*SAVE 20% on the following wines....
January Special - Cordovan (Zinfandel)February Special - CoCo (Cabernet Sauvignon)
*Sale prices valid only at Fireside Winery for the specified wines and months (during 2012).
Monday, January 9, 2012
Red Hot Wine Sale!
February Special - CoCo (Cabernet Sauvignon)
*Sale prices valid only at Fireside Winery for the specified wines and months (during 2012).
Friday, December 23, 2011
Just in time for the Holidays - retail locator
Just in time for the Holidays! You can find Fireside Winery wines at these fine retail stores:
| Retail Store | Address | City |
| Daily Bread Bakery | 814 N. Roan | Algona |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 108 8th Street SW | Altoona |
| Ox Yoke Restaurant | 4420-220th Trail | Amana |
| Ronnenburg | 4408 220th Trail | Amana |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 640 Lincoln Way | Ames |
| Hy-Vee Drugstore | 849 S. Ankeny Blvd | Ankeny |
| Bloomsbury Farm | 3260 69th St. | Atkins |
| Bancroft Liquor Store | 107 Portland St. N | Bancroft |
| Belle Plaine Drugstore (Phillip Pharm) | 810 12th St. | Belle Plaine |
| Country Foods | 1206 7th Street | Belle Plaine |
| Timbergate Gardens | 204 13th Street | Belle Plaine |
| See What We Got Shop | 210 Main Street | Bennett |
| Seaton Flag Foods | 122 East Front Street | Brooklyn |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 5925 University Avenue | Cedar Falls |
| The Vintage Iron Company | 104 Main St. | Cedar Falls |
| Benz Beverage Depot | 501 7th Ave SE | Cedar Rapids |
| Hy-Vee | 1843 Johnson Avenue NW | Cedar Rapids |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 20 Wilson Ave SW | Cedar Rapids |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 3235 Oakland Road NE | Cedar Rapids |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 5050 Edgewood Road NE | Cedar Rapids |
| Hy-Vee Drugstore | 2405 Mt. Vernon Rd SE | Cedar Rapids |
| Hy-Vee Drugstore | 1520 6th Street SW | Cedar Rapids |
| Hy-Vee Drugstore | 4825 Johnson Avenue NW | Cedar Rapids |
| Hy-Vee Drugstore | 2001 Blairs Ferry Road NE | Cedar Rapids |
| Hy-Vee | 279 Collins Rd., NE | Cedar Rapids |
| Tomasos Pizza | 212 Edgewood Rd NW | Cedar Rapids |
| Downtown Drug (Phillip Pharm) | 207 2nd Ave. SE | Cedar Rapids |
| Central City Family Pharmacy | 402 E. Main St. | Central City |
| Lake Coffee & Bakery | 210 US18 | Clear Lake |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 1914 8th Street | Coralville |
| Marriott Hotel (Edgewater Grille) | 300 East 9th St | Coralville |
| Hy Vee Wine and Spirits | 3301 W. Kimberly Rd | Davenport |
| Bart's End Zone | P.O. Box 640 | Denver |
| Hy-Vee | 2540 E. Euclid Ave. | Des Moines |
| Palma's Deli and Market | 604 Main | Dike |
| Custom Creations by Sheri | 319 Main St. | Dysart |
| Willow Creek Wine & Garden | 104 1st Street SW | Elkader |
| Cobblestone Creek | 3445 Lafayette Rd. | Evansdale |
| New Morning Coffee House & Wine Tavern | 213 Main St. | Grimes |
| Hy-Vee | 320 W Street S | Grinnell |
| McNally's Foods | 1021 N. Main St. | Grinnell |
| Northside One Stop | 1208 4th St. NE | Hampton |
| Koerner-Whipple Pharmacies | 104 1st St. NW | Hampton |
| Basket Bowtique | 758 N. Center Point Road | Hiawatha |
| The Farmers Daughter Market | 495 Miller Road | Hiawatha |
| Basket Cases | 601 St Thomas Ct | Iowa City |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 1720 Waterfront Drive | Iowa City |
| Hy-Vee | 812 South 1st Avenue | Iowa City |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 1201 North Dodge Street | Iowa City |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 310 North 1st Avenue | Iowa City |
| RJZ Express | 2 Escort Lane | Iowa City |
| Casey's General Store | 601 E Ave | Kalona |
| Ampride | 2205 Hwy 6 Trail | Marengo |
| Big G Foods | PO Box 261 | Marengo |
| Cornerstone Apothecary | 1099 Court Avenue | Marengo |
| Phools Gold | 1185 Court Ave | Marengo |
| Hy-Vee Drugstore | 2790 7th Ave | Marion |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 3600 Business Hwy. 151 | Marion |
| Ramsey's Metro Market | 1120 7th Ave. Ste. A | Marion |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 802 S. Center | Marshalltown |
| J.T. Hadherway (Phillip Pharm) | 419 E 1st ST | Monticello |
| Hy-Vee | 1501 1st Ave E | Newton |
| North English Family Foods | 114 N Main St | North English |
