By Kate Haggith H Minnesota couple returns home to fi nd sweet success in winegrowing alfway between Minneapolis, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., seven acres of empty vines decorate the rolling hills of Glenwood, Minn. The harvested grapes have been crushed, pressed and fermented, and the wine is aging in steel tanks and oak barrels at a nearby winery owned by Joe and Melanie Cihlar. Rolling Forks Vineyards opened its doors on July 2, 2020, almost a decade after the couple planted their fi rst vineyard. Until 2018, the Cihlars sold their cold-hardy grapes to wineries in Minnesota and North Dakota, patiently working to make their vision a reality. “It’s always been our dream to open a winery of our own,” says Melanie. “All the stars aligned when the property went up for sale in 2009.” Tucked into the countryside, surrounded by a fi eld of rolling hills and overlooking Lake Minnewaska, the picturesque winery is a Midwestern version of Tuscany, Italy. It isn’t just the view that appealed to the Cihlars. It was 18 FALL 2020 FRUITFUL FIELDS the area’s dry spring and summer climate — grapes don’t like much moisture — the elevation of the property, which provides natural drainage and prevents fl ooding, and it was Joe’s home area, 3 miles from his uncle’s farm. “I had my eye on this property for years,” says Joe. “Melanie and I had already made the decision to move back to the area. Then, three months after we were engaged, the property went up for sale.” Starting a vineyard from scratch takes determination and sweat equity. The Cihlars spent hundreds of hours preparing the soil for planting, installing thousands of posts and about 50 miles of wire to construct the vineyard’s trellis system, planting acres of grass and putting in 8 miles of underground drip irrigation. “Planting a vineyard is the easy part,” says Melanie. “The preparation work is the true labor of love.” Once the vineyards were established, winery construction began, and in fall 2019, grapes were picked for the fi rst batch of Rolling Forks wine. > CHSINC.COM
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Fruitful Fields
Kate Haggith
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