Thanks go out to Jean Halverson and Jane Stenson, our program chairpersons. The American Wine Project tour was relaxing and informative.
Erin Rasmussen and her parents Mary and David purchased the former Sandstone Nursery in August of 2019. Since the purchase they have made extensive renovations with still more to do, including plans to repair the waterfall feature in the garden. But for now, they are happy to let the frogs enjoy the pond!
When purchased the gardens had been neglected for a couple of years. With a goal of encouraging balance in the gardens, they have cleared unwanted plants, encouraged native perennials, left swaths of lawn unmowed, and let curly dock, rudbeckia, and queen anne’s lace grow to mitigate Japanese beetle pressure on high value plants such as spray rose, young trees, and milkweed. As a result, they have seen incredible insect diversity this year.
Erin intends to make a variety of wines from midwestern grapes which she acquires from several growers in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Her winemaking philosophy is to let the grapes speak for themselves. Thus, almost all of her wines are aged in neutral (old/used) barrels which do not impart any flavor and instead simply round the natural varietal flavors and build richness and texture.
After our tour we were treated to wine samples in the tasting room, paired with delicious treats such as Asian meatballs supplied by Jane Stenson. Yum!
