ABOUT OUR WINERY
Our winery is located in the lower level of the facility. Here we produce between 25,000 and 30,000 bottles of wine each year. The process starts with grapes being harvested from our vineyards or from other vineyards nearby. Grapes are crushed and destemmed, put into fermenters and allowed to set for 7 to 14 days while initial fermentation occurs. At that point they transferred or racked to another tank and allowed to settle for an extended period. Over time they will be racked another two to four times as they continue to settle and clarify. During this time some may have oak introduced, usually in the form of oak staves added to the tanks.
Aging for a year or longer the wines will mature and be ready for filtering and bottling. Filtering is used in all white and all sweet wines to add clarity and remove any residual yeast which may restart an unwanted fermentation in the bottle. Since filtering may remove some color and other desirable traits in red wines our red wines may or not be filtered. The bottling process follows any filtering and is completed with corking and the final labeling. After bottling, the wines will be stored for a period of three to six weeks to overcome the "bottle shock", before they are allowed to be sold.
VISIT OUT TASTING ROOM
Our tasting room is open six days a week, Tuesday thru Sunday. We offer free wine tasting and sell wine by the glass or bottle for consumption on premise.
We are proud to use our Iowa grapes to create quality Iowa wines without the influence from grapes or juices outside of Iowa. We hope you find our wines friendly to the palate and true to the flavors of the grapes used.
Our vineyard and facilities are easily accessed from a major interstate highway. We offer free wine tasting in our gift shop and feature other Iowa products such as cheeses and crafts. Check our summer calendars for featured music and other weekend events. A large banquet area with a caterer- friendly kitchen and direct grade level access to parking areas is available for your private parties and receptions. The facility is surrounded by a spacious viewing deck which overlooks the vineyard.
We invite you to come and enjoy a taste of Iowa in a relaxed country side setting.
Tasting Room Hours
Monday-Closed
Tues-Friday-11:00AM to 6:00PM
Saturday-10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sunday-Noon to 5:00 PM
We are proud to offer true Iowa wines made from locally grown grapes from either our vineyards or nearby producers. Our wines are aged to allow them to develop over time. We do not use fruit or juices from California, New York or other areas of the country. As a part of our commitment to making quality wines to reflect our terrior, we do not Merlots, Cabernets and Pinots blended into our wines. Know best for our wide selection of dry red wines, our semidry whites and sweet wines have one several awards in local and international competitions. Our sweet wines are developed to let the true flavors of the grapes persevere, keeping our residual sugars lower and realistic.