Their initial planting, they
thought, would be enough to
break a sweat and not break the
bank if the crop didn’t pan out.
“At that time, it was just going
to be a hobby, something to do,
kind of our therapy at the end of
the day from our corporate jobs,”
he said. “But since then, that little
hobby got out of control.”
Research told them along the
driveway of their property was
actually the worst place to plant
grapes, so they turned their sights
to the top of the hill.
“We got bit by it that first
year,” Colleen said. “We had so
much fun out there so I think the
next year we ordered 500 more.”
The couple has continued
to add to their little hobby,
and currently has a seven-acre
vineyard.
Initially, they intended to sell
their grapes to another winery in
the area. But during her stint at
John Deere, Colleen developed a
business plan while finishing up
her master’s degree in business
administration. After running
the numbers, the duo found
they could make more money by
crafting and bottling their own
wine.
After making some
modifications to their home to
meet state regulations, the Gerkes
were able to turn their basement
into a bonded winery.
In the beginning wine was
wholesaled to stores in Kansas
City, and the couple often spent
their corporate lunch hours
making deliveries. Eventually,
customers started knocking on
their door to taste the fruits of
their labor.
“We moved the patio bar from
our back deck into the basement,
put up some wine racks and on
weekends people would come into
our basement and taste the wine,”
Colleen recalled.
With their hobby-turned
business growing and needing
more space, and Colleen pregnant
with their second child, she left
John Deere in 2009 as part of
a corporate buy out package
and turned her attention to the
fledgling winery full time. In the
spring of 2010, the Gerkes broke
ground on what would become
Jowler Creek Winery.
Soon after, Jason and Colleen
realized they needed more space
— especially when the weather
couldn’t accommodate guests
outside.
“They don’t just come to the
tasting bar and leave; they love to
experience it,” Jason said.
The couple rented space in
the caves under Park University
in Kansas City for storage. This
freed up space at the winery to
hold more events for customers.
Grapes in the Jowler Creek Vineyard
will be ready for harvest come fall. Jason
Gerke says white grapes will be turned
into wine by Christmas, while reds need
more time to age and will be bottled
next summer.
HEARTBEAT | SUMMER 2017 7