This weekend was our third annual "ladies' weekend", previously known as "girls' weekend" until my Dad kept reminding us that my young niece was a girl and should go with us.
This year we decided to head to one of my favorite cities, Dubuque, IA. My Mom and Sister picked me up at work at 2:00 p.m. and we headed out with a winery in mind as our first stop.
We visited Fisher King Winery in Verona, WI. I was really enjoying tasting their wines until they brought out their blueberry wine. Needless to say, I was shocked to see its' bright blue color (similar to blue koolaid). When I asked what gave it its' color, the gentleman meekly stated dye. Who would put dye in wine??? That said, I did walk out with a bottle of their Perfection (port stye wine) and their Heat Wave Chardonnay.
We then went in search of Bauer-Kearns Winery which supposedly is at the foot of the M outside of Platteville. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the winery. We found the address but it just looked like a residence and there was no sign. An owner of one of the next wineries we visited, mentioned that the owners of Bauer-Kearns are trying to sell, are not very into the winery, and are often not open even during their open hours.
We grabbed some fast food and then headed to our final winery of the night in Potosi, WI. It is called Whispering Bluffs Winery across the street from Potosi Brewery where live music was playing in their Beer Garden. The owner was friendly and she had some good wines. I walked out of there with two bottles of the Chickadee Cranberry (one we drank later that night) and two bottles of the Indigo Bunting blueberry wine. (This blueberry wine was normal wine colored and quite tasty.) There was also some amazing artwork for sale in her shop.
We stayed at the Best Western Plus Dubuque Hotel & Conference Center which was pretty nice. It was pretty full though and the huge pool are was a big draw and so always filled with lots of people and kids.
Monday, August 14, 2017
Saturday, August 12, 2017 - Ladies' Weekend - Dubuque, IA
The day started with a pretty decent hot breakfast buffet in the Champps restaurant attached to the hotel. After breakfast, we had some time to kill before the first winery opened so we stopped for some snacks and (non-alcoholic) drinks for the day. I found my favorite turkey jerky, Perky Jerky, which up until now, I had never seen in stores (I recently discovered it on Amazon)!
Our first winery was Barrel Head Winery which turned out to be the highlight of the weekend. The owners were great to talk to and their wine was really good. My sister was looking for sparkling wine and they had some really great ones that were fermented in the bottle to give it the bubbles instead of using carbon dioxide. Our favorite variety was the Dry Cuvee Cougar although the Tomcat was good enough to pick up a bottle as well. I also picked up their Spiced Sweet Apple, their Dry Apple, two bottles of their Noiret and a bottle of their Leon Millot. My sister stuck mostly, if not completely to their sparkling wines. Their vineyard was also beautiful!
Lunch was at 1st and Main in downtown Dubuque. The food wasn't bad but I remember it being better last time my husband and I visited there (a few years ago).
The next stop was Stone Cliff Winery in the Port of Dubuque. They were a bit busier but the wine wasn't too bad and so I took home a few bottles including their Wild Pineapple, Sweet Raspberry, Cabernet Sauvignon, and their Chardonnay. The ambience of the winery is really neat as it is in an old historic brewery.
Since we were at the Port, we took the time to walk along the river. They have added some neat artwork since I last visited.
Our next winery was Sunset Ridge Winery which was the only winery where we didn't purchase wine. The wine wasn't bad but nothing wowed us. They had a really neat patio area. I heard they often have music.
Our final winery of the day was Park Farm Winery. Here we found a white wine (the Eclipse) that was wow enough that my mom even bought a bottle.
Our first winery was Barrel Head Winery which turned out to be the highlight of the weekend. The owners were great to talk to and their wine was really good. My sister was looking for sparkling wine and they had some really great ones that were fermented in the bottle to give it the bubbles instead of using carbon dioxide. Our favorite variety was the Dry Cuvee Cougar although the Tomcat was good enough to pick up a bottle as well. I also picked up their Spiced Sweet Apple, their Dry Apple, two bottles of their Noiret and a bottle of their Leon Millot. My sister stuck mostly, if not completely to their sparkling wines. Their vineyard was also beautiful!
Lunch was at 1st and Main in downtown Dubuque. The food wasn't bad but I remember it being better last time my husband and I visited there (a few years ago).
The next stop was Stone Cliff Winery in the Port of Dubuque. They were a bit busier but the wine wasn't too bad and so I took home a few bottles including their Wild Pineapple, Sweet Raspberry, Cabernet Sauvignon, and their Chardonnay. The ambience of the winery is really neat as it is in an old historic brewery.
Since we were at the Port, we took the time to walk along the river. They have added some neat artwork since I last visited.
Our next winery was Sunset Ridge Winery which was the only winery where we didn't purchase wine. The wine wasn't bad but nothing wowed us. They had a really neat patio area. I heard they often have music.
Our final winery of the day was Park Farm Winery. Here we found a white wine (the Eclipse) that was wow enough that my mom even bought a bottle.
We had an early dinner at HuHot which was pretty good and then spent the evening in the hotel room enjoying wine and good company.
Sunday, August 13, 2017 - Ladies' Weekend - Dubuque, IA
After breakfast at the hotel, we took time to explore Lock and Dam #11 and Eagle Point Park with breathtaking views. Unfortunately, there was not any river traffic to watch.
Then we headed home with intentions of stopping at the Coach store at the Johnson Creek Outlet Mall. (My sister is obsessed with Coach - I would never spend that kind of money on a purse!) What started as a quick stop at one store turned into walking a good chunk of the mall. Several bags later including two pairs of shoes, we finally continued on for a late lunch at Panera's and then home.
Then we headed home with intentions of stopping at the Coach store at the Johnson Creek Outlet Mall. (My sister is obsessed with Coach - I would never spend that kind of money on a purse!) What started as a quick stop at one store turned into walking a good chunk of the mall. Several bags later including two pairs of shoes, we finally continued on for a late lunch at Panera's and then home.
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