Blind Horse Winery mission is to create Napa Valley experience in Wisconsin

KOHLER - Bob Moeller was retired at age 56 and sitting on a Clearwater, Fla., beach with one thought on his mind.

"If I continue to do this, I'm going to die."

From that epiphany came plans for a boutique winery that led to a 17-varietal winery and a full restaurant that led to a patio, that led to a live entertainment stage, that led to a second kitchen to serve guests on the patio that led to a building dedicated to pouring bourbon and craft cocktails over "gourmet" ice.

The Blind Horse Restaurant & Winery is a campus of wine and food and entertainment nestled into 7 acres of what used to be the Dreps family farm. Now it is meticulously landscaped with sculptures, ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers. All of it enveloped by towering trees. 

Somewhere along the way, they will need to find room for more winemaking equipment and storage as general manager and winemaker Thomas Nye says the 4,200 cases they bottle this year has maxed out their capacity.

Not bad considering The Blind Horse opened its restaurant in 2012 and winemaking operations in 2014.

If you're planning to check out the winery's annual fall festival this weekend or stopping out for wine tasting or dinner, here are a few things to know.

Dry wines are more than fine 

"We wanted to start a winery making the types of wines we liked, which are drier wines," Nye said. "When I came aboard, the idea was, 'let's create Napa Valley, right here in Kohler.' That was the dream."

Making the dream come true means working with vineyards in California and Washington to acquire grapes. Once the grapes arrive, all other winemaking from crushing to fermenting to barrel aging and bottling happens here.

"This is a micro-winery the way you think of micro-distillery," Nye said.

Making dry wines in a state with wine drinkers who largely have a taste for sweet wines was a bit of risk. But it paid off. Top-selling wines are mostly red (four of top six) and/or dry (seven of top 10), Nye said.

Tuscan Blend leads the way. Being dry makes it light on the palate and it works as a wine to be sipped alone or as an opener when guests arrive at your home. However, the blend of sangiovese, cabernet and petite sirah aged in American and French oak barrels for 14 months provides plenty of body for this wine to be paired with food.

Nye calls it an American version of a Chianti and says the blend changes slightly every year to best capture this versatile wine.

Over-oaking isn't happening on Nye's watch

Take a few moments drinking in the wine bar scenery from stone-encased fireplace, black iron chandelier dangling from the hardwood ceiling and the long, slightly curved, bar that leads your eye to a bank of dark wood-framed windows. Then glance through those windows into the bottling room. That's where you will see oak barrels stacked high.

A combination of French and American oak barrels — which cost about $1,000 each — are used for extensive aging. Many wines age for at least a year. The reserve Tuscan Blend ages two years. Nye said they recently filled bottles with wine pressed in 2015.

"We take our time," he said. "The owners have allowed me the flexibility to bottle when we are ready, not out of necessity."

Furthermore, Nye likes to use a combination of wine barrel ages from new to neutral. Neutral barrels are typically four or more years old and no longer impart oak flavors but help with micro-oxygenation — the process that creates smoother drinking wines.

"I don't want to overwhelm it with oak," Nye said. "That, to me, is hiding a lot of the fruit characteristics of the wine."

Making wine for all tastes, including Wisconsin grown varietals

Creating a Napa experience doesn't exclude sweet wines like Gewürztraminer and Moscato and even includes blends made with Wisconsin-grown cold-hardy varietals like Marquette and St. Pepin. 

The winery's first ice wine (2016) is made with St. Pepin grapes from a Plymouth vineyard. Birdy's Red is made with Wisconsin grapes as well.

Regardless of your wine tastes, Nye said, wine is best when paired with food.

"My ah-ha moment in life when I changed my career and wanted to become a winemaker happened during a food and wine pairing," Nye said.

He recommends trying a flight with cheese or chocolate pairings. Both are available at the wine bar. Both include some of Wisconsin's finest. Cheeses from the likes of award winning cheesemakers like Carr Valley, Hook's and Sartori. The chocolates are by Kohler Original Recipe Chocolates .

Upscale cocktails, bourbon and spirits now served in the barn

Gourmet ice cube in glasses. Floor boards and bar constructed from reclaimed wood of a Kentucky barn. Rough-hewn beams of original Dreps farm buildings. In between hangs artwork of old-time shirtless bare-knuckled brawlers, The Granary is the result of four-month restoration project and home to craft cocktails and spirit flights.

More than a little suspicious of labeling ice cubes as gourmet, I asked what makes them gourmet? The answer: the shape (think tall cylinder in a highball glass or a massive square cube in an old-fashioned glass) and clarity, Nye said. The clarity isn't easy to come by, and Nye was concerned they wouldn't have enough ice for The Granary's opening night last week.

If crushed ice is called for, watch it to get crushed before your very eyes. It's all part of the experience.

The Granary has eight signature cocktails ($9-$13) on its menu with suggested ice pairings. Be warned when ordering "My Muse, My Love" as the citrus tart flavor mingling with the bourbon is a drink that could be swallowed in one, long, thirst-quenching gulp.

Spirit flights ($11-$19) of three samples include six preset choices with names like "Taste of Scotland," "But Why Is The Rum Gone?" and "Brandies of France." 

Beer, wine and a limited food menu are also available in The Granary that is open Wednesday and Thursday nights and available for rental for private events.

Beloved blind horse gets a sculpture 

Nye said the winery is named in honor of Birdy, a blind horse that not only served as the lead work horse on the Dreps family farm but, according to old photos, was the Dreps' kids' favored ride and took them to school.

To further honor Birdy, the Moellers commissioned Green Bay artist Carl Vanderheyden  to craft a sculpture of the horse. Installed last week, the 7-foot-tall and 10-foot-long sculpture is made from fuel oil tanks.

The Blind Horse and Winery Harvest Festival & Grape Stomp

What: The fourth annual event that features a grape-stomping contest, tours and live music. An arts and craft fair with 20 vendors also takes place on the grounds.

When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. The Winery patio is open following the event until 10 p.m.

Where: Blind Horse Restaurant & Winery, 6018 Superior Ave., Kohler