Wine State Reviews: Iowa Wine Industry

Iowa has more to offer than visiting politicians, straw polls, soy beans, pork, eggs and corn. Iowa wine production has been off to a slower start than most of its Midwestern neighboring states, but Iowan people have now shifted into high gear to try and catch up. In the 1950s, I grew up in Minnesota as a youngster and often visited Iowa, where having corn “knee high by the fourth of July” was the primary agricultural goal. However, a new goal of improving Iowa wine production is now becoming more evident.

In 1999, the state had a grand total of 2 licensed wineries, but now can boast that there are more than 85. In the twelve years since 1999, Iowa can boast about what many call an “explosive expansion” in wine related industries. The first commercial vineyard planted in the state was in 1857. When Prohibition became a reality in the United States and following many unplanned events in the late 1800s, the Iowa grape growing industry pretty much disappeared until its recent growth spurt. Iowa was recently ranked 14^th nationally in the number of wineries and 22^nd in production.

Iowa wineries are in what I would call a time of trial and error when it comes to grape growing. Many times new vineyards are initially planted with several grape varieties just to see which ones will grow and which will not. Some of the grape types currently cultivated are: Bluebell, Catawba, Chardonel, Concord, La Crosse, Niagara, Steuben and Vidal Blanc. Several other varieties are also grown, but most commercial wine growing focuses on French hybrids and grapes native to America. Agricultural Extension Services at Iowa and Minnesota Colleges continue to provide expert advice to current and potential grape growers to improve the odds of success.

There are no recognized official wine growing regions in Iowa. The three primary grape growing areas that I recognize are located near the cities of Dubuque (Dubuque and Jackson Counties), Des Moines-Ames (Story, Polk, Dallas, Madison, Warren, Boone, Jasper and Marion Counties) and Council Bluffs (Fremont, Mills and Pottawattamie Counties). Other counties that have notable grape growing operations are Carroll, Jefferson and Van Buren Counties. Many of these operations are small family run collaborations where grapes are often harvested by hand. Total Iowan area in grape production is about 1200 acres spread out on over 400 vineyards.

While the Iowa grape industry is considered in its infancy, a 2007 economic study showed it did account for an economic impact to the state of $235 million dollars with over 10 percent of that total attributed to tourism. Wine touring trails are starting to develop that will further enhance the tourism aspect of this industry. Many wineries make addition income by renting their tasting rooms for use in parties or wedding receptions.

If you are ever in Iowa, take the time to visit some of these family wineries and vineyards. You may be surprised to find a wine you will really like, but I do know you will meet some wonderful, hardworking people in the process. Remember, buy the wine you like, store and serve it at its optimal temperature and enjoy it completely.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Idealwinecoolers.com

Wineries & Tours: Montpellier France Vineyard

In mid-July, my wife and I travelled to France to visit the Mastalerz family living in Montpellier in southern France. We were able to see some wonderful examples of the history of the area. One day we took the time to visit one of the local vineyards near Montpellier. We arrived at the Les Coteaux De St Christol Winery in the early afternoon and were treated to some great southern French hospitality. In preparation for the trip, I did some web research on the wine industry and grape growing regions of France.

French Wine Producing Regions

Three of the best known wine growing regions in France include Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Champagne. The Burgundy area produces various wines from the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties. The Bordeaux area features the “noble” vine, the Cabernet Sauvignon. The best sparkling wines in the world are produced in the Champagne region. Other wine growing regions in France include Loire Valley, Savole, Rhone Valley, Alsace and the Midi and Provence Regions near Montpellier, France. These other regions produce a wide variety of different full-bodied reds, whites, aperitif and dessert wines and popular roses.

Les Coteaux De St Christol Winery

As we drove into the entrance to Les Coteaux, it was obvious that most of the acreage of the farm was cultivated in grapes. Most of the vines we saw were mature and laden with grapes moving towards harvest. Harvest of these grapes would not occur until late August or early September. Most of the vineyards in the same area also had acres and acres of grape vines stretching as far as the eye could see. One farm had started some new vines that had been lost in a wild fire in 2010. It was clear from looking at the landscape why France is the leading wine producer in the world. I was surprise to find out that Luxembourg actually drinks more wine per-capita than France.

As we approached the winery, warehouse and retail shops, I was impressed with the simplicity and neatness of the lay out. Grapes were harvested here, processed into various types of wines, boxed wine was warehoused and shipped from here and retail sales were also conducted. The store had a neat but comprehensive display of all the wines that Les Coteaux De St Christol Winery offered.

We shopped and selected some of the ones we wanted to taste before buying. A cheerful young lady assisted us by carefully pouring into fresh glasses the portion of wine needed to make a decision about its taste. A black vat was located nearby for us to pour off the unwanted taste tests. Of course, when we found one we liked, we drank the whole sample. The best part of visiting a winery like this for me was the rural French hospitality that was coupled with a simple wine tasting experience that I soon won’t forget. We ended up buying several bottles and I am happy to say they made it back to the States without breaking.

Wine Touring

Touring the wine regions in France provided me many fond memories. The vineyards we visited were beautiful to behold and included a back drop of historical structures that date back hundreds and hundreds of years. If you get a chance to tour a French vineyard, you will enjoy the wine tasting, the country style hospitality and at the same time soak up the historical significance of this area of Europe. For example, several vineyards in the area where we were staying were bisected by an old Roman aqueduct built around 92 A.D.

I failed to mention that the winery we visited had recently won an award for some of its offerings. I intend to follow up with more details on our trip to France. In the meantime, buy the wine you like best, store and serve it at its optimum temperature and enjoy immensely.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

Wineries & Tours: France’s Wine Country

My wife and I were invited to France by the Mastalerz family living in Montpellier in southern France. We soon realized that this would be a trip of a life time. We also decided to visit Paris and some vineyards during our travels. In preparation for the trip, I did some web research on the wine industry and grape growing regions of France.

FRENCH WINE GROWING HISTORY

Cultivation of wine in France has been an enduring enterprise since thousands of years before Christ. Romans occupying the area around 90 AD produced a surplus of wine that forced Emperor Domitian to order half of the vineyards uprooted. Viticulture in France during the Middle Ages (400 to 1200 AD) was primarily kept alive by various monasteries located in the country. During the period of English rule (middle 1100 to middle 1400 AD) of the Bordeaux region of France, much of the wine produced there was shipped to England. Wine growing in Europe and France was set back in the mid to late 1800s because of disease and insect problems. In the 1930s, France led a movement to ensure the authenticity of wine related to where it was produced. Today, France is still producing some of the best wines in the world.

FRENCH WINE PRODUCTION

France is the leading wine producer in the world. Rankings based on 2002 wine production totals, put France number one followed by Italy, Spain, United States and Australia, respectively. In 2002, France produced 5,199,930 metric tons, which was nearly 17 percent more than Italy. Other countries that are top ten producers of wine in ranking order are Argentina, China, Germany, South Africa and Portugal. However, France is not the per-capita wine consumption leader, but is second to Luxembourg. The other top three consumers of wine are Italy, Portugal and Croatia. The United States doesn’t even make the top thirty per-capita consumers.

FRENCH WINE GROWING REGIONS

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