SD:Family business develops new wine varieties

It’s likely that Leif Nygaard’s great-great grandfather would be pleased to know that Leif is continuing the Nygaard family’s long held winemaking tradition that began in their ancestral home in Norway.

Nygaard recently garnered his first international awards after creating two new wine varieties being sold through his family’s wineries in Vermillion, SD and Hill City, SD.

The son of Valiant Vineyards and Stone Faces wineries developers Eldon and Sherry Nygaard, Leif received a Gold Medal for his “Buck Naked” rose wine and a Bronze Medal for “Full Throttle,” a table wine. Both wine varieties were entered in the 11th Annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (FLIWC) in Rochester, NY. A panel of 60 judges from several different countries selected competition winners.

“This was my first major awards competition,” Nygaard says. “I was very happy with the results. Our Buck Naked label is pretty unique, somewhat risqué and I had some concerns about how it might be perceived by the judges. We were thinking about marketing and branding when we developed the name. We wanted names for the wines that were bold and iconic. That can often make a difference in whether or not consumers pick up your product.”

Full Throttle’s label is also non-traditional, featuring a skull that seems to have connected to the audience the Nygaard’s were considering when they developed the wine.

“It’s a pirate-style image,” Nygaard explains. “We had it designed with the Full Throttle Saloon at Sturgis in mind. It’s the biggest biker bar in the world. We’ve been selling some of our wines there and doing pretty well with that market. We expect this wine to be pretty popular during this year’s Sturgis rally.”

Branding savvy is one of the skills Nygaard has developed since he began working with his family to build their wineries. His interest began in high school as he studied organic chemistry and began understanding the wine-making process.

“It’s pretty fascinating to learn how hydrocarbons and substitute hydrocarbons work to form alcoholic beverages,” he states. “Blending that knowledge with some good math skills and a sense for blending fruit and sugar flavors is what it takes to start creating new wine varieties.”

Understanding consumer preferences and needs is key to creating wine flavors and names that appeal to specific market segments. As he’s worked with his family and developed his own wine preferences, Nygaard has cultivated a knowledge of the market demands that exist in South Dakota and the surrounding region.

“Consumers in this area often like wines that remind them of the German style wines their family used and was familiar with,” Nygaard says. “We’ve found that they like slightly sweet, slightly dark wines. I made Dragon Meade using sour cherries and honey, which was quite successful. The following year we harvested a lot of black currants. I used the same approach, the honey and fruit, which resulted in a wine that’s both sweet and tart.”

Even in sparsely populated South Dakota, wine markets continually change and evolve. The most recent market developments Nygaard has seen is emergence of a college-age consumer and motorcycle enthusiasts.

“There’s a growing number of college students who aren’t into the binge drinking trend,” he says. “They’re choosing wines to go with a nice meal or to drink in a casual setting. The bikers coming to Sturgis are typically doctors, lawyers, and upper middle class people who like to take a vacation that allows them to kick back and enjoy life. That’s a fast-growing market. We’re seeing people purchase the wines we bottle just for the rally and take them home as collectibles.”

Nygaard has also seen a growing interest in wine in the general population. Numerous resources are available for consumers who desire to learn more about wine varieties and how to compliment meals with appropriate wine varieties.

“There are also a growing number of consumers who prefer to purchase wine made by a farm winery rather than a company with a mass production process,” he states. “They’re often looking for quality and are more apt to purchase a product that was produced in the local area.”

While their wines have been well received in South Dakota, Eldon and Sherry Nygaard have also looked beyond local opportunities, establishing a presence in Europe several years ago. Most recently they began exporting wine to China.

“Full Throttle is just exploding across Europe,” Leif Nygaard states. “Several years ago a Finnish motorcycle group poured a bottle of Full Throttle over the grave of a colleague as part of the funeral ceremony. That resulted in a huge demand for that variety.”

The Nygaard’s China connection came about following a tour there where they met and interacted with Chinese wine importers.

“There’s a new era of successful entrepreneurs in China,” Eldon Nygaard states. “We’ve organized a process for selling direct to end users there. We’ll be making a trip to personally deliver some of the wine to the mayor of what they call one of their smaller cities there, a population of six million.”

The Nygaards are excited about the potential they see in domestic and foreign wine markets. Eldon Nygaard is pleased to play a role in helping balance trade activities with China. Leif Nygaard expects to continue working with additional wine varieties and monitoring evolving market demands.

“Making wine is something I enjoy immensely, he says. “It’s a peaceful process. You need a lot of patience, it takes time. I’ve learned the process by working with my family here at the winery, a hands-on process. We see a trend for red wine so we’ll keep that in mind as we develop our varieties. We’ll continue to pay close attention to market trends and do all we can to produce quality wines that meet consumer needs.” SDPB

Loretta Sorensen, Owner, Prairie Hearth Publishing, LLC. sorensenlms@gmail.com.