On Wednesday, the region 1 Rising Star interns visited Calico Skies Winery, located outside of Inwood, Iowa. The couple that owns and operates the winery and vineyard is Will Kimberley and Ashlee Bahnson-Kimberley. Calico Skies does more than just make wine. They have their own vineyard and are also in the business of hosting weddings, receptions, and other special events. They host all of these events in three different indoor rooms that can be rented out and have an outdoor location as well. When we first walked in we were greeted with smiling faces and felt very welcomed.
During our tour, Will talked a lot about how the business came to be and his future plans for the business. They grow their own grapes, and when they need more they purchase them from vineyards in Iowa and Minnesota. He also showed us the room where they make their wine, and took us through the process of bottling the wine. Will showed us how to bottle the sparkling wine that they were currently bottling. Their current equipment only allows two bottles to be filled at a time and each bottle is hand corked one by one.
Overall, hearing about the process of building their own business, learning what they are currently doing, and what their goals are for the future, was very interesting and we loved our visit there. If you want to learn more about what Calico Skies has to offer and their story visit the link below!
Calico Skies
-Emily
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