My husband and I love stopping by Fireside for their wine and small plates. We stopped by today and brought his sister. Although the weather was storming we loved sitting on their covered patio enjoying the Hummus, Brie and Cheese and Meat plates. I had their Brianna wine for the first time and liked it so much I bought a case. She also brought me a sample of their new seasonal wine they just bottled today. It was a bit too sweet for my taste but I’m sure that those of you that enjoy sweeter wines will love it.
Yejun B.
Tu valoración: 5 Iowa City, IA
Great place in Iowa! Here is so good for relaxing and refreshing! I and my friend enjoy a beautiful scenery, tasty wine, and nice music. I say some of them also enjoyed dancing.
Rachel L.
Tu valoración: 4 Iowa City, IA
Wow, talk about an outdoor patio! This place has literally acres of outdoor seating! They’ve done a great job creating different outdoor«rooms» so no matter whether you’r cozied up by the outdoor fireplace or on one of the sunny pergola-encircled patios, there’s plenty of space from one table to the next. My favorite feature though is the picnic blanket! Yup, you can check a picnic blanket out from the wine bar inside and go enjoy your wine and snacks on the lawn or down the valley with the grape vines! This is such a genius idea and it’s got me all dreamy-eyed until my next date night with the Mr. I wish there were more appetizer options for pairing with the wine and more bread should have been served with the warm brie dip. The wine is good for cold-climate wine(very sweet) but I’m a fan of dry wine and I didn’t like any of their options. The atmosphere though, is well worth the drive out from Iowa City!
Danielle K.
Tu valoración: 5 Pacifica, CA
My boyfriend and I stopped here as were passing through, we’ve been to almost all the wineries in IL and WI so we had to give it a try. We drove the 3 miles from the highway, which seemed like the middle of nowhere, but this place was packed! They had a large variety of wines, all pretty delicious! We bought the Cordovan and sweetheart, but their Blu Riesling esque wine was also good. You can’t beat free tastings and the bottle prices were about $ 11-$ 15. Perfect! In the summer you can rent blankets and take a bottle outside to the vineyard for a little picnic. Overall the place was super cute, there was a bunch of tables and seating inside with a nice view of the vineyard. Definitely worth the stop, especially if you’re on a long road trip!
Caroline M.
Tu valoración: 4 West Des Moines, IA
What an outstanding winery tucked in the cornfields of rural Iowa! I stopped in with my good friend, Mel. We were treated to a private tasting, which included highlights of their tasty wines. And we didn’t leave empty handed. While a couple of their whites are off dry, they have a hint of sweetness, which is dangerous. «Oh I’ll just have one more glass…» Good thing I enjoyed my purchases in the comfort of my home :) They had evening and Sunday afternoon entertainment this past summer. Be sure to check them out. Fireside was a highlight of our Amana area tour!
Carol E.
Tu valoración: 4 Iowa City, IA
The weather was perfect to sit on Fireside’s patio and take in the beautiful view and soak up some sun. As the designated driver, I was happy to see they have Mill stream root beer. My sister and brother in law really liked the wines, both red and white, and they had just come from a California wine tasting event. I’ll go back to sample their small plates, listen to music and relax.
Britt B.
Tu valoración: 5 Des Moines, IA
If you want to find a place that will make you delightfully happy, this is it! The ambiance is phenomenal and you can’t help but relax while you’re here! The wines are complex and tasty and not your typical Iowa wines. There truly is something for everyone here. Sweet, dry, red, white, you can find something that will delight your taste buds! Friday nights in the summer are loads of fun, full of energy and good, live music! Give this place a visit and you will not regret it!
Terrill K.
Tu valoración: 4 Smithville, MO
Very nice winery to visit. It was our 10th winery to visit(winery hopping vacation). Of the 10 we have visited, there have only been 3 we would consider retuning to. This is on of them. The views are wonderful, the wines are spectacular, the people are very friendly, it was a very enjoyable experience.
Terry J.
Tu valoración: 4 Reston, VA
Love this place. Went there with my brother and his wife on a chilly Friday evening when a Beatles tribute band was playing. We ordered a bottle of wine and picked up a sausage sandwich(huge), salad and chips for $ 10(cheap). This is my third visit and each time I come I am impressed with the level of professionalism by this Iowa winery(are you listening California?). Can’t wait for my next trip back to Iowa!
Del S.
Tu valoración: 4 Newark, CA
After some below par experiences at several wineries in Iowa, Fireside was a pleasant surprise! Fireside is a beautiful venue even for Napa standard. The outdoor area might not be huge but it is very charming and obviously some major $ has been spent on the decors and renovation. Perfect for events and weddings! The staff was very friendly and helpful. We were tasting over 10 different wines and wine tasting was free. In general i think whites taste way better than reds in IA. I highly recommend their«Lacrosse» white wine. However, I do enjoy their ports very much. The Fireside port is sweet but super strong with major kicks when it’s down the throat, love it! If I ever planned to do wine tasting in IA again, Fireside Winery would be my #1 spot to visit again.
Jason L.
Tu valoración: 5 Williamsburg, IA
Great place. I love their wine, and highly recommend the CoCo or the Serenade for nice red wine flavors. The ambiance is beautiful on Fridays with live music. Check their website for upcoming events, and bring a lawn chair in the summer as the seats disappear quickly. My only complaint, if you can call it that, is the catered meal choices. There are only a couple of options and they are a little pricey($ 9 for a burger and 2 small sides for example). However, I will say that the quality of the food is superb, so you do get what you pay for.
Matt U.
Tu valoración: 5 Coralville, IA
What a gem to find in between corn fields! We sauntered in with a livingsocial certificate and immediately were impressed with the selection, staff and ambience of this quiet winery with a surprisingly good backside view! We liked the white wines better than the reds, but the Nightcap red with brandy was by far our favorite! Fact — Worth taking home! The patio was covered making the experience quite nice with a great view and a crackling fire to boot! The appetizers were also surprisingly good — we tried the brie dip with apples and bread and it was the perfect complient to the bottle of wine we bought and enjoyed on the patio. Finally, the place is becoming extra legit by hosting live music and dinners catered by PHATDADDY’S this summer. They’ll have the music every Friday and Sunday as well as a number of dinners that look solid. Great place to go, grab a bottle of wine and enjoy a surprisingly nice view of the country side!
Eric L.
Tu valoración: 3 New York, NY
Went here on a Friday night with a few friends and it ended up being a pretty good time. There was a band and the best description I can give of the people on the dance floor is that they were more«entertaining» to watch than the band. The wines that we tried were pretty good. Their Cabernet was much better than I was expecting for a local Iowa winery. All the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Eat before you go because the choices for food are minimal at best(2 choices that night).
Chad a.
Tu valoración: 4 Chicago, IL
When friends and family are visiting we take them to enjoy the amazing vistas from the rear patio at the Fireside Winery. After free tasting of their wine, purchase a bottle and some cheese and retire to the exterior. Once you slide into one of their many Adirondack chairs and let the fire rage. It honestly feels as if you have left the boundaries of Iowa and have been transported to the coast. Their staff has Iowa hospitality with Napa knowledge. A FIVE star rating would have been given if all of their wine was created by grapes grown here in Iowa. I suggest attending one of their Friday night events, always live music and plenty of firewood.