Halloween Party at Sugar Clay Winery

Frank and Amy Faust host great events at Sugar Clay WInery and there is a good one coming up this Saturday night, October 31st.

Spooks, soup, games, music and fun await party goers at this Halloween bash. A prize will be award for best costume and music will be performed by Rick Hillyard and Jim Chambers.

It’s just $5 for the soup and music. Soup starts at 6 p.m. and the music is from  7 – 10.

And then there is the award-winning wine … and craft beer!

Sugar Clay Winery’s full-bodied, dry red,  2007 Cynthiana won a silver medal at the Mid-American Wine Competition (flavors of black pepper, plum and oak).  Concord (grape jelly in a glass) won a bronze and Bandana Red (jammy red with tastes of dried cherries and blackberry) also won bronze.

They have a complete selection of wines from dry to sweet and it is likely you will find something you will enjoy very much.

Don your costume and head for the beautiful Loess Hills this weekend — the trees are beautiful — and then stop in for some fun at Sugar Clary Winery.

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko, Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.makeminewinemagazine.com

Women & Wine at Summerset Winery!

If you’re like me, you deserve a leisurely afternoon with a glass of wine in hand and nothing to thing about but girl talk, lunch, shopping and fun!

You can be living that dream at Summerset Winery on Saturday, November 7th!

Here’s what they have planned -

Wine reception, gourmet boxed lunch, wine, gift bag and giveaways.

Sassy selections from the ladies of Off the Cuff Quartet

Professional Organizer, Mary Sigmann, will speak on clearing clutter from our lives.

Lunch will be catered by Judge’s Signature catering and will include a turkey croissant with cranberry chutney, pasta salad and seasonal fresh fruit. A decadent dessert table will be offered following lunch.

You can browse display tables filled with jewelry, spa related items, clothing, and more from: Ultra Salon, Morning Rain Massage and Day Spa, Silpada Designs, Iowa Bed & Breakfast Guild, Sassy Serving & Glassware, Various & Sundry, Wooden Expressions, Good Health, Southern Living at Home, The Possibilities Room, Private Quarters, Jeff Gilbert Photography, Scentsy, Miss Spenser’s Special Tea’s, and Mainstream Boutique!

Call the winery in Indianola, Iowa, to make your reservations – 515/961-3545.

You’ll have a wonderful stress-free day!

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko, Publisher

Make Mine Wine

www.makeminewinemagazine.com

Tassel Ridge Winery to Host First Winemaker’s Dinner

Winemaker Rhonda Taylor will host her first winemaker’s dinner on Sunday, November 8th at Tassel Ridge Winery near Leighton, Iowa.

Rhonda was featured in the Summer issue of Make Mine Wine magazine. She works with 15 varieties of grapes (nearly 100 tons) and is responsible for crafting 28 wines. She often works with 20 or more different batches of wine at one time and her daily operations including tracking all of the batches, performing lab work to comply with regulations and following the winery’s own procedures to maintain a safe and clean environment for the wine and employees.

Rhonda graduated from Iowa State University with a biology degree and a chemistry backgound. In 2005 Bob Wersen, owner of Tassel Ridge Winery, invited her to become assistant winemaker. After training with Dr. Murli Dharmadhikari, currently director of the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, Rhonda became Winemaker and Cellar Manager in August, 2007.

The Winemaker’s Dinner will pair Tassel Ridge wines with the flavors of a three-course Italian dinner. The Antipasto platter is paired with Tassel Ridge Oskyfizzante White, followed by Pasta Puttanesca with Tassel Ridge Pizzeria & Pasta Too! Dinners will indulge in Tiramisu with Tassel Ridge Chocolate Granfinale for dessert.

After dinner Rhonda will lead a private tour of the Tassel Ridge Winery Cellar.

Advance reservations are required by Thursday, November 5th. The price is $25 per person, plus tax. Wine Tasting begins at 6 p.m. with dinner at 6:30.

My husband and I have attended the wonderful wine and food pairing dinners at Tassel Ridge Winery and I know you will especially enjoy this one. It will be a great chance to meet Rhonda and learn more about the wine and the winery experience at Tassel Ridge.

Cheers!

Barbara Rasko, Publisher

Make Mine Wine magazine

www.makeminewinemagazine.com

Ready for Some Winery Fun?

Dance, taste, dine and play in Iowa Wine Country this fall. Join your girlfriends for a fab night out. Sample wine and food pairings on The Iowa Wine Trail. Laugh your boots and hats off on a great couple’s night watching a mystery play. Plan a wine country getaway complete with wine, dinner and an overnight. Enjoy!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Bill Martin Group (variety and dance music)

Snus Hill Winery, Madrid

www.snushillwinery.com

Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18
Oktoberfest

Eagles Landing Winery, Marquette

www.eagleslandingwinery.com

Saturday, October 17

Brother Tucker

Dale Valley Winery, Stuart, Iowa

www.dalevalleyvineyard.com

Sunday, October 18

Buck Hollow Band and Rican Ribs

Winneshiek Wildberry Winery

Decorah

www.wwwinery.com

Sunday Tunes, October 18,  3–6 p.m.

Tony Valdez & Don Jaques

Summerset Winery, Indianola

www.summersetwine.com

Sunday, October 18, 2 – 5 p.m.

Sumpin’ Doo (blues)
Snus Winery, Madrid

www.snuswine.com

Thursday, October 22, 6 – 8 p.m.

Girls’ Night Out

Advance reservations required.
Tassel Ridge Winery, Leighton

www.tasselridge.com

Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24

Randy Manning’s Jest Mysteries

“A Fistfull of Hollers” Murder Mystery Dinner

Advance reservations required.
Tassel Ridge Winery, Leighton

www.tasselridge.com

Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25

Eagle City Winery Fall Open House

Wine Tasting and Hors d’Ouevres, Horse Drawn Trolley Rides, Live Music

Eagle City Winery, Iowa Falls

www.eaglecitywinery.com

Saturday, October 24, 2 – 4 p.m.

Iowa’s Wine Cellar One-Year Anniversary

Iowa’s Wine Cellar

Ames

www.iowaswinecellar.com

Thursday, October 29, 6 – 8 p.m.

Girls’ Night Out

Advance reservations required.
Tassel Ridge Winery, Leighton

www.tasselridge.com

Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8

The Iowa Wine Trail Food Pairing

Food from Around the World
“A World of Food with Iowa Wines” will be the theme for The Iowa Wine Trail’s

November wine and food event to be held Saturday, November 7 and Sunday,

November 8.  Each winery will serve samples of their award winning wines paired

with food from around the world.

At each winery, adventurous wine tasters will have the opportunity to sample

foods from around the world paired with unique, locally made wines.  There will

be foods from Argentina at Daly Creek Winery, Anamosa, foods from Germany at

Eagles Landing Winery, Marquette, foods from Ireland at Engelbrecht Family

Winery, Fredericksburg and Park Farm Winery, Bankston, Tex-Mex foods at Sutliff

Cider Company, Lisbon, French foods at Tabor Home Vineyards, Baldwin, foods from

around the world at Wallace Winery, West Branch, food from Italy at Wide River

Winery, Clinton, and food from the Caribbean at Winneshiek Wildberry Winery,

Decorah.

Tickets for the two-day event may be purchased in advance for $25 each, or

one-day tickets for $20 each in advance.  Tickets are $35 the day of the event.

Visit www.iowawinetrail.com for the Early Bird Special (four tickets for the

price of three) if ordered before November 1.  Tickets can also be purchased at

any of the Iowa Wine Trail wineries, by calling 563-557-3727 or online at

www.iowawinetrail.com.

Visitors who attend all nine wineries during the weekend will be included in a

drawing for special door prizes.  www.iowawinetrail.com or call 563/557-3727

Wine and Dine Des Moines

Jasper Winery, Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse, Radisson

Discover a wine excursion – right here in Des Moines! The Radisson Wine Experience includes transportation from the hotel to Jasper Winery in which you will have a tour, enjoy a wine tasting and a gift certificate to Jasper Winery. Your evening continues with a wine tasting dinner for two at Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse and you will receive two commemorative Johnny’s wine glasses. End the evening with a luxurious overnight stay at the Radisson and wake to a breakfast buffet – all for only $199 plus tax. Limited packages available – call to reserve your Des Moines Wine Tour today!
Call (515) 285-7777 to make a reservation

Have fun!  Cheers!

Barbara Rasko

Make Mine Wine magazine

Expo for Lovers of Wine and Food and Fun!

Grab a pen and your calendar and write in Wine and Food Expo on the squares for Friday, November 13 and Saturday, November 14.

If you are like me, you don’t want to miss the fun and excitement at Iowa’s Premier Wine and Food Expo at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines.

Celebrity Chefs scheduled to appear at the event include Andrew Zimmern, of The Travel Channel, and The Food Network’s Duff Goldman. That could be zany, fun and exciting!

You can pick up food, wine and entertaining ideas from more than 50 local businesses, sample food and wine and purchase treats and goodies for yourself and holiday gift-giving.

This year the Expo also features the winners of the new Amateur Wine Making Contest, sponsored by Blue Stem Winery and Make Mine Wine. A lot of Iowans are making wine at home … some have been doing it for years and years … and we’re excited to showcase the winners of this year’s competition.

Local and regional chefs will demonstrate some tasty recipes using Iowa pork, beef and turkey that you can recreate at home for family and friends.

This is a wonderful event with something for everyone that enjoys food, wine, entertaining and fun. Check out the schedule, the details and ticket information today at http://wineandfoodexpoiowa.com/