Photos by Karin Elton Painted Prairie Vineyard owner Krista Kopperud inspects a Marquette cluster of grapes and says they are “looking good.”

CURRIE — Like a new vintage of wine, every time a visitor stops by Painted Prairie Vineyard, new flavors can be discerned.

“The wine will always taste different depending on the weather, the soil,” said Krista Kopperud, who owns and operates Painted Prairie along with her husband, Andy Kopperud.

And something is always going on at Painted Prairie. Visitors first sign in on a giant wine glass-shaped chalk board and then are given menus — a craft beer list, food list and current wines.

“Many times people will want to do a tasting,” she said. “You can drink water, drink wine, go check out the space, if nothing is going on, check out the barn…”

The Kopperuds first remodeled the 1940s barn that was on the property. It now has tables for parties and receptions and benches outside. A large tasting room was built on the property that can hold up to 125 people. The Southwest Regional Development Commission recently had its annual meeting and program there. Another building is being constructed, a multipurpose room including a crush pad and delivery pad.

“We are now open year around and serve local grape and fruit wines,” said Kopperud. “We also offer local craft beer and hard cider made onsite. Our grapes are developed from the University of Minnesota to withstand the cold winters of the Great Plains.”

The couple has three children, Annika, Elysa, and Britta. Andy Kopperud is a doctor at Sanford Westbrook Medical Center.

In addition to four part-time staffers, Krista Kopperud, who has a master’s degree in public health, recently resigned from Southwest Health and Human Services to work full time at the winery and vineyard.

“I told Andy we’re either going to have to hire someone full time or I will have to be here full time,” Krista Kopperud said.

A lot of labor is needed to keep the grounds well-kempt and the vines are all “trimmed back by hand,” she said.

A University of Minnesota Extension expert visited recently and advised Kopperud to “cut back even more. We spent nine hours on one row.”

Kopperud rotates every other week applying pesticides and fungicides to the plants to combat bugs and mildew.

The vineyard, located between Dovray and Currie, off of Highway 30, has 1.5 acres of vines, comprised of three varieties of grapes: Marquette, La Crescent and Frontenac. The three varieties are hand-harvested, crushed, fermented in the winery and then aged. When fully stocked they have 11 varieties of wine.

The Kopperuds also buy local grapes and apples.

“We offer tours, tastings and small gatherings in a very scenic setting,” said Kopperud. “People can schedule family reunions, birthday parties, baby or wedding showers or just a night out with friends.”

Kopperud said above all, she wants people to “connect.”

Many times she has observed people making connections.

“I cannot even tell you how many times I have seen people here that haven’t seen each other in years,” she said. “Just two weeks ago at a wedding reception there were two people who hadn’t seen each other in 20 years and they were hooting and hollering and having the best time. So for me, it’s creating a space for people to connect.”

There are conversation nooks all over the vineyard such as the fire pit.

“It’s a very small, intimate place and I want to keep it that way,” she said. “We have lost that social connection. I want to create a space where people can come and put down their phones for two hours.”

She’s gathering books for people to take and leave theirs.

“I’m working on putting together a Little Red Library,” she said. “Come out and read a book.”