Tassel Ridge Winery–February 24, 2010
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Tassel Ridge Winery Events
Saturday, February 27
Red Wine Lovers' Event—Space available!
Thursday, March 11
Girls’ Night Out at Tassel Ridge Winery—Sold out!
Thursday, March 18
Girls’ Night Out at Tassel Ridge Winery—Sold out!
Saturday, March 27
Moroccan Inspired Wine Dinner—Space available!
For reservations, call Tassel Ridge Winery at 641.672.WINE (9463)
Saturday, February 27—Special Event for Red Wine Lovers
4:00–6:00 p.m.
Price: $10 per person, plus tax
Join us for our inaugural Red Wine Lovers’ event at Tassel Ridge Winery. Meet in the cellar with our Winemaker, Rhonda Taylor, for a tasting of Marquette, a varietal wine made exclusively from grapes grown in our Mahaska County vineyards.The grapes were harvested on September 22, 2009, and processed on our crush pad that day. A portion of the juice and skins was placed directly into our new 800 liter French oak barrels, with the remaining into a stainless steel tank. Learn more about the wine-making process while tasting samples of the wine from both the barrel and the tank, and enjoy our finished dry reds accompanied by appetizers featuring products available in our gift shop. Steve Richardson, our Vineyard Manager and Certified Wine Educator, will also be available to discuss grape production, and will join Rhonda in a discussion of the evolution of this wine from harvest to release. Advance reservations are required by Friday, February 26.
If you like dry red wine then this event is for you. The cellar experience, tasting, and discussion is all designed to address your questions about red wine and the foods that pair well with it. By the way, this is the first of our programs for Red Wine Lovers. If you’d like to be notified about all of these programs, please click here and provide your name and e-mail address. We will add you to a special list for red wine programs.
Friday, March 5—Des Moines Metro Opera’s Wine & Food Showcase
5:30–8:30 p.m.
Location: Downtown Des Moines Marriott
Price: Tickets are $50 per person ($35 each for groups of 8 or more)
Call 515.961.6221 for tickets
Join us at Des Moines Metro Opera’s Wine & Food Showcase at the Downtown
Des Moines Marriott. We will be sampling a variety of award-winning Tassel Ridge wines.
Saturday, March 27—Join Us for a Moroccan Inspired Wine Dinner
Wine Tasting: 7:00 p.m.
Dinner Seating: 7:30 p.m.
Price: $50 per person, plus tax (includes wine and gratuity)
Enjoy a three-course dinner under a Moroccan-style tent featuring a Moroccan Date and Orange Salad, Couscous Royale with chicken and a variety of vegetables seasoned to your taste with Harissa Paste, and an array of delicate Moroccan desserts. Each course will be paired with select Tassel Ridge wines. Advance reservations are required by Wednesday, March 24.
Last year a storm raged outside while everyone appeared to forget the weather and enjoy great food and wine. In fact, we were seated in the visitors’ gallery in our Moroccan “tent” and we could have been out on the Sahara Desert….without the sand fleas! After our long winter, some time in the desert sounds pretty good to me.
Anyhow, some people are a little concerned about eating something with a strange name like couscous. Couscous is a North African pasta. It looks a little like rice but it is made entirely from Semolina flour just like penne or spaghetti. Your plate will have a little mountain of couscous onto which you will put some nicely spiced chicken and vegetables. Then, you will take the ladle and take a portion of broth to which you will add as much harissa paste as you want. The harissa paste is made from ground chilies and olive oil and it is HOT! But, it provides great flavor. The entire meal is just made for dry red wine.
I first encountered couscous in the 1970’s when I was visiting Paris on business on a regular basis. In those days, couscous restaurants were not tourist magnets. In fact, the Algerian war for independence from France was winding down and most of the clientele for these restaurants were Algerian ex-pats living in Paris. I’d find one restaurant I liked and the next time I’d be in Paris, it would have closed. I’d do a little checking and would find out that it had been shot up. This happened twice. Finally, I found a nice couscouserie and I understand that it is still open for business. In those days, the wine of choice was an Algerian red. These wines were pretty rough. I think you will like our dry reds much more.
I don’t expect any excitement at our couscous dinner, but I can guarantee some great food and wine and a nice evening.
—Bob Wersen, President
Big News! Tassel Ridge Wines Win Four Medals at Florida State Fair
Tassel Ridge wines won four medals at the recent Florida State Fair:
GOLD—Sweet Roxie Red
SILVER —Red, White, & Blue®
BRONZE—Iowa White Blossom
BRONZE—Finalé Iowa Red
Tassel Ridge 2009 Iowa Nouveau Pairs With Many Winter Foods
The Tassel Ridge 2009 Iowa Nouveau is our first wine of each season. It gets no ageing in oak and no malo-lactic fermentation to soften the fruity acids but it is bottled in late October only 6–7 weeks after the start of fermentation. There is nothing complex about this wine. It is a simple, fruity, acidic wine that pairs very nicely with simple, cold weather foods like hearty soups, stews, and even chili.
