Iowa’s wine industry relies on produce

SWISHER - Iowa's wine industry has seen major growth in the past two decades, according to a 2012 report from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center.

The report found that the average monthly production of wine in 2011 was almost seven times the amount produced in 2002.

Jamie Siefken, general manager of Cedar Ridge Vineyards Winery and Distillery in Swisher, said Iowa's wine industry still is fairly new, and many potential customers are not aware of the varietals that grow and sell in-state.

Some grape varieties are not able to grow in Iowa's climate, while others are particularly well suited to the region. La Crescent grapes, for example, grow in colder climates such as Iowa's.

Grapes for traditional French-style wines cannot survive here, however, which means Iowa won't produce wines such as Cabaret, merlot or Pinot Noir.

Cedar Ridge grows some 40 percent of its grapes on site and buys the rest fresh from other growers in Iowa and California.

Siefken asks customers what they enjoy on a day-to-day basis and tries to match their preferences to one of the Iowa varietals that Cedar Ridge carries.

'It's our responsibility to understand French varietals and traditional winemaking techniques,” Siefken said. 'This allows us to customize tastings for our guests with the varietals we grow and the winemaking techniques we use.”

Alene Lande, owner of Brick Arch Winery in West Branch, buys most of his grapes instead of growing them on-site.

'The kind of fruit you can get drives everything about what kind of wine you can get.” Lande said.

Purchasing from around the region allows Brick Arch to choose varietals from slightly different climates, Lande explained.

'You make the wine your customer wants, not what the winemaker wants,” she said.

As the Iowa wine industry grows, some producers are seeing more requests for wines native to the state.

'Most people who come here want to taste the Iowa wine,” said Gwen Seda of Fox Ridge Winery in Traer. 'If they are used to something we don't grow here, I'll refer them to something similar that we have.”

The seasons also have an effect on Iowa's wine business. Cedar Ridge, for example, sells to area retailers year-round, but the majority of on-site business occurs in the summer.

Seda added that customers are more likely to sit outside with a glass of wine in warmer months, boosting in-store sales.

In addition, most wine sellers have event space or a restaurant as part of their business - and those, too, tend to see more business in summer, according to Seda.

'A lot of people who come in for an event haven't been here before,” she said.