DAKOTA CITY – Nancy Friedrich, an employee of the Train Wreck Winery in Algona, got to attend the Taste of History Wine Walk at the Humboldt County Historical Museum by default.

“The rest of the crew is out picking grapes today,” she said.

Those grapes, from their own orchard and others in the area, will eventually become one of several types of wine produced, she said they’ve had excellent luck using locally grown grapes.

The site where grapes are now grown was once the site of an actual train wreck, thus the name. The winery also has a retail space located in a 1917 Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Depot.

Their various wines carry the train theme further. Customers can pick a bottle of Cow Catcher, Caboose or Gandy Dancer.

Wines were not the only spirits available at the Wine Walk. The Iowa Distilling Co., of Cumming, brought along its moonshine, cinnamon vodka, vodka and rum.

Emily Whitaker, who works with owner Todd Dunkle, said it sort of got started a bit like a moonshiner might have started – except on the right side of the law.

“He licensed his garage first,” she said. “Then expanded it to a barn.”

She said that except for the molasses used in the rum, everything else in the bottle, is Iowan.

“It’s all Iowa-grown corn,” she said. “Everything, from distillation, to aging to bottling happens in Iowa.”

The product line is also expanding. She said there’s a batch currently aging in white oak barrels that will in a few months be ready to bottle as their first bourbon.

She said people respond well to their products. Once they decide to pick up one of the small plastic shot glasses and actually try one, they usually keep going.

“By the time they leave they will have tried everything,” she said.

Amanda Dehne, with Prairie Moon Winery in Ames, was on hand to offer samples of the company’s products. She said that their semi-sweet products are their best-sellers.

“That seems to be what Iowa likes,” she said.

She said the industry is growing.

“It’s becoming difficult to keep shelf space in the stores,” she said. “It’s getting very competitive.”

She said they are planning on branching out into brewing beer – a product that’s less dependent on a local supply of ingredients than wine making.

“If you make good beer,” she said. “You make good beer regardless of where the hops came from.”

The Wine Walk also offers participants a chance to sample a variety of foods.

Shane Emanuelson, the kitchen manager at the Humboldt Hy-Vee, had prepared a batch of his special pumpkin soup, served in a hollowed out pumpkin on the grill and main course of sausage, onions and vegetables cooked in a squash.

The soup is intended to help get the diners palate ready for the main course.

Of course, the exact recipe is a secret that he said he was created quickly.

“I came up with it in five minutes and went with it,” he joked.

For the pumpkin soup, he has a wine recommendation.

“A dry cabernet,” he said.

Carol Eggers, of Fort Dodge, was enjoying a sample of the wines produced at the River Valley Orchards & Winery of Humboldt.

Owned by Brian and Nicole Gibson, several of their vintages enjoys a colorful play on words. The Crapp Family Wine and their mead – a fermented honey wine – Bees Yak.

“I really like the Crapp,” Eggers said.

Gibson said that it’s a versatile vintage.

“You can’t go wrong with Crapp,” she said.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Humboldt County Historical Society Museum in Dakota City.