Tassel Ridge Winery

Tassel Ridge Winery–November 2008

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November 2008:
At a Glance

November 8 and 9

Saturday, November 8, 10-4

November 15 and 16

Saturday, November 22, 11:30-2

Saturday, November 22, 7 p.m.

Governor Culver Declares November Iowa Wine Industry Month

Governor Culver recently signed a proclamation declaring November Iowa Wine Industry Month in recognition of the outstanding contributions Iowa’s wine industry has made to the state of Iowa and to the winemaking industry as a whole.

Iowa now has about 850 acres of grapes planted and 70 licensed wineries. The wineries range from very small family operations to mid-sized, professionally managed establishments. Each offers a different visitor experience. Many of the state’s wineries are members of one of the five wine trails that exist in the state. The trails make it easy for visitors to find nearby wineries and to visit several over a weekend. Visit www.heartofiowawinetrail.com.

Saturday & Sunday,
November 8 and 9

Weekend of Zin, Release of our
New Zinfull Red

Join us at Tassel Ridge Winery for a “Weekend of Zin” and the release of our first red Zinfandel wine. This is a BIIIIIG wine. Cherry notes and hints of oak, combined with 14% alcohol, make this a wine you will want to pair with steaks, well seasoned grilled chicken and pork, or spicy pasta. This has just become my new favorite Tassel Ridge wine. 

Price: $20 per 750 ml bottle, plus tax. 

Saturday, November 8,
10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Introducing John Vruwink:
Tassel Ridge Winery Artist in Residence

John Vruwink will display his glassblown beads, earrings, vases, and paperweights. John has been blowing glass for 30 years and doing lampwork for 7 years. He is a retired art professor. John will be at the Winery from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on the Visitors’ Gallery.

Saturday & Sunday
November 15 and 16

2008 Nouveau Release Weekend

Come out to Tassel Ridge to taste our 2008 Iowa Nouveau. This is our first wine from the 2008 harvest. It is made in the style of the Nouveau Beaujolais. It is very fruity and ready to consume with holiday meals. It is very simple and up front and has had no oak aging. Plan to drink it now and through the holidays. 

Saturday, November 22,
11:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Nouveau Taste-off

Join us at Tassel Ridge Winery between 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. for our first ever Nouveau Taste-Off. Compare the Tassel Ridge Winery Nouveau with Nouveau Beaujolais from France. We will have as many different labels as we can buy for this event. Decide which you like best. We will pair the Nouveau’s with brats. Cost is $30 per person plus tax. Please reserve your place by Wednesday, November 19, by calling 641/672-9463. 

Saturday, November 22, 7:00 p.m.

Fruits of our Harvest Wine and Food Pairing Dinner

Join us as we celebrate the fruits of our harvest with the release of our 2008 Iowa Nouveau.  You’ll relish succulent pork loin in a demi-glace of Tassel Ridge 2008 Iowa Nouveau. This festive dinner will finish with “Pears in Nightgowns,” a decadent dessert paired with our special mulled wine. Price is $60 per person plus tax. Please make your reservations by Wednesday, November 19 by calling 641/672-9463. 

Tassel Ridge Winery Harvest Club

We are pleased to announce the formation of the Tassel Ridge Winery Harvest Club.  Members receive four shipments of Tassel Ridge Wine each year in March, May, September, and November. We have picked those months because they are usually temperate enough that we can ship wine without excessive heat or cold to damage it. Each shipment contains two bottles that are priced at retail plus shipping unless club members pick up their shipments at the Winery. In that case, there is no shipping charge. The average price of each shipment including shipping is $45. 

We offer two wine preferences:

Re-orders of full case quantities of the Harvest Club selections are always priced at retail value, less 20% when orders are placed within 60 days of the original shipment. 

