Kesselring Vineyards near Kindred is Making Wine in a Different way
KINDRED, N.D. (KVRR) – Harvest has begun at the only winery in North America that harvests Riverbank grapes and it’s just half an hour from Fargo.
Kesselring Vineyards in Kindred uses Vitis Riparia better known as Riverbank grapes.
Kesselring Vineyards owner Jason Kesselring said, “Locally people have been making it in different variations forever but it’s never been done commercially. That’s our unique kind of point. We kind of wanted to do something inspired by history, local culture and that sort of thing. Try to make something that’s local to here and find the gold in it.”
These grapes are native to Eastern North Dakota because of their ability to withstand temperatures as low as negative seventy one degrees Fahrenheit.
“They survive in extreme temperatures. This year with the heat wave we got they did really well this is our biggest harvest yet we’re going to double it from what we did last year which was pretty huge,” said Kesselring.
The vines for these grapes are sourced from their own ranch and surrounding valleys.
The Vineyards has been growing Riverbank grapes for twenty years and has six acres planted to date.
“Well in the past five years we have basically expanded our whole vineyard what you were just walking through over there was vineyard four, two is over here, three is over here, four doubles what we have here” said Vineyard maintenance operator Perry Palm describing the vineyards.
If you’re looking to buy a bottle head over to there website.
