Knoxville’s first (and only) winery and vineyard is located on five acres of rolling land two miles south of Knoxville on Route 14. Located in the middle of the English Creek Valley, it offers award-winning wines as well as beautiful views. Since 2018, the seeds of what has blossomed into a thriving winery and vineyard at this location were planted years ago.
“I started growing grapes and making wine as a hobby in 1979,” says owner Michael Van Natta. But it soon grew into more than just a hobby, into what Van Natta calls “full-blown wine tasting,” and California’s wine mecca Napa and Sonoma. At the Iowa State Fair his amateur won a gold medal for his oenology (winemaking). ) competition.
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“I’ve been planting vines seriously since 2010,” says Van Natta, who opened Nearwood Winery on a square in Knoxville.
“After the original 2010 vineyard and facility proved too small, I searched for more suitable land in the Knoxville area and eventually purchased this 5 acre plot and planted it in 2013. So we eventually made plans to build a bigger winery/tasting room, which came to fruition in 2018,” he said.
Van Natta, along with his wife, Joanne Sissel, produces approximately 1,800 gallons of wine a year, 500 gallons of which come from the one-acre vineyard on site.
“We are a very small boutique winery and still mostly just two people doing everything by hand,” says Van Natta. “We get to spend a lot of time with our customers, and we get to spend a lot of time with them. Appreciate conversations with real owners who know and execute agronomy, pest management, etc., often one-on-one in idyllic country settings.Use only Iowa grapes and strive to use proven French and German winemaking methods.”
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Nearwood offers 10-15 wines in both red and white, ranging from dry to very sweet.
“Most of the world’s wine consumers, like us, prefer dry wines, but three-quarters of Midwestern wine drinkers prefer sweet,” says Van Natta. “Our wines are made to match. We have had past appearances at the Iowa State Fair Commercial Wine Competition and the Midwest Wine Competition, labels supporting breast cancer awareness such as Fight, Ten Speed Sweet, RAGBRAI Wines, and Zucker Wines. It has won numerous awards for its wines, including the favorite of , which means ‘sugar wine’ in German.
Visit the winery and choose to sit in the Gathering Room, which has intimate seating for six, a tasting bar, and an open seating area with a performance stage. Shows and musical performances.
“Our mission is to support local artists of all kinds,” said Van Natta. This includes the writer who hosts his three-hour meeting for the weekly Marion County Writers Workshop. The winery showcases and sells the work of local authors and artists.
Outdoors, you can sit on the porch or opt for the zen garden for up to 12 people. There is also an outdoor event area with a bandstand stage.
For $5 you can choose from 5 different 1 oz tastings or enjoy the wine by the glass or bottle. Children and pets are also welcome. “We don’t mind Ditto, our winery cat,” Van Natta said.
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address: 1699 Highway 14, Knoxville
phone: (641) 891-2469
website: Nearwood Winery.com
Distance from Downtown Des Moines: 39 miles
time: Wednesday – Sunday, 12:00pm – 5:30pm
food: Nearwood Winery offers rotating items such as fish and chips, burgers, paninis, chicken fried steak, BBQ ribs, and charcuterie trays. “We serve savory sundaes on weekends, usually items like chicken pot pie, outrageous nearwood nachos, and nearwood beef stew,” Van Natta said. “Joanne and I love to cook.” Rockstar Let’s make dinner reservations for him. “We prepare and serve private 3-course meals for 2 or 4 people with candles and four wine pairings on white tablecloths. Speaking of which, in Marion County It’s the best steak,” said Van Natta.
name: “The original vineyard was planted near a forest, so[the name Nearwood Winery]felt like it had a Middle-earth feel to it,” said Van Natta. “I know the romantic notion, but wine is about that romantic notion.”
Harvest of host: Nearwood Winery & Vineyards participates in Harvest Hosts. Harvest Hosts is a membership program that allows self-contained RVers to offer unique lodging experiences at wineries, breweries, distilleries and other locations, offering up to five Harvest Host RV sites. It also offers access to the deck, fire pit and shower. “During COVID 2021, the number of RVs skyrocketed (he will have more than 150 in 2021), and in fact it was our best sales year yet,” said Van Natta. “We often connect with our guests, spend the night with a glass in hand, and often find ourselves having great conversations with complete strangers from all over the United States. It’s one of the things we do.” For more information, visit harvesthosts.com.
While You A There: “80% of our customer base is tourists, often people who come to the area for other reasons or Google ‘wineries near me’,” says Van Natta. He recommends anyone wanting a day or an afternoon vacation without traveling too far to check out the Knoxville National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, Lake Red Rock, or Pella’s windmills and historic sites before heading to Nearwood. I recommend stopping by. “The distance traveled has become an issue…but I’d rather take a road trip and explore the local countryside, looking for ‘things to do’ and ‘new places’ and just that moment-in-the-moment adventurous impulse.” The desire could not be quelled, somewhere to “chill,” Van Natta said. “We are happy to give tours of the vineyards and wineries on request.”
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