A region known for its harsh winter weather may not seem like an ideal place to create a winery, but two Winnipeg 20-somethings have done just that.
Willows Christopher and Zach Isaacs of the Shrugging Doctor Beverage Company told 680 CJOB Monday that despite the harsh environment, they’ve been able to successfully bring locally-grown wines to market a year after launching.
“These grape strains have been specially engineered,” said Christopher, 22. “The rosé grapes were specially engineered by the University of Minnesota, and the white grapes have been engineered in Quebec.
“They’re made to be especially cold-hardy. We grow them in the Pembina Valley south of Winkler, by the US border, and that’s the warmest part of Manitoba.”
Despite the specially-engineered grapes, Isaacs, also 22, said a successful harvest isn’t always a given. This past season, for example, they were able to use about 50 per cent fewer grapes than the previous year.
To make up for it, they make other products, like ciders, meads, and more using as much local fruit as possible.
“I had been making (homemade) wine for years,” said Isaacs. “I love it. It’s a real passion of mine. I would always go strawberry picking – raspberries, saskatoons, rhubarb.”
Christopher and Isaacs, also 22, said they wrote the business plan for the winery when they were 18, and launched the company without any business education or training.
“I haven’t slept in three years, but I also get to drink wine every day,” said Christopher. “There’s been a couple of (local) wineries, historically, that have come and gone, but we’re hoping we can stick.”
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