Jesse James drank wine?

 
Yesterday I visited Barrel Head Winery, located just south of Dubuque, IA and near what is purported to be a lost town, Laudeville.  Located on Laudeville Rd, and very easy to find, this charming winery is owned by John and Karen Hunt, a couple inspired to grow grapes and make wine in the German tradition. 

I pulled up to the newly built wine barn, nestled between the vines, popped out of the car and was greeted by a hearty hello and welcome.  John, Karen and his volunteer crew had just finished bringing in the last of the grape harvest and he and his manager, Betty Palmer were bent over a watched pot.  They were experimenting with a solar oven and though it was an overcast day, the oven had already reached 300 degrees and the chicken in the pot was cooking nicely.  It looked like the action in the new barn was cooking too, because I heard lots of laughter and saw wine freely flowing.  I knew I was in the right place.  Wine, food and good company.  What more could one ask for? 

As I was ushered into the wine tasting room, John was pointing out the full barrels of picked grapes from the day, the fermenting vats along the back wall and the boxed vintages waiting for sale.  Things appeared to be a bit disheveled, but it all looked like it was moving in the right direction.  John had already mentioned the busy year they had been having, building the new barn, getting the grapes and new vines in, extra wires hung for the safety of the vines, reclaimed art and architecture beautifully placed on the farm and finally, the harvest.  The Hunts have a small bar set-up for tasting, but since I was alone, it worked quite nicely for me.  I was poured a glass of The Iowa Dry White Select Table Wine, which was a nice, light, well-rounded juice.  Not a complex wine, but quite accessible, no overwhelming tannins, just balanced fruity flavor.  We moved on to what John referred to as an older vintage, 6 years barrel aged, The Iowa Dry Red Select Table Wine.  Because they believe in allowing the grapes to ripen to their full flavor, the point where the fruit is slipping off the vine--full of sugar, fat and juicy, the wine itself has that same taste and feel.  Again, tannins almost non-existent, a big, chewy taste from the full ripeness and 12% alcohol, I really enjoyed the sip on this one.  Next I tried the new red wine, aged only 3 years in the barrel.  I found it a bit more aggressive and not quite as full flavored, missing some of the spice of the oak, but still retaining a very polished taste and feel. 

While enjoying my tasting, which by the way is not something they charge for here at Barrel Head, I had an opportunity to query John about his roots with wine.  Turns out his son lives in Germany and as he and Karen have travelled back and forth over the years, they have come to know the local wine growers in the area, and his fascination with the industry traces back to those relationships.  He claims they have taught him a great deal about German wine making and he has transferred those ideas to his own vineyard--allowing full ripeness before the pick, the spacing of the vines to allow maximum sunlight, hand-picked harvests and more. 

His wife, Karen, makes it very clear they have made every mistake possible along the way!  Mistakes or not, I think they are on the right track for success.  Before they planted their own vines, they took the harvest from the local Trappist Monks from The New Melleray Abbey just down the road, and made the wine for the monks to use in their mass and for their own consumption.  In recent heavy storms experienced here, Barrel Head  realized the good sense of adding a second tension wire to the trellises to defray damage to the vines.  The top wire is strung more tightly, supporting the vines, while the lower wire is more loosely tensioned to absorb any extra strain on the top wire due to high winds and storms.  This system has helped save the vines from damage and breakage which for a smaller grower can be extremely costly.  In this way it would appear the owners have realized the value of thinking proactively instead of reactively.  Mistakes have a way of doing that.

As we were discussing the types of grapes grown at the farm, John mentioned they had planted some white Muscat grapes, which do not usually thrive in Iowa, due to low temperatures in winter.

 
The vines planted had been crossed with a heartier variety that would allow the grapes to sustain a temperature of -15 degrees, which is exactly how low the temperature went this past winter!  We walked the rows and picked a bunch of these grapes and the taste was delicious.  Very ripe with a strong peach and apricot flavor, I enjoyed them immensely.  These particular vines had not been harvested yet, but most others were stripped--
Concords, St. Croix, St. Pepin, Leon Millot and three others.   I tasted some of the Concords from the pick and they were incredibly sweet, slipping from the skins and juicy with grape flavor.  John had set a bucket aside for a local who wanted to make grape pie--something I have never had, but now wish to try.  John proudly showed me some of the wonderful artifacts he has rescued from various ignominious ends;  a spectacular working fountain made of brass and copper, approximately 15' high with a lovely goddess holding a cornucopia from which the water springs to the first, then second and finally third tier of the fountain where it spills into the pool at the bottom.  Surrounding this portion of the yard are immense stones reclaimed from a torn down building and now forming a wall supporting the driveway and colorful plantings of flowers.  Beyond this driveway, forming a sort of welcome arch are two huge architectural columns of Corinthian style supporting an iron bar reminiscent of grape vines.  The columns were found buried beneath mounds of dirt during an excavation for a new building.   John and Karen have done a great job re-purposing these objects and to great visual effect. The vineyard takes on an old world feel and will be a great attraction for future gatherings. 


