It’s hard to believe that it’s been 6 years since the tornado hit our farm on May 22nd 2011. The day started out as a nice sunny day but that all changed at 2:42 PM. The tornado formed at the beginning of a storm system that was moving through the Riceville area. It started 4 miles from the farm and was moving Northeast towards Chester Iowa. Our farm was the first hit by the tornado and my father was home at the time. He was watching TV and the blinds were down so he didn’t

It’s an exciting time at the vineyard. Spring has arrived and the vines have come to life. The tiny grape clusters journey to ripening has just begun with their final destination being our 2017 wine vintages. We’ve just finished vine training and counting the extra buds left during winter pruning. This leaves the final bud count between 40 to 60 buds depending on vines age and vigor. The extra buds left during winter pruning helps prevent over pruning in case of winter and