Crimson Sunset Vineyards, Winery & Cidery remains only certified organic winery in the state

It can be tough to grow grapes in Iowa. Especially organically.

It requires hardy grape varieties to survive our hot, humid, wet summers and cold, harsh winters and clever ways to combat pests.

At Crimson Sunset Vineyards, Winery & Cidery in Cascade, for example, instead of spraying pesticides, owners Kevin and Lisa Miller unleash hundreds of chickens to feast on pests - most notably Japanese beetles that chew on the grape leaves, which they've struggled with especially the last two years.

They also grow their grapes vertically, to avoid mildew and fungus. Kevin spends his days weeding and plucking diseased leaves from the grape vines by hand.

'It's a lot more labor-intensive and hands-on,” Kevin said of organic winemaking.

A fourth-generation winemaker - his father, grandfather and great-grandfather before him all made wine - Kevin has dedicated himself to the highest-quality wines. Growing grapes organically, although three times the work, results in five times the quality, he said.

Located in the rolling hills of the Upper Mississippi Valley Appellation region in northeast Iowa, Crimson Sunset is the only certified organic winery in the state. It's also completely off-grid, operating only on wind, solar and a backup battery generator.

After quitting their jobs - Kevin was an accountant, Lisa a dental hygienist - and acquiring land from Kevin's family, who own more than 600 acres in the area, the pair planted their first grapes in 2005.

It started as a hobby, Lisa said. They were experimenting with which grapes would work best in Iowa's clay soil and variable climate, eventually deciding on 10 varieties that now grow on seven-and-a-half acres of the estate winery, which they operate alone without employees.

They opened to the public in December of 2012 with the release of their 2011 vintage. Their largest vintage to date was less than 5,000 bottles, a smaller batch compared with traditional wineries, which Lisa said can produce as much as 60,000 bottles each year. Typical Iowa vines get 15 to 20 pounds of grapes, she added, but growing organically leaves them usually between five and 10 pounds. Most Crimson Sunset wines are single barrel, the biggest of which is 80 gallons. 'We're all about quality, less about quantity,” Lisa said.

All grapes are grown and processed on site, making them an estate winery. Each of its 16 wines, with the exception of three blends, is named after the grape they're made from. Wines range from sweet to dry - although many of the wines are drier than most you might find in Iowa, Kevin said. Sweeteners are not added to the wines, only natural juices from the grapes.

In fact, grapes are 'guided through the natural process” of fermentation without filtering or other interventions, Lisa said. That way, the flavors 'stay true to each grape,” she added.

'The best wine results from just letting it age,” Kevin agreed.

Although the grapes are grown organically, Kevin adds sulfites during the aging process to prevent oxidization and maintain freshness.

'We have such limited qualities of wine, we want those sulfites to protect them,” Lisa explained. 'We don't want people to spend good money and get it home and have it not be good.”

The final product, then, is 99 percent organic. Prices start at just under $20 a bottle.

After a severe drought in 2012, Crimson Sunset also added hard cider to its lineup to balance the reduced crop turnout in 2013. They used apples from Wisconsin, which were not organic, but this year planted a 6-acre, 1,000-tree orchard that will supply organic apples for cider after 2017.

To keep their organic winery and cidery running has been a 'huge undertaking,” Lisa said. Especially now, with a 1-year-old and 3-year-old to take care of.

They work long hours, only getting a break in October and November.

At this point, they aren't making a profit. But, 'it's a lifestyle,” Kevin said. And it's one that he's committed to.