I spent a few hours visiting with the harvesters, owners, neighbors and Tommy the cat, sitting around some tables in the new barn.  No pressure to buy and all the encouragement in the world to drink the wine decanted on the tables in front of us.  All in all, I couldn't have spent a more delightful afternoon.  Because this vineyard hasn't set up a website yet, I simply wasn't expecting much and thought I would be in and out.  I had no feel for the place and wasn't even sure it would be open for business.  I was very happy to see the activity and disappointed to find I had missed the picking party!  I may not have been able to help harvest, but I sure was happy to help celebrate the event.  I left with two bottles of The Iowa Dry Red Select Table Wine, a six year and a three year.  I'll be back out there soon to help them with the labeling process and to learn more about their vineyard.  Local folklore says the house they live in on the property was once occupied by Jesse Jame's sister.  Apparently Jesse was a regular in these parts!

It's Complicated

"It's complicated," a commonly used phrase uttered by people in a "relationship" and one of the relationship description choices on Facebook, but I find it is equally appropriate when discussing wine.  I could wax on about how the wine itself is a complicated mix of tannins, fruit, terroir, barrel aging and so on and so on, but really the complications come in when I just try to explain how the wine tastes.  When I checked Wikipedia looking for wine descriptors, I was at first quite pleased to see my many dozens of choices.  My first thought was, well this will make it really easy to describe what I'm tasting.  I can be an instant expert now.  I can sound as pretentious as the most suave sommelier and people will think I am really an expert on this wine tasting thing.  I've been faking it all my life, I figured I had just found the crib notes of the wine world.  How complicated could it be?


I immediately started trying to apply the descriptors to the wine I was currently swilling...I opened my 'new post' blog page and started copying and pasting all the words that seemed to work, thinking I would later come back and write the post around them.  Point, click, point, click, point...well you get the idea.  I was on a roll.  This was exciting, I could really write something impotent here.
Accessible, Balanced, Clean, Polished, Spicy (from the oak)...so it went.  These all seemed to apply to the wine I was drinking at the time--Park Farm's 2007 Vineyard Select--but now I needed to craft words around these to make it all sound...professional, knowledgeable, expert.  Well there you have it, that has always been my problem...I need to be the expert, the professional, the know-it-all.  My perfectionism has brought me down more often than any other trait I call my own.  I get called on it time and time again, but I still pop up like a wobble doll, shooting off my mouth and taking another hit.  I decided it was time to learn instead of teach.  Nobody likes a smarty, so I started to investigate all the things I just don't know about wine, wine making, vintage, viticulture, tasting, how to drink, what to drink it in...there is so much, too much.  Frankly there is more than I want to know and then the light bulb went off, albeit, several days later.  I might find it interesting and it might be feeding my ego, but frankly, it was getting boorish.  I was boorish.  If I was boorish, who would want to read anything I wrote.  Besides, don't people just want to drink what they like?  I want to drink what I like and over-thinking it was making it a chore.  Wine imbibing a chore, I think not!  OK, well so maybe this is more complicated than I thought.    

After having another conversation with my blog mentor, It's all about the grape, it became clear I needed to 'refresh'  my page.  What is this blog going to be all about?  I need an edge, an angle, a hook, something for which I will be known.  Something that will bring people back to my site, so that instead of being the smart friend, I can be the popular friend.  I've always wanted to be the popular friend, but alas, that has never been my destiny.  I hate complications.

So what will be my angle?  My original intention still stands, I want to discover the wineries of the area and I want to bring them vividly to my readers.  I want to find the best wines in my region, to drink them, to pair them, to engage with the vintners and participate in the festivals and activities they sponsor and ultimately to bring wine drinkers (of all types--nose in the air, nose in glass, nose to the ground) together with the best the Mississippi river valley wine industry has to offer.  I want to do this with some humor and humility. I want to appeal to people who just want to enjoy a glass (or God forbid, a full bottle...or two) with dinner or laughing with friends around the fire pit in the back yard, enjoying a sippa while reading a good book, or snorting through a straw, that which is grown, sown and bottled in our own backyard.  Don't get me wrong, I love wines from all over the world and will certainly continue to buy them and drink them.  You will see links to other places here too, but primarily, this is about the wines of the Upper Mississippi River Valley.  Now that's not a complicated relationship at all.

