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| Photo and article by Eric Lindquist of the Leader Telegram |
*Here's a copy of that article in its entirety by staffer Eric Lindquist, 'A Fine Time for Fine Wine.' I have included some of our Kodak moments too.
*ALMA -" One by one the seven women bellied up to the bar.
They were greeted by two friendly servers who offered them each the opportunity to sample a flight of red or white wines, all made on site from grapes grown across the road.
After tasting six wines, ranging from dry to sweet, the women bought a bottle of their favorite and shared it on the patio as they basked in the sunshine and drank in the spectacular view of the Mississippi River Valley 600 feet below.
This serene scene took place on a recent Friday afternoon at Danzinger Vineyards atop a bluff just outside of Alma, but it could have been almost any day at one of at least 15 wineries that have popped up across west-central Wisconsin in the past few years.
"It doesn't get any better than this," Susan Sorrentino of Onalaska declared as she held her glass aloft for a toast to her friends in the Happy Bookers, a La Crosse area book club.
These women didn't have to wait for a book to come out about the rise of Wisconsin wineries to know that sipping a glass or two of wine with good friends in beautiful places is a delightful way to spend a day. They have indulged in free tastings at several wineries in the area along the Mississippi River being marketed as Wisconsin's West Coast and don't intend to stop the tours anytime soon.
"Our books get better reviews after we go home," quipped Karen Sherman of Chaseburg, drawing howls of laughter from the rest of the Happy Bookers.
Beyond the wine, the women relish the views of the Mississippi River and the surrounding bluffs along the Great River Road, said Mary Monsoor of La Crosse.
They're not alone.
As word gets out and more wineries emerge, wine-tasting excursions are becoming an increasingly popular pastime in west-central Wisconsin, where the development of new varieties of winter-hardy grapes has uncorked a whole new industry and sparked a home-grown tourist trade.
Six of the regional wineries have taken advantage of the flood of interest by joining with five wineries in Minnesota and Iowa to form the Great River Road Wine Trail, one of several regional sipping routes that have sprung up across Wisconsin in recent years.
The Mississippi River Valley wineries promote the concept through a website, greatriverroadwinetrail.org, and a slick brochure available at regional tourist destinations. The wine-tasting concept, which has been popular in California for decades, is growing as fast as the winery business in Wisconsin.
"It's a great way to spend a day," said Anna Maenner, executive director of the Wisconsin Winery Association, which has seen its membership nearly quadruple in recent years. "Wineries have a wonderful ambience and provide a new way for people to enjoy the beautiful Wisconsin countryside with their outdoor patios and vineyard tours."
The Great River Road wineries all offer a distinctive selection of wines and a one-of-a-kind setting for visitors.
At several of the regional wineries, visitors need only say the kind of wine they prefer - Chardonnay, Merlot or Riesling, for instance - and servers will recommend free samples of comparable labels from their own varieties.
Of course, the wineries will gladly sell bottles and cases of their products, along with T-shirts, wine accessories and other gifts.
Here's a sample of what area wineries have to offer:
Derick and Julianne Dahlen, owners of Villa Bellezza Winery & Vineyards, settled on Pepin as the site of their operation after learning the upper Mississippi River Valley is identified as particularly suited for growing cold-weather grape varieties. Grapes grown in the federally designated Upper Mississippi River American Viniculture Area offer a unique flavor because of the microclimate and soils along the river. "We wanted to be known as a place that people were drawn to come back to and also a place that had quality wines," Julianne Dahlen said. |
| Our stop at Villa Belleza ( photo courtesy of Connie) |
Guests standing at the modern horseshoe-shaped bar in the two-year-old tasting room can gaze at their options on large digital screens displaying the available wines, their notable characteristics and prizes they've earned.
Villa Bellezza, with its collection of vineyard-surrounded yellow stucco buildings and a central red brick square reminiscent of Italy, claims 26 varieties of wine made from 11 types of grapes grown on 11 acres.
"Our intent was to develop a wide variety of wines so we'd have something to appeal to everyone," Dahlen said.
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| Villa Belleza wedding setting with the vineyard backdrop |
On a recent Friday, a father and son attending a wedding in the adjacent event center showed up early and raved about the villa's offerings.
Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery puts a sweet twist on the winery concept. As a hybrid enterprise, it brews about eight varieties of hard (aka alcoholic) cider, both still and sparkling, and five varieties of wine, including some grape and apple blends. The operation incorporates its production facilities, gift shop, tasting room and event space all under one roof in a 12-year-old barn, surrounded by 12 acres of apple trees, on a hillside a few miles outside of Stockholm. Owners Herdie Baisden and his wife, Carol Wiersma, buy their grapes from nearby Sanctuary Vineyard."We certainly focus more on cider than we do on wine," Baisden said, revealing that cider will account for 12,000 of the 14,000 gallons of product the business produces this year.
Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery, one of fewer than a dozen cider makers in Wisconsin, now sells its products throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin, including at The Coffee Grounds in Eau Claire.
Its hottest seller, Honeycrisp Hard Cider, incorporates the wildly popular honeycrisp apple for a taste that's slightly sweeter than the typical cider.
Visitors can sample Baisden's concoctions at the tasting bar or outside on picnic tables or in an orchard gazebo.
The proprietors believe the Great River Road Wine Trail concept benefits both wineries and people interested in tasting the locally made products.
"What we've found is that it serves us all well to be close together because we can offer such a wide variety of products and it provides people with a fun new recreational opportunity," Wiersma said.
While tasting sessions are free, the operation also offers tours of the adjacent winery and vineyards for a fee. Groups of 10 or more are asked to call ahead for tour reservations.
Despite the vineyard's strong record in wine judging competitions, the owners have resisted the temptation to broaden distribution of their products, choosing instead to emphasize the experience of visiting the winery.
"We don't distribute at all," said David Danzinger, who operates the winery along with his brother Melvin. "If you want to buy our wines, you have to come here." That policy hasn't been much of a deterrent, as sales have climbed steadily from 15,000 bottles the first year to a projected nearly 36,000 this year, Danzinger said.
He estimated that about 10,000 people visit the winery annually, half of whom travel from the Twin Cities. In addition to summer weekends, fall is a popular time, as many guests enjoy gazing at the fall colors while sipping a glass of wine.
"Like they say about real estate, it's location, location, location," Danzinger said. "It's the same way with grapes, and we have a great piece of property."
Seven Hawks Vineyards in Fountain City takes a different approach, keeping its downtown tasting room separate from its vineyards just a mile north of town.
The tasting room and wine bar is located in an 1870s renovated river town building that still features its original ceiling and floor, said manager Chris Hermann, who summarizes the characteristics of each wine as he pours.
For guests who want to know more, Seven Hawks, like the other regional wineries, provides a sheet with detailed notes on each wine. Its La Crescent Reserve, for example, is described this way: "Brilliant apricot and peach bouquet, with soft citrus finish. Compares to a sweet Sauvignon Blanc. Serve chilled with fish, poultry, white meat or Asian dishes."
The facility, which typically attracts 150 people on summer Saturdays, offers visitors the option of standing at the tasting bar or sipping the winery's 11 flavors of wine at tables on the second-floor deck with views of the Mississippi River.
Seven Hawks, owned by Brad Nilles of St. Paul, doesn't give regular vineyard tours in part to avoid injuries on the steep bluffs where it grows nine varieties of grapes and also to guarantee serenity for guests at its cottages and lodges nestled among the nearly 21,000 grape vines on 45 acres.
About two-thirds of tasting room visitors say they're following the Great River Road Wine Trail, Hermann said.
"It's a beautiful drive, so why not put some grapes along Highway 35," he said, alluding to the concept's appeal to tourists and entrepreneurs alike.
Visiting from Winona, Minn., recently to sample the winery's wares, Jesse Sievers and Allison Byom appeared all too happy to drink to that, clinking glasses as they worked their way down the wine list."
** I wasn't sure if my link to Mr. Lindquist's article would limit the number of views but do click on it so this newspaper knows we appreciate this article! Fine Time for Fine Wine
*** Here's also the link to that Happy Bookers excursion:
Stockholm or Bust
You are always news-worthy!
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