About

Kesselring Vineyards appeared in 1999.

The only Riverbank Grape (Vitis Riparia) Vineyard in America, we are dedicated to growing grapes native to the Sheyenne Valley of North Dakota. All of our vines are sourced from vines growing on our ranch and land in the surrounding valley.

Vitis Riparia is the scientific name for the Riverbank grape. It is also known as river grape, frost grape, and wild grape.  They are notable for being indigenous to the northern and eastern parts of Canada and the United States. Vitis Riparia was the grape variety Leif Erickson and the Vikings found when they discovered America in 1000 A.D. They were so impressed by the grapes that they named the land they discovered “Vinland” meaning “Vine-land”

Kesselring Vineyards has been growing Riverbank grapes for twenty years. The vines that populate our consistantly expanding 6 acre vineyard are chosen from the vigorous native grape vines hand-cut from along the Sheyenne River Valley. Once brought into the sunny vineyard they produce the biggest and sweetest fruit clusters. We are the only vineyard growing Riverbank Grapes commercially, though North Dakotans have made wine from them as long as people have inhabited this area. Unfortunately most harvesters pick the grapes before they are fully ripe assuming that the end of summer is the proper harvest time. Our approach is to wait until after the first hard frost (usually mid October if not later) so that acids are lower and sugars are their peak.  Our basic philosophy is to use classical wine making methods with the best fruit produced by vines native to our area.

5720 160th Ave S.E.
Kindred, ND 58051

Tel. +1 612 741-5691