Matt Frye/Sun News Colleen Gerke drives the tractor forward as her husband Jason attaches catch wire to metal stakes in the youngest part of their vineyard July 25. The catch wire allows the grape vines to grow taller and spread wider over time.
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Growing from the ground up
By Michael Westblade
Colleen Gerke and her husband, Jason, started making wine in the basement of their home in downtown Kansas City. Back then, though, it was a small time operation — maybe five gallons at a time.
In 2003, the two made the move out to the country, to a home outside Platte City on Jowler Creek Road. When they moved, they got the idea to start planting grapes and the first year they put in 250 vines. The next year, they planted 1,000.
The next step seemed inevitable.
Once they established their grape production, it hit them. The two had always dreamed of starting a winery and with seven acres of grapes, they could finally realize that dream.
The Gerkes harvested their first batch of grapes in the fall of 2006 and produced their first batch of wine June of 2007. Oh, and they still make it in their basement, just on a much bigger scale.
The Gerkes still have their day jobs, though. Colleen does e-business and Jason does public relations work. Running the vineyard by themselves, Jason said, is basically like having an additional full-time job, putting in extra hours at night and on the weekends.
“It’s kind of like having a second job,” he said. “Every evening and every weekend.”
The two put in about 30 hours a week tending to the winery, working the fields, running the tasting room and making and bottling the wine.
They also have a volunteer, Sam Eismont, who comes up about three times a week to help. Eismont, who found out about the winery on the Internet, said he has worked for other wineries before and he volunteered because he enjoys the process of wine making.
“If you get tired, you can go home,” he said. “It’s all the fun with no responsibilities. I just have an interest in Missouri wines and I’d like for Missouri to re-establish itself. I’m doing my part to bring it back and make it a healthy industry.”
The Gerkes hope to one day make the winery a full-time job, but Jason said that goal was probably a few years away. They also hope to get there without ever taking out a loan.
“We started small and we’re growing with the business,” he said. “We’re not retirees investing in a business; we’re just growing from the ground up. We still have our day jobs and we’re still building it up, but the dream is to make this a full-time venture, eventually.”
But when it does get bigger, Colleen said it would stay a family business, something they could eventually bring their 1-year-old daughter into.
“We love to work together, and we definitely want it to be a family business,” she said. “Hopefully, we can just keep it in the family; something our parents can help us with and our daughter can help us with.”
The Jowler Creek Winery offers eight different wines, and they are available for purchase from its Web site, www.jowlercreek.com, or from small wine stores in the area, such as Green Acres and Wines by Jennifer.
You can also come out to the winery from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for a free wine tasting in their new tasting room, which opened July 4. Colleen said it was a great educational opportunity for those interested in wine and wine making.
“We have our whole lineup of wines and you can learn about the wine making process,” she said. “You can learn what to pair them with and kind of get a taste for them.”
Staff writer Michael Westblade can be reached at 389-6636 or michael westblade@npgco.com.
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In 2003, the two made the move out to the country, to a home outside Platte City on Jowler Creek Road. When they moved, they got the idea to start planting grapes and the first year they put in 250 vines. The next year, they planted 1,000.
The next step seemed inevitable.
Once they established their grape production, it hit them. The two had always dreamed of starting a winery and with seven acres of grapes, they could finally realize that dream.
The Gerkes harvested their first batch of grapes in the fall of 2006 and produced their first batch of wine June of 2007. Oh, and they still make it in their basement, just on a much bigger scale.
The Gerkes still have their day jobs, though. Colleen does e-business and Jason does public relations work. Running the vineyard by themselves, Jason said, is basically like having an additional full-time job, putting in extra hours at night and on the weekends.
“It’s kind of like having a second job,” he said. “Every evening and every weekend.”
The two put in about 30 hours a week tending to the winery, working the fields, running the tasting room and making and bottling the wine.
They also have a volunteer, Sam Eismont, who comes up about three times a week to help. Eismont, who found out about the winery on the Internet, said he has worked for other wineries before and he volunteered because he enjoys the process of wine making.
“If you get tired, you can go home,” he said. “It’s all the fun with no responsibilities. I just have an interest in Missouri wines and I’d like for Missouri to re-establish itself. I’m doing my part to bring it back and make it a healthy industry.”
The Gerkes hope to one day make the winery a full-time job, but Jason said that goal was probably a few years away. They also hope to get there without ever taking out a loan.
“We started small and we’re growing with the business,” he said. “We’re not retirees investing in a business; we’re just growing from the ground up. We still have our day jobs and we’re still building it up, but the dream is to make this a full-time venture, eventually.”
But when it does get bigger, Colleen said it would stay a family business, something they could eventually bring their 1-year-old daughter into.
“We love to work together, and we definitely want it to be a family business,” she said. “Hopefully, we can just keep it in the family; something our parents can help us with and our daughter can help us with.”
The Jowler Creek Winery offers eight different wines, and they are available for purchase from its Web site, www.jowlercreek.com, or from small wine stores in the area, such as Green Acres and Wines by Jennifer.
You can also come out to the winery from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for a free wine tasting in their new tasting room, which opened July 4. Colleen said it was a great educational opportunity for those interested in wine and wine making.
“We have our whole lineup of wines and you can learn about the wine making process,” she said. “You can learn what to pair them with and kind of get a taste for them.”
Staff writer Michael Westblade can be reached at 389-6636 or michael westblade@npgco.com.