The 17 Ranch Winery, Fine Wines from Nebraska

Nebraska may not be the first place you think of when it comes to fine wines, but there are close to 30 wineries in the state. There was a time when Nebraska had about 5,000 acres of wine grapes planted, but along came prohibition and by 1990, only 10 acres remained. The oldest winery in Nebraska only opened in 1994. There is the Nebraska Winery and Grape Grower Association and a viticulture program at the University of Nebraska. The wines that come from Nebraska are different from the wines grown in other, warmer areas. Their grapes would never make it through a Nebraska winter.

The 17 Ranch Winery is a good example of the wineries in Nebraska. 17 Ranch is a working livestock ranch and farm with 4 acres of grapes producing 6 different varieties. Their aim is to make fruity wines and to do so, they installed special cooling tanks-cold makes fruity wines- that can produce as much as 3,000 gallons of wine a year. They also make mead-honey wine- with the honey from a local bee keeper.

Their products are Ranchers Reserve a dry red Foch wine with the taste of pepper. Foch is a very sturdy grape, able to handle the cold winters of Nebraska. Trail Dust - A light dry Frontenac with the taste of tart cherries. Frontenac is another red wine grape developed at the University of Minnesota. The vine is cold hardy to -30 degrees F, resistant to diseases and has a high sugar content and acidity. Prairie Sandreed is a light and fruity semi-dry red. Summer Range is a strawberry and honey flavored semi-sweet red. Sandhills's Rose' has mild fruity flavors. Ash Hollow Gold is an Edelweiss with spicy notes. Edelweiss is a white grape with a taste similar to the Niagra grape. It is hardy to -30 degrees F but can be grown as far south as Kentucky. When picked early, it has mild flavor. If it is left longer on the vine, it has a stronger more musky flavor. Prairie Breeze is the dry version of Ash Hollow Gold and a silver medal winner.

Cheyenne Autumn is a semisweet white with the light flavor of pear made from Lacrosse grapes. Lacrosse grapes are another variety developed in Minnesota to be cold hardy that produces good quality fruity white wines. Early Morning Dew is the name of their Mead. It makes an excellent dessert wine. Warm it up and add spices such as cloves and cinnamon to make a traditional Christmas drink.

Sources:

La Crosse

Eidelweiss

Frontelac

Foch

Mead