Story by Judy Fleagle
Montana may have fewer than than a dozen wineries, but they produce an amazingly diverse variety of wines.
 MONTANA'S YOUNG WINE INDUSTRY HAS no recognized American Viticultural Area (AVA) and no umbrella organization. But at least eight wineries are bonded and licensed by the state. The oldest winery dates back only to 1984, and it wasn’t until 1998 that a second winery license was granted. All the wineries are west of the Rockies except for one that is so far east it’s almost in North Dakota. But the winery scene may be changing. There are rumors of a new winery in Miles City and of a cidery in the Bitterroots that surfaced right at press time. Since no information was available for those, we’ll share what we know about the other eight. 
Two wineries are in the Missoula area at present. Ten Spoon Vineyard & Winery planted their first vines in 1998 after years of heroic efforts at removing rocks. Ten Spoon specializes in early ripening grapes that do well in the cold, and their first wine was sold in 2004. They also purchase grapes and fruit from family farms in Washington and Oregon as well as Montana. Labels include Blind Curve Sauvignon Blanc, Prairie Thunder Petite Sirah/Zinfandel, Range Rider Red, and—their most popular—Flathead Cherry Dry. Tours and tastings are by appointment. (406-549-8703; tenspoonvineyard.com)
Another Missoula winery is Lake Missoula Cellars, which also bottles under the ClearWeather label. Up until recently they also bottled under the Rock Creek label, but now that will be a separate facility. So look for a third winery to make an appearance in the Missoula area very soon. The vast majority of grapes used by Lake Missoula Cellars come from Washington and Oregon. Their new facility in Missoula houses the winery, tasting room, and an events center. The tasting room is open every day from 2 to 7 p.m. except Wednesday and Sunday. Call for an appointment during other times. (406-541-8463; lakemissoulacellars.com) 
In the Flathead Lake area on the west side near Dayton is family-owned Mission Mountain Winery, Montana’s first bonded winery and the state’s largest with more than 6,500 cases produced annually. This award-winning winery produces many wines, including Monster Chardonnay, Monster Red (a Merlot–Cabernet blend), a Muscat Canelli dinner wine, Ice wine, and Cocoa Vin (a chocolate Port that pairs well with vanilla ice cream). The 2006 Merlot Reserve and the 2005 Monster Red were gold and silver medal winners respectively at a recent international competition. The winery is open daily for tastings and tours May through October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (406-849-5524; mission mountainwinery.com)
North of Columbia Falls is Flathead Lake Winery, which has been producing wines since 2003. This small, family-owned winery specializes in small-batch, hand-crafted wines using fruit that has been either grown or picked wild in Montana. This winery is the only one to use 100 percent Montana-grown fruit and is the producer of the original huckleberry wine. Flathead Lake Winery also produces Flathead Lake Cherry wine, Montana Gerwürztraminer, and Montana Pinot Noir. Their new winery is located on the road to Polebridge along the western border of Glacier National Park. Call for tasting appointments. (406-249-9178; flatheadlakewinery.com)
Then we come to a winery that has been making mead since 2005. Hidden Legend Winery (formerly Trapper Creek Winery) specializes in several varieties of mead. They use 100 percent Montana honey to handcraft pure honey mead, a dark mead, and a spiced mead. This winery also makes three berry meads—huckleberry elderberry, and chokecherry. Hidden Legend has recently moved into a larger facility on Highway 93, 3 miles north of Hamilton. The tasting room is open and tours available Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. or by appointment. (406-363-6323; hiddenlegendwinery.com)
About 5 miles south of Darby is Trapper Peak Winery, which bottled its first wines in 2004. This winery owns vineyards in Northern California, where their grapes are grown, but the wines are finished and barreled in Darby. They produce a Cabernet, a Merlot, a Petite Sirah, and a blend of Cabernet, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel called Rodeo Red. Their newest release, Sitting Bull Petite Sirah, is fast becoming their most popular wine. And that may change when Mule Show Merlot comes out. It will be available by July. Call for a personal tasting and tour. (406-821-1964; trapperpeakwinery.com) One of the newest wineries in the state, Trail Creek Winery, is now producing 700 to 1,000 cases a year in their facility in the Seeley Lake area. Using mostly Washington Columbia Valley grapes, they produce Rieslings, Merlots, Chardonnays,  Cabernets, and traditional blends. The tasting room is open Monday through Saturday noon to 6 p.m. year-round. (406-677-8992; trailcreekwinery.com) On the far northeastern corner of the state in Culbertson, Rolling Hills Winery produces six fruit wines—raspberry, blueberry, chokecherry, honey, plum, and rhubarb. All but the blueberries are locally grown. Passers-by are invited to stop in and check out the production and to do some tasting. This family winery is probably unique among wineries because it’s attached to the other family business—a car wash. (406-787-5787) |
