Wisconsin Veteran Farm Winery ready to be on the map
It looks like just another house, but the bright yellow sign (in honor of the Don’t Tread on Me flag) proclaims otherwise for the Wisconsin Veteran Farm & Winery. As Cornell’s first, and only, winery, the small operation is rapidly becoming the place to be for connoisseurs. Photo by Ginna Young
By Ginna Young, Courier Sentinel
You might drive right by and never even know it exists, but once you visit the Wisconsin Veteran Farm & Winery in Cornell, you’ll never look at wine the way you did before. Located at 921 South 8th Street, the winery doesn’t have clearly visible fields of grapes, but what’s inside the bottles comes as a pleasant and unusual surprise.
Owned and operated by retired special forces veteran Dan Osborn, the small business handcrafts specialty wines for any palette. More than that, Osborn serves up lively stories of his time in the military and of happenings on the farm.
With just a year under his belt of operating the winery, looking back, Osborn’s been on a whirlwind of a ride to get where he is today with the business.
“I don’t even know how we became a winery,” he said.
In the beginning, Osborn ran the farm part and gathered at his next door neighbor’s house to make hobby wine in his free time. When the neighbor decided he didn’t want to continue with the wine gatherings, Osborn moved the equipment to his farm.
Over time, those who gathered at Osborn’s open-door farm liked what they tasted and more requests came in for the brew. Obviously, opening a winery was the only option.
“There it was,” said Osborn.
It hasn’t been without its difficulties, as Osborn is essentially a one-man show. Even though his friends volunteer at the winery whenever they can, to not only help serve the wine, but also with cutting up of fruit, Osborn incurs the expense and the hassles associated with running the business.
Osborn had to remodel the front part of his house, where the tasting room is, as well as the basement, which is where wine is crafted and bottled. He also opened up one exterior wall, adding double French doors and a large deck, along with some landscaping and pea gravel for a parking area.
Cosmetics were just the start, as he looked into opening a retail store, requiring permits and licenses from the city, as well as state approval. Working with officials from the city and health-related departments, Osborn eventually got the necessary approval to open the winery.
Although Osborn does buy some of his berries, such as cranberries and strawberries, most of the concoctions he makes come from donated fruit. People donate what he needs to make the wine and he keeps track of who gave what. In return, several bottles of wine are given to those who donated, while the remainder is sold in the store or at several retail locations around the area.
If you’re expecting to be served a Riesling, you may want to rethink that mindset. The Veteran Farm does have traditional grape wine, but also cherry, watermelon, and ones like onion and potato, and carrot. The variety doesn’t stop there, with mostly clever military-themed names, such as Squid (pear); Lt. Dan (dandelion); All Hands on Deck (chokecherry, elderberry, raspberry, crabapple); Devil Dog (strawberry rhubarb); Petty Offi cer (plum variety); Purple Heart (plum variety); Black Devil (maple syrup); M.A.S.H. (banana and strawberry); Guerrilla Warfare (banana spice and strawberry); W.T.F. (sweet corn, orange and peppercorn); Paratrooper (raspberry); Watch Cap (blackcaps); Blue Falcon (chokecherry and blueberry); Anti-Tank Mine (apple and cranberry); Bouncing Betty Mine (crabapple); Fire in the Hole (jalapéno and cranberry); and Swab the Deck (corn cob and crabapple).
Included with each purchase, is a story of how the wine got its name. For example, Bouncing Betty is a strong, bold wine, named for the explosive device that leaves a not so pretty picture when tripped. Swab the Deck, however, has a light-hearted story behind it, when Osborn was cutting corn off the cob to make the wine.
“It actually splattered everywhere, so it’s called Swab the Deck,” he said laughing.
What sets Osborn’s wines apart, aside from the unique combinations, is the way he crafts the brew. When he started his research on making wine, Osborn was not comfortable with a lot of the practices going on in commercial wineries.
“I’m not doing that, I’m not going to do that,” he said. “This is all-natural stuff.”
Osborn’s wines aren’t for the faint of heart, as each bottle is at least 3.5 percent above the alcohol content of most wineries. But, it’s also easier for those with allergies, as some wineries filter the berries through seafood shells. Not so at the Veteran Farm.
“My sulfites that I put in my wine are just natural,” said Osborn, who added that he uses as many local products as possible to make the wines.
After the process begins, a yeast nutrient or yeast energizer starts the breakdown of the berries, then, it goes into a pectic enzyme additive, depending on the variety desired. The pectic enzyme is a booster for the tannin, so, since rhubarb doesn’t have a shell, unlike cranberries, tannin is added.
“It depends on where it sits for your chemical acid blend,” said Osborn.
The mixture is then run through a processor, which makes it easier to squeeze and mash it, producing 3 gallons every day.
In addition to his wine, Osborn, with the needs of others in mind, got permission to open the GITMO II DETENTION CENTER Beer & Wine Garden in his remodeled pole shed near the tasting room, to allow for those with disabilities to have access to a welcoming place to have a drink. The beer garden, named in homage to the military members who made homemade beer at Guantanamo Bay, serves local brews and a few well-known brands, and has bottles of wine on hand if someone wants that.
Open daily, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., $2 from each bottle purchased is donated to the local American Legion or VFW, or other community charities. Osborn also helps support mud bogs run by first responders, by sponsoring drivers of his military trucks and he is a big supporter of youth sports. He can be reached at 715-705-6212 or wisconsinveteranfarm@gmail.com.
Osborn hopes to put Cornell on the map, with his creations and bring more business to the community, as people realize the winery is a destination. When it comes to pointing people to what wine they want – well, that’s a personal preference and something the customer has to discover for themselves.
“I’m still learning,” said Osborn. “I’m an apprentice.”
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Dan Osborn may be retired from service to his country, but he continues to help veterans and the community where he can, as well as working tirelessly in his wine-making business. Photo by Ginna Young[/caption]
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After remodeling the pole shed on his five acres of winery land, Dan Osborn, owner of the Wisconsin Veteran Farm, decorated the new space with military themes, including custom embroidered stool covers. Photo by Ginna Young[/caption]
