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!