It seems that each year has its own set of things which keep everyone hopping at Red Trail Vineyard.  2004 and 2005 was the renovation of the Tasting Room, which was a converted granary and bunk house moved in from the Casselton, ND area.  2005 also brought with it our first experience of harvest.  Even though the crop was not very large (it produced a whopping 4½ gallons of juice), it was an experience that all who participated will remember!  In 2006 there was a lot of landscaping that was begun and trellising put up for about 1,000 vines, and the number of tours and visitors grew greatly.  Our 2006 harvest was a very pleasant surprise, too.  That year, our 4-year-old vines produced 10 times what they had done in their 3rd year.  This Alpha Rose, our most popular wine, did manage to be available into the annual North Dakota Wine and Grape Harvest Festival on August 25th and 26th, but during the second day of the Festival you could hear the buzz around the vineyard about “if you want some Alpha Rose, you’d better get in now, because it won’t be there later”.  This turned out to be true, with many people rushing to the Tasting Room where they could purchase a bottle or two.  Some disbelieving people were also disappointed when they discovered we had sold our last bottle of Alpha Rose an hour before they came in for theirs.

2007 was also a year of storms.  The weather pattern over Red Trail Vineyard seemed to be the same just about every week.  Lots of rain, many times accompanied with high winds.  Each time a storm went through, it meant sacrificing other projects that were planned to clean up the debris around the vineyard, and to get the broken vines pruned and back up on the trellises.  There were many times that this was only half done before the next storm came through.  There were two storms in particular that caused a lot of work and a lot of damage.  The first was Sunday, July 15th, when two bands of hail came through the vineyard within an hour of each other, both accompanied by strong winds.  The second was late in the evening on August 26th, right after the close of the 2007 North Dakota Wine and Grape Harvest Festival.  Again, strong winds with hail were the norm.  Luckily, it did not arrive until after the Festival was over, but it did major damage to the tents that were still up and to the grapes nearing maturity right before harvest.  At first, we estimated that we lost 50 to 60% of the grape crop with these two storms, but when the harvest was concluded for 2007, it showed a 90 to 95% loss.  We can feel fortunate, because this is the storm, as it progressed northeastward, that eventually became the tornado which produced millions of dollars of damage to Northwood, ND.

Harvest for 2007, as a result, was quite small, but we were able to obtain grapes to produce four different wines:

• Alpha Rose, a blend of two different grape varieties, Swenson Red and King of the North
• Red Trail White, a blend of the white grape varieties left after the storms
• Frontenac, a red wine made from the grape variety by the same name
• St Croix, another red wine made from the grape variety by the same name.

These four wines round out the eight wines that will be made for the 2008 year.  The other four wines are:

• Red Trail Red
• Riesling
• Foch
• Rhubarb

Also in 2008, there has been a lot of work building the trellises for the 1,260 vines planted in 2007 and also for the other 300 vines planted in 2005 and 2006, which were not constructed last year.  This was completed the last week of May, despite working around more than seven inches of rain which fell during the same time.  Pruning needed to be done as well, and that occurred in late May and early June.

Plans are well under way for the 2008 North Dakota Wine and Grape Harvest Festival, this year held on Saturday and Sunday, August 23rd and 24th.

Musical groups scheduled for the Festival this year are:

• Monroe Crossing, a well-know and very talented bluegrass band out of the Ramsey, MN area.
• Seth Mulder and the Goose River Boys
• Lloyd Larson Trio, a familiar treat, performing at every ND Wine and Grape Harvest Festival

Also included at the Festival are:

• The ever-popular Magician Show
• Horse-drawn Wagon Rides through the Vineyard
• Personal Tours of the Vineyard with an Educational and Historical twist
• Games for the Children during Family Day
• Vendors
• Delicious Food
• Wine and Beer Garden
•  Competition of the Grape Stomp Activities

Again, this year, we offer a venue for any group size for Tours and Events.  Each year groups of 2 to 102 come to Red Trail Vineyard so they can relax, learn about a North Dakota Vineyard, enjoy the company of friends and family, or celebrate a special occasion.  This year we have a number of large groups booked, including a Wedding and Reception in mid-August, with other wedding parties investigating our Vineyard for their special day.

We are open every Saturday and Sunday between Memorial Day Weekend and the end of September, and are always available all other days by appointment if you have a group, small or large, wanting a tour, some wine, or a special event.  We are booking for Tastings and Tours, and can customize a snack, lunch or meal to accompany the enjoyment of the wine experience.

Come see for yourself what all the buzz is about, and why we are very excited about our Vineyard and Tasting Room.  Bring a friend or two and enjoy.

Salute!
We’ll see you at the Vineyard!
The Hogens

Please follow the link for directions to Red Trail Vineyard, especially now that construction has begun on I-94.