Iowa has a long winegrowing history, with the first grapes planted in 1857, a Grape Growers Association formed in 1893, and a rank of sixth in wine production in 1919 just prior to Prohibition. The first modern-era winery—award-winning fruit winery Ackerman—opened in 1956 featuring Rhubarb wine plus other fruit and Native American grape wines. But the … Read more

Wine & Shellfish! This week we got to participate in a tasteful form of lobbying: a Wine & Shellfish Reception for legislators and staff. Along with our colleagues at the Wine Institute who provided California wines, we provided wines from other states including: Black Ankle Vineyards, MD Early Mountain Vineyard, VA Jones Family Farms, CT … Read more

Indiana has a surprisingly exciting and robust wine industry, thanks to some pioneers, visionaries, collaborators, and ever-increasing quality. As in many states, Indiana’s winegrowing history dates back to the 18th Century, was the nation’s tenth largest by the mid-19th Century, then was wiped out by Prohibition. Decades later, as the industry slowly rebounded and showed … Read more