Tassel Ridge Winery–March 2009
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Upcoming Events at Tassel Ridge Winery
We have some great events coming up at Tassel Ridge Winery. With the weather improving, you may want to plan to drive out to the Winery again soon.
Saturday, March 28 –
A Taste of Morocco at Tassel Ridge Winery
Wine Tasting: 7:00 p.m.; Dinner Seating: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $60 per person, plus tax
Want to wake up your senses? Join us at Tassel Ridge Winery under a Moroccan-style tent and enjoy a special dinner featuring honey lamb kebabs, Couscous Royale, and delicate honey pastries for dessert. Each course will include a fascinating Tassel Ridge wine pairing. Advance reservations are required by Wednesday, March 25. Call 641/672-9463.
So, what, you ask, is couscous? Couscous is a pasta that is made from semolina flour. On first glance, it looks like rice but the grains are a little smaller. We serve it with seasoned chicken, vegetables, and golden sultanas (raisins). Then, you take a ladle of the chicken and vegetable broth, mix in some harissa sauce (carefully, because it is really spicy) and voilá, you’ve got a great dinner that pairs very nicely with a dry red wine.
I first became acquainted with couscous early in my career when I was visiting Paris regularly two to three times per year on business. That was the mid-1970’s and I’d usually stay in an inexpensive hotel in the 5th Arrondissement. I’d go out looking for a different restaurant every visit and started seeking out couscousaries just because I liked the food. This was also the time when the Algerians were trying to gain their independence from France and I was surprised to discover that places I’d enjoyed couscous on my previous visit were now closed. After having that happen a couple of times, I started asking some questions. It turned out that in both cases, the restaurant had been shot up by Algerian nationalists shortly after my visit! I don’t know that the possible danger made it any more enjoyable but I think you can dispense with any fears of imminent risk in eating couscous at Tassel Ridge Winery.
Saturday, April 4 –
Spring Celebration Wine & Food Pairing Dinner Featuring Iowa White Blossom
Wine Tasting: 7:00 p.m.; Dinner Seating: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $60 per person, plus tax
Join us as we celebrate spring and our newly released Iowa White Blossom wine. This elegant dinner will feature fresh pink snapper with a tropical fruit salsa paired with our Iowa White Blossom, along with other delectable dishes paired with select Tassel Ridge wines. Advance reservations are required by Wednesday, April 1.
Iowa White Blossom is a dry white wine made entirely from Edelweiss grapes grown at Tassel Ridge Winery. We pick these grapes early during harvest in order to minimize the presence of the “Labrusca nose” or foxy quality of the juice in this variety of grapes. The result is a wine with tropical fruit notes that we will complement with a salsa on our pink snapper. Yum!
Those of you who have been Tassel Ridge wine fans for most of the three years we’ve been open to the public will remember our first Iowa White Blossom which we made from 2006 Edelweiss. We made only a small quantity and ran out about a year ago. Many of our customers have asked repeatedly for this wine and its reintroduction is upon us!
Wednesday, April 8 – Wines of the World Class: Germany, Austria, and the Alsace
Class times: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $35 per person, plus tax
The wines of Germany, Austria, and the Alsace traditionally go hand-in-hand, as they are fruitier than those of other countries. Germany has 13 wine growing regions, and each region offers something different. Traditionalists think of the Mosel, Rheingau, and Rheinhessen, but other regions also produce fine quality German wines. Enjoy a light meal while discussing the strict German wine laws and the different quality levels of German wines. You’ll experience and learn about the different wines with distinction according to German wine law. Steve Richardson, Tassel Ridge Winery’s Vineyard Manager and Certified Wine Educator, will guide you through this fascinating area of wine production. While many Austrian wines are similar to German wines, Austria is known for its Grüner Veltliner. The wines of the Alsace, which is actually located in France, have always been associated with Germany based on production techniques and grape varieties. Sample wines from all three countries, and compare them to similar wines made in Iowa at Tassel Ridge Winery. Call Tassel Ridge Winery to reserve your seat by Monday, April 6, as seating is limited.
