DRAPED WