Don't miss our Black Friday Sale!

Join us for our one-of-a-kind Wine Sale on Friday, Nov. 28 from 11 am to 7 pm, Saturday, Nov. 29 from 10 am to 6 pm, and Sunday, Nov. 30 from noon to 6 pm.

You'll receive 15% off award-winning Crofut wine and 10% all all gift items including our 100% Belgian chocolates. We'll have people on hand to help you assemble custom gift baskets, too.
You must bring this page in to receive your discounts. Offer expires 11/30/08.

Sunday Sunset

Hi everyone, this is Don.
I was out working in the vineyard this past Sunday night and the sky was going crazy. It was gorgeous! I grabbed the camera and snapped a few shots. Hopefully the folks coming for the vineyard dinners will get to enjoy a few sunsets like this, too!

Frog on the Blog

I just came across this old photo from BB (Before Blog). We came across a little frog in the vineyard, clinging tightly to a cluster of grapes. He stuck around long enough for a few photos before he hopped away unharmed.

Thanks to the 10/11 Harvesters!

Thanks to everyone who showed up on Saturday, October 11 for our final harvest event. It was a gorgeous day. We had a lot of volunteers and a lot of fun.

A special thanks to Mary Pearson for taking some gorgeous photos of the event. I'm sticking a few photos below, but you can click on the Picasa link in the Title to see more, larger photos of the day. Thanks to all our hard workers -- hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did!
-Don

Harvest is COOKING!

Things are really cooking at the winery. Harvest is moving quite nicely (Big thanks for all the friends and family helping out). Just one more week of harvesting, crushing, pressing and introducing the marriage of yeast and juice. From that marriage and honeymoon will blossom our new 2008 vintage wines in a few weeks.
Want to pick? Email us and tell us you want to participate. Get ready for Don's cooking on the 11th of October! You pick. Don preps family foods, and you enjoy family food and wine after a MN morning harvest. Take home a bottle of our wine and a full tummy after a morning of playing (er... harvesting) the grapes.

Last Sunday we were also pleased to have clan Dollarhide in to visit and enjoy the fine fall day. We even got them to stay still long enough for the one photo!

Art in the Vineyard

It was a great time last Sunday when Tammy and the Waseca Artist Guild came in to "paint" the vineyard...and Lucky the goat too! Tammy and the Waseca artists group were with us on Sunday and their watercolor paintings in the vineyard were quite special. I can't wait to see some of the finished products. If you want to come and paint in the vineyard ...or just paint the goat, please let us know.

Here are some photos of guild members "painting the vineyard."

What an amazing September!

Twist Productions needed a barn to shoot their commercial for Sygenta/NK soybeans. They found ours and spent the last 3 days setting the barn up for a shoot. Lucky the goat and King Turkalot (the turkey) were so excited to have all the attention.

Look for the Syngenta soybeans national commercial this winter and spring. It was filmed in Crofutland! They even used the winery for the interior shot. Commerical to go out nationally this winter/spring.

Julie and Clan Welch

Family vineyard yields State Fair ribbons

Here's a story that came out yesterday in the Prior Lake American.

Julie is a friend of ours and comes out to help us in a little of everything in the vineyard and winery. I am so glad that she did so well in the State Fair amateur wine competition this year. They are north of us about 6 miles on Marschall road.

Congratulations, Julie! Your dad was the nicest caring man. I know he would be proud of what you are doing. He was so excited to start of your vineyard. May you carry on and inspire others, too!

Campbell Mithun commercial week of Sept. 15

This is going to be an exciting week! Campbell Mithun will be filming a national commercial on Thursday in the vineyard!

The commercial features our big red bard and Syngenta/NK soybeans. We'll have a tech and lighting crew here on Tuesday after 2 pm. They'll start setting up on Wednesday and be filming on Wednesday and Thursday am.

It sounds like the weather is going to cooperate for them, too. Watch for our barn in the soybean ads next spring.

Maybe we should ask Richard for a recipe pairing wine and soybeans... Either way, be sure to check out the CrofutLand recipe blog!

Vonore, Tennessee

Ruth and Kevin Bourlard live in Shakopee and have helped with harvest and bottling in the past. Kevin helped us cook a wonderful leg of lamb at last year's harvest. Kevin's parents live in Vonore, Tennessee. They took the wine back from MN and served at their 4th of July dinner. Obviously the wine was a hit: they liked it so much they took a traveling wine bottle photo or two and sent them to Kevin to give to us.

Photo 1: Uncle Carl, Sally, Kevin's Dad, Sally's Bill, and Uncle Bill sit down to enjoy their 4th of July meal with some Crofut wine.

Photo 2: Carol Ann poses with Mollie (age 9) and her Crofut St. Croix Red (ageless!)

Photo 3: Kevin's dad is a double-fisted Crofut Winery fan!

Noted at the Slow Food Convention

My cousin Alan saw the article and photos of the US Slow Food Nation in San Francisco that were published in the City Pages blog yesterday. We were invited to participate in the inaugural event and although we were not there in body, we were there in spirit...but our wines were participants in savoring the fresh sea air of August. It is always heartening to see so many local merchants getting their due on the national stage!

Your Reach Is Far

Thanks to Tara for submitting a photo of our vineyard in the "Photo of the Day" section of the Atlanta Journal Constitution way down in Georgia. Yet another friend noticed it there, and faxed a copy of it to us. Thank you, Gary!

Grape Stomps t-shirts are in!

Take part in the Grape Stomp this weekend, and this is the t-shirt you'll get. Hope to see you there!

Volunteers Wanted for September Grape Harvest

Veraison (augusting or turning) is in full force. The grapes are turning black, blue and lighter shades of green. Ripening has started, and harvesting will start in September....with the cool spring and late bloom, we will have a late harvest and lots of activity in the last 2 weeks of September and the first week in October.

Email us tell us you want to participate. Get ready for Don's cooking in September! You pick, Don preps family foods, and you enjoy family food and wine after a MN morning harvest. Take home a bottle of our wine and a full tummy after a morning of playing (er... harvesting) the grapes.

Harvest is THE best time of the year, and the food is hearty! Email us & let us know which Saturday morning you want to help make world class wine! We might even see another balloon over the vineyard one fine Saturday morning.

Outstanding in the Field Aug. 15

A big thanks to Chef's Scott and Lenny! We were able to participate in the "Outstanding in the Field" Dinner Series at Cedar Summit Farms this past weekend in New Prague.

A fabulous evening of food and wine on a table made for 180 persons! The full moon paired with our dessert wine was the exclamation point for the entire day! Here is a glimpse of the table.


Chef Lenny from Heartland (St Paul) and Chef Scott from Corner Table (Mnpls) had some incredible food. Their website is http://www.outstandinginthefield.com/.

Mini Family Reunion Feedback

Hi Don!

Thanks for the invite to your family winery. My family met there for a mini family reunion on the 9th. It was a lot of fun for our whole family. Most adults did the wine tasting while the kids and I played outside. We had a picnic lunch in the area with the tables and chairs.

After we ate the kids played some more, enjoyed watching the farm animals and finished the time there with a walk in the vineyard.
Attached are two pictures - one of me and the kids (my daughter on the tire swing with my nieces in the background) and one of the walk thru the vineyard (my mother in law, sister in law, nieces and my daughter).

We're hoping to make the trip an annual event since there was something for everyone and we all enjoyed it. Oh, and the wine was good too. : ) Each family bought a bottle of which two were drank there and one was brought home. We also enjoyed the chocolate.

Thanks again!

Patty M.
Eagan, MN

VINEYARD UPDATE: THE HEAT IS ON!

Veraison (augusting or turning) has started and the grapes are turning black, blue and lighter shades of green. Ripening has started, and harvesting will start in September.

Want to pick?
Email us at info@crofutwinery.com to tell us you want to participate.

Get ready for Don's cooking in September!
You pick, Don preps family foods, and you enjoy family food and wine after a MN morning harvest. Harvest is THE best time of the year, and the food is hearty! Email us at info@crofutwinery.com & let us know which Saturday morning you want to help make world class wine!

2008 Indy Wine Competition

We've won so many awards this year that it's beginning to seem repetitive to keep reporting them. Check our website for our awards list.

The Indy Wine Competition is the BIG one, and we brought home two silver awards this year!

The Indy International brought in nearly 3,200 wines from 15 countries. The 75 judges liked last year's crop of sweet Minnesota whites. Both our 2007 LaCrescent table wine and our 2007 Frontenac Gris (Essence du Nord) dessert wines took silver.

It's our second crop of wines EVER, and we're bringing home silver awards competing against the big guys. We're aiming higher, and hope you'll stay with us for the ride!

Don't Miss the Crofutland Recipe Blog!

Visit the Crofutland Recipe Blog, where Chef Richard Dollarhide regularly shares some of his favorite recipes with his friends at the Crofut Family Vineyard.

It's a delicious read. Check it out!

Have you checked our Crofutland Recipe blog?

Be sure to check out our Crofutland Blog, where Chef Richard Dollarhide regularly shares some of his favorite recipes with his friends at the Crofut Family Vineyard.

It's a delicious read!

New Prague Red Hat Ladies

We hosted the New Prague Red Hat Ladies in for a picnic on Sat the 21st of June. What a great time!

If you're as much fun as these ladies, you're welcome at the vineyard any time!

blooms in the vineyard

It's June in the vineyard, and the grape vines are blooming. Just think, each of these pretty little blossoms will grow up to be a yummy grape!

A friend once said that men are like grapes... if you stomp them, press them, strain them and age them, eventually you might be able to enjoy a nice meal with them. These are my little boys!

FRONTENAC ARRIVES! Crofut Family Winery Events

NEW WINES FOR 2008! We have 3 new wines and 2 are ready for your tasting pleasure. Frontenac Gris. Many have waited, it is now ready to share. Essence du Nord, our sweet Frontenac Gris wine.

