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 family ancestral home was the Rhine Valley wine region of Switzerland. Winemaking is in our history. We have been making wine for family enjoyment for many years. We began with hard cider but over time we found we really liked apple wines. A lot of experience has gone into developing our methods of handcrafted small batch production. We expanded the use of other fruit in combination with our Apfel Wein. For years our wines have been made for the enjoyment of family and friends. We hope that you will enjoy them too. Our goal is not to be the largest winery in Iowa. Our goal is to always place quality above quantity. "Klein abver Fein," Small but excellent.
Apfel Wein & Frucht Wein
Our 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 from apples and other fruit or berries. We have produced our Family Cellar Reserve wine, single variety apple wines and also special limited edition fruit 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 plan to make the most of their complex flavors to blend fresh ciders for grown up tastes complimenting our fruit wine products. Watch for future developments!
Kelterei - Kützli
We have opened our new 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 includes state of the art space for fermentation, a cellar for maturation, finishing and bottling. A large multi-use processing area is used for fruit washing, milling, pressing and other tasks. There is a cold storage space for holding apples and indoor space for produce and pumpkin sales. Our old world themed tasting room "Das Stubli" brings a little bit of Swiss Gemütlichkeit to Iowa. It is 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 to enjoy in our tasting room
Local art, crafts and products are planned to be included in the items available at Kelterei-Kützli. Seasonal events like 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.