THE SAMPLER VISITS RANGE 46 WINE CO.
You might expect a wine tasting room to remind you of the California wine country, or the old European wineries. But what would a Brown County born-and-bred winery look like?
The Sampler found the answer just outside Gnaw Bone at the Range 46 Wine Company.
I had been wondering about this place since I noticed the modest white building, unceremoniously plunked down in the middle of a cornfield next to the Camp Moneto Road.
Range 46 is the brainchild of Jerrica Shrader and husband Brian, who took up wine making during the Covid 19 lockdown and then decided to turn that into a business.
“We started making it at home, and it turned out pretty good,” Jerrica said. “Friends were asking if they could have a bottle.”
She left a job in the prosecutor’s office and turned her attention to building a winery business.
The Shrader’s were able to build a small building on their farm for the winery.
“I always knew I wanted to own some kind of business,” she said. “With three kids at home, it seemed like a good idea.”
“We thought, ‘ We’ll just see how it goes. If it goes belly up, we’ll just have to think of something else to do with the building.’ ”
“But it took off,” she said. “It’s been fun.”
Although some folks were surprised by the setting, the business, as they say in the wine parlance, “had legs.”
Range 46 captures the Brown County vibe: a family friendly, pet friendly, farm winery with a laid-back atmosphere. It’s the kind of place where wine newbies and wine connoisseurs can both find something they love and have a great time.
There’s a nice outdoor area with a fire pit where you can hang out outside, mostly in the fall and spring. Occasionally Range 46 offers live music and food trucks.
If you think a wine bar in a corn field is a crazy idea, consider this: the one-year anniversary celebration drew about 700 people. “It was chaotic, but it was good,” Jerrica said. “Last week, we had the Jeep riders come through,” she said. “We had about 200 Jeeps.” Although fall is the peak time for the business,
Range 46 stays open year-round. “We still have plenty of business all winter long.” Jerrica said. They decorate for Christmas and stay open in January and February. Range 46 uses grape juice imported from California, New York, and Michigan to create their wines on site in small batches. They employ five 130-gallon tanks with, generally, three tanks in use at any one time for different vintages.
Bottles are filled the old-fashioned way: by hand, one at a time.
Like the winery itself, the wines are straightforward and palette pleasing.
There are traditional vintages like Sauvignon blanc, Chardonay, or a Muscato with blended citrus orange blossoms, peach, and nectarine.
There’s “Homestead White,” a crisp mix of fruit and citrus flavors; “Catawba,” featuring grapefruit and mango; and spicy “Holy Jalapeno,” sip at your own risk!
Other wine choices include “Sweet Peach Strawberry Margarita”; “Not Your Mama’s Bahama,” with pineapple, orange, and coconut; and “Berry Got Back,” a tart mixture of raspberries and blueberries.
There are also some just-for-fun choices like “Cotton Candy,” “Pumpkin Spice,” and “Peanut Butter and Jelly.”
You can enjoy a six-ounce glass, a “wine tasting”—six one-ounce pours of your choice, or a “wine flight”—four three-ounce pours of your choice
Mrs. Sampler and I enjoyed a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon.
Range 46 also offers charcuterie boxes and nonalcoholic drinks.
The farm has been in Jerrica’s family since 1867. Still a working farm, during years when the corn is in the front field, the winery is virtually hidden by the tall green stalks.
I feel a professional obligation to tell you about the Corn Maze.
In the cornfield out back of this establishment, a fiendishly conceived corn maze beckons. For $10, they’ll let you go in there. I’m not sure how much they would charge to get you back out.
Late September will bring the “Wine your Way Through” event, with a half dozen wine tasting stations scattered throughout the maze to help further confuse you.
“I’m a big dreamer,” Jerrica said. “I feel like if you dream something up you can do it if you set your mind to it.”
Range 46 Winery, located at 200 Camp Moneto Road, just off State Road 46 East, is open Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon until 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon until 6 p.m.