She’s Making Wine With Unusual Fruits

She’s Making Wine With Unusual Fruits Dakota Sun Winery of Williston, N.D., aims to introduce wine drinkers to fresh and innovative flavors. “The Winery started over a decade ago with founders Bruce and Merleen Gussiaas,” says current owner Devin Quick. “They experimented with wine on their little farmstead, eventually evolving into a business. Bruce has perfected many recipes, and his wine has won several awards, including the Jefferson Cup, the Indianapolis International Wine Competition, the San Francisco Wine Competition and more. “I stopped in one day for a tasting,” says Quick. “I thought the wines were great and asked so many questions about the winemaking process that Bruce and Merleen admitted they were looking to retire and sell the business. It was a no-brainer for me, and the rest is history.” The Winery has earned a reputation for experimenting with unusual fruits and flavor profiles. Quick shares that there isn’t much difference between making wine with various fruits compared to grapes. “Making wine is both a science and an art. You’re trying to balance flavor with acidity, body and alcohol content.” She shares that winemakers adjust these factors based on their chosen fruit. “Crabapple, for example, is very acidic and makes your mouth pucker. That’s good for winemaking, but it’s low in sugar, so I need to add more at the beginning to make a wine with 10% to 11% alcohol content.”  Haskap is the winery’s most popular variety, though aronia and rhubarb-raspberry come close. “It’s funny because most of our customers have never heard of haskap (also called honeyberry or blue honeysuckle), but when they taste it, it brings out a trio of flavors in their mouth with the perfect acidity,” Quick says. “Aronia, also called chokeberry, grows everywhere in North Dakota, though few people have tried it. It’s popular in windbreaks. People love it in our wine. Aronia is a superfruit, very high in antioxidants.” Rhubarb remains popular, partly because of nostalgia. “Many people recall eating a straight rhubarb stalk, maybe dipped in sugar, and they share stories of their grandma’s making rhubarb pies and jellies. Lots of good memories for folks,” says Quick. Taking ownership of an established winery comes with challenges. “Many people thought we’d shut down entirely, but I just moved locations from Carrington to Williston,” Quick says. “And branding and marketing remain a struggle. The wine speaks for itself once you taste it; it’s delightful. But if you don’t know we exist, you don’t know to grab a bottle.” Quick challenges readers to expand their wine palates by experimenting with unique varieties. “If the 1976 Judgment of Paris taught us anything, it’s that what you don’t know might surprise you,” she says. The Judgement set up French and California wines in a blind tasting, with French as the historic favorite. The judges shocked the wine world by choosing all California varieties, putting Napa Valley wines on the map. “Who says the same can’t happen for North Dakota?” Quick says. “Give Dakota Sun Winery a try.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Devin Quick, Dakota Sun Winery, 1826 21st Ave. W., Williston, N.D. 58801 (ph 701-978-1448; DakotaSunWines@gmail.com; www.dakotasunwines.com; Instagram: @dakotasunwine).

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