KEOTA

Weddings and wine make a perfect partnership.

This combination sets apart Mike and Connie Vincent’s Wooden Wheel Vineyards in Keota. Their event center gives any soon-to-be-weds a chance for a true do-it-yourself wedding experience in a rustic, vine-filled setting.

But the vineyard was not always a wedding-centric venue.

When Mike Vincent came back to the family barn in 2010, he started renovating. From day one, he received calls asking to use the space for wedding rehearsals and receptions.

The Vincents saw an opportunity there, and they seized it. They added an event center to the existing winery business, which sold wine from Ohio to California with dedicated delivery drivers.

But then the COVID-19 pandemic threw in a wrench. Wine sales accelerated, but Vincent watched profits drop due to high transportation costs. He responded by slashing 90% of their distribution, restricting sales to a 30-mile radius, and by placing a greater emphasis on the event center.

“Instead of a winery that had an event center, now we're an event center that has a winery. It's a matter of priority,” Vincent said. “We want to be something more for people. People don't think of Iowa as having wineries, [which makes them unique].”

The award-winning winery still produces a large volume. They have red, white and specialty wines with varying flavors. Each wine has a special name with most named after the Vincent family lineage, as the farm has been owned by the same family for over 170 years.

Each wine begins its life cycle at Wooden Wheel Vineyards, where the grapes grow, are later stored in different barrels for years at a time, and are periodically tasted before being bottled and served. Cranberry wines are the only exception; cranberries are grown elsewhere before coming to Keota in the form of juice, eager to become wine.

One of Wooden Wheel’s biggest advantages as a wedding and reception venue is that it saves families money compared to most locations because alcohol costs are lower, and because the Vincents renovated an existing barn rather than invest in new construction.

“We're very economical. Compared to a lot of venues, we might be half [of their price],” Vincent said. “[Since] we're not really near a large population, we have to be a destination [that’s] unique. We have [to be] economical to bring people down here. The nice thing about that is we really make it affordable. We have people who will come here and have a very unique wedding, [when they] couldn't afford to spend $10,000 on a weekend just to get married.”

Their unique offering draws in roughly 20 wedding parties a year and has seen over 200 weddings in totality, with couples from all around the world bringing in their own customs to make sure their wedding stands out.

Further helping the location stand out is the vintners’ chilled vibe, which allows for a true DIY wedding experience.

“We're very flexible, it's kind of like a DIY Wedding. We provide the basics in a really nice facility and then they can come in and decide how they want to decorate,” Vincent said. “We don't try and cram a bunch of weddings in, [where] you get a four-hour time slot and you’ve got to get in and get out. We tend to be more attentive to what they want to have their wedding be.”

The customizable aspects extend to both the wedding and the reception. Most wedding ceremonies are held outside, and guests can arrange their chairs however they like. This gives them the ability to actually see the bride walk down the aisle or be in the shade if the ceremony will be held under direct sunlight.

Couples may alternatively hold the ceremony inside, re-arranging the space afterwards for the reception. The possibilities are endless.

If decorating isn’t the couple’s desire, the rustic barn atmosphere that Mike and Connie have created is still sure to make any reception a special one.

Another important part of a wedding is the food. Wooden Wheel Vineyards works with 10 to 12 caterers in the area to provide whatever style food the family chooses.

“We really are blessed in this area have some really good caterers, and everyone is a little unique with their food, their pricing and so forth,” Vincent said. “We're really able to help somebody pick the kind of caterer and the menu that they want to go with.”

Vincent is the fifth generation to own this property, making it a historical site. The 4000 square foot reception area is used for more than just weddings. It can be used for birthdays, Quinceañeras, meetings, reunions, parties and more.

Contacting the Vincents is essential to the booking process. They’re typically found on various wedding sites like The Knot. Sites like these contain photos and give the customer a direct line to the Vincents.

If interested in using the event space at Wooden Wheel Vineyards for a wedding or any other event, contact the Vincents via their website, www.woodenwheelvineyards.com.