It’s a story sure to spark your imagination (and perhaps inspiration), because that’s what Nikki Schneider’s The Whimsical Wine Trailer is all about. This week on #thedeliciousstory, we discover what happens when a visionary entrepreneur turns an idea into the rolling reality of a business.
We begin by learning the hoops and logistical issues Nikki navigated on her way to establishing a mobile wine bar. Although family and friends were supportive, there were skeptics—but Nikki explains how she kept to her goal and tapped her personality to turn obstacles into achievable challenges.

Now, two years in, she and the Whimsical Wine Team are on the road all over Iowa, commissioned to bring the party to a wide variety of venues. They’ve been hired in for everything from small intimate affairs such as weddings to larger outlets for town celebrations and high-profile organizational events.
The possibilities of the perfect fit for hiring The Whimsical Wine Trailer are limitless within the Iowan borders, and that is just as Nikki intended it. She loves the small-town communities of Iowa and made it a point to feature Iowa wines as a signature beverage as one more way of supporting the state. The beauty of the Whimsical Wine trailer is that it arrives and unpacks with all the amenities needed to provide a memorable experience for guests.

CREATING EXPERIENCE IN THE DETAILS
Nikki concedes the impetus behind the Whimsical Wine Trailer had a lot to do with her preference to savor special times. She feels it’s important to relish the details of a moment, to slow down and be aware of the setting, the conversation, and of friends and family. It was that value of shared memorable experiences that helped shape Nikki’s vision and keep her going even when there were setbacks.

Nikki’s taste and creativity have shined through in The Whimsical Wine Trailer, too. Her fanciful flair for refurbishing furniture and home décor have been noted by guests. After the continued feedback of visitors, Nikki has also launched a brand-new venture she announces on this episode.

FONDUE TRADITION
Nikki details a lovely story of the fondue meals with family that began with her grandparents, who introduced the concept of it to her as a child. As she described their version of fondue, I wondered how it was that her rural Iowan grandparents became fans of it in the first place. Nikki pointed out that fondue became a fad in the United States during the 1970s, which jarred my memory of its popularity back then.

I’m most familiar with the cheese version of fondue which Peggy Trowbridge Fillippone over at The Spruce Eats explains originated in the Swiss Alps during the 1800s. People needed a way to prolong the use of stale bread and hardened cheese and came up with this communal method for a meal.

The cheese fondue is usually made with white wine as a base and a good melting cheese such as Gruyere, then brought together in a pot kept heated over a Bunsen burner. From this pot, diners can dip pieces of bread into the bubbling mixture, and later bits of meat and vegetables as well, each bite-sized morsel covered in warm, melted cheese.

Nikki explains that her family’s tradition is more of an Asian hot pot style fondue with the shared pot housing grease or seasoned broth for cooking meats and vegetables. Diners drop in pieces of meat and vegetables and then wait a few minutes for them to cook before retrieving them with fondue skewers to enjoy. If you’re ready to give this version a try, I found this recipe waiting for you over at Oh So Delicioso.

Recently my husband David, daughter Alexandra and I ate a cheese fondue at a local Des Moines favorite called The Cheese Bar. I’m a bit squeamish about the sharing of food when it involves double-dipped chips or offering a bite from one’s plate. The germ factor freaks me out.

At the time we ate the fondue, my spouse and daughter, who recognize my phobia, allowed me to ponder the proper etiquette required to avoid germ transference during the meal. It turns out there are some “rules” to be observed and I found this nice piece covering them over at Curiosity.
The most significant of the points is to be certain NOT to take food to your mouth directly from a fondue skewer. Rather, one can push food off the skewer onto their plate and eat it from there. Now don’t you just feel good knowing that bit of information for the next time you eat fondue? Of course, you do!
FIND THE WHIMISICAL WINE TRAILER NEAR YOU!
It is a marvel when someone is able to bring together disparate things and create something new and fresh—even better when it turns out to be something people didn’t even realize they needed. Nikki has managed to do just that.
Who amongst us doesn’t appreciate an opportunity to enjoy time together with the ambiance of a charming backdrop under the Iowa sky? If this sounds like the perfect setting for you, then you’ll want to follow Nikki and the Whimsical Wine Team on their FB page. She alerts fans as to where and when you can find The Whimsical Wine Trailer and interesting details about the antics of operating this unique business.