LIVE: ND Wineries Unite To Promote Industry

Winery Association Of North Dakota Formed Last Month With 15 Wineries

Coming together over a glass of wine.
North Dakota’s wineries are uniting.

The Winery Association of North Dakota, or WAND, formed last month with 15 different wineries, cideries and meaderies.
WAND president Rod Ballinger with Bear Creek Winery says the group wants to promote the growth of the industry in the state.
That includes pushing for more research on growing cold-weather grapes, and expanding marketing for wineries.
Even though they’re selling similar products, he says the state’s wineries are not competing against each other.

He says, “We call it coop-petition. We like to get together and share all our ideas, and quite frankly I wish a winery would open up right next door to me because the more wineries you have, you create wine trails and that environment that is really a stimulant to our industry.”

North Dakota’s first winery opened in 2002. Today, WAND says there are nearly 20 in the state.