Tag Archives: Iowa

July Bubbly Club: Iowa

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Bubbly Wine ClubScheid Vineyards - Isabelle SparklingScheid Vineyards
Isabelle Sparkling Cuvée
Monterey, California

BUBBLY WINE STYLE

If you know about the crafting of champagne, you understand it is a special wine that is a labor of love. And that is why Scheid Vineyards’ sparkling cuvée was named for Isabelle Adolphin Pearce, the beloved mother of Founder, Al Scheid. Like the hands-on, no-shortcuts-allowed méthode champenoise way Scheid produces their sparkler, Isabelle was old school through and through. Something “store bought” wasn’t worth nearly as much as something that was lovingly made by hand, whether it was an intricately crocheted afghan, a faux red fur coat for her granddaughter, or her melt-in-your-mouth pot roast. She firmly believed that busy hands make a happy heart and she lived by those words by working hard and taking care of others her entire life. Scheid Vineyards’ Isabelle Sparkling Wine is an elegant and complex cuvée in a brut style, with aromas of green apple, pear and hints of white flowers, honey and brioche. Here’s to Isabelle, much loved and greatly missed.

Appellation: Monterey
Varietal: Cuvée – 51% Chardonnay, 49% Pinot Noir
Analysis: 12.5% alcohol / volume
pH: 3.13
TA: 8.7 g/L
Aging: 100% Stainless Steel
Tirage: 48 months en tirage (on the lees)

VINEYARDS
Great sparkling wine is made from grapes grown in only the coolest climates, where the delicate aromas and natural acidity are preserved. Monterey County, with morning fogs that often linger until mid-day, possesses just the right conditions to place it on par with the best growing regions of the world for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Scheid Vineyards carefully farms specific estate vineyard rows throughout the year that epitomize intensity, complexity and excellent structure. These grapes are carefully hand-harvested into small bins and transported promptly to the winery.

WINEMAKING
‘Isabelle’ is produced in the traditional méthode champenoise. Primary fermentation was done slowly and at cold temperatures to enhance the varietal aromatics and preserve the natural delicate character.  Next, the cuvée was bottled with sugar and yeast, and a secondary fermentation proceeded in the bottle. While fermenting en tirage, carbon dioxide that would normally be released was trapped, producing the sparkle and bubbles. After aging on the lees for 48 months, the wine was riddled—slowly shaken and turned with the angle gradually increased, causing the lees to dislodge and settle in the neck of the bottle. The settled lees were then frozen to form a “plug” and disgorged. The sparkling wine was quickly corked to maintain the effervescence and voilà, Isabelle was born! 

Scheid Vineyards
Scheid Vineyards
By Scheid Vineyards – Explore Vineyards

July Sweet Club: Iowa

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Sweet Wine ClubChambers Rutherglen MuscadelleChambers Rosewood Vineyards
Muscadelle
Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia

Produced from the Muscadelle grape, and previously called Tokay, this blend is comprised of varietals aged between six and ten years old. Amber to gold in color, it shows fresh honeycomb, orange peel and cold leaf-tea on the nose. The palate offers sweet toffee, citrus fruits and honey with a hint of spirit and aged oak spice on the back palate. Muscadelle carries itself with a feline grace as opposed to the powerhouse Muscat persona.

Appellation: Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia
Varietal: Muscadelle
Analysis: 18.3% alc/vol | TA: 4.35 g/L | pH: 3.6
Critical Acclaim: 92 pts Halliday Wine Companion, 91 pts Vinous, 91 pts Wine Spectator, 90 pts/Editors‘ Choice Wine Enthusiast

Chambers Rutherglen MuscatChambers Rosewood Vineyards
Muscat
Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia

Produced from Muscat a Petit Grains, or Brown Muscat as it is more commonly known, this blend is comprised of varietals aged between six and ten years old. Amber gold in color with copper hues, the nose offers fresh raisins, sultanas, lifted spirit and cinnamon oak spices. The palate is rich and silky, its sweet dried fruits balanced by aged oak tannins and bright acidity, providing a clean, rather than cloying, finish.

