You might have noticed that some shelf tags in the beer cooler and on the wine shelves have green backers. Those green backers indicate that a beer or wine is certified organic, or made with organic grapes. For a beer to be organic, 95% of ingredients (usually barley and hops) have to be organic. If a wine is certified organic with the USDA seal, it indicates that no sulfites have been added. If a wine is just “made with organic grapes”, without the USDA seal, sulfites are likely present. Some people might have sensitivity to sulfites, and should avoid them. (Sulfites are used to keep wine stable, so usually only wines from the US can be sulfite free because they don’t have to be shipped as far.) There are also small shelf tags indicating if a wine is sulfite free, vegan, and fair-trade, and shelf tags indicating which beers and ciders are gluten free. (All wine is gluten free.)

New local wine! We have a new wine in the local wine area, White Oak Vineyards. White Oak Vineyards is located near Elkhart, Iowa, about 18 miles from Wheatsfield. We carry 4 varieties of their wine at the moment, including Prairie Rose, Summer Breeze, Celebrate, and White Oak Red. Their red is dry, while the rest of their wines tend to be semi-sweet to sweet. White Oak Vineyards produced its first wine in 2003. If you’re a fan of local wines, check out this new addition to our wine department!

New item for the Beer and Wine department! Scrumpy’s Organic Cider! This cider is pressed, made, and bottled in Michigan. It is certified organic, so will be eligible for a discount on this upcoming Saturday, April 28th. They have one variety year-round, with seasonal options coming available in the fall. If you’re a cider fan, check it out!

Check out our new labeling in the beer area.  We now have shelf talkers for “regional” beers.  We define regional as any state that touches Iowa.  Of the 130 varieties of beer currently in the cooler, 30 are local (from Iowa) and 25 are regional!

We just got in a new sparking wine called The Ruins, from South Africa. This Brut (dry) sparkler is made with organically grown Colombard variety grapes. Great for parties, weddings, graduations, etc. Notes of ripe guava, fig and white fruits with a sugar/acid balance that give it a crisp freshness and fresh full palate and length.

~Bronwyn, Beer and Wine Buyer

News from the Beer Department! We recently brought in Hinterland’s seasonal “Maple Bock”, from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Wisconsin is known for their great craft-beer industry, and Hinterland promises to be no exception. Hinterland writes of their Maple Bock, "Maple Bock has a dark brown, mahogany hue around the fringe. The dark, creamy looking head leaves you with a little bit of lace. Hints of chocolate and caramel malts and a touch of maple syrup fill your nose. Maple Bock enters your mouth dense, and full. With the nice taste of a solid bock, maple syrup flavor doesn't overpower the rest of the beer. Layered roasted malt and caramel create a slightly sweet flavor. Maple Bock was given the "World Champion Bock" designation by the World Beer Championships in 1997."

Beer news for February:  Bell’s Hopslam is in! This highly sought-after, limited edition brew from Bell’s Brewery in Michigan finally arrived. Since it is SO limited in supply, we are selling it by the single bottle only, which goes for $2.99. If you are a fan of IPAs or hoppy beers, this is one you don’t want to miss!

(Bronwyn and Isaac model the Anarkos bottle.)

By Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Beer and Wine Buyer

Wheatsfield’s latest product in the wine department is “Anarkos”, a Puglia Rosso variety wine from the Apulia region of Italy.  In this region many small, traditionally run, small vineyards are being destroyed to make way for more industrial methods of grape production.  The makers of Anarkos are dismayed by what they see happening to their beloved region, so have been marketing Anarkos to showcase what traditional farming methods can yield.  Try this wine and support some anarchy!

Learn more about Anarkos.

Think that only corn and soybeans grow in Iowa?  As it turns out, we have a great climate for hops, too!  Check out the latest product, an IPA, from Madhouse Brewing Company, out of Newton, IA…it’s made with 100% Iowa grown Centennial and Cascade hops!  It is newly available at Wheatsfield in the upper right-hand corner of our beer cooler.  Crack one open and see what you think!

News for 2012 from the Beer and Wine Department
By Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Operations Manager and Beer and Wine Buyer

Happy New Year!  If you didn’t get enough Champagne on New Year’s Eve, we still have some exciting bubbly products.  We still have a limited quantity of Sam Adams’ “Infinium”, which resulted from collaboration between the Boston Beer Company and Weihenstephaner (Weihenstephaner claims to be the oldest brewery in the world).  Infinium is a “Bière de Champagne,” a relatively new beer category that is reminiscent of Champagne.  

We also still have some of the Gruet Winery’s Blanc de Noirs, which received #47 on the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of 2011.  (It’s still good in 2012.)  The Gruet Winery is in New Mexico, though was founded by a French family, who established a French Champagne cooperative before relocating to the States.  Their Brut and Blanc de Noirs, both of which are currently available at Wheatsfield, are produced using the traditional “methode Champenoise.”  Both wines retail under $16, and are fantastic examples of quality domestic sparkling wines.  The Blanc de Noirs will go fast, so be sure to try some if you are able!
   

Stay tuned for more beer and wine news updates throughout the year!