 

It Ended with a Bang!

So what in the world have I been waiting for, this place is a gem!  Park Farm Winery, located just outside of Bankston, IA and so very close to Dubuque, is my new favorite place.  Nestled on top of a lovely hill with vineyards situated all around, the tasting room house is reminiscent of a French Chateaux.  Very fitting considering the surrounding land is very French in its custom, look, weather and soil.  Who knew Julien Dubuque had found a bit of his own homeland on the other side of the world?  The land here is perfect for growing French grapes--Marechal Foch, La Crosse, La Crescent, St. Pepin, Marquette and Frontenac.  (Which always reminds me of Le Chateaux Frontenac Fairmont in Montreal, Canada.  Do go sometime, it is a wonderful hotel).  Many awards have been won by this winery since its inception and it is plain to see, and to taste, why. 


     

I partook of two tastings, five wines for $3.00, a total bargain.  The tasting room, to the left of the Chateaux' entrance is cozy, walls lined with a beautiful warm oak panelling, oak floors and bar, tying in perfectly with the French oak barrels in which the wine is aged.  Many wine accoutrement is offered for the connoisseur and/or casual sipper--the usual cork screws, glassware, Cd's, bottle and glass jewelry, coasters, T-Shirts, wine bottle bags--for the usual prices.  People come and go, tasting talking, laughing and waxing eloquent about their tasting choices.  Today, a holiday, the second room is also open, which is where I choose to set up shop. 

My wine selections are served by a lovely woman, Carla who knows a bit more about wine than I do and has some great recommendations to make.  It turns out, our tastes are similar and I enjoy trying her choices and suggested comparisons.  I taste (10) different wines in an hour--should have eaten a little something more before this--and am ready to choose a vintage for a full glass, order one of the exquisite wood-fired pizza's and retreat to the outside deck.

Stepping out onto the patio, I am surprised to see that it is almost full of people. I was so engrossed in my tasting I hadn't noticed the crowd forming outside under the large event tent erected for the concert that will start at 5:00.  I am grateful to find a small table along the railing overlooking the wooded hills and vineyards.  The view is westerly and there is a crisp early fall breeze and dark clouds scudding the horizon.  I am so happy I brought a wrap because I will be needing it!  My pizza--red sauce with bacon, asiago cheese, roasted peppers and onions and black olives arrives bubbly and warm.  It looks and tastes delicious and is the best pizza I have had since arriving in Iowa.  The crust is wonderful and tasty with the wood smoke baked in. There is enough for three people here, and I eat  a few pieces and wrap the rest for later.  (I had some of it this afternoon for lunch and there is enough for one more meal).  There will be a shrimp, corn and sausage boil later and I want to be able to try some of that.  Small portions are available for $5.00, a full meal for $12.00. 

A young woman comes by and asks if I will be staying for the show later.  For $7.00 I will be able to listen to the three piece band--The Tinker Boys from Milwaukee--receive a free souvenir wine glass and a $5.00 ticket for whatever I want to spend it on, which of course will be another glass of wine.  I have brought a book with me to read and that has helped pass the time along with people watching.  I am currently reading Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy.  It seems an appropriate choice because the three piece band is Irish Folk and also mixes in some ballads from The Eagles, Van Morrison, James Taylor and Johnny Cash.  (Molly Malone takes me back to my visit to Dublin where there is a statue of her selling her cockles and mussels.) The crowd, comprised of families and couples of all ages, truly enjoys the music and there is some dancing.  Most have brought their own picnics and are set up at the various tables under the tent and picnic tables surrounding the area.  Non-alcoholic beverages are allowed on the property, but all wine must be purchased on premises, and there is a lot of that on every table.  The semi-sweet Picket Fence vintage seems to be very popular.  It is described as their best selling white wine, a crisp, well balanced Vidal Blanc similar to a semi-sweet Riesling  It is a gold medal winner at the mid-American wine competition.  I'll have to try it next time I come out!