READY TO HAVE --"FUN WITH WINE?"
Hang with Chef Molly Dollarhide on Summer Sunday afternoons at Crofut Family Winery!

Chef Molly creates food to pair with Crofut Family Wines; YOU have a fun afternoon! Let her show you how easy it can be to pair food with wine! We had so much fun at the last one, and the tent actually stayed up!
CALL TO RESERVE NOW as Space is Limited. $25 per person, and YES, we bring the WINE! Why do we do this? We want you to learn about Food & Wine, and have FUN! Bring a friend, they will learn something!
RSVP HERE FOR RESERVATIONS: Crofut email
Chef Molly's Fun with Wine21646 Langford Ave S. (MN Hwy 13)
Summer Schedule:
June 29, July 6, July 20
August 3, August 17
952-492-3227
Check in at 1:45 PM
2:00-Until Chef Molly is Finished


Dinner "IN" the Vineyard ...YES!
Sunset at the Crofut Family Vineyard is simply beautiful. Chefs Richard and Molly will make our vineyard sunset unforgettable.
The 2008 Vineyard Season will be special. Dine in the vineyard. Share world class food and wine grown from vines that surround you. Share a sunset with your beloved. Make a memory in a unique setting never before experienced in Minnesota.
Gaze longingly; sip the concentrated sunshine of rich land and crisp skies; smell the sweetness of growing grapes as you dine; and linger under the red and orange skies of a vineyard sunset.

Chefs Richard and Molly create pairings to capture the moment. You etch in your memory, the moment when time will stand still.
The ultimate Minnesota vineyard sunset.
Crofut Family Dinner in the Vineyard21646 Langford Ave S. (MN Hwy 13)Jordan, Minnesota 55352

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
Limited to 25 Couples $125 per person
Apertifs at 6:00 pm, Catered Dinner promptly served at 6:30 pm
Dessert & Essence du Nord with Sunset
July 13th and August 10th
RSVP HERE FOR RESERVATIONS: Crofut email

International Eastern Wine Competition

We brought home another two Bronze medals from a field of over 2,200 wines at the 32nd International Eastern Wine Competition.

Crofut Winery earned a Bronze award for our Frontenac Rose' and one for our brand new Frontenac Gris 2007. Bronze medals require a unanimous panel vote for bronze, we're pleased with our standings. Vineyard & Winery Management magazine lists the competition results online.

Tasters Guild Wine Competition

We rock! Five submitted wines, four medals!

I'm really excited about the Frontenac Gris' Silver. We're a small fish and I entered the Gris in a big-pond category. We still scored second place! Give us time... our rankings are only going to get better and better...

Frontenac Rose' 07 Bronze
Prairie Blanc 06 Silver
River Valley White 06 Silver
Frontenac Gris 07 Silver
5 submitted, 4 medals.

Diane's birthday bash

On Sunday, our family friend Lady Diane Sullivan turned 29 for the 21st time. She drove her 1967 Camaro out to the vineyard as family and friends joined in saluting her chronological advancement. We had a wonderful time with Diane, her family and friends. It was a beautiful spring day for a birthday party.

We're gonna have a billboard ad, too!

We met with a big distributor last week -- they're spreading the word about Crofut wine and our popularity continues to grow. Take a look at the billboard we'll be putting up soon. We are SO stoked for summer!

-Don

Watch for our ad in the Star Tribune!

Vineyard Events this Summer - Sneak Preview

Vineyard Opens on Memorial Day

Vineyard Update

Just a reminder that we'll open for the season on Memorial Day weekend. We also bottled the Gris and the rose' so things are moving forward!

-Don

April Fool's Day in 2008

For all the kids in Minnesota who got woke up by parents bearing snow shovels on April Fool's Day -- it was no joke! Going in to plow out the vineyard driveway early in the morning, we were greeted by a gorgeous wintry scene. Soon, the snow will melt, the leaves will turn green and the grapes will burst forth but for now...

Val and Gary Brown in Akumel, QR Mexico

Don here is a picture of Gary and I last week in Akumal, Mexico. As you can see it was a little breezy that day, my hair is standing on end!
We brought a bottle of your wine with us and wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed sipping it down there on our penthouse balcony over looking the bay. We were down there for 5 weeks and just returned this Tuesday. Sounds like we missed all the cold weather in February-shucks we were in the 80's and sun everyday. Sorry we missed all that---LOL.
Val and Gary Brown

Check out our latest ad!

St. Croix on the Rocks

Here's a shot of a travelling wine bottle along the North Shore in Minnesota. A beautiful place, for those of you who haven't had the chance to enjoy the scenery around Lutsen!

Travelling Wine Bottle in Australia

Thanks to Ann for this photo of Crow's Nest White in the harbor of Sydney, Australia. Ann’s son Andy lives in there and claims this is as far as a bottle can travel from Jordan without leaving the planet.