After working in the computer industry for over 25 years, Vance and Jennifer Kutch were ready for a big change. Last year, they got out of the office and into the vineyard by becoming the new proprietors of Crooked Post Winery in Ozawkie.
During COVID, the couple tried their hand at making their own wine at home. “Then, for some strange reason, we thought we could take on an entire wine operation,” says Jennifer, laughing.
They thought right. “We have two-and-a-half acres of grapes,” says Vance. “We grow Concord, Edelweiss, St. Vincent, Framinette, Vignoles, and Corot Noir.” With the exception of Concord, a domestic grape, all of the grapes are French-American hybrids that are able to flourish in the Kansas climate.
After the grapes are harvested, the crushing and transferring of the grapes to the tanks happens in the basement of the winery. Then, the wine making process begins. “Last year, we did about 8,500 bottles” he says. “We also buy grapes from the previous owners.”
Wine can be purchased to go, but many of their customers like to sit and relax on the property. When the weather is nice, the patio is a great place to hang out, drink wine, and eat some food. There’s also an indoor area that can seat 40 to 50 people.
“The views are very nice,” says Vance. “We have the fields across the street and it's very, very rural.”
Customers can do a wine tasting and buy a wine flight, or they can buy it by the glass or bottle. “Our most popular wine is called Perry Sunset,” says Jennifer. “It's a blend of two different grapes and it's a sweet blush. Other popular ones are the Cabernet Franc, a red which is semi sweet, and the Edelweiss.” There's basically something for every taste preference.
If guests want something to eat while enjoying their wine, Vance makes delicious pizzas in the summertime. “Everything is made from scratch - the dough takes about four hours to make from start to finish,” he says. “We try to keep the pizzas relatively simple for the most part and there are seven or eight different varieties, plus one unique one which we try to have at least once a week.”
One of the most requested is the Tuscan Sausage Pizza with bell pepper, onion and mozzarella cheese. “Probably our most unique one is the Mediterranean, which is a pesto base with a mixture of olives and cheese,” says Jennifer.
“The previous owners also offered pizzas and they helped us learn how to do it,” she says.
Year round, there are charcuterie boards filled with grapes, sliced cheeses, crackers and summer sausage, plus appetizer favorites which include mozzarella sticks, breaded ravioli and jalapeno poppers.
Crooked Post Winery also hosts bingo once a month for various charities. “We pick a different charity every month and all the proceeds go to that charity,” says Jennifer. “Many of the prizes are either donated or those that our staff comes up with. We’re also looking at doing painting classes in the future.”
The couple, who live just a mile away from the winery, have also made a lot of great friends through the business. “A lot of people come out and pick and do all that stuff, but there's this group that even after the fun part of picking is over, they stay and help with the cleaning and all the things that aren’t so much fun just to make sure that we succeed,” says Vance. “And the staff that stayed with the winery have also been instrumental in making sure we're good at what we do.”
Stop by soon to meet Jennifer and Vance and experience everything they have to offer. “It's just very homey here,” he says.
Visit CityLifestyle.com/Topeka to view additional photos from this article.