Chris and Judy Yirsa while living in the wine country of California couldn't help but wonder if the farm back home in Big Sandy could grow grapes. Curiosity got the best of them. What kind of wine could they make in Chouteau County at Yirsa farms?
Chris called his father and as they speculated and researched the idea of making wine the idea just grabbed hold. He couldn't shake it. Originally, they knew they would need to try a variety of different kinds of grapes eventually settling on 13 brands of grape vines to experiment with.
They had no idea which kind would survive the Montana winters or if any of them would. They had no idea the quality of the grapes grown in the Montana climate. Chris remembers flying home as the whole family worked to plant the vineyard. He said everyone has helped trim the vines and supported the project.
It takes three years for a vine to produce any grapes. The first year they produced grapes the hobby of wine making was pretty limited. The second year the vineyard received a lot of rain, so it produced a pretty good crop. This year as the vineyard matured, the grapes themselves were smaller, it was a drought year after all, but the sugar content more intense.
They decided to bottle the wine properly this year. Mind you it's still just a hobby, but in the future things could be different. They legally can't sell it, so it remains firmly in the hobby realm.
Setting a goal like growing a vineyard and making wine in Montana taught Chris a lot. Most of the time experts say to set realistic goals or you'll give up too quickly. Chris said by setting this goal and not knowing if the goal could become a reality taught him to have patience, lots of patience. Everyone who dreams shouldn't give up on their dream, the problem is they just haven't learned patience. Our society is so immersed with having it now, that putting a goal and working towards it without knowing the results seems improbable. Chris and Judy, with the help of his vineyard pruning family realized their goals this year! Patience really is a virtue.
Chris is interested in making mead which is a wine made from honey. Wait for news in that direction.
