Serving Algoma, Casco, Kewaunee, Luxemburg and all of Kewaunee County
KEWAUNEE - It's a fine time for wine, and Kewaunee County is getting ready to celebrate.
With three wineries within its borders, the county is making itself known to wine connoisseurs across the country for award-winning, varietal and blended wines crushed from locally-grown, cold-climate grapes.
That wasn't always the case. Not long ago, people who thought of wine-making — in Kewaunee and across the state — considered it limited to sweet fruit wines, usually made from apples or cherries.
As interest in wines has grown in recent years and people understood that grapes could successfully be grown in a climate like Wisconsin's, Kewaunee County has become a destination for wine buffs to find reds and whites similar in style, taste and quality to those made in better-known locations like California and Washington.
That status now is recognized beyond county lines. Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery in Kewaunee and von Stiehl Winery in Algoma each were named Winery of the Year by the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association in the last three years.
"I definitely think having more traditional grape wines is making an impact," said Rayanne Racine, director of events for von Stiehl. "There are some amazing dry reds and whites here ... It's great that more and more people think of Kewaunee County as a wine destination."
With harvest time fast approaching for those grapes, the county's vineyards host festivals over the next three weekends for the public to taste some of their wares, see how they're made and stomp and pick a few grapes themselves.
Here's a look at how to celebrate Kewaunee County wines in September.
Kicking off the fall wine fest season in the county is Harvest Fest at Parallel 44, which annually sees about 200 connoisseurs and casual wine drinkers alike come out to the vineyard.
Sarah Conard, marketing associate for Parallel 44, said there are advantages to hosting the first of the local wine festivals, catching not just wine buffs from the area but also those who might want to take a day trip right after Labor Day to enjoy the winery's offerings.
"It's being able to celebrate what we do here, celebrate our award-winning wines, celebrate Wisconsin-grown grapes, how the season is changing," Conard said.
For the festival, all wines will be available for purchase by the bottle with select wines available by the glass, which Conard said allows groups of guests to create their own individual tastings. Several festival-only special sales will be offered.
Also, for those who want to get a look at how the grapes are grown and then crushed into wines, Parallel 44 co-owner and winemaker Steve Johnson will lead tours at 1, 2 and 4:30 p.m.
Because it's a wine fest, there's a grape stomp contest, and that takes place at 3 p.m. Adults must enter their names into a lottery to take part; not everyone who enters will make it. A children's grape stomp follows the two groups of stomping adults.
Also part of the festivities are local vendor booths, from dairies to functional art; a food truck from Wild Fire Pizza in Two Rivers; Dixieland jazz by Kevin Van Ess and Talk of the Town; children's games; a photo booth; wagon rides; and a drawing for a $100 gift certificate.
Harvest Fest runs from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Parallel 44, N2185 Sleepy Hollow Road, Kewaunee. Admission is $5 for ages 15 and older. For more information, call 920-388-4400 or 888-932-4400 or visit 44wineries.com.
Now in its 52nd year, the first licensed winery in Wisconsin also hosts the county's longest-running and most-attended wine fest, with its 18th Wet Whistle expected to attract 2,000 or so.
"What makes Wet Whistle Wine Fest stand out is we have so many people come into our unique town for wine," Racine said.
Well, that and the costumes.
The winery doesn't require Wet Whistle guests to don costumes for the festival. But a number of them do, disguised as anything from wine bottles to witches to nuns and more, whether they're competing in the grape stomp or just relaxing with a glass or bottle.
Another unique aspect is that Wet Whistle is a fundraiser, Racine said, with proceeds going to Community Improvement of Algoma and Algoma Fire & Rescue.
von Stiehl started by making Door County cherry and apple wines, eventually adding other wines made from blackberry, raspberry, plum and other fruits.
The winery made its first grape-based offering in 1985 (its Late Harvest Riesling) and planted its own vineyard just across the Door County line in 1996. It continues to make fruit wines but also uses homegrown grapes as well as grapes from California and other locations to create its own varietals and blends.
Racine said complimentary samples of von Stiehl's top 16 wines, "... a nice array of dry and sweet wines," will be available the Saturday of the festival.
Because of the number of people who want to compete in the grape stomp, wannabe contestants enter a drawing. Preliminary stomps are at 12:30, 1:30 and 3 p.m. Sept. 14, with the Grand Grape Stomp Off for top finishers at 4:30.
For those who want to see the better-known get their feet purple, a Celebrity Stomp Off takes place at 11 and 11:20 a.m. Sept. 14. Green Bay-area TV newspeople Emily Matesic of ABC Channel 2, Chelly Boutott of CBS Channel 5 and Brooke Hafs of NBC Channel 26 are slated to join local business people in the grape-filled vats.
Also on Wet Whistle Saturday are winery tours, specialty foods and music by the Annie Rose Band and Big Mouth. Friday's activities feature food and music by Bazooka Joe.
Wet Whistle runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Sept. 13 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 14 at von Stiehl Winery, 115 Navarino St., Algoma. Admission is free on Friday (canned donations for Kewaunee County Food Pantry accepted), $10 for ages 13 and older Saturday; ages 20 and younger must be accompanied by an adult both days. No pets are allowed except service dogs.
For more information, call 920-487-5208 or 800-955-5208 or visit vonstiehl.com.
The county's newest winery takes the "harvest" part of its eighth annual festival literally.
What makes Cold Country's Fall Harvest Festival different is that it invites the public to come out in the morning and help vineyard workers pick grapes from its vines for the winery to use. In fact, this festival debuted in 2012, two years before Cold Country released its first wine.
Guests are often more than willing to help, co-owner and winemaker Jay Stoeger said, so much so that there's a limit of 50 pickers each year, and Stoeger said he's had as many as 90 of all ages come out to volunteer. Harvesting starts at 8 a.m. and runs until about noon.
"Some are showing up at 7 in the morning because they want to get their place in line," Stoeger said. "And we feed everyone. So, it's kind of a nice family thing."
Stoeger added that he thinks wine buffs are interested in being part of the first step, after cultivating the vines, in wine production. He also leads tours throughout the day of the vineyards and winery for the approximately 150 people who've come out each year.
"It's just a beautiful time of year to be in the vineyard," Stoeger said. "People love being there. It's my favorite place. It's a great feeling, such a warm feeling."
Cold Country will offer its standard wine tastings during the festival, with a flight of 5 wines and a tasting glass to keep for $6 (unless overcrowding makes it a problem to serve the samples).
Food will be for sale from Biebel's Catering, and local vendors are bringing crafts, maple syrup, gourds and other home and gift items. Green Bay Pickers provides bluegrass sounds starting at 2 p.m.
Fall Harvest Festival runs from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 21 at Cold Country Vines & Wines, E3207 Nuclear Road, Kewaunee. Admission is free. For more information, call 920-776-1328 or visit coldcountrywines.com.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-741-7952, 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Three wine festivals in three weekends in Kewaunee County
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