[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13514]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF WIEDERKEHR WINERY

  (Mr. BOOZMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 125th anniversary of 
the Wiederkehr Wine Cellars near Altus, AR. Many of my colleagues might 
be surprised to know that fine wine is being produced in this small 
western Arkansas town and, in fact, has been for the past 125 years. In 
1880, Johann Andreas Wiederkehr emigrated from Switzerland to America, 
choosing a spot in the beautiful Ozark Mountains to plant the grapes, 
blackberries and persimmons that would make the blend for his first 
wines. He chose the spot in the Ozark Mountains to settle because the 
soil, climb and shape of the countryside closely matched the conditions 
that had led to some of Europe's greatest wines.
  One of the finest wineries in the country, the original cellar has 
been converted into the Weinkeller Restaurant, specializing in 
authentic dishes from the Wiederkehr family's homeland of Switzerland. 
The cellar is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Wiederkehr family on 
this milestone. I encourage my colleagues to take a tour of Arkansas' 
wine country on their next vacation.

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