Photo credit: The Blind Horse Restaurant & Winery
The Blind Horse Restaurant & Winery (6018 Superior Ave., Kohler) has been somewhat of a secret since opening five years ago, but that’s changing. General manager and master winemaker Thomas Nye’s Vintner’s Blend recently beat out thousands of wines to win double gold in the 2019 Fingerlakes International Wine Competition. In addition to building a reputation as a must-stop for vacationers en route to Door County, The Blind Horse has a dedicated customer base in Sheboygan County.
Nye observes how Wisconsin, historically a beer-centric state, has embraced the foodie movement and has shifted toward drier wines. When The Blind Horse opened five years ago, they took a risk crafting long-term-aged, drier wines. “That was really unusual in the state when we did that. There were 110 wineries in Wisconsin five years ago, and most of them were making all sweeter wines,” Nye reflects.
After working in the IT field, Nye started The Grape Escape winery with his wife, Nancy, a Wisconsin native. At his winery, Nye learned the winemaking trade, and Nancy and he eventually sold The Grape Escape to move to Wisconsin to help Bob and Connie Moeller open The Blind Horse. Since he began making wine13 years ago, Nye has believed in natural processes influenced by California’s wine makers that include aging in oak barrels and only releasing wine once it is ready.
“We make five wines specifically for blending; we may not use them that year, or we may not, but that’s how I change the profile in the taste of our wine. Sometimes, we’ll run up to 20 bench trials of blends to get it perfect; sometimes, we’re blending up until bottling day,” he says.
The Blind Horse sources grapes from California and Washington state, which have grapes to make drier wines like the Vintner’s Blend—a cabernet-based blend aged over three years. They also make some Wisconsin-based wines. “The reason there are so many sweet wines in Wisconsin is because grapes grown here tend to have more tannins, less acid and less sugar when you pick the grapes, and the way to overcome that is with the sweetness,” Nye explains.
The Wisconsin Ice Wine is a sweeter dessert wine with flavors of apple and tropical fruit. Making ice wine is a labor-intensive process; grapes are picked during below-zero weather conditions, and the yield is minimal. He’s also excited about their new sparkling wine, made with Wisconsin-grown grapes, due to be released this fall. “It has the potential to be a game-changing product from Wisconsin.”
The winery has 15-20 dry and sweet wines available. Other popular wines include Tuscan Blend, which was a big hit at Nye’s former winery. The blend has sangiovese, cabernet and other red varietals to create a versatile wine that pairs well with most foods.
The restaurant’s executive chef, Brent Davis, partners with local farmers to provide a farm-to-table, Napa Valley-inspired menu at The Blind Horse’s restaurant in a farmhouse. The property also hosts the Granary—a whiskey and bourbon bar in a renovated barn. The Dreps family farmed the seven-acre property during the 1800s, and they had a blind horse, Birdy. Historic photos displayed throughout The Blind Horse property include one of Birdy taking the Dreps kids to school. Two wines are named in Birdy’s honor.
Starting this summer, The Blind Horse Restaurant & Winery will offer winery tours every Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
For more information, visit theblindhorse.com.
