Urban Forage Winery & Cider House Launches Kickstarter Campaign

We all know about the booming craft beer scene in the Twin Cities, but wineries tend to stay more on the outskirts.

So when Jeff Zeitler told me about Urban Forage Winery and Cider House, I had to scope it out because as much as I’ve been trying beer, wine continues to be my go-to drink. When I asked Jeff how he got into making wine, he said, “I started a little over 20 years ago as a freshman in college. I wanted to make some alcohol. I found a book on my dad’s bookshelf on how to make wine, made my first batch and it was horrible. I made another batch after that, I kept going and didn’t give up and after awhile it got pretty good.”

Fast forward to a year and a half ago when his second grade daughter observed, “Daddy, you don’t like going to your office so much but you love making wine, why don’t you make that your job?”

And thus Urban Forage was born.

Jeff and his wife Gita found a foreclosed building on East Lake Street to turn into their fermentation studio in the spring of 2015 that will also house a tasting room in the fall of 2015. He explained the concept behind Urban Forage is, “the way I’ve been making wine for 20 years. It’s finding what’s in season, finding what’s available locally, what’s plentiful and making wine out of it, or cider or mead. We’ll be bringing in ingredients from the city, ingredients from orchards like the apples left at the end of the season, produce from grocery stores that’s bruised or imperfect that’s still good for processing and fermenting. We’re trying to draw from these different streams of food that’s out there that people just aren’t using and make it into something that is really delicious.”

You can’t argue with this outlook considering how much goes to waste in today’s society.

Of course, all of this costs money, and they will need upwards of $20,000 to purchase the necessary equipment to fully turn Urban Forage into a reality. Jeff and Gita chose Kickstarter as their launching pad, and a campaign kickoff party took place Oct. 17 at Zeke’s Unchained Animal at East Lake and 36th Street in Minneapolis.

Zeke’s offers a selection of sandwiches, burgers and pizzas as well as breakfast, local beer and live music. Per Jeff, “Zeke’s has not only good food but probably the best Minnesota craft beer selection.” You’ll have to come find out for yourself! Urban Forage will provide appetizers at the party and I can’t wait to sample their beverages. I’ve already tried the lilac dandelion wine which is a little sweet, a little tart and not too strong. Jeff and Gita look forward to welcoming you, debuting their Kickstarter video and talking about their plans. They will provide a tour of the space at the end of the party, and the campaign will run through November 22nd. I asked about some of the rewards and let’s just say one of the levels involves an antique jail cell, a bottle of Urban Forage wine and an unopened 1930s safe. Intriguing, right?

Jeff expressed excitement about joining “this growing community of independent breweries and distilleries,” and I feel confident in saying the feeling will be mutual.