CASSELTON, ND (KCND) - One of the owners of the Maple River Winery in Casselton credits the state’s Pride of Dakota program with helping him grow the business.
Greg and Susan Kempel own the winery and distillery. Maple River Winery began in 2002 as a hobby. Kempel says things have changed quite a bit since then. He says the original goal was to produce 1,000 bottles of wine annually. This year, it appears over 30,000 bottles of wine and 15,000 bottles of spirits will be sold.
Kempel says Maple River now has three storefronts in downtown Casselton, and he says they're now shipping wine all over. He says its "humbling" to see the mail orders come in from places like Napa Valley, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
There are now more than a dozen wineries and vineyards in North Dakota.