Fiji Vacations All Inclusive - Wine Tours - Iowa's Thriving Wine Country

All I really knew was Dad took a temporary job transfer and we'd be leaving Chicago to live in Iowa for a year;  . It wasn't much of a consciousness; as a five year old at the time,  . The state of Iowa entered into my consciousness, 1966 in fact, way back in the mid-1960's.

  I remember always wanting to see the Mississippi River from the big window of our station wagon;  . We made several long car trips to and from western Iowa to Chicago, over the next 15 months.

Iowa; destination eastern Iowa wine country and one of our favorite weekend destinations - Dubuque, and so it was as we traveled west on I-80,  . Sense of place; and  scenery, historic river towns beckon with their architecture, now,  . But for an altogether different reason, the Mississippi River still holds a grip on me, all these years later.

Iowa Wine

The river valleys in Iowa's western and eastern regions are perfect for vineyards; in particular,  . Including grapes; the soil here is fertile and conducive to growing all sorts of crops,  . Much like other midwestern states, iowa has a long history of grape growing and wine making.

And Iowa's five wine trails are introducing travelers and wine lovers to some terrific wine; wineries number almost 60,  . The Iowa wine industry is in the midst of an exciting upswing; some 20 years later, now,  . Pursuits and the wine industry here lay dormant until the late 1980's, iowa farmers turned to other  when Prohibition arrived in 1920.

Exploring any of Iowa's wine trails is an ideal destination or scenic detour for anyone traveling cross country, since Interstate 80 cuts directly through central Iowa.

Of Presidents And Wine

Adjacent to I-80 and about 45 minutes west of the Quad Cities and the Mississippi River, let's start our exploration of the Eastern Iowa Wine Trail in the small town of West Branch.

And houses the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum; our 31st president, west Branch is the birthplace of Herbert Hoover,  . You're an historian, congratulations, if West Branch sounds even vaguely familiar to you!

    And each time is more fascinating than the last; we've visited several times over the years,  . It's a learning center devoted to American history and specifically presidential history; in reality,  . It features fascinating exhibits pertaining to all the presidents; the Hoover Presidential Library not only chronicles Hoover's presidency, far from a stuffy and dusty old museum,  . And it's highly recommended, this was our first stop.

Made from the gewurztraminer grape - a great buy at $13; especially the Traminette, we felt the white wines starred here,  . You'll want to linger; with a century old barn and a post and beam tasting room,  . About as scenic a setting as you'll find; it's Wallace Winery,  . About 4 miles from the Presidential Library, our first winery stop is along the Herbert Hoover Highway.

A non profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic heritage barns; wallace Winery donates a portion of profits from the sale of these wines to the Iowa Barn Foundation, in fact,  . The old wooden barn; easy to enjoy white table wine is a tribute to a vanishing part of our national landscape, this friendly,  . Also be sure to try and buy the Iowa Barn White.

And enjoy small town Iowa hospitality; stroll around, stop,  . Vernon. You'll drive right through the antiquing town of Mt; on the way,  . Travel north on beautiful Iowa Route 1 toward the town of Anamosa, from Wallace Winery.

The menu is inviting; and although we didn't eat here, adjacent is Daly Creek's 50 seat bistro,  . One of the first things you'll notice is the Iowa red cedar tasting bar; located in a former creamery building,  . You'll find Daly Creek Winery on north Ford Street, in Anamosa.

Most known for his classic painting "American Gothic"; painter Grant Wood, iowa's most famous resident, this wine is named after Anamosa,  . Gothic White; we also enjoyed Daly Creek's white table wine, remembering our college art appreciation classes,  . A Cabernet Franc that's full bodied and full flavored; my first pour was Penetentiary Red, being a big fan of the movie "The Shawshank Redemption",  . On to Daly Creek's wines.

Tabor Home Vineyards and Winery; a small village that's home to our next winery, it's about 25 minutes to Baldwin,  . We headed east from Anamosa on Iowa Route 64, after grabbing a few bottles to take home.

With most bottlings created from grapes grown in Tabor Home's vineyard; these are true Iowa wines,  . Tabor Home has been adding to their wine offerings and racking up wine awards; since 1997,  . As we've tried Tabor Home's wines before, we were particularly pleased to visit here.