Appellation: Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia
Varietal: Muscat a Petit Grains
Analysis: 17.7% alc/vol | TA: 4.15 g/L | pH: 3.6
Critical Acclaim: 94 pts Halliday Wine Companion, 92 pts Wine Enthusiast, 91 pts Vinous, 90 pts Wine Spectator

 
Chambers Rosewood Winery

ABOUT THE WINERY:
Since establishment in 1858 in Victoria’s famed Rutherglen region in Australia, winemaking duties at Chambers Rosewood have been handed down from father to son through six generations. Recognized the world over for their complexity, intensity and balance, these Muscats and Muscadelles are a national relic; wines expertly crafted from unctuous material that has matured in the family cellars for more than a century.

Stephen Chambers

Stephen Chambers

WINEMAKING:
In the warm fall climate the grapes ripen and shrivel on the vines producing natural sugar levels in the range of 30-36 degrees Brix. The raisined grapes are then picked, crushed, and this intensely sweet grape juice is fortified with neutral grape spirit. A wood aging program then follows loosely resembling a solar system, lasting, in some cases, for over 100 years.

“This 120-acre estate, now helmed by Stephen Chambers, is one of the most consistent producers of top-class fortified sweet wines in the world.”
Josh Raynolds, Vinous (2016)

Love the Sweet life?
“Wine” not try our Sweet Club! 

Click here to learn more >

Sweet Club

 

 

June Beer Club: Iowa

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Adnams ExplorerAdnams
Explorer
Southwold, Suffolk, England

Adnams Explorer is the result of their previous Head Brewer, Mike Powell-Evans’ trips to the United States. He was inspired to create a blonde beer using two American hops that are grown in the Yakima Valley in Washington. These hops, called Columbus and Chinook, add wonderful grapefruit flavors to the beer. Over the years, Adnams and their new Head Brewer, Fergus, have dropped the Columbus hops to make the beer less harsh. Eventually, they moved to dry hopping their Explorer in tank, allowing them to add a depth a flavor to their beers. The citrus attack will burst on your palate as the hops deliver their fruity bitterness. Explorer is fantastic served chilled and pairs well with cleanly flavored foods. Contains barley.

BeerStyles: Crisp & Clean
Style: Golden Ale
ABV: 5%

ABOUT BREWER:

Adnams is an award-winning UK brewer, hotelier and wine merchant producing amazing beers and spirts from grain-to glass in their coastal home of Southwold.  The brewery, in which brothers George and Ernest Adnams purchased in 1872, had brewed beer for at least 670 years. Adnams Brewery is proud of their roots, which gives them strength and confidence to grow and evolve.  They run their business sustainably with passion and care, supported by ever-evolving technology, to make great products and create memorable experiences for their customers.  From selecting suppliers they work with, to the ingredients they buy for their beers and spirits, they look at all aspects of production to make sure they’re doing the right thing.  You can find these award-winning beers and spirits in Adnams stores in the UK, partner pubs and in outlets across the world.

Adnams Southwold BitterAdnams
Southwold Bitter
Southwold, Suffolk, England

First brewed in 1967 (under the name Adnams Best Bitter), Southwold Bitter holds Adnams oldest trademark, Southwold Jack.  Southwold Bitter is a beautiful copper-colored beer, late hopped with Fuggles for a distinctive, lingering hoppiness. Perfectly balanced hops and malt creates a classic session beer. Their Bitter pairs with roast meats and fish cooked in batter as the clean bitterness cuts through the slightly fatty notes and hence keeps the palate refreshed. Contains gluten – barley.

