Our Wines

All of our wines are made with cold climate hybrid grapes developed to handle our Minnesota winters. These grapes tend to have higher acids and lower tanins and we use harvest timing, fermentation techniques, blending and sometimes sweetening to bring the finished wine into balance. You will only find wines made with Minnesota grapes from our own vineyard or possibly another local vineyard. We do not purchase grapes or pre-pressed juice from out of state. The wines are listed dry to sweet - this order can change from year to year depending on how the wine was made.

White Wines 

St. Pepin - The grape is a cross between the Vitis vinifera variety Pinot noir and the cold-hardy Riesling and Schuyler varieties. St. Pepin is not grown by very many vineyards as it needs another grape to cross-pollinate. The wine often has a fragrant bouquet of floral and citrus notes, with flavors of green apple, pear or tropical fruit. They style can range from dry to off-dry to sweet, depending on the region. St. Pepin pairs well with light seafood dishes, fresh cheeses, light pastas and anything with a citrus base.

Frontenac Blanc – This wine has fresh, vibrant aromas with notes of green apple, citrus (like lime or lemon), and sometimes a floral or herbal hint. We typically make this wine dry to off-dry, and some years it can have residual sugar that we take advantage of to balance the acid. The flavor profile includes crisp green apple, lemon zest, and occasionally peach or pear. Frontenac Blanc can also carry subtle notes of honeydew melon or tropical fruits. Because of the clean, crisp fresh and bright flavors it is very versatile and can pair with a wide variety of foods.

Frontenac Gris – A close relative to the Frontenac Blanc and another University of Minnesota grape, the Frontenac Gris grape is a slightly grayish, pinkish hue and the juice is pink during fermentation and can hold that color into the bottle. As with all of the cold climate grapes, the Gris will have a bright acidity and can be made dry to sweet or anywhere in between, and it does well if made into a sparkling wine. Aromas of lime, lemon and orange blossom and flavors of citrus, stone fruits, the Gris can also have a subtle honey or herbal profile and can be very fruit forward.

Itasca - A University of Minnesota grape released in 2017, the Itasca wine can take on "notes of pear, quince, kiwi, gooseberry and honeydew melon" according to the U of M. Our Itasca vines are now 7 years old and producing wines that have won awards from the International Cold Climate Wine Competition: a Silver medal for our 2021 vintage and a Gold medal for our 2022 vintage. Depending on the grape sugar and acid at harvest, you might find our finished wine will vary between dry to semi-dry from year to year. Similar to a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio, the Itasca is light and crisp with bright acidity and pairs well with a wide variety of foods.

Farmhouse White – This is our white blend of all of our white grapes, blended to bring out the best flavors of each. This easy drinking, sweet white table wine is very popular, perhaps because of the fruity aroma and complex flavors. Enjoy the Farmhouse White with spicy foods or your favorite dessert!

Rosé and Blush Wines

Coming soon!

Blushing Louise

Marquette Rosé

Frontenac Rosé

Rosé After Dark