I have moved on to my second glass now, Vineyard Select 2007, the first of my tastings.  "A light bodied dry red, aged in premium French oak for 20 months, this wine was produced with hand selected Marechal Foch (58%) from their estate vineyards and blended with the best Frontenac (42%)".  I notice mild tannins and moderate acidity in a cherry and spice noted wine. Simply divine.  I decide to send a bottle to my friend, The Design Grape along with a bottle of the St. Croix 2007 which is described as "...our fullest bodied dry red to date.  Estate grown St. Croix barrel aged for 28 months in French oak.  Deep, dark color with rich, full flavors and texture".  They suggest a pepper steak as accompanyment.  I fully intend to take those home with me along with La Fume 2007, a smoky white produced from La Crosse (72%) and La Crescent (28%) grapes.  "The wine has fruit aromas of pineapple, apricot and pear along with nutmeg and vanilla.  A long soft creamy finish with hints of butter, the wine pairs well with flavorful dishes such as Cordon Bleu or Cream Brule.  We believe this our finest production of an Iowa white wine to date.  Enjoy slightly chilled (50 degrees) to maximize flavor".  I found the apricot to be a top note in this wonderful white.

The last bottle in my homeward bound selection is a sweet, dessert wine--something I have come to appreciate in the past two years after a wine tasting in Chicago.  St. Pepin 2008, sweet and fruity, is a manipulated  ice wine made from grapes grown near Sabula, IA.  Ice wine (Eise Vine) is normally created by allowing the fruit to ripen and remain on the vine through the first freeze.  This process heightens the residual sugar in the grapes and creates a delightfully refreshing, sweet flavor, perfect for sipping with dessert or as dessert.  The yield is usually smaller than a normal harvest and therefore the wine is bottled in smaller containers and priced appropriately.  Park Farm has challenged this process by picking the grapes at their apex and then freezing them, resulting in a more abundant harvest and a terrifically tasting ice wine at an exceptionally reasonable price.  Bottled in the traditional smaller container, but at half the price of a similar vintage.  The owners say that when their own St. Pepin vines are ready (5-7 years) they plan to produce a true ice wine.  I say this manipulated process is quite acceptable!

All in all, I had a delightful day.  I drove home just before dusk and arrived at my doorstep as the last light was fading from the sky.  I gathered my handbag, book, my wrap and the bottles of wine and as I am trying to close the door to the car, the wine slips from my hands and crashes to the curb, shattering all but one of the bottles--the least expensive of course.  Oh, and did I mention, they landed on my big toe first.  I am sure I will lose the nail.  So glad I still have a bottle so I can drown my sorrows and pain in taste and style. 

Keep an eye out for the Metermaid's review of this wine tasting!

This is Not Work

Labor Day.  The unofficial end of summer is this weekend.  It seems to take forever to get through winter and spring is so iffy.  Summer is really the only season you can count on.  The days are wonderfully long, which is my favorite part.  As Summer has waned, I have mourned the shortness of the days as August passed.  Soon enough we will enter Daylight Savings Time and well, that will be that.  Dark at 4:00 in the afternoon and the only thing to warm the heart, besides a good fire and/or furnace...a lovely glass of wine.  Well, enough of that.  It's not over yet and the days are still lingering, so let's look at what we have going on here in our own Vin-backyard. 

Three of Dubuque's local wineries are offering celebrations to mark the end of our summer.  Park Farm Winery hosts, Grape Stomp this Saturday and Sunday, September 3rd and 4th.  The fun starts at 1:00 p.m. and lasts through 8:00 p.m.  Festivities include a wine stomp competition, tie dye station for T-shirts, live bands, shrimp and corn boil and of course, wine.  This is the third year Park Farm Winery has hosted this event and it has attracted larger crowds every year.  Tabor Home Winery offers Music in the Vineyard on September 4th and 5th.   From 3:00 p.m to 6:00 p.m. patrons can enjoy wine, locally made Iowa cheeses, BBQ pulled pork and free lemonade.  (No alcohol may be brought on premises.)  If the menu doesn't work for you, picnics may be brought.  There is no charge for admission, so come and enjoy.  If you miss this weekend, September 18 is a last gasp of summer, although not the last event of the year. Lastly,  Galena Cellars celebrates Sangria Sunday on September 4th.  The vineyard opens at 11:00 a.m, $3.00 Sangrias and live music in the Barrel Room from 2-6 p.m.  Don't feel like you are limited to Sangria, Galena Cellars has some wonderful wines to try, one of my favorites, The General's Reserve Red was a double gold medal winner in 2008!  Time to stock up again. 

Wherever you end up during this final celebration of summer 2011, stay safe, designate a driver if you sippa and start looking forward to the best season of all, Autumn.

I personally plan to visit at least two of these wineries this weekend, though not on the same day!