BeerStyles: Malty & Sweet
Style: English Bitter
ABV: 4.1%

Adnams BroadsideAdnams
Broadside
Southwold, Suffolk, England

Perfect for parties or celebratory gatherings. Brewed with English Pale Ale malts and English First Gold hops, Broadside is a dark ruby red beer rich in fruitcake aromas, almonds and conserved fruit; this beer is served by the bottle, draft or in casks. Adnams’ mini-casks are filled with fresh beer and have a short shelf life of a minimum of two weeks and should be consumed within that time. Please leave to settle for 24 hours after purchase. Contains gluten – barley

BeerStyles: Malty & Sweet
Style: English Strong Bitter
ABV: 6.3%

Adnams Tally-HoAdnams
Tally-Ho Reserve
Southwold, Suffolk, England

Brewed with Pale Ale, Crystal and Brown malts. Tally Ho is dark Mahogany red in color with a rich, fruity aroma and a heart warming sweet raisin and biscuit palate. Adnams Tally-Ho is a limited edition Barley-wine style beer, brewed at Adnams since 1880. Traditionally a Christmas beer, and brewed in October in limited quantities, many pubs lay a cask down like fine wine and save it for special occasions throughout the year. The ABV of Tally Ho in cask varies year to year.

BeerStyles: Malty & Sweet
Style: Barley-Wine Style Ale
ABV: Around 7-9%

Samuel Smith's Perry CiderSamuel Smith’s
Organic Perry Cider
Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England

A dry, sparkling pear cider with glowing pale straw color, smooth body, crisp but rich flavor and the gentle aroma of a summer pear orchard. Samuel Smith’s makes this perry at a small, independent British brewery, the oldest brewery in Yorkshire.

BeerStyles: Fruity & Spicy
Style: Cider
ABV: 5%

ABOUT BREWER:

Samuel Smith’s is an independent English brewery in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England. It is Yorkshire‘s oldest brewery, founded in 1758. They brew a wide range of high quality beers, solely from authentic natural ingredients. The brewery still uses stone Yorkshire squares to ferment all of its ales and stouts (except Sovereign and Extra Stout) and the same yeast strain has been used since the 1800s. Samuel Smith’s uses oak casks for all of its naturally conditional ale. Whole dried English hop varieties such as Fuggles and Goldings are used to add bitterness and aroma to Samuel Smith’s traditional ales in the antique boiling coppers. Their casks are made and repaired at the Old Brewery by the brewery’s full-time coopers. The brewery operates over 200 pubs, which are notable for their independence.

May Bubbly Club: Iowa

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Gönc winery is a family tradition going back to the year 1936 when Peter Gönc’s great grandfather built their first wine cellar and planted the vineyard around it in the small town of Dobrovnik in Slovenia. After World War II his grandfather moved to the city Ptuj the oldest town in Slovenia, located between the wine-growing hills and the River Drava. He started working in the Ptujska Klet – Ptuj wine cellar as a cellar cleaner and worked his way up to head winemaker and CEO of the oldest winery in Slovenia now know as Pullus.

Peter’s father also worked at the same winery but on the side, he also planted 28 acres of vineyards to keep up the family tradition. When Peter came of age they built a new cellar in Ptuj and started Gönc again. Peter is the 4th generation of winemakers and winegrowers in the family.

Fun fact, Gönc is actually a name for a barrel produced in Hungary with 136 liters volume. There are 136 dots on each bottle of their wines with each dot representing 1 Liter.

Canvas Sparkling Rose Wine

Bubbly Wine ClubCanvas Pet Nat Brut Rosé
Sparkling Rosé
Pinot Noir
Slovenia

Slovenia vineyards are located in the center of the European wine-growing belt.  The belt is similar to those in Burgundy and the climate influences and soil allow Slovenia to grow a diversity of 52 vine varieties. Slovenia has three key wine regions, Primorska, Posavje and Podravje. Located in the east, with densely planted vineyards, Podravje produces the majority of the country’s wines. Stajerska Slovenia is a wine-growing district within the Podravje wine region. The grape varietals, wine styles and terroir of Stajerska are similar to the over all wines produced in the Podravje region.  Click to learn more about Slovenia wines >

Appellation: Stajerska, Slovenia
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Analysis: 12.0% alcohol / volume

Canvas Sparkling White Wine

Bubbly Wine ClubCanvas Pet Nat Brut
Sparkling White Wine
Pinot Blanc
Slovenia

This effervescent, refreshing wine offers scents of fresh lemon and minerals, with hints of crisp pear and almonds. On the palate, the bouquet opens to flavors of green grapes, lemon peel and herbs with a slight hint of black pepper on the finish. Cloudy and wild, with big juicy bubbles, it’s a perfect aperitif or complement to seafood and other light fare.

