Foodie Field Trip- Fireside Winery and Ackerman Winery

One lovely, rainy, windy autumn Saturday my daughter in law Janelle and I headed east to one of my favorite places on earth, the Fireside Winery. What better place for Girls Road Trip than a winery? Fireside is nestled in the rolling fields of Eastern Iowa, just a stone's throw from the famous Amana Colonies. It's a beautiful winery with a number of delicious wines all made from Iowa-grown grapes from their own vineyards. Founded in 2007 the winery has grown by leaps and bounds since the first time I visited there in 2008. Rona and Bill Wyant, the owners, were inspired by the loss of a dear friend to jump in and make their dream come true- build a winery. The tasting room is beautiful with dark woods and stone floors. The vineyards, known as Brickyard Hill Vineyard, stretch out as far as you can see. Named after an 1800s-era brickyard that once stood in the same place, the vineyards were planted in 2005 as planning and building the winery was in it's early stages.

In these vineyards you will find a variety of Iowa grapes, so let's talk about them- Frontenac Gris is a grape that reminds you of tropical fruits, citrus and stone fruit like peaches. Le Crescent is a white grape that produces wines similar to Riesling, and one of my favorites! St. Pepin is often left to freeze on the vine, which concentrates the sugars, increasing the alcohol in the wine and creating Iowa's version of Ice Wine. Brianna is another white grape that produces a lovely a perfumey sweet white wine. LaCrosse grapes have a lot of citrus notes. St. Croix is a popular red grape and makes beautiful single varietals, and is included in many red blends. Frontenac is a red grape with aromas of cherry, stone fruit like plums, and blackberry. It is used in roses and port wines. Marquette is a relative of the Pinot Noir grape and creates a fantastic red wine with a spicy note and cherry flavors.

The winery hosts special events all throughout the year, from music around the firepit in the summer, weddings, parties, and appetizer nights. In the tasting room you can also enjoy wine slushes in the summer, wine cocktails and of course, a glass of Fireside wine. They even have something for the non-wino in the group, a great selection of craft beers and non alcoholic beverages. We went for one of these special events- a Sip and Celebrate Tasting, which is geared to groups. The winery is just as much fun just to pop in for a visit. You can order from a pretty nice menu of appetizers, cheeses, meats and even flatbreads, grab a glass or bottle of your favorite wine, and head for a seat on the patio, or when the weather is less than friendly, at a table in the lounge near the fireplace.

I bet you're wondering what wines we sampled, right? Well, here is the rundown. Let's start with the whites- Seyval, which is a lightly oaked dry white. It has a sweet citrusy aroma and pairs perfectly with spicy or rich foods. Brianna brings hints of pear, apple, and a hint of butter aromas but brings citrus and "green grass" flavors. Our tasting guide told us Brianna is the first grape to be harvested each fall, and the grapes are also delicious when eaten fresh, unlike many wine grapes. Frontenac Gris is a lovely off dry white that has luscious honey flavors, apricot and pear. Sunset was a sweet and lovely wine, with a very fruit forward peach flavor. It's light and summery and makes perfect white sangria or wine spritzers. LaCrosse is another dry white with citrus and green grass notes, slight minerality, and perfect for pairing with seafood and garlicky dishes. Blu is Fireside's Riseling-style wine, made from Geisenheim grapes. It's spicy, citrusy and has that lovely minerality. Great for sipping on a hot summer day. Glow is another white that's perfect for moscato drinkers. Loads of tropical fruit, and stone fruits- apricot and peach.

We tried three reds. Hearthstone is a red that will surprise you. Very much like a Cabernet, the heady cigar aroma- not smoke, but the tobacco and leathery smells- and dark cherry flavor will make you fall in love. Made from Marquette grapes, it's lightly oaked and it perfect with rich red meats, and of course, pizza. I was craving a big juicy grilled burger with this one. Serenade, a sweet red made with Concord grapes, this wine is known as the "Happy Wine". Take a big breath in with your nose in the glass- you'll go right back to childhood and grape jelly sandwiches. It's sweet and fun. Firefly was the last red we tried. This is one of the winery's top sellers, and you can tell why. Berry notes, especially strawberry, are very pronounced in this wine, and it's perfect for taming spicy foods, or just sipping with friends.

The last two wines we tried were known as the special occasion wines. Autumn Spice is a sweet white with pear and citrus flavors, sweet spices and lemon and honey. Holiday Spice, also a white semi sweet wine, reminded me of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Oranges, cloves, cinnamon are very forward in this beautiful wine. Both of these wines are perfect for warming in the crock pot and serving around the holiday tree, chilled with dessert, or just a glass or two when you're curled up by the fire, with a cozy blanket and a good book.

Despite the heavy downpour and kind of windy conditions, Janelle and I made the most of our day in eastern Iowa. After leaving Fireside, we drove to the Colonies and did a little additional wine tasting at the Ackerman Winery. Ackerman is one of Iowa's oldest wineries and also one of the highest awarded wineries, winning competitions all over the country. It is also the "sister winery" to Fireside. They have a huge variety of wines, from fruit wines, to grape wines, and the Amana favorites- dandelion and rhubarb wines. Here at Ackerman we were on a mission to buy just a couple wines- peach and blackberry for Janelle, and peach and red raspberry for me. These wines combine for some pretty delicious wine cocktails. We also sampled a few others, including pomegranate and cranberry wines. The pomegranate was very unusual but also quite lovely. Of course, the shop also has all sorts of cute gift items as well, from t shirts and wine racks to cute wine toppers and candles with wine fragrances. 

After leaving the winery we were starving! We were slightly tempted by the German bakeries, but behaved ourselves, knowing we'd be having dinner. Anytime you're in the Colonies you just have to try and have a German dinner, and there are several wonderful options. We had a lovely early dinner at Ronneberg Restaurant too. Just stepping through the door was like a trip back to my childhood. I was reminded of my mom as we sat in the quaint and cozy dining room, decorated with beautiful Amana wood cabinets, chairs and tables, and shelves lined with lovely china and pottery. Real hardwood floors and plush carpet made it so warm and welcoming. Our server was so friendly and efficient, she made us feel very welcome. 

 The food was exactly like something my mom would have prepared. Janelle had the Bavarian chicken, which was a pan-grilled chicken breast wrapped in Black Forest ham and melty Swiss cheese. It was quite similar to Cordon Bleu but without the breading and deep frying, resulting in a lighter dish. I had a hard time deciding but went with the weiner schnitzel. Here at Ronneberg it's a tender veal cutlet instead of the pork that you usually see, lightly breaded and then pan-fried, served with a big lemon wedge to squeeze over. This is exactly how I remember eating this so many times as a kid. Both of our dinners came with Amana bakery bread, lovely rye and crusty white, homemade coleslaw which was perfect and not too mayonnaisey, two vegetables, and these super crispy and golden brown home fried potatoes I'm sure came from a cast iron skillet. No room for dessert, darnit, but we left full and happy and ready for a nap! Our day was wonderful and a great chance to hang out together, and even though we both got soaked by the rain a couple times, it was a fantastic road trip. We can't wait to do it again.

   
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."