| Johncy's Liquor Store | 585 Hwy 965 SE | North Liberty |
| Saint Avenue Stop | 302 E School | Olds |
| Kwik Serve | 115 Main Street | Osage |
| Sleepy Hollow RV Campground | 3340 Blackhawk Ave NW | Oxford |
| Trunck's Country Foods, Inc | 606 Grundy Ave | Reinbeck |
| Riverside Travel Mart | 3070 Hwy 22 East | Riverside |
| Strawberry Point Drug (Phillip Pharm) | 104 W Mission St | Strawberry Point |
| Kava House & Café | 122 2nd Street SE | Swisher |
| The Secret Cellar | 1205 Curtis Bridge Rd NE | Swisher |
| Hunt's Cedar River Camp Ground | 1231 306th Street | Tipton |
| Cornerstone Apothecary | 122 Main St. | Van Horne |
| Victor's Market | 1001 3rd Street | Victor |
| L Marie Boutique | 915 W 4th Street | Vinton |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 1004 W Madison St | Washington |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 2834 Ansborough | Waterloo |
| Lena's Liquor | 1544 Superior | Webster City |
| Freeman Foods | 268 8th Avenue | Wellman |
| Casey's General Store | 700 6th St | Wellman |
| Ingersoll Wine Merchants | 1300 50th Street | West Des Moines |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 1725 Jordan Creek Parkway | West Des Moines |
| Hy-Vee | 1700 Valley West Dr. | West Des Moines |
| Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits | 1990 Grand Ave. | West Des Moines |
| Hy-Vee | 7101 University Ave. | Windsor Heights |
| Burg Spirits | 813-1/2 S. Highland | Williamsburg |
| Casey's General Store #2528 | 602 South Highland Street | Williamsburg |
| Casey's General Store #2769 | 130 West Evans St | Williamsburg |
| Colony Point Convenience Store | 333 East Evans Street | Williamsburg |
| Star Drug (Phillip Pharm) | 517 4th St. | Williamsburg |
| Williamsburg Foods | 1030 W Walnut Street | Williamsburg |
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Apple Blue Cheese Salad & Frontenac Vinaigrette
Last week I was invited to join Luann Alemao, an educator and speaker on topics of etiquette and conduct, skills and abilities, and food and nutrition, who hosted a cooking course at the new Hy-Vee store in Waterloo, called "Food for Fellows". I was the local wine support.
During the very hands-on cooking class her students (mostly middle-aged gentlemen with little to no experience in the kitchen) were guided through a four-course meal preparation. The students excelled and because the meal was so easy to prepare and tasty, I thought I'd repost the salad recipe:
Apple Bleu Cheese Salad
Special thanks to Luann Alemao & Associates for permission to reprint the recipe. Please visit her website to learn more: Luann Alemao & Associates.
Cheers!
~Brad
Apple Bleu Cheese Salad
- 1 bag mixed greens
- 2oz Blue Cheese crumbles
- 1 ripe pear or crisp apple, cubed
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
- Directions: Toast walnuts for about 2-3 minutes, over medium heat, using a flat saute pan - stir frequently to prevent burning. Place the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss. Serves about 4-5 people.
- 1/2 cup of oil (Canola or good vegetable oil)
- 3Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Fireside Winery, Iowa Frontenac
- 1/2tsp Dijon mustard
- Directions: Mix ingredients together thoroughly. Serve over the salad greens you prepared (above). Enjoy!
Special thanks to Luann Alemao & Associates for permission to reprint the recipe. Please visit her website to learn more: Luann Alemao & Associates.
Cheers!
~Brad
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Celebrating our Holiday Open House
Our Holiday Open House (December 10th) was a tremendous success! We wish to thank all of you who were able to make it out to the winery yesterday and share a special day with us.
A beautiful day drove temperatures to the lower 30's and we stoked the fireplace on our patio and turned on the heaters. Before long many friends began filling the space and by 5pm we were treated to the beautiful and familiar holiday renditions performed by the Williamsburg High School choir.
Singing on our warm, back patio the choir students silhouetted by the setting sun provided pleasing entertainment for 2 hours.
Interspersed between sets Mrs. Jessica Claus and her associates shared stories from the north pole.
We had a wonderful time and are thankful to all of you for your support. Because we had such a great time we cannot wait until next year!
