Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery to Break Ground for New Building

IDED Awarded Funds to Distillery in March

Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery will break ground Saturday afternoon at its 10-acre vineyard along Highway 965 for an expanded winery and distillery.

Owner Jeff Quint will lead tours of the vineyard and facility layout each hour until 7 p.m. Music also will be performed throughout the afternoon.

Plans for an expansion were temporarily derailed when the floods of 2008 overcame their current facility at 501 Seventh Ave. in Cedar Rapids in the back of Benz Beverage Depot.

"We've had a great partnership with BENZ and plan to continue that relationship. They are a cornerstone of our success and have helped us in so many ways," Mr. Quint said in a press release. "But with the expansion of both the wines and the distilled spirits lines, we simply need more space to produce our products and to serve customers better, and we've always planned to make our products right here where they're grown."

The 7,050-square-foot facility will serve as both winery and distillery, and a facility for events.

In March, the Iowa Economic Development Board awarded the project $100,000 from the Value-Added Agricultural Products and Processes Financial Assistance Program (VAAPFAP) to create 3 jobs and retain 1 job. CRV was also awarded tax benefits from the High Quality Jobs Creation (HQJC) program.