Harvest club members have the first opportunity to purchase limited edition wines before they are offered to the public. They are also offered special tasting opportunities when they visit the Winery. In the future, we plan to have wine and food pairing dinners for club members only, special tastings with the wine maker, and opportunities to see how wine is made all of which are designed to make the experience of consuming Tassel Ridge Wines especially enjoyable. In the future, we plan to have Harvest Club Members only wine and food pairing dinners, special tastings with the wine maker, and opportunities to see how wine is made. All of this is designed to make the experience of consuming Tassel Ridge Wines especially enjoyable.

The Tassel Ridge Harvest Club is open to people 21 years of age and older. Shipments are paid for with a credit card that is kept on file. 

This is a great way to stay up-to-date on our new wines. Because some of our wines are never sold through retailers, you may not see some of these wines unless you visit the Winery regularly or are a Harvest Club Member.    

Consider a Tassel Ridge Harvest Club membership as the perfect gift for a person who enjoys wine. Call for more information at 641/672-9463.

Custom Labels are a Great Way to Recognize Success and to Celebrate an Accomplishment

Most Tassel Ridge Wines are available with custom labels that allow you to celebrate a big zero birthday, recognize a friend’s special achievement, or to thank the person who already has everything. Provide us with a photo and some guidance as to what you want on
the label, and we will do the rest. We have a one case minimum
(12 bottles) and a label set-up fee starting at $10. Custom labeled wine does NOT qualify for the case discount. Check our notebook of special wine labels to find ideas for your label.

Do You Want To Ship Wine Out of State?

We can now ship to the following six states (Illinois now requires a license that we don't have): 

If you would like to be able to ship wine to other states not mentioned above, please let us
know and we will investigate what kinds of licenses and permits we need to ship there.

What’s Happening in the Vineyard?

We enjoyed our biggest harvest yet this year. It totaled 97 tons, up from only 31 tons last year. The fruit quality was generally very good, but untimely rain storms hurt the quality of two varieties. We are still learning which varieties make sense to grow in our soil and micro climate.

We have finished installing drip emitters for our irrigation system. We’ve removed any remaining fruit and are working on controlling any remaining weeds. We’ve made a careful count of vines that need to be replaced and are ordering more vines for planting next season. We are getting our vineyards ready for winter.

This month, we will go to work on equipment that needs to be serviced and cleaned up so that it will be ready next season. The equipment list includes Gators, tractors (all green, of course), sprayer rigs, a post pounder, and related tools.

What’s Happening in
the Cellar?

All but one or two of our tanks are brim full. We really have to plan carefully as to where we are going to move wine when we rack a tank during normal winery operations. All of our fermentations of wines made from this year’s fruit are nearly done, and we are starting the next operations now. Our Nouveau is the furthest along, and it is being cold stabilized now. We will bottle the Nouveau during the week beginning November 10.

Last Call on Wines About to Run Out

We are nearly sold out of the following three wines:

We have small quantities of each of these wines available at the Winery on a first come, first served basis.  Case discounts of 10% on twelve bottles of any of our wines apply.

Restaurants that Serve Tassel Ridge wine

Tassel Ridge Wines in Restaurants:

You can enjoy Tassel Ridge wines with your meals at several Iowa Restaurants:

Waterfront Seafood Market Restaurants, in Clocktower Square West Des Moines at West University and 28th Street, and NOW in Ankeny just south of Tones Spices, are two of the newest additions to our list of restaurants that serve Tassel Ridge wines. Both Waterfront locations offer Candleglow White, Prelude, and Twilight. Candlelight and Prelude pair very well with shellfish, sushi, and boned fish such as tuna, swordfish, and halibut. Twilight pairs well with their steaks.

 

Our Hours:

In November 2008, we are open for tours, tasting, wine, and gift shop sales seven days a week during the following hours:

We will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but we will be open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Our Location:

Tassel Ridge Winery is easy to find. It is just south of State Highway 163 on 220th Street in Leighton. From Ottumwa and Oskaloosa, drive northwest on 163 to 220th Street and turn left towards Leighton. From Des Moines and Pella, 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

Email Jody Brockway at info@tasselridge.com to sign up a friend for our enewsletter.

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—Bob Wersen, President