Pointe of View Winery Ready for Great Grape Harvest

Growing crops is always a risk for farmers in North Dakota.

Will there be enough rain and sunshine to produce a good crop come fall?

But imagine planting a crop and having to wait four years before you can harvest it.

Tonight Shaun Sipma takes a look at an up and coming industry that is starting to take off across the state.

It’s fruit of the vine and wine in the making but it’s growing where many once thought impossible. Right here in the heart of North Dakota.

(Jeff Peterson-Pointe of View Winery) „Yeah, I may have had some doubts and I’m sure a lot of people driving by here shook their heads and said we’re crazy.“

Well so far for Jeff Peterson, crazy seems to be working. This vineyard behind Pointe of View Winery west of Minot is thriving. The vines themselves are hybrids brought in from Minnesota and New York able to handle hot summers and harsh winters.

(Peterson) „We’ve got about 18 to 20 varieties planted here now. Some have more potential than others to do well in our climate.“

These vines are now about four years old and now are starting to produce a modest crop of grapes. In fact Peterson hopes to harvest about a half of ton of grapes this fall.

(Peterson) „When it actually reaches maturity as far as bearing a consistent crop year to year you’re probably talking upwards to seven, to eight years.“

Even when a vineyard is established, the work is far from over. The vines have to pruned each spring, removing about 95 percent of the foliage. Then there’s the spraying during the summer and trellis training, and oh yeah, the constant threat from bugs and wildlife.

(Peterson) „You’ve got bugs, you’ve got bees, you’ve got birds, you’ve got deer, you’ve got rabbits. So it’s never ending.“

To keep the larger animals at bay an electric fence is wound around the perimeter of the vines with just enough juice to prevent deer from destroying years of growing. Now that the vineyard is producing grapes that are now ripening, Jeff has deployed a little bit of technology to keep the birds at bay.

(Peterson) „Basically what it does it randomly admits distress and predator calls and it’s actually been quite effective in keeping the birds out.“

This fall the grapes will turn a deep red and Peterson and others from Pointe of View Winery will descend upon the vineyard to pick a crop that’s been years in the making.

(Peterson) „It’s just kind of satisfying to see those grapes growing in a vineyard and I think it’s quite an attractive look growing alongside a wheat field.“

A feat many once thought impossible. From the vine to wine right here in North Dakota…and this is just the beginning. These vines will grow for as many as 35 years making the work all worth the while. Shaun Sipma, KX News.

For more on growing grapes or on wine making you can log onto these websites:
www.povwinery.com or www.ndgga.org

Source: kxmb.com