk to winemakers, and have a good time mixing with curious and experienced wine drinkers. The mood is fun and upbeat. The crowd is smiling, relaxed and happy.

 

Stop out and experience it for yourself.

 

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.MakeMineWinemagazine.com

 

Make Your Choice from 67 Wines When You Sample at the Iowa Wine Garden

This year 67 Iowa wines from twelve Iowa wineries are available for you to choose from at the Iowa Wine Garden … sample, choose your favorite, and purchase a bottle to open and enjoy – or take with you. Tonight my husband and I are attending Wine & Prime — which is receiving rave reviews — so we’ll be sampling and selecting a wine to enjoy with our prime rib, potato, salad and chocolate mousse! I’ll let you know what we select.

 

 

Participating wineries at the Iowa Wine Garden are: Jasper Winery, La Vida Loca Winery, Madison Country Winery, Park Farm Winery, Penoach Vineyard, Winery and Nursey, Prairie Moon Winery and Vineyards, Santa Maria Vineyard & Winery, Southern Hills Winery, Summerset Winery, Tabor Home Vineyards and Winery, Tassel Ridge Winery and White Oak Vineyards. Winemakers and staff from the wineries are pouring, and it is always interesting to visit with them.

 

There are tables in the Iowa Wine Garden and folks are sitting down in the fan-cooled tent and spending some time off their feet, relaxing, laughing and having fun.  Many are taking a free copy of Make Mine Wine to the table, and browsing through the Summer issue. After reading Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Squeeze? I hear some planning to participate in grape stomping this season. One of the most surprising things for many is the list of all Iowa Wineries – the wine trails and the wineries that are not associated with a trail. It fills a page – small print – and will serve for many as a check list as they spend weekends visiting Iowa wineries.

 

I love the stories that I hear. Yesterday a guy who grew up in Ames and lives in Arizona said he was back for a family reunion. The event was held at Fireside Winery near Marengo. He was amazed to discover the winery in the middle of the cornfields and very pleased with the high-quality of the Fireside Wine. I asked which ones he tried. He shook his head, assured me that he was with a group of twenty people, and said, “All of them!”

 

One couple told me that they had always prided themselves on stocking and drinking high-priced wine, since they felt the price assured them they were drinking the best. One night they stopped into White Oak Winery at Cambridge and found a wine that is now their favorite, and more reasonably-priced to boot. Since then they are traveling to other Iowa wineries and have add a new more local wines to their “must have on hand” list.

 

A young couple was entertaining friends from Oregon, who brought wine to share with them, so they brought out their favorite Park Farm wine, and the friends ended up taking a few bottles back to Oregon with them, along with a new appreciation of Iowa wine.

 

Many folks have asked if I’ve had Prairie Moon Winery’s ice wine. They all feel like they are giving me a tip on a new great wine and of course I have to tell them I already love that Winter Moon.

 

Come on out to the Iowa Wine Garden – I look forward to meeting you and hearing your stories from Midwest Wine Country!

 

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.MakeMineWinemagazine.com

 

 

 

 

Iowa State Fair Special: 10 Issues of Make Mine Wine for Price of 8!

When people start a subscription to Make Mine Wine they are often curious about what they have missed in previous issues. The Summer 2008 is the 7^th issue, and previous magazines carried great articles on how to host a wine tasting party, which wine glass to use, the list of 2007 winning wines at the 1^st Mid-American Wine Competition, The Iowa Wine Trail in Eastern Iowa, the Western Iowa Wine Trail, the Heart of Iowa Wine Trail, Hermann Missouri Wine Trail, and articles on several Midwest Wine Country wineries. We’ve provided solid information on how to start a vineyard, how much to poor, and so much more. New subscribers also missed recipes such as our Cheesy Pepperoni Squares, Beef-and-Cheese Triangles, Prosciutto-Asparagus Eggs Benedict, Coconut-Orange Caramel Rolls and Country-Style Potato Casserole.

 

Several subscribers have told me that they keep every issue to refer to again and again. And many people have found that Make Mine Wine is a much-appreciated birthday or holiday gift.

 

During the Iowa State Fair, August 7 – 17^th, I am giving everyone a change to own the entire collection, and I’ve decided to offer it to my faithful Blog audience too. Here’s the deal.

 

I’ll pay the $4.00 postage and send you the 6 back issues, beginning with the Preview Issue published in July, 2006. You will also receive 4 new issues, beginning with the current Summer 2008. Instead of paying $30 for the 10 issues, you’ll pay just $24.00 (plus tax, if you live in Iowa).

 

I don’t know how long the back issues will last, so please sign up right away.

 

Send me a note between now and August 20^th (please print your name and address):

 

State Fair Issues – 10 for 8

 

Name

Street Address

City, State, Zip

Phone Number

 

Send your check or credit card information — $25.44 (includes tax) if you live in Iowa,  anywhere else, $25.00.

 

The address is Make Mine Wine, P.O. Box 696, Indianola, IA 50125.

 

This is a very good deal – please reply today to guarantee that each issue is still available. Of course, if you’re at the fair, stop at the Iowa Wine Garden and we’ll sign you up … and send a bill. Thanks.

 

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.MakeMineWinemagazine.com

Wine-A-Rita A Hit at Iowa Wine Garden

Tassel Ridge Winery’s refreshing new treat was getting a lot of attention on the first day of the Iowa State Fair.

 

Made in a giant blender with Tassel Ridge Winery’s Tickled Pink and Wine Glace, this frozen drink had people talking – and enjoying!

 

Stop by the Iowa Wine Garden and try it for yourself!

Tassel Ridge Winery, Leighton, Iowa, is a beautiful Midwest Wine Country winery with a professional, friendly and creative team.

 

I’m heading back out to the fair now, and I’ll get back to you soon with more comments and reactions from the fair crowd. See you there!

 

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.MakeMineWinemagazine.com