What began as a hobby for Dorothy O’Brien, making wine for family and friends, has turned into a thriving business called Wide River Winery, with two beautiful locations in Clinton and LeClaire.
What began as a hobby for Dorothy O’Brien, making wine for family and friends, has turned into a thriving business called Wide River Winery, with two beautiful locations in Clinton and LeClaire.
“We liked her wine. She loves making wine; it’s pretty darned good,” said Paul Quinn, Ms. O’Brien’s son-in-law, who is currently in charge of the LeClaire Tasting Room, which opened in 2011, and also is wholesale and construction manager.
The winery in Clinton opened in 2005 and takes its name from the widest part of the Mississippi River, which flows below the vineyards. Its 7 acres grows a variety of grapes hardy to the Midwest, but the wines’ popularity means the harvests can’t keep up with demand, so they have to get more grapes from other Midwest vineyards.
“We get grapes from Iowa, Illinois, southern Michigan and Missouri,” said Mr. Quinn. “Our port grapes come from Geneseo.” They not only buy locally but collaborate with their neighbors too; they recently took wine and juice to the Mississippi River Distilling Company in LeClaire to make brandy.
The building that houses the Tasting Room has quite the history, Midwest wine a hit at Wide River Winery Wide River Winery according to Mr. Quinn. Built in the 1840s, it used to be a bakery and a library, and during recent renovations, a tunnel to an adjacent building was discovered, which led them to believe it may have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. Unfortunately, safety concerns meant they were unable to preserve the tunnel but they took many pictures, which are part of an ever-changing slideshow on a large-screen TV in the shop.
The wines owe their unique names to Ms. O’Brien’s day job as an attorney. White Collar Crime, Blushing Testimony and Ms. Behavin’ are white wines that are sure to stick in one’s memory, while Guilty Pleasure, Conviction and Sweet Justice are red wines that won’t cause anyone to plead the Fifth. The website gives suggestions on wine pairings, so besides the usual beef and chicken pairings, you’ll know exactly which one goes best with potato chips (Sweet Justice) or a summer afternoon (White Collar Crime).
These wines aren’t just fun; they are award winners. Ms. Chevious won gold at the 2011 Iowa State Fair and at the 2012 Tasters Guild International Wine Competition. Felony Red took gold at the 2012 Mid American Wine Competition and silver at the 2012 Tasters Guild International Wine Competition. Pursuit of Happiness won a gold medal at the 2012 Mid American Wine Competition and a bronze medal in the 2012 Tasters Guild International Wine Competition. Sweet Justice was the silver medal winner at the 2012 Tasters Guild International Wine Competition.
Fortunately for wine lovers on both sides of the river, Wide River’s wares are available in more locations than just the Clinton and LeClaire stores. As the wholesale manager, Mr. Quinn admits he spends quite a bit of time on the road. Their wines are available at area Hy-Vee stores, and as far away as Des Moines, Galesburg and Peoria. For fans who don’t live near any stores that carry Wide River wines, there’s vinoshipper.com.
“Vino Shipper really makes it easy on us smaller wineries,” said Mr. Quinn. “There are so many regulations on selling wine that differ by state and they take care of all that.” The site ships to 21 states and has a minimum order of two bottles. Buyers also can order cases of wine.
Both Wide River locations offer free live music on weekends from May through October with a wine purchase; in LeClaire on Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m. and in Clinton on Saturdays from 4 to 7 p.m. The Clinton concerts take place on the deck atop their bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and the LeClaire concerts take place in their courtyard wine garden next to the Tasting Room.
“It’s fun,” said Mr. Quinn. “We get people up and dancing, even dancing in the streets.” Obviously lots of people enjoy themselves; it was voted the 2013 QuadCities Reader’s Choice Honorable Mention for Best Live Music Venue. “We get a wide variety of ages here and a new demographic exposed to wine. It’s never rained during one of our music nights, so if you want to know where to go on a Friday night where it won’t rain, come (to LeClaire).”