Lighten Up Merlot

A note from Sandi:

Years ago, when Prairie Berry was just starting out, we had a season where several friends and family members contacted us to say they had a bumper crop of pears in their yards…and could we use them? I was thrilled. I had fond memories of eating fresh pears off a tree in my grandmother’s yard and it seemed like a perfect fit. As we collected the fruit from across the state—some in Mobridge, more from Pierre, and even more from the Rapid City neighborhood Matt grew up in— it became plain that the plentiful pear harvest that year was providing me with an opportunity I hadn’t had before. The chance to simultaneously make two distinctly different styles of wine from the same fruit.

Getting the chance to practice my craft in this way, defining nuances, using different yeasts and methods, coaxing out completely different personalities, side-by-side, was really exhilarating. We developed names and labels honoring two different groups. Gold Digger, honored the Black Hills mining history that brought development to the western side of the state, and Heritage, on behalf of my great-great grandmother and the other homesteaders that first tried to tame the prairies.

Join me as we welcome back our semi-dry, Heritage pear wine. I hope you enjoy drinking this delicate, refreshing wine as much as I enjoyed bringing it back again!