Established in 2008
What a journey it has been! The challenges were numerous but absolutely worth the reward. The first vines were planted in 2008. St Croix and Brianna among them. The first harvest in 2010. When we poured our first glasses we knew this is what we were meant to do. Whether it was the minimalist philosophy or the rich sandy soils or a combination of both it became clear we created something special. Thus became Mistie Hill Vineyard named after one of our pups.
She was just a mutt but was a sweet girl. In the younger years of the vineyard she would perch herself to overlook the vines as though it was her own to keep guard over. Her image adorns every bottle we sell. Every so often we would dip a finger in a glass for her to sample. She would wag her tail and “smile” at us as if to say “That’s delicious!”.
Cold Hardy French-American Hybrid.
French-American hybrids take the best of both worlds. Cold hardy North American vines are bred with French Vinifera types. The unique pairing results in high quality fruit that can be grown in places like Northern Illinois and ultimately produce world class wines.
Creating these hybrids is an arduous job. Only one in one thousand hybrid pairs produce wine quality fruit. There are only a few major breeding programs in the U.S. from places like the University of Minnesota and Cornell University.
Aged to Perfection
All our wines are from our own estate grown fruit and are hand picked, processed, vinted, bottled and labeled right on our premises.
It takes a minimum of one year to age before being bottled and more for certain varietals. The best times for us to celebrate are at the end harvest when the vines are bare and bottling when the tanks are empty. Both of which happen each Fall.
What makes us happiest of all are the smiles and looks of surprise when someone tastes our wine for the first time.
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