Saturday, April 18–
Girls’ Day Out for Vines and Wine
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Cost: $20 per person, plus tax
Join us at Tassel Ridge Winery for our 1st annual grapevine wreath workshop. Make your own wreath out of the vines at Tassel Ridge Winery. Enjoy a picnic lunch with a wine-a-rita in a Tassel Ridge Winery souvenir glass on our beautiful terrace. Advance reservations are required by Wednesday, April 15.
Did You Receive Your Winter 2009 Events Program in the Mail?
If not, it means that we don’t have your postal address. Please go our web site at www.tasselridge.com. In the lower left of the splash page, you will see the link to our e-mail list. Please sign up again but this time, please include your postal address and we will take care to see that you receive the Events Program quarterly in the future.
2009 Heart of Iowa Wine Trail Passport Is Your Ticket to Iowa Winery Experiences
A 2009 Heart of Iowa Passport makes a perfect gift for people interested in wine or simply interested in learning about wineries located around Des Moines. The Heart of Iowa Wine Trail includes fifteen wineries located within about 60 miles of Des Moines. Each winery offers a different experience, different wines, and a different and very interesting story. The passport recipient presents his/her passport at each of the member wineries and it is stamped with that winery’s special stamp. A full passport earns the passport owner a set of two engraved Heart of Iowa Wine Trail wine glasses. Get prepared to enjoy the pleasures of the Heart of Iowa Wine Trail wineries.
2009 Heart of Iowa Wine Trail Passport - $25.00 plus tax
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 of wine which 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:
- Dry wines for pairing with food
- Sipping wines that are generally sweeter
Re-orders of full case quantities of the Harvest Club selections are always priced at retail 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 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 641/672-WINE (9463) for more information.
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.
New Retailers Make Purchasing Tassel Ridge Wine Easier
We’ve recently added more than twenty new retailers in order to make it easier for you to find and purchase Tassel Ridge wines. About one third of our new retailers are in the Greater Des Moines area but others are in Fort Dodge, Clear Lake, and the Cedar Valley. View our complete list of retailers at http://www.tasselridge.com/retail.htm. Here is the list of new retailers added since January 1, 2009.
Des Moines
Hy-Vee Food Store • 3330 MLK Pkwy.
Dahl's Foods • 1819 Beaver Ave.
Dahl's Foods • 3400 E. 33rd St.
Johnston
Hy-Vee Food Store • 5750 Merle Hay Rd.
Pleasant Hill
Hy-Vee Food Store • 4815 Maple Dr.
West Des Moines
Hy-Vee Food Store • 1700 Valley West Dr.
Hy-Vee Food Store • 1990 Grand Ave.
Dahl's Foods • 1208 Prospect Ave.
Cedar Rapids
Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits • 5050 Edgewood Rd. NE
Hy-Vee Drugstore • 2405 Mount Vernon Rd.
Hy-Vee Food Store • 1843 Johnson Ave. NW
Vineria Wine Shop • 264 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE
Chariton
Hy-Vee Food Store • 2001 Court Ave.
Clear Lake
Lake Coffee & Ice Cream • Hwy 18 Plaza 210 Suite D
Clinton
Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits • 901 S. 4th St.
Ft. Dodge
Hy-Vee Food Store • 115 S. 29th St.
Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits • 1511 2nd Ave. N
Iowa City
Hy-Vee Drugstore • 310 N. 1st Ave.
Mason City
Hy-Vee Food Store • 551 S. Illinois
Melchar
City Floral • 104 SE A St. POB 176
Ottumwa
Fareway Food Store • 1325 Albia Rd.
St. Ansgar
Thymeless Treasurers Ltd. Co. • 108 S. Washington POB 252
Washington
Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits • 1004 W. Madison
Last Call on Wines About to Run Out
We are nearly sold out of the following four wines:
- Fruit Stand Raspberry Fruit Wine
- Fruit Stand Cranberry Fruit Wine
- American Dry Riesling
- 2008 Iowa Nouveau
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.
Our Hours:
In March and April 2009, we are open seven days a week for tours, tasting, wine, and gift shop during the following hours:
- Monday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Thursday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Sunday, 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
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 toward Leighton. From Des Moines and Pella, drive southeast 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
—Bob Wersen, President
Email Jody Brockway at info@tasselridge.com to sign up a friend for our e-newsletter.