GARNER, Iowa - Mark Newman and his wife June own 99 Bottles winery. They showed a group of ladies from the Hancock County Farm Bureau how they make wine.
It hasn't always been possible to grow grapes like this in Iowa. According to Newman, the grapes they grow are hybrids developed by the University of Minnesota to grow in this climate. They are a cross between wild Minnesota grapes and French wine grapes.
Even with the special grapes, it is still a challenge to grow them in North Iowa. He says there's either too much rain or not enough and the high humidity makes fungus a problem.
