A Town of Newton couple is literally enjoying the fruits of their labor.
Kelly and Carol Christiansen had a dream nearly a decade ago of developing a vineyard, they now call “4 Christi’s” Vineyard.
Kelly tells Seehafer News that they began building the site in 2013 and the following year, the first grapevines were planted. “Slowly we progressed to the point that this last year we actually got licensed as a working winery,” he explained. “We have about 5-acres of grapes including Marquette, Savrignon, Petit Pearl, Itasca, LaCrescent and Louis Stenson so we have six varieties here.”
In short, he called it a work in progress and a work of love.
Carol Christiansen, a longtime educator in science and biology, explains the finer points behind thewinemaking process. “What we’re doing is trying to get the grapes enough brix, the amount of sugar in the grape itself to ferment it,” she stated. “I need it to be about 20-23 brix so that when it ferments it’ll come down to about 12 percent alcohol. So, if I don’t have enough brix in the grape itself we’ll need to add some more sugar. That doesn’t mean the wine is sweet it just means that the yeast is going to use all that sugar.”
Kelly, who is a retired plumbing contractor, says they sell their grapes to Parallel 44 Winery in Kewaunee, adding this. “Steve and Reed Johnson are great people,” she said. “I was introduced to them by a common friend, Randy Riesterer, who started a vineyard just to show that you could grow grapes in this area.
My wife actually suggested this to me as a hobby so when things go bad I can always look at her and say it was your fault. So I know how to push the blame.”
Carol also spoke of this region’s climate and being along the Niagara Escarpment as being ideal for growing certain types of grapes.
She explained that “Because it’s an American Viticultural Area the grape quality is better, based on the terroir of the soil and that comes down from that Niagara Escarpment so what’s ever in the soil is coming into the grape.”
Terroir is defined as the characteristic taste and flavor imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced.
Carol Christiansen summed up their flavorful endeavor saying, “It is a lot of work but it’s worth it in the end.”
