Taste an Iowa Summer in Every Glass!™
When we acquired our farm with its south facing valley hillsides back in 2010, friends suggested we should plant vineyards. We wanted to do something different, so we planted orchards on the slopes of Whitetail Valley. Our orchard is a Swiss-German traditional Meadow Orchard or Streuobstwiese. Sustainably managed, nature functions here with little use of chemicals. Our family ancestral home was the Rhine Valley wine region of Switzerland so winemaking is in our history. We have been fermenting apples for many years. We began with hard cider but over time we found we really liked apple wines. Fermented apple drinks have a dual personality. Drinks with low percentage alcohol are hard ciders. Drinks with higher alcohol content are apple fruit wines, comparable to grape wines. Many experiments and trials developed our methods of handcrafted small batch production. We expanded the use of other fruit in combination with our Apfel Wein. Our wines have been made for the enjoyment of family and friends. We hope that when our wines become available you will enjoy them too. Our goal is not to be the largest winery in Iowa. Our goal is not make the most wine in Iowa, Our goal is to make the best apple and fruit wines in Iowa!
Apfel Wein
Our Swiss inspired Apfel Weine are made with old world standards of purity which great great grandfather Johannes Kutzli would approve. We use our apple varieties from ancient to modern. We make wines blended from apples and other fruit or berries. We have produced our Family Cellar Reserve wine, single variety fruit wines and also special limited quantity wines for different seasons of the year and holidays.
Non Alcoholic Cider
At times people want a non alcoholic alternative. Typical cider is very sweet, made from whatever apples are available. We grow American,
European, vintage and modern cider apples in our orchard. We make the most of their complex flavors to blend fresh ciders for grown up tastes complimenting our fruit wine products.
We plan to offer seasonal specialties like fresh pressed fall cider, spring fruit cider and Christmas spiced cider.
Kelterei - Kützli
We are building our winery building – called a “Kelterei”. Our Kelterei is designed around our method of winemaking. We use more and smaller vessels to keep batches small. Our building plans include state of the art space for fermentation, a cellar for maturation, plus a multi-use processing area for pressing, bottling and other tasks. There will be cold storage space for apples and indoor space for produce and pumpkin sales. Our old world themed tasting room called "Das Stubli" brings a little bit of rural Switzerland to Iowa. It is going to be a great place to enjoy wine and a panoramic view of Whitetail Valley.
Traditionally the Swiss have been known for wine, cheese and chocolate. We have cheese and chocolate for special seasons and larger availability is planned once the building is finished.
Local art, crafts and products will be included in the items available at Kelterei-Kützli. Seasonal events and an old world Christmas Market are planned for the future.
In Switzerland if you are proud of what you make you put your name on it. A Kelterei often includes the owner’s family name, Kelterei-Kützli follows that tradition. We look forward to this new venture and unique products to share!