Legacy lives on

BARRETT — A 12-acre vineyard producing seven varieties of grapes is giving two Minnesotans a future as winemakers. Kevin and Sigourney Wehrs own and operate Wooden Link Vineyard in Barrett, established in 2014. Originally from the Twin Cities metro area, the couple have taken their Eastern European-influenced winemaking inspiration and knowledge and applied it to their business model.

“After living in Europe for 13 years, we learned a lot about viticulture, wine in general and its history,” Kevin said. “We took that knowledge and applied it here. Our belief is that wine is not where it’s made but where it’s grown, and we believe that our grapes are as good as anywhere else in the world. …
People just don’t give them enough credit yet.”

The Wehrs grow Frontenac, Itasca, Marquette, Crimson Pearl, Petite Pearl and Prairie Star grape varieties.

“We went all-in with Minnesota grapes,” Sigourney said. “That was something Kevin and I talked about a lot in the beginning. It was very important to us. We want to show people that Minnesota wines can compete on a global level.”

Leaning into the fruit-forward model, the Wehrs do not influence flavor in their wines. Rather, they let the fruit speak for itself.

“Ninety percent of our wine is made from our vines,” Kevin said. “We source some grapes locally, but everything is Minnesota grown.”

The vineyard’s volume has grown exponentially from years past as the Wehrs’ Itasca grapes made their way into the production lineup last season. Frontenac gris, grown at a northern vineyard the Wehrs recently took over managing, will be a new variety in production for the 2026 bottling season.

“We harvested 40,000 pounds of grapes this year,” Sigourney said. “All of our grapes are handpicked for freshness. Every year, we make a blanc, an estate red, a Marquette and a rosé. We also make reserves and limited-edition wines.”

The Wehrs’ wine varieties are sold throughout the state of Minnesota, on-site and on their website. Sigourney spends a vast amount of time attending festivals and tasting events throughout the summer to promote and raise brand awareness.

“We chose to primarily focus on the lakes country and the Twin Cities,” Sigourney said. “We are on the menu in a number of establishments in both areas.”

The Wehrs have made it their mission to prioritize well-balanced varietals, balancing sweetness, acidity and flavor.

“Our wines are all dry wines,” Kevin said. “They have very few ingredients, very few preservatives. We want you to taste the grapes and what they have to offer.”

The Wehrs said the wine industry and the food industry have seen changing trends. People want to know what they
are putting into their bodies. For the Wehrs, they see this as their specialty as well as their marketing strategy.

“People are becoming more mindful of what they are purchasing,” Sigourney said. “They want to know where their wine is coming from. … The same goes for the food industry. People prioritize that, and it has been beneficial for local producers.”

Minnesota summers are short and warm, and the grapes at the Wehrs’ vineyard grow and ripen fast.

“When we first got into this, I thought we’d have a little bit of downtime in between seasons, but it turns out we don’t,” Kevin said of winemaking. “Harvest season usually starts Sept. 1 and ends mid-October. Growing grapes here is very up and down, and Minnesota weather is crazy, so we are always on our toes.”

The period from early spring through summer is loaded with tasks such as pruning branches, thinning shoots, training vines, managing nutrients and spraying to stay ahead of diseases. The Wehrs and their three full-time employees work diligently in the vineyard from late February through mid-October.

As is true for most producers, harvest season is the busiest season. The Wehrs rely on many volunteers to help them with grape picking. Processing the grapes is Kevin’s job as the business’s primary winemaker, and that happens at the winery down the road from the vineyard.

“I take the grapes, whole cluster, to the de-stemmer machine as the first step,” Kevin said. “From there, the grapes drop down into a pump that pushes them straight into a press.”

The Wehrs run a light press cycle, Kevin said. This is an important part of their production process, avoiding unwanted tannins from the grape seeds and skins, which can influence flavor. From there, the wine is filtered multiple times, and the fermentation process starts.

“Babysitting the wine is a lengthy process but a very important one,” Kevin said. “I won’t begin processing our reds until next fall, but our whites and rosés, … I hope to be bottling those by January.”

The Wehrs have many goals for their business such as broadening their event and vendor presence, forging partnerships and renovating a dedicated tasting room on their winery property. Even more important, the couple said, is their dedication to preserving their story, one that has a strong hold on their hearts and is very much based on legacy.

Kevin and Sigourney learned to work in the vineyard alongside Sigourney’s step-father, Nathan (Nate) Bergeland, who passed away in 2022.

“It was a little like baptism by fire when Nate died,” Sigourney said. “We were living in Europe but had spent our summers working with Nate as business partners, and the goal always was to take over the business; but when Nate passed away, we had to jump in and figure it out, … and it has been a journey with our team.”

Bergeland originally bought the vineyard’s 12-acre property from Earl Thorstad in 2010 for hunting land. Bergeland had big dreams and was the type of guy who avoided small talk, Sigourney said; he asked people about their passion in life and was a doer.

About a month prior to Bergeland passing, the Wehrs lost their beagle, Finn. The couple bought Eni, a German shepherd-corgi mix, who eased some of the sadness and major transitions they were experiencing. Now, Eni roams the vineyard, keeping everyone in tune, the couple said.

“When Nate passed away, my mother went to see a medium, and the medium told her that Nate would come back as a white heron,” Sigourney said. “We started to see an abundance of white herons on the property, especially around harvest season. Our main wine label features artwork of a white heron and our beagle, Finn, in the vineyard, as a way to honor them.”

The vineyard’s true story actually began when Bergeland purchased Thorstad’s homestead; therefore, the Wehrs found a way to honor both men as well.

“Earl was a talented carpenter whose favorite pastime was whittling wooden links; … he left us boxes of them,” Sigourney said. “We make sure to give nods to Earl because this was his beautiful home for so many years, and he opened up this opportunity for us. … We want people to know our story and to have Nate and Earl’s stories live on through the vineyard. We wouldn’t be here without them.”

The Wehrs also praise the local community’s support and are planning the vineyard’s first annual official harvest party as a way for the team to celebrate their hard work and dedication, as well as the productive year.

“I don’t know many other places that can say their volunteers picked that many grapes by hand,” Kevin said. “We have only been living here full time for about three years, and the support we have received has been incredible. We have volunteers from age 17 to 81. They are incredible. … They show up, they talk, they love being outside. It is work but a lot of fun, too.”