James Arthur's Vineyards

[Coyote]

Farm winery raises glass to first 10 years

Their enterprise, James Arthur Vineyards, sits on 400 acres of hilly ground and natural prairie purchased from the late State Sen. Jerome Warner.  That first year, "we planted about 200 vines on a half-acre," Ballard recalls. Fourteen years later, 20 acres are devoted to about 15 varieties of French-American hybrid grapes, including the internationally celebrated Edelweiss.

The Lancaster County vineyard will raise a glass and toast its first 10 years of production with a Harvest Festival that gets under way Friday evening and continues through Saturday. Wine tastings, grape stompings, tours and live music are on the agenda for this mostly free celebration. The vineyard averages 22,000 visitors a year by Ballard's count. "We've had people from every state and 46 foreign nations sign our guest book."

Tasting card

• Wines from James Arthur Vineyards are available in about 300 locations across Nebraska, including Spirit World, Hy-Vee and Super Saver in Omaha and Lincoln. Semisweet wines reportedly make up 70 percent of JAV's sales. Here's a sampling from the 2007 collection. Prices are per bottle.

• Edelweiss - JAV's signature wine made from the Edelweiss grape. The award-winning, semisweet white is sold in a cobalt-blue bottle. $15

• Late Harvest Seyval - Commemorates the vineyard's 10th anniversary. A sweet dessert wine. $20

• Nebraska White - Semi-dry wine made from LaCrosse grapes. Sweet taste up front with a dry finish. Sold in a scarlet-red bottle. $12

• Game Bird White and Red - Nebraska collector's series in its third year. 2007's offerings: Mallard on the Red (winemaker Jim Ballard's favorite at the moment), $13.50; and Pintail on the White, $15.

• Snowy Egret White - New release semisweet white with citrus overtones. $15; proceeds benefit the Lincoln Children's Zoo. "We try to give back to the community as much as we can," Ballard says.

• San Realto - A sweet red made from Foch grapes with a hint of red licorice and black cherry. Named with the initials of the Jeffers grandchildren. $12

• Edyn's Blush - Born from a combination of LaCrosse and Concord grapes. Named for the Ballards' youngest child. After 19 hours of labor, Barb Ballard said she told her husband, "Edyn gets her own wine." $13.

• Two Brothers - Made from limited quantities of Edelweiss juice. Created in response to demands from sons Beau and Ben for their own label. About $14. Sold out but expected to return this fall.

[Coyote]

Drought and hot weather produce sweet harvest for local vineyard
'Maybe there's a little silver lining'

We've seen the wrath that hail and drought have taken on some heartland crops this year. But one producer says he may have a sweeter than expected harvest this year because of the weather. It's harvest time at James Arthur Vineyards north of Lincoln. Even vineyard manager Josh Rockmann is pleasantly surprised at the pickings. "It's much better than I thought it was going to be," Rockmann said. A decent year considering there were two hail storms that hit the area. "I know a lot areas around us got hit a lot harder but I think the hail actually missed us," Rockmann said.

And that was followed by weeks of little or no rain. "The berries are definitely smaller. Shoot sizes a little smaller, leaf size is a little smaller," Rockmann said. But the volume is definitely less. Co-owner and winemaker James Ballard said the bottom line and wine might not be so bad this year. "This year with the hot dry weather typically the flavors will be will be better, so maybe there's a little silver lining there that this wine will turn out incredible," Ballard says he'll know more once they go to the cellar but so far there are no sour grapes. "We've got some great product coming in terms of the grapes and the juice tastes really good right now. So we'll see," Ballard said. The full toll on the vineyard may not be known for a while. Rockmann said so far they haven't lost any vines due to stress. He said they need more moisture and snow over the winter to recharge. "The plants are pretty resilient. The real telltale for me will be how they produce next year," Rockmann said. But for now, it appears to be a crop worth toasting. "Like I said, hopefully, everything will work out in the cellar and it'll be beautiful wine in the end," Ballard said. So when will we be able to taste this year's wines? Ballard said they'll probably be hitting the retail outlets the first of the year.