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!
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