Cheers,
Your Fireside friends
A beautiful day drove temperatures to the lower 30's and we stoked the fireplace on our patio and turned on the heaters. Before long many friends began filling the space and by 5pm we were treated to the beautiful and familiar holiday renditions performed by the Williamsburg High School choir.
Singing on our warm, back patio the choir students silhouetted by the setting sun provided pleasing entertainment for 2 hours.
Interspersed between sets Mrs. Jessica Claus and her associates shared stories from the north pole.
We had a wonderful time and are thankful to all of you for your support. Because we had such a great time we cannot wait until next year!
Cheers,
Your Fireside friends
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Fireside Wines Earn High Praise at Jeff Cup!
PRESS RELEASE
The Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition, celebrating its twelfth year, selects great wines from across the United States for its prestigious competition. “While many competitions insist upon selecting a preordained number of sweepstakes winners, our judges are allowed to find the top wines, whether there are only one, two or three, or even NO winners in some categories, as happened this year,” says Jefferson Cup Invitational founder Doug Frost.
Rather than emphasizing traditional awards of gold and silver, as many wine competitions do, the Jefferson Cup invites wineries with a proven track record of excellence in competitions and tastings. Competition organizers stress the importance of bringing awareness to wines that are “extremely deserving of the nation’s attention”.
FiresideWinery, located between Marengo and Williamsburg, is fast becoming the premiere Midwest wine destination and crafting some of the best wines in the country. “Identifying and growing the best grapes for our particular climate is crucial”, says Fireside owner William Wyant, “and combined with expert wine making knowledge and continued attention to detail are the cornerstones of our winemaking philosophy”. “This competition underscores the increasing appreciation for Iowa wines by a panel of internationally recognized judges”, says Wyant. Three Fireside wines entered into competition fared very well; two earning Medals of Excellence (Gold): BLU and 2010 IowaSeyval; and one recognized with a Medal of Merit (Silver): Iowa Frontenac.
We encourage you to stop by the winery to try these (and our other wines) for yourself. You can find many of our wines at these fine retail stores: Locator.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Punching Down the Cap
Red wine production tends to begin in open-top fermentation tanks called micro-bins. Once the red wine grapes are destemmed and crushed (actually, the skins are broken to release the juice) we pump the "must" (the grape skins, seeds, and juice) into these bins to ferment.
HOW DOES FERMENTATION WORK? Wine yeast have the ability to convert sugars into alcohol (with carbon dioxide and heat as by-products). Fully ripened wine grapes tend to be very sweet, upwards of 25% sugar, and we in the wine industry refer to this percentage as degrees-Brix, or 25 Brix. Generally speaking the yeast can convert about one-half of the sugar into alcohol, thus a 25% sugar grape juice can yield about 12.5% alcohol wine. The fermentation process creates a lot of carbon dioxide gas!
Once fermentation takes off, with the addition of a specially selected commercial yeast strain, the grape skins rise to the surface because of all that CO2 gas. Because the grape skins contain important properties, such as anthocyanins (color pigments), tannin, and other good stuff, we want to make sure it is incorporated into the fermenting wine. Additionally, it makes for good practice to avoid any bad micro-organisms.
So, two or three times daily we "punch down the cap" to make sure all that goodness is in the wine! :) The following video shows the process in action.
HOW DOES FERMENTATION WORK? Wine yeast have the ability to convert sugars into alcohol (with carbon dioxide and heat as by-products). Fully ripened wine grapes tend to be very sweet, upwards of 25% sugar, and we in the wine industry refer to this percentage as degrees-Brix, or 25 Brix. Generally speaking the yeast can convert about one-half of the sugar into alcohol, thus a 25% sugar grape juice can yield about 12.5% alcohol wine. The fermentation process creates a lot of carbon dioxide gas!
Once fermentation takes off, with the addition of a specially selected commercial yeast strain, the grape skins rise to the surface because of all that CO2 gas. Because the grape skins contain important properties, such as anthocyanins (color pigments), tannin, and other good stuff, we want to make sure it is incorporated into the fermenting wine. Additionally, it makes for good practice to avoid any bad micro-organisms.
So, two or three times daily we "punch down the cap" to make sure all that goodness is in the wine! :) The following video shows the process in action.
Monday, November 7, 2011
FALL FOR WINE - Coming Soon!
Just in time for the Holidays! Join us for our annual Fall for Wine case sale. Save 20% off our regular prices when you purchase a case (12+ bottles) of your favorite Fireside wines (cases may be mixed).
NEW RELEASE - FRONTENAC (our award-winning signature dry red wine) will be released and available during the Fall for Wine event.
The 20% case discount does not qualify for enrollment in the Fireside Winery case club; however, renewals at 20% are accepted if expiration date is within one month of the event dates.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)