Uncorking an Appreciation
Tassel Ridge Winery releases new wines, educational experiences

By Micholyn Fajen

A glance out of Bob Wersen’s office window delivers a wintry chill. The view below is the frozen vines of one of Tassel Ridge’s four vineyards he and his wife, Sharman Wersen, opened in 2006. In midwinter, it is hardly the epitome of common adjectives that circulate within their monthly wine tastings.

Words like warm, oaky, fruity, or buttery are vacant in the landscape.

And, while the vineyard lays dormant, sleeping under winter’s cover, it takes only moments to kindle the senses of a wine
connoisseur. As a bottle of Tassel Ridge’s distinctly flavorful Cabernet, Twilight, is opened, the fragrance released, and full-bodied taste drank in, the sensation surfaces.

It’s precisely what the Wersen’s expect their award-winning wines to provoke: appreciation.

Their own appreciation for wine began decades ago in California, where a swirling glass of fruity, dry white or jammy red is an expectation at a meal, rather than an indulgence.

Rooting themselves in Iowa, the two hoped to be part of a Midwestern revolution spreading a knowledge and recognition of fine wines. In 1999, they started the process of opening the winery in the heartland.

“It began with the growing recognition that Iowans don’t drink much wine and the belief that they were going to,” says Bob Wersen, with a gentle, yet persuasive laugh.

Bottling and aging various blends to suit the tastes of Iowans and encourage them to stretch beyond their preferences, is Wersen’s primary goal. With frequent wine-tasting events and wine-pairing dinners, Tassel Ridge is committed to narrowing the gap between neophyte and connoisseur.

“We try to start the conversation at our wine tastings and our dinners that wine is best when served with the right food; in turn, good food is at its best when served with the right wine,” Wersen says hoping to broaden Iowa taste preferences beyond sweet to discerning.

Monthly dinners that were added to Tassel Ridge’s event list last summer, became so popular that they now host two dinners a month. Offering various entrée items from fish, to prime rib, to meals with Asian flair, help educate on the important dimension of wine.

RIPE RELEASES
Tassel Ridge turns winter hibernation on its side. For those who prefer the vineyard’s concord-based blend, Red, White and Blue, the new, recently released Sweet Roxie Red is a drier alternative. Wersen said the new release is a step on the migration path new wine consumers can take from sweet to dry food-pairing wines.

Just released, the 2005 Twilight is a 100-percent Cabernet from grapes grown in Lake County, California. Bottled in Tassel Ridge cellars in the summer of 2007, the wine spends 15 months aging in barrels made of a blend of American and French oak, then seven months aging in the bottle.

The fully dry Red Zinfandel is a blend of Syrah and Frontenac grapes from Lake County, California, is nearing its bottling opportunity and will be released in late spring.

Barrel-aged and then bottle-aged for two months, Tassel Ridge’s elegant red, In The Dark, takes center stage with food pairings like beef, spicy pasta dishes, and even fully-flavored pork and chicken dishes. Wersen said that this wine is a blend of St. Croix grapes from his Iowa vineyard and Syrah grapes grown in Lake County, California, that starts peppery and ends with notes of cinnamon and mocha.

The scent of ripe pineapple, followed by hints of mandarin orange, pear, and pineapple on the palate, sing of spring as Tassel Ridge prepares to release a limited supply of Iowa Edelweiss from 2007 in March made from Edelweiss grapes grown in Mahaska County, Iowa.

Last year, the popular 2006 Iowa Edelweiss sold out early, and with the 2007 Easter freeze reducing their harvest, fans will want to grab what they can when it is released at the Winery on March 1 and in retail outlets on March 17.

Tassel Ridge’s 2007 Candlelight is 100 percent chardonnay and is now available. It’s a very fruity and slightly sweet white, full with scents of citrus and green apple that continues to tantalize the palate. Made from grapes grown in the Central Valley of California, this wine does not use malolactic fermentation. The result is an intensely fruity wine.

Serious white wine drinkers will find the 2007 Riesling dry and refreshing. “This is an outstanding dry white; I’m so pleased with that wine,” says Wersen.

DESTINY OF VINEYARDS
Only a decade old in Iowa, serious vineyards, Wersen says, have a long way to go and have much to learn.
“We are at the beginning of our journey and I am more impressed with where we can go, than with the history of Iowa vineyards. I see terrific potential,” he says.

That potential means learning from mistakes.

Wersen admits misfortunes during the growing season are teaching them how to operate in the shortened growing
season, which last about 125 to 130 days, compared to California’s window that is more than 200 days.

Other hiccups have come from working with hybrids and soil types. During the last growing season, Wersen discovered that one grape variety was not doing well because it had been planted in heavy soils and wasn’t vigorous enough to do well in that location. This variety is being removed from this location and replaced with another hardier variety.

Wersen is optimistic that cold-climate hybrids being developed at the University of Minnesota will not only do well in cold-climate Midwestern weather and soils, but, also, will produce fruit that can be made into wine with unique regional characteristics.

Growing high-quality grapes at Tassel Ridge’s four vineyards produces high-quality wines. Last year, the winery earned 62 medals in wine competitions.

New sales have increased steadily since Tassel Ridge opened to the public in 2006. In fact, Wersen says high January sales this year are evidence that marketing efforts are working and that the product is pleasing to the palates.

Tassel Ridge Winery
1681 220th Street
Leighton, IA

Hours:
Monday- Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, Noon – 6 p.m.

Phone: 641- 672-WINE (9463)
Email: info@tasselridge.com
Web: tasselridge.com