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Winery laws are tied to the past
By Doug Rich
This might be hard to believe, but at one time Kansas was one of the top 10 wine producing states in the U.S. There were over 7,000 acres of grapes and the wine makers in the state produced 1,000,000 gallons of wine per year. That was all prior to 1882 when Kansas became the first state to approve statewide Prohibition.
John Brewer, president and owner of Wyldewood Cellars in Mulvane, Kan., is optimistic about the wine industry in Kansas and believes Kansas could again be a top wine producing state. "We have better conditions for wine in Kansas than Missouri does," says Brewer. "But their wine industry is 10 times bigger than ours." Kansas has abundant sunshine, water and low humidity which makes it ideal for wine production, but still most of our wine comes from California.
Rebuilding the wine industry in Kansas is like bringing back a piece of our history as a state, says Patti Clark, director of Agricultural Marketing Division at the Kansas Department of Agriculture. "We have invested quite a few resources in a number of different wineries and we are very excited about bringing back the history," she says. "Historically, Kansas was one of the largest grape growing states prior to Prohibition. So it is not like we are introducing a new industry, but resurrecting an historical one."
Brewer started making wine as a hobby when he was in graduate school. When he decided to move back to Kansas, he was looking for a way to make the family farm more profitable. He decided to combine his background in science and high tech industries with his wine making hobby. "I wanted to come back to the Midwest, close to family," says Brewer. "This is a family business." He opened his first winery in Mulvane, Kan., in 1985. That facility burned down in 1999. Brewer rebuilt closer to the Interstate south of Wichita at exit 33. His goal has been to provide high quality wine at a reasonable price.
Worldwide there are over 8,000 grape varieties but only about 5,000 of these are grown in the U.S. The one advantage that California does have over Kansas is that grapes do not winterkill on the West Coast. That is why most of the grapes grown in Kansas are French-American hybrids and a few Cabernet Franc. Brewer says the exception to this is the region south of Wichita to the Oklahoma border. "There is an anomaly in the jet stream that makes this area one growing zone warmer than the rest of the state," says Brewer. "Several vinifera varieties are being tested and significant plantings of Syrah have been established."
Although Brewer grows grapes on his farm he has made his reputation with another fruit common to this area, elderberries. This well known fruit grows naturally all over North America. "Elderberries and grapes are the two oldest companion plants to man," says John Brewer. "Elderberries have been used in every school of medicine since Hypocrites." Brewer says Elderberries contain an anti-viral agent that boosts your immune system and that drinking elderberry juice can help prevent colds or flu and has even been beneficial for people with allergies and asthma. An advantage that elderberries have over grapes is that a farmer can harvest a partial crop the first year where it takes up to five years before a new planting of grapes can be harvested. Brewer makes elderberry wine, elderberry juice, elderberry syrup, elderberry concentrate and elderberry Bliss, a non-alcoholic juice drink.
His Gold Medal Sweet Elderberry Wine is blended with cinnamon and clover to produce a Spiced Wine which was the winner of the New World International Fruit Wine of the Year award and was featured at the 2002 Winter Olympics. "We are the most award winning winery in the state," says Brewer. John Brewer's mother, Margaret Tidwell, is the largest producer of elderberries in the U.S. John Brewer has translated his interest in wine making and elderberries into a widespread reputation and as an international wine judge specializing in fruit wines. He judges wines at competition two to three times a year and has judged competitions in California, New York, and Europe. A single competition can last for three to four days and will include up to 3,500 different wines.
In addition to wine from grapes and elderberries, Brewer makes wine from sand plums, apples, and peaches. Production is not the problem holding back the wine industry in Kansas, it is necessary legislation. Even though national Prohibition ended in 1933, Kansas did not have a law allowing wineries until 1985 and the state is still lacking legislation that would make it possible for a wine industry to flourish. Brewer believes that the Kansas Farm Winery license should allow: The donation of wine produced by farm wineries to non-profit, charitable, and government sponsored fundraising events; the serving of samples and the sale in the original unopened containers of wine manufactured by the licensee at festivals, trade shows, and charitable events including the Kansas State Fair if the event is held in a county where the sale of alcoholic beverages is permitted by law in licensed drinking establishments; and the sale wine manufactured by the licensee by the glass, carafe, or the opened bottle in a restaurant owned by the licensee if on property contiguous to the farm winery. The ability to serve samples at festivals and other similar events is very important to attracting potential customers to Kansas wines, according to Brewer.
There are other changes John Brewer would like to make in the current Kansas Liquor Control Act as it pertains to farm wineries. He would like to change the section B to increase the number of winery outlet licenses from two to five. Brewer would like to have outlets in places like Dodge City, Hutchinson, Hays, and Sedan. "We need off-site sales locations," He says. Dodge City would be a natural location because of the tourist traffic through that town every year. It would help if these extra outlets could be joint ventures but current state law restricts farm winery owners from having any interest in another state winery. "In any other industry, joint ventures are possible that bring together expertise and investment capital to create growth," says Brewer.
Patti Clark says these changes are possible but they may need to be phased in over time. "The farm winery laws, as part of the Liquor Control Act, need to be reviewed to determine if they are acting as a barrier to the growth of the industry," she says. "If so, how should we change them?"
A thriving wine industry in Kansas would have a positive impact on the growing agri-tourism industry in this state. "Wineries, those that currently exist and those in the pipeline waiting for permits, are one of the most visible portals for agri-tourism in the state of Kansas," says Clark. "By enhancing their productivity we are helping with the growing agri-tourism in the state."
Even though Kansas was one of the first states to approve statewide Prohibition and one of the last states to overturn those restrictions, John Brewer does not find it hard to believe that Kansas can again be one of the top wine producing states in the U.S.
Doug Rich can be reached by e-mail at Richhpj@aol.com or by phone at 785-749-5304.
Date: 8/26/04
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