Makin' Plans

We’ve been blessed again this weekend with beautiful weather and signs that spring might FINALLY be on its way! We’ve been moving pretty slow outside the last few weeks due to the cold, and were anxious to get back into the barn and keep moving. The roofers have been busy this week and we’ve been told we might actually see the steel go on very soon. Here is what it looked like as of yesterday – we’ll take more pictures as they continue work this week and keep you posted!

Last Saturday we drove to Cedar Rapids to attend the Iowa Wine Grower’s Association’s Annual Conference. The Iowa Wine Growers Association supports the Iowa Wine Industry through education, promotion, and legislative support. Their annual conference provides members the opportunity to attend great presentations given by experts from around the world.  As new comers to the industry and to the association, we weren’t sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a great day full of educational opportunities and excited discussion about how we can apply our new knowledge to our own winery plans. Meeting new people in the industry and listening to all the great advice they were so willing to share with us was also amazing – it truly feels like big family and we had a blast getting to know everyone. We’re already looking forward to next year. 

After attending the confe rence and doing a bit more research when we got home, we’re getting ready to order our grape vines for planting this spring. We’ll plant 150 plants in approximately ½ acre near the barn so we can have easy access to water and equipment and be able to keep a close eye on them as they mature. We’ve selected a wide range of cultivars – both whites and reds – and though it will take some serious time and hard work before we’ll be harvesting from these vines, we’re looking forward to it!

Another milestone for us since attending the conference was launching our Kickstarter Campaign. Kickstarter is a company, founded in 2009, that allows creative spirits [that’s us] to share our ideas and goals on their website to seek out and earn financial support. Since their launch, 8.1 million people have pledged over $1.6 Billion to successfully fund nearly 80,000 projects like ours – that’s impressive!

So now here’s the part where we ask you to please check out our page - here’s the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/376508458/backcountry-winery?ref=email

We’re offering some great rewards so please check them out and back our project if you like what you see! We have 23 days remaining and we’ve reached 10% of our goal. We truly can’t do it without you and we can’t wait to share our winery with all of our supporters!