Here is a little secret about Nouveau. Tassel Ridge 2009 Iowa Nouveau pairs VERY well with spicy foods. For example, a traditional brat is an outstanding foil for 2009 Iowa Nouveau. Or, try two of my favorite foods for 2009 Iowa Nouveau. First, I like to make vegetable soup once the weather gets cold. Just before I start eating the soup in my bowl, I add some Tabasco and wow! The spicy veggie soup with Tassel Ridge 2009 Iowa Nouveau is outstanding! A second idea is to add crushed pizza peppers to a pizza before cooking and again, the combination with our 2009 Iowa Nouveau is memorable. My theory is that the relatively high acid level of the 2009 Iowa Nouveau complements the heat of the pepper. Anyhow, it is sure good.
By the way, if you are going to serve brats with our 2009 Iowa Nouveau, consider one of the many gourmet mustards from Stonewall Kitchen that we offer in our gift shop. What a yummy combination they make!
Tassel Ridge 2009 Iowa Nouveau is priced at $14.00 per 750 ml bottle, plus tax and deposit. Only a few of our retailers carry this wine because of its short shelf life. You can purchase it at the Winery or we can ship it to you in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Florida, Washington D.C., and California.
—Bob Wersen, President
Area Attractions
Saturday, March 6—See the Bald Eagles at Red Rock Dam near Pella
The 22nd Annual Bald Eagle Days offer an opportunity to see live eagles, hawks, owls, and more. Horn’s Ferry Bridge at Red Rock Dam will have staffed viewing stations from 10:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 6. Also see Raptor Shows hourly from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Douwstra Auditorium at Central College. For more info click here or contact Tracy Spry at 641.828.7522 or 641.628.8690.
And, when you are done watching the eagles, stop by Tassel Ridge Winery. We are located about ten miles southeast of Pella just off State Highway 163 at 220th Street (aka G-39).
Recent Event
Valentine’s Dinners at Tassel Ridge Winery on February 13 & 14
Our Valentine’s dinners usually sell out and this year was no exception. Here is what our dining room looked like this year.
What is Happening Now in Our Vineyards?
In the last edition of the Tassel Ridge Winery e-letter, I discussed how weather conditions impact the varieties of grapes we grow in Iowa. This time, I will address where our varieties came from.
The first grapes that were grown commercially in Iowa were Vitis Labrusca which is native to New England. Concord was the most popular variety mainly because it could be shipped hundreds of miles in unrefrigerated rail cars. Concord was also very productive. By 1919, there were about 4,000 acres of grapes planted in Iowa and most of them were Concord. (Today, there are only about 1,200 acres of grapes planted in Iowa).
Today, most of the grape varieties growing in Iowa were developed in Wisconsin by a dairyman named Elmer Swenson. Late in his career, he worked with the University of Minnesota and after his death, the University carried on his work. Swenson’s objective was simply to develop varieties that tasted good and could be grown reliably in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
At Tassel Ridge Winery, some of our biggest plantings are Swenson hybrids including: Edelweiss, St. Croix, Sabrevois, Brianna, St. Pepin, and La Crosse. In addition, we grow large numbers of Marquette, Frontenac, and LaCrescent, all of which came from the University of Minnesota grape breeding program.
Elmer Swenson didn’t keep accurate records of the parentage of grapes he developed but it does appear that he used a native grape called Vitis Riperia and crossed it with different natives from New England (Vitis Labrusca). The University of Minnesota started with Vitis Riperia, as well as some unnamed varieties Swenson developed and crossed them with European or Vitis Vinifera varieties. For example, Marquette is 25% Pinot Noir.
Because our varieties are frequently fairly new, we are still learning which cellar techniques will work in helping us produce the very best wines from our grapes.
—Bob Wersen, President
Interested in Pairing Specific Foods with Tassel Ridge Wines?
Are you interested in suggestions of foods that pair well with specific Tassel Ridge wines? We’ve put some suggestions on our web site under Recipes and Food Pairing Suggestions. You can link directly to this page at www.tasselridge.com/recipes.htm.
Our Hours:
In February and March 2010, we are open seven days a week, weather permitting, for tours, tasting, and wine and gift shop sales:
• Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Sunday, Noon–6 p.m.
Our Location:
Tassel Ridge Winery is easy to find. It is just south of State Highway 163 on 220th Street in rural Leighton. From Ottumwa and Oskaloosa, drive northwest on 163 to 220th Street and turn left toward Leighton. From Des Moines and Pella, drive southeast on Highway 163 and turn right at 220th Street. Drive west on 220th about 0.7 miles from the Highway and right into the Tassel Ridge Winery parking lot. view maps
E-mail Jody Brockway at info@tasselridge.com to sign up a friend for our e-newsletter.
