Prairie Moon Winery and Vineyards
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Prairie Moon Winery and Vineyards started on the basis of a passion for fine wine and a need for expansion in Iowa's agricultural diversity. In 2000 Steven Nissen planted the first vines of what now has become an eighteen acre vineyard. The dream was to grow high quailty grapes, in order to create fine estate wines, without having to buy grapes from established growing areas like California. It has been a slow process, but we believe our products reflect the care and precision put into the raising the grapes and making the wine.
Not only is the quality of grapes a main concern for us, but also the land on which they are grown. It is said that 80% of making a great wine is the quaility of the grape you start with, therefore we take great pride in doing what we can to ensure this quailty with our main asset, Iowa soil. We emphasize this through the practice of Organic Viticulture. This includes no use of insecticides or pesticides or herbicides on our grapes. Even though this is a challenging task, we know this will contribute to a quality product for generations to come. Not to mention it keeps our precious waterways clean and protects the natural balance of our fragile eco-system.
Our mission is to produce the finest wines in Iowa through this and other methods such as, small batch fermentation, Iowa-grown French Varietals, knowledge of fine wine making, and using local Iowa made products in order to support the economy which we are concerned with.
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Bluestem Fume'
This dry white embraces the essence of the fall prairie. The pale yellow reminds of the waves of grass cover the hills in the fall and cool crisp acid levels suggests that time just nightly freezes start. The pleasing nose with notes of apricot and peach of is characteristic of the Seyval Blanc grape. Note in some of the bottles is a true touch of the prairie...the Big Bluestem Grass. This is the wine that many dry white wine drinkers describe as similar to Pinot Grigio.
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Half Moon Red
This dry red a lighter version of our Reserve but with a shorter fermentation and the addition of some lighter bodied red grapes. It is also aged in Iowa- grown white oak barrels but is only aged for a few months prior to blending and bottling. This is an excellent table wine for all occasions.
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Marachel Foch Reserve
This is our best attempt in 2004 to create a dry red wine that has all of what Iowa has to offer. The basis of the wine is hand selected Iowa-Grown Marachel Foch grape. These grapes carefully screened, are whole-berry fermented on the skins and seeds for up to 6 weeksto extract all the flavor that Iowa soils and climate have to offer. The young wine is then placed in oak barrels made of Iowa-grown white oak. After 18 months of aging it is finally bottled with as little manipulation as possible. We think this wine is an example of what the best bold red Iowa wine can. This full-bodied red is sure to cause a stir, bringing Iowa grown grapes and wines to their full potential.
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Moonbeam White
Getting into the sweet of things, another type of wine is our Moonbeam White... Made from the Niagra which is a colorless cousin of the Concord grape. This wine has the nose described as "classic grapey". If you smell carefully, it has "rosey" smell that combined with the residual sugar makes it a delight on a warm summer evening. An excellent choice for a non-wine drinker breaking into this vast world of varieties of grapes and the wines they produce.
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Prairie Sauterne
Moving away from the dry we have the Prairie Sauterne...this semisweet wine is our best blend of the Seyval Blanc grape and the Vidal Blanc grape that defines the delicate balance that Sauternes are known for. We grow both these grapes in our vineyards and love the way the two wines complement each other. This wine has 2.5% residual sugar to enhance that easy drinking style.
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Winter Moon Ice Wine
Our final wine is very special, considering it is probably the most valuable and challenging wine to produce. Typically a dessert wine, the Winter Moon Ice Wine will surely give you the chills. This wine is produced by an extremely late harvest, which is whenever that first call of winter, the frost sets in. The grapes are harvested in a nearly frozen state and pressed immediately, so they contain the highest concentration of sugar possible. This creates a tantalizing flavor in the dessert wine category. The particular varieties we are using are the Vidal Blanc and Riesling grape. A sure winner for anyone who tries.
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