Lake Geneva winery.
LAKE GENEVA - At Studio Winery, just off Highway 120 in this Wisconsin resort town, Doug and Kathy Jackson are mixing their talents for winemaking, music and art.
And as if to test themselves, they entered some of his wines and the musician-based series of wine labels she designed in the 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
It’s the largest competition for American wines in the country. This year there were nearly 7,000 entries from 28 states.
The Jacksons came away with a gold and two bronze medals for their wines. And they won Best of Show for the series of labels.
For Doug, this competition was important “because I wanted to be in the sandbox with the big boys. If I can’t at least make a showing, then I’m not doing my job well.”
Studio’s Pinot Noir Reserve, Arrowhead Vineyard — with a bronze in the category of Pinot Noirs between $32 and $35.99 — is an example of what he’s talking about. The competition included big names such as Van Duzer, Willamette Valley, which won gold. And, like Studio Winery, well-known Frank Family Vineyards, Napa Valley, landed a bronze.
Doug purchases most of his grapes from Midwestern growers. And, somewhat surprisingly, the Pinot Noir comes from a Michigan vineyard.
“They’re lucky across the lake because milder conditions allow them to grow vinifera grapes such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay,” he explained.
Wisconsin growers have to rely on cold-hardy grapes bred especially for northern vineyards.
In the competition’s category of White Native American/Hybrid, gold went to Studio’s Amadeus, a semi-dry white made from Swenson and St. Pepin grapes. And it was bronze in the Red Native/Hybrid Blends for Hendrix, a semi-dry wine made from Marechal Foch and Marquette grapes.
The other Wisconsin winery that medaled is Villa Bellezza in Pepin. That winery’s Marquette, Upper Mississippi River Valley, won silver in the category where Studio’s red blend took a bronze.
Asked about his training, Doug mentioned that he earned his CSW or Certified Specialist of Wine while working in wine sales for Johnson Brothers Liquor Co. — the job he had before he launched the winery in 2012. More recently he has taken online enology courses through Missouri State University.
He singled out Steve Kennedy at Burr Oak Winery in New Lisbon as their “biggest mentor:”
“We pruned with him, we crushed with him, we bottled with him.”
Kathy noted that she and Doug had originally thought they might like to have a farm winery so they could grow their own grapes.
“But harvest with Steve taught us we should have an urban winery. Picking grapes is backbreaking work,” she said. They do have about 200 vines of Frontenac Gris grapes in a narrow vineyard next to the winery. Kathy, who has taken online viticulture courses at Missouri State, tends to it but says, “Even that small number of vines takes a lot of time.” With a background in product design for companies such as Kohl’s and Bed, Bath & Beyond, her major influence on the winery is her art. You’ll see her brightly colored, contemporary paintings on the walls. And you can take one of her popular “Corks and Canvas” classes if you’d like to learn to paint while drinking some wine. Her eye-catching artwork translates well to the wine labels. The label series that wowed the judges in California includes five wines: Amadeus, Coltrane, Ringo, Hendrix and Winehouse. For Amadeus, the label shows an abstract grand piano with keys on the right and the inside of the piano on the left. For Ringo, it’s a glimpse of a drum set. “Many of our wines are made with grapes no one has heard of, so we thought why not name the wines after musicians everyone knows,” she said. She’s the artist-in-residence (they live above the winery), while Doug is the musician-inresidence. On the first Saturday of each month, you can hear him playing keyboard at the winery with Hobie & the Leftovers, a blues and funk band. Other local bands, mostly blues and classic rock, play on the remaining Saturdays. The live music starts at 4 p.m. and goes until about 9 p.m. Wines by the glass, beer and “light bites” such as cheese plates are available. Doug has also put together a recording studio next to the tasting room. He calls it a “recording lounge” because it has comfortable chairs, magazines, books and WiFi for people to enjoy when there are no musicians afoot. As if that’s not enough, the couple are hosting their inaugural wine dinner on May 17. Chef Scott McGlinchey, formerly of Heaven City in Mukwonago, will be cooking and there will be songs by Mandy Meyer. The cost is $85 per diner plus tax. Tickets are available online or at the winery. Both Kathy and Doug will tell you that working with a spouse has its ups and downs, with more ups than downs. “I grew up in a family business, so I know how to keep my mouth shut,” Doug said with a laugh. His family owned a supper club. “He’s giving himself too much credit,” Kathy assured us. Studio’s wines range from sweet to dry with prices from $17 to $50. They’re available for purchase at the tasting room and can be shipped, as permitted, to certain states. For information on tasting room hours, wines, upcoming events and classes, see