By Sarahi Trejo
This year at the Wine Experience hosted by Iowa Wine Growers Association, was a first experience for myself but a tradition for many others. I got the chance to volunteer for a couple of shifts and get to see what the ‘experience’ was all about.
The experience consists of wine tasting, grape stomps, nominating “People’s Choice” for Best of Show, and exposition of the wines that received a Double Gold, Gold, Silver, and Bronze award at this year’s ISF Commercial Wine Competition.
The success of the Grape Stomps continued throughout the entire fair,with every slot filling up for each round. This event is sponsored by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. For the last 10 years Mike White, our Viticulture Field Specialist has coordinated the stomp, with generously picking up the grapes each day, delivery them to the fair, and being the MC for the stomp. The event brings in people from near and far, and we enjoy finding out what part of the state, country, or world they’re coming from.
The Wine Experience hosted its best of show wines, where thousands of people stopped in to get their sampler and vote which wine they liked best. Mango, by Ackerman Winery took the victory this year for the People’s Choice Trophy. They also had a variety of shirts that were available to buy, with a crowd favorite “Favorite Food on A Stick” with a design of a wine glass.
Like previous years, Governor Kim Reynolds presented Ardon Creek Winery with this years Governor’s Cup trophy for their Nouveau dry red wine. To present them the award, our Interim Director; Dr. Ruth MacDonald, Education and Outreach Coordinator; Erin Norton, and Assistant Scientist; Somchai Rice were there representing the institute.
Being able to be behind the scenes and work the Wine Experience, definitely gave me an understanding of all the hard work that goes into it. The hot summer days, are a struggle to get through, and let’s not forget that the fair is for 10 days straight from 9 AM till 9 PM. A lot goes into planning this event and it wouldn’t be possible without the 70+ volunteers that sign up and give up their time to help, the IWGA board members and staff, and the state fair volunteers and employees.
It’s a great experience, and it’s so neat that there are activities for all age groups. The grape stomp is one of the few fun things you can do at the fair that is free, and available to all ages. The sampler, is inexpensive, with the chance to sit down, try our Iowa Wines. It lets you take a break, as The Grandfather Barns sits on a hill separated from the state fair chaos.
It is no secret that the Iowa State Fair is one of the best in the country, and it’s great that the wine industry gets an opportunity to showcase the talent of these wineries to thousands of people. The Wine Experience will hopefully continue for many more years, hosting its ‘Best of Show’ wines, famous grape stomps, and education source for Iowa Wines.