Flying Otter Vineyard & Winery

Our family operated vineyard and winery is the culmination of a life long love of wine. It has been said that wine is sunshine in a bottle. We agree with that sentiment and also firmly believe that the sunshine is meant to be enjoyed with friends and family while sharing good times and good food.

We stay focused on the basics - sustainable vineyard practices using a great deal of hand labor, starting with the planting of the vine until we harvest the grapes.This hands on approach and attention to detail allows us to produce the best quality grapes that can be locally grown, because you can't make great wine unless you start with great grapes.

Receive an additional 25 points for including your email address during sign-up so we can notify you of future specials. When you accumulate 1000 points you will automatically become an "Elite" member of our Rewards Club. Elite members will be invited to special events including pre-release wine tastings, barrel tastings, educational events, and just plain fun get togethers.

The Flying part is simple; it's a reflection of my interest in aviation and the fact that I'm building my own airplane. The otter part comes from my last name, Utter. My oldest known ancestor, Nicholas Mattson Utter was the first "Utter" in America. He came to the New Sweden Colony aboard the ship Orn in 1654.

The ground has been disced three times.: The rows are laid out 10 feet apart and the first row is staked for the grape vines - 7 feet apart. Bob and Jeff: We used a 12 inch auger for the grape vine holes. This dug a nice sized hole that we made plenty deep to loosen up the soil and promote root growth.

Flying Otter Vineyard grows grapes that are specifically adapted to cold weather climates. Frontenac is the first in a series of grapes specially developed for cold weather climates by the University of Minnesota. It was introduced in 1995/96 and is a cross of V. riparia 89 with the French hybrid Landot 4511, resulting in a grape exhibiting some of the best characteristics of each.