Belle Vinez near River Falls offers for 12 months a year — unlike hardly any other local and regional wineries — their specialty wines made from northern grapes, along with brick-oven pizza, frequently music for ambiance and a family friendly and relaxed style. So you won’t be left out in the cold if you want to indulge in their one-of-a-kind wines, homemade pizza and appetizers when it’s not in the growing season.
So try them out this Sunday, along with a visit by Santa and the opportunity to join in a toy drive — and thus gain a free glass of wine — as well as other holiday traditions tied to a totally Tuscan treatment and toys for the tots taken in by Turningpoint.
The following is a Q and A with Karalee Dunham of the Belle Vinez marketing department, (and yes, they have gotten prominent enough to have such a special division).
(Was it decided right away that Bella Vinez would be open all 12 months? And what will patrons encounter in winter?)
“The winery has been open since May, 2015, so this was our third season open. It wasn’t decided right away that we would be open year-round. It wasn’t until after we went to multiple township meetings to be approved that we determined that to be the case. It was a big step for us! Now, we do have season hours that change in the winter but it gives our customers the ability to enjoy a brick oven pizza and a class of wine throughout the entire year. Not many wineries in this area are open all year and we think that this brings a big benefit for our customers. They are able to come into a Tuscan ambiance, relaxed establishment. Sometimes we have live musicians that come and play in the summer and winter months for our customers to enjoy while sipping on their favorite Belle Vinez wine. We also host other events in the winter like A Belle Vinez Christmas, where we have a Santa visit, a toy drive, and other holiday activities to enjoy. New Year’s Eve is always a big event for us because spaces fill up fast for our special menu we offer.”
(What are some of the favorite products you have to offer and what makes them so, and how to you meet the challenges of growing them in this climate?)
“Our favorite products we have to offer are our wine that we blend on-site, and our homemade appetizers and pizza that is cooked in our imported, wood fired, brick oven. Customers love the taste of our wood fired pizza that is unlike that anywhere else. Our wine is our sweet spot, as we blend our wines with Northern Grapes and grapes that we import from the West Coast. This gives our wine a unique blend but also familiar names and tastes of the wines you have on your shelf at home. We also just released a new line of wine, Truth North. These wines are made from all northern grapes to give our customers a taste of what we are growing in our backyard. We also have different tasting options available to sample the wines to see what you like, (or don’t like) before choosing a glass or bottle. You’ll notice while doing a tasting, is the unique way we do our labeling. Belle Vinez is family-owned and family-centric. Therefore, every bottle label is a picture of a Zimmerman family member in a small life moment that has been redone by an artist and made into a label. The back of the label then explains what was happening in that image, because it is all about life’s little moments that make up the importance of both life and family.”
(What are the related activities that will be offered this Sunday, and how do they fit in with sipping some wine, and being family-centric?)
“On Sunday, Dec 17 from 2-5 p.m. we are hosting A Belle Vinez Christmas where we will have Santa at Belle Vinez and a Toy Drive. We are partnering with a local charity, Turning Point, to bring toys to them to give to their families in need. If you bring a toy to the toy drive you will receive one FREE glass of wine. Find a full list of donations at www.turningpoint-wi.org/2017-holiday-program.html. Along with the toy drive and Santa visiting Belle Vinez, we will be having a craft and cookie station, hot chocolate for the kids and a mulled-wine for the adults. Our tasting bar and full menu will be available as well to sip on some wine and enjoy a pizza to celebrate this jolly time of year.”
(How important is music to the experience? Is there a particular style — and volume — concerning the music you like to have? What are the other types of food and ambiance that are present at a typical tasting?)
“When we have music in the summer or winter, usually once to twice a month, it really adds to the experience at Belle Vinez. The soft sounding, acoustic musicians that come and play bring a relaxed, pleasant tune to enjoy while sipping on a glass … or two of wine. The music adds just enough to the room or patio to enjoy, but also allows you to converse with those who are with you. Besides our famous wood-fired, brick oven pizzas, we have amazing appetizers that are sharable with your friends and family like our spinach and artichoke dip, stuffed mushrooms, cheese and charcuterie plate, bruschetta, as these are a few of our customers favorites. We strive to bring Tuscany to the Midwest in our ambiance and architecture. This is apparent as you walk up to our entrance, noticing our stone brick building and large piazza overlooking the multiacre vineyard.”
(Are you soon rolling out some more products and what separates them from the rest of the wines that are out there?)
“We are always taking our customers’ feedback and improving our wines to their preferences. We then tell our winemaker what the customers think and he changes it accordingly so satisfy our customers taste buds. We will be releasing our new vintage of Reminisce any month now. Our winemaker and family made, wine bottling team, are making the last touches on individually labeling each and every bottle.”
Winter hours are Friday 4-9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Summer Hours are Thursday 4-9 p.m., and Friday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“We choose to be open on the weekends only because that is when our customers are making their plans and trips to visit wineries. We also want to give our customers the opportunity to visit us even in the winter, when most wineries in the area are closed.”