Eastern Iowa Wine Club

08/06/2017

Wine Judging Opportunity in Clear Lake.

07/19/2017

Hey Wine Friends. My winery friends in east-central Iowa will be looking for someone to help build and strengthen their wholesale business (already with more than 100 accounts) and also to help out in the cellar (so winemaking knowledge is important). Leave a note if you're interested and possess the necessary skills. Thanks, Brad

05/09/2017

Hey Folks...the Linn County Fairs Wine and home brewed Beer competition are looking for a few judges. Chime in here if you're a knowledgeable winemaker/brewer and want to be considered. Cheers!

09/01/2016

Hey Wine Friends! Here is a chance to pick some grapes for a good friend and good cause (near Edgewood, IA).

Rose Totman from Café Rose’ needs your help picking grapes in her vineyard on Labor Day – 9/5/16. Rose will donate $100 for every 1000 # of grapes that are picked on Labor Day, to Adam Craig’s Road to Recovery.

Will train – no special equipment or skills needed – just be willing to help and enjoy the Iowa weather in a beautiful Clayton County, Iowa Vineyard.

Rose expects to pick 5000-6000 lbs of grapes that day, and will need 20 -25 people to make it happen. Please contact Rose, 563.920.7389 For directions to vineyard and so she can get a helper count.

04/14/2016

FYI...the first major documentary about the Midwest wine world is coming soon!

It just keeps getting better – The Wine Diamonds team is very pleased to announce Live Broadcast (one of the bands in our film + the film soundtrack composer) will be playing at our special screening at the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival on Saturday, April 23 (1:30pm).

Let's recap: Wine Tasting - Live Acoustic Music - Wine Movie - more wine tasting - Panel Discussion. Fun!

Space is limited…get your TICKETS today - http://bit.ly/1q2wdrS

Film Showings: Begin Thursday, April 21 – Sunday, April 24. 9:00 am – last showing beginning at 8:00 pm Independent films from around the world will be shown in different venues on Dubuque Main Street, as well as in the National Mississippi River Museum, Grand Opera House, Dubuque Museum of Art, and…

09/10/2015

Interesting to note that at least five former members of the EIWC have gone professional since 2009!

09/10/2015

At the Fitzgerald's place.

09/10/2015

Meeting at the Cappers

09/10/2015

The Eastern Iowa Wine Club hosts the E. Iowa Wine Competition at the Bentonn Co. Fair - 2009 edition. Note the Fochy Trophy.

09/10/2015

Harvest & Pressing Grapes during the 2009 Harvest

06/05/2015

Hello All! I have decided that I do not need quite so many carboys, so I am scaling back and parting with some. I have a total of 10 six-gallon, glass carboys. Seven of them are the smooth sided "Mexican" style and three are the ribbed "Italian" style. $30 each if anyone is interested. I'll be posting this on Facebook for sale pages in a few days but thought I would offer them here first.

03/24/2015

We're making a movie about the Midwestern wine industry. Hope you'll be a part of our team! Read more... http://winediamondsfilm.com/2015/03/24/countdown-begins/

02/28/2015

Tonight is one of my most favorite nights of the year; Open That Bottle Night!

Everyone has that one bottle of wine they have been saving to open on a very special occasion that never seems to come. Why not tonight?

On OTBN, which is celebrated on the last Saturday of February every year, bottles all over the world are released from prison and enjoyed. With them come memories of great vacations, long-lost loved ones and bittersweet moments.

What are you opening on Open That Bottle Night?

02/23/2015

This coming Friday (Feb. 27th at 7pm) at Kirkwood.

We'll be filming this!

Flight of the Corks
Sparkling Winemakers of Iowa Attempt Record Cork Shoot

(Cedar Rapids, IA). A first of its kind Iowa “cork flight” record attempt is slated for Friday, February 27th (7pm) on the campus of Kirkwood Community College. Sparkling winemakers of Iowa have accepted the challenge for the first “Flight of the Corks” record attempt during the annual Iowa Wine Growers Conference in Cedar Rapids.

There is effervescence among some Iowa winemakers, a bubbly personality motivating them to craft exceptional wines, and a growing trend to create traditional method champagne style wines of incredible quality. The traditional method of creating sparkling wines (known as Champagne in the Champagne region of France) is a slow, time consuming process requiring patience and yielding some of the finest bubbly wines in the world.

“Some Iowa winemakers have recognized the grapes grown in the region are particularly well suited for sparkling wine production,” said Lucas McIntire, Kirkwood Community College enology and viticulture instructor and winemaker at the Winery at Kirkwood, “and the sparkling wines we’re making are gaining international attention.”

John Burns, owner and winemaker of Barrel Head Winery (Dubuque, IA) makes traditional method sparkling wines from grapes grown in his own estate vineyard. John’s 2012 bubbly, called Tomcat (named after his pet cat, Tom) won international recognition at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, going head-to-head with sparklers from around the world, earning top honors - a double gold medal, one of only two awarded.

“This is an occasion for Iowa sparkling winemakers to have a little competitive fun to see whose corks can fly the farthest,” said John, “and the only prize is the satisfaction of having won.”

In the two-round Cork Flight event, sparkling winemakers of Iowa will shoot their corks from a fixed table inside Washington Hall (Kirkwood Community College). Judges will measure each flight and the winner will be announced after the final cork has launched. The Friday, February 27th event will begin at 7pm and the public is invited to attend and are encouraged to arrive by 6:45pm.

Iowa Wine and Beer

02/20/2015

It may be a little late but is anyone doing anything for Open That Bottle Night on February 28?

Anyone want to host a get together?

09/07/2014

Save the Date

It's been a while so Wine Club Gathering at our new house October 4, 2014. Details to follow.

Octob

08/20/2014

We're filming the grape harvest this weekend at Fireside Winery! http://iowawinefilm.com/2014/08/20/its-harvest-time/

Over the coming weeks vineyards all over Iowa will be filled with people, a lot of times volunteers, helping to harvest the 2014 wine grape crop. After such a brutally cold winter there was a lot ...

08/05/2014

Hey EIWC...we're making a documentary about the Iowa wine industry. If you haven't yet, please like our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/IowaWineFilm and follow us at www.iowawinefilm.com - thanks, brad

Wine Diamonds:Uncorking America's Heartland™ is a documentary film about the challenges of growing a