2002-Purchased 16 ac from Michael J Madden.
2003-Planted first Marechal Foch vines.
2005-Stemwall foundation for future barn poured. Barn blueprints obtained from Barnplans.com.
2010-2011-Planted La Crosse, Marquette, Petite Pearl vines.
2012-We started construction of the winery building around the old granary, c. 1895
2016-Commercial winery 0pened. Tasting room in the old granary.
2019-Began construction of the barn, laying electrical cable and plumbing runs within the foundation. Karen and I built the entire building ourselves, including barn-roof trusses, over the course of 4 years. At present the interior is unfinished and no electrical has been run. Great thanks to our helpers, neighbor Ray W., brother Reilly, and neighbor Brian B., and for the extended, invaluable use of Ray's boom lift, which I damaged trying to pull it out of a hole with the hydraulics. Ray and Reilly also picked up, delivered and installed pre-fab roof trusses and purlins on the winery building in 2012. Ray has volunteered all of the dozer work and countless hours of his time. I could not have built the winery or the barn without their help.
2023-Exterior barn finished, new covered deck on lower west end opened.
2024-Finishing of the barn's interior commences.
2003-Planted first Marechal Foch vines.
2005-Stemwall foundation for future barn poured. Barn blueprints obtained from Barnplans.com.
2010-2011-Planted La Crosse, Marquette, Petite Pearl vines.
2012-We started construction of the winery building around the old granary, c. 1895
2016-Commercial winery 0pened. Tasting room in the old granary.
2019-Began construction of the barn, laying electrical cable and plumbing runs within the foundation. Karen and I built the entire building ourselves, including barn-roof trusses, over the course of 4 years. At present the interior is unfinished and no electrical has been run. Great thanks to our helpers, neighbor Ray W., brother Reilly, and neighbor Brian B., and for the extended, invaluable use of Ray's boom lift, which I damaged trying to pull it out of a hole with the hydraulics. Ray and Reilly also picked up, delivered and installed pre-fab roof trusses and purlins on the winery building in 2012. Ray has volunteered all of the dozer work and countless hours of his time. I could not have built the winery or the barn without their help.
2023-Exterior barn finished, new covered deck on lower west end opened.
2024-Finishing of the barn's interior commences.
And on a personal note, as we move forward with succession-planning:
Lansing, Iowa, has meant a great deal to me over the 22 years I've been here. It's where I put my roots down, pursued - one small step at a time - my dreams of independence and self-determination, where I planted my first vineyard 20+ years ago, taught myself how to make wine from scratch (always learning), created a business from the ground-up, and built a barn with my own hands! A great thank-you to our patrons and supporters for a really incredible run!
Come out and enjoy our beautiful spot in the wild NE Iowa countryside! We'll continue to produce our award-winning wine right here until we know differently!
Cheers! K&B