Introducing Dubuque

And Wisconsin, illinois, nestled along the Mississippi River at the confluence of Iowa, historic Dubuque, it's a short 40 mile drive north on Iowa 51 to our overnight destination, from Tabor Home.

  It's all three; of course,  ! And a college town; a history town, dubuque has been described as a river town,  . Just 20 miles away, galena, dubuque is a perfect long weekend destination that can be combined with its Illinois historic counterpart.

The Particulars dubuque: 

With its own style and vibe; it's the college district, further west,  . There's the historic downtown district with unique shops and live jazz at night; just blocks away,  . And entertainment options; boat rides, nightlife, a redeveloped riverwalk, a 19th century restored brewery building, you'll find a nationally noted aquarium, along the banks of the Mississippi,  . Everything starts with the river, in Dubuque.

It's large enough to be diverse and small enough for easy navigation, 000 residents, with 62. Dubuque is particularly distinctive because of its steep hills and river bluffs - geographic features that many people don't expect to find in Iowa. And it has long been a vibrant river city, celebrating 175 years in 2008, dubuque is Iowa's oldest city.

This is one of the best bargains in the Midwest; at $10.50 per adult admission,  . Plan to spend a few hours;  . Including an up close and personal visit with a few river creatures like catfish and alligators; here you'll enjoy dynamic exhibits,  . A good place to start is the Mississippi River Aquarium;  . There are a number of "must sees" in Dubuque.

Stone Cliff Winery; now housing a new winery, up to the renovated Dubuque Star Brewery building, we did the latter on our first day,  . Or stroll the riverwalk, you can take a boat ride on the river, from here.

Stone Cliff is the newest Dubuque attraction along the riverfront; open in the Dubuque Star facility since May 2007,  . A semi sweet fruity gem of a wine; and the Riesling, a silver medal winner at the Indiana State Fair wine competition, our favorites were the Cabernet Sauvignon,  . You'll taste wines made from grapes grown in Stone Cliff's vineyard just west of Dubuque, when you visit.

Enjoying More Wineries

  And terraced fields; trees, with rolling hills, surrounded by Iowa's beautiful countryside, it's Park Farm Winery and Vineyard,  . You'll find this area's next winery just 15 miles west of Dubuque.

And it's a visit you won't want to rush; the deck itself overlooks a lush valley,  . With a stunning new outdoor deck added to the chateau which houses the tasting room and gift shop; it's a warm and welcoming site,  . And Vidal to name a few, marechol Foch, niagara, with grape varieties like LaCrosse, park Farm Winery and Vineyard leans heavily on Iowa grown grapes and crops.

  Wisconsin; just across the river from Prairie Du Chien, iowa, eagles Landing Vineyard and Winery is located in Marquette,  . More or less along the river, another area winery gave us the opportunity to travel north on Iowa Route 52.

  Perching high in the trees or swooping onto the river for a meal; the name stems from numerous bald eagles who winter in this area,  . This is a bird watchers paradise; located directly on the banks of the Mississippi,  . But a bed and breakfast as well, eagles Landing is not only a winery.

Fruity finish; a semi dry white with a nose of apricot and a nice clean, you can also enjoy the Iowa Pearl,  . There's some great fruit wines here too;  . With grapes grown in Eagle Landing's Iowa vineyard; a dry red finished in oak, try the Frog Hollow Foch,  . There's a separate tasting room in downtown Marquette offering 18 varieties of Eagles Landing wine.

Do stop in; so if you're in the area, we heard very good things about their fruit wines,  . About 1/2 hour away from Marquette; we should mention there is one additional winery on this wine trail - it's Winneshick Wildberry Winery in Decorah,  . We headed back to Dubuque, after exploring downtown Marquette and neighboring Prairie Du Chien (both well worth a stop to stroll around).

Be sure to carve out some time for the wineries of eastern Iowa; or if you live in the upper Midwest, if your plans call for I-80 travel,  . Making it an ideal overnight stop, and Dubuque is perfectly located in the middle of the Iowa Wine Trail, relaxing place to visit, this part of Iowa is a scenic.