Appellation: Stajerska, Slovenia
Varietal: Pinot Blanc
Analysis: 12.0% alcohol / volume

Vineyard Cottage Jursinci Slovenia.jpg
By Topjur01 – Traditional vineyard cottage in the Ptuj region, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Power Couple = Wine Couple

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Allan and Gina Graham

Allan and Gina Graham, proprietors of WineStyles in Johnston, IA

The Graham’s both come from corporate backgrounds – Allan in IT and Gina in Accounting. They had always appreciated wine, learning about the agriculture behind it (both having grown up on Iowa farms), learning about different varietals and regions, and developing their palates. Owning a boutique wine shop by day, wine bar by night hadn’t occurred to them.

As wine connoisseurs, they had frequented many different wine shops locally, but the couple was first exposed to WineStyles as customers of the West Des Moines, Iowa location. The concept really resonated with them and helped in their growing appreciation and knowledge of wine.

“I had always warded off drinking Chardonnay until I learned how it can range from lighter and silkier to richer and more buttery in flavor through experiencing different styles of the grape”, mentioned Gina. (For the record, she prefers SILKY style of Chardonnay.)

They were hooked and quickly became Wine Club members, participating in the many wine tastings and education events  available at the West Des Moines WineStyles store.

All of these experiences led Allan and Gina to opening their own WineStyles store in January of 2010. The couple continued working their corporate jobs for three years before deciding that Allan would focus 100% of his time on their WineStyles store.

This decision has helped them to grow their store even further, and even branch out to having a role in area development on behalf of the franchise. Gina continues to work at her corporate job full-time, but is an active partner in the store.

Johnston, Iowa WineStyles Store

Johnston, Iowa WineStyles Store

Today, Allan and Gina continue to enjoy learning about wine and craft beer, and love having the frequent opportunity to share that knowledge with others, whether during an individual retail experience or through one of their portfolio tastings or education classes.

“Owning our WineStyles store has provided us with the opportunity to meet so many new people and friends, including other industry professionals, our fellow WineStyles store owners, and our customers.”
Johnston, Iowa WineStyles Store

Wine bar at Johnston, Iowa WineStyles Store

WineStyles is more than just wine on the shelves – it’s about building a community, a true “Clubhouse” experience. Allan and Gina have a few touching stories of community development due to their involvement with WineStyles:

Expanding their customers’ palates can be very interesting to watch. “We had customer who was ‘nothing but Chardonnay’.   He ended up joining our Wine Club, and over time, he evolved into a ‘big red’ wine drinker” noted Allan.

“Once, a couple that had been dating for a while, joined our Wine Club and regularly frequented the Friday night tastings. When he was ready to propose, he chose our store because this was a favorite date night and they enjoyed the store and our company” added Gina. “Amazingly, they also decided to hold the actual wedding at our store, one year later, on December 23, 2017.  What a blessing to be part of their new lives together!”

As a valued member of the Johnston community, Allan was also elected to the Board of Directors of the Johnston Chamber of Commerce and served as President in 2016.

“It has been fun to see the many friendships form among our customers over the years and the small-world connections when they engage in conversation”, remarked Allan.

Learn more about Allan and Gina’s journey at the Open House on Wednesday, February 28th at 6:00pm. Discover the world of franchising and learn about WineStyles business opportunities in Iowa. The event is free to attend. Please call to RSVP.

WineStyles Open House Event:

Monday, March 5, 2018
6:00pm

WineStyles at Iowa River Landing
920 East 2nd Avenue, Suite 115
Coralville, Iowa 52241

Phone Allan to RSVP: 515-334-9463

Hope to see you on March 5th!

Cheers,

Allan and Gina Graham,
Area Developers for Iowa market and Proprietors of WineStyles in Johnston.