La Vida Loca … Sipping Wine, Having Fun!

I arrived at La Vida Loca Winery last night to speak to members of The Association of Women in Communications about Make Mine Wine, wineries in Iowa and Midwest Wine Country. It was a beautiful evening, so I sat on the deck with a few of the guests, enjoying the view of the lush vineyard and tree-lined rolling hills.

The sky darkened quickly and chairs blew across the deck. We decided it was time to move into the winery and refill our wine glasses.

Soon news came of sirens sounding in town and the decision was made to move to shelter – which happened to be the downstairs wine-making room. The tour of the area was a bonus we hadn’t expected, and we learned a lot about the fruit and grape wines produced there.

Soon we went back upstairs where we found other members of our group wandering around, wondering if they had arrived on the wrong night.

We filled our wine glasses with recommendations from Colleen. She asked what we usually liked, and it seems she had a wonderful suggestion for each of us. My favorite is Eldeweiss, a medium-body white made from the locally grown Edelweiss grapes.

Their top-selling wine for the month was the Japaleno-Raisin – a spicy, dry wine with a kick. Many people sip it, but the majority use it in cooking.

Kathryn, owner of Café Beaujolais, was our caterer for the evening, She served recipes she had developed using La Vida Loca’s wines – and they were a hit! There was Beef Dipping Sauce using La Vida Loca Red, Fruit Tart with La Vida Loca Cinnamon Wine, and Kathryn’s Hot Wings with La Vida Loca Jalapeno-Raisin Wine.

It was a great evening, after the storm passed, with beautiful, tasty food, great wine, and interesting conversation about everything to see and do from Make Mine Wine in Midwest Wine Country.

Do you like hot wings? Then try Kathryn’s Hot Wings and let me know what you think!

2 lbs Chicken Wings

1 Jar Cranberry Salsa

1 Cup Regular Salsa

2 Cups La Vida Loca Jalapeno-Raisin Wine

 

Cheers!

Barbara

Tea-totalers in Midwest Wine Country!

My mother’s co-worker from the 1990s walked in today, said “Hi, I don’t drink wine, but I was in town and wanted to see what you’re doing.”  We had a brief catch-up visit, and then I asked if she enjoyed great recipes and travel ideas. She said yes, flipped through the current issue of Make Mine Wine, surprised herself by enjoying it, and mentioned the names of others who would too. I won’t be surprised if she buys a couple of subscriptions as gifts. 

A short time later three gentlemen walked in, and the first words I heard were, “Hi, I don’t drink wine, but I was wondering if the old vault is still in this building.” We had an interesting discussion about the fact that their grandfather came to Warren county in 1855 and opened a bank when the building was new in 1860. “Grandfather” had also owned 3,000 acres of land south of town (some of which are now planted in grapes), and in fact, sold the land to the city for the cemetery. I took their picture in front of the old vault, and we talked about mutual acquaintances.  I chuckled at their parting words, “if you remodel and find any nickels or dimes, give us a call. No doubt they are Grandpa’s. 

Many folks I run into are not wine-drinkers, or declare themselves tea-totalers as the three grandsons described themselves, but they are know someone working in the grape and wine industry, or they are know someone who enjoys wine, or they wouldn’t mind listening to music at a winery or learning about the interesting people who make it all possible.

That’s what I love about publishing Make Mine Wine. We meet and talk to people and put the very best articles about Midwest Wine Country in the magazine. And we know we have something of interest in there for everyone! 

The summer issue – gorgeous and inspiring – is at the press! If you’re a subscriber, watch for it in a couple of weeks. If you’re not … subscribe today at www.makeminewinemagazine.com.  

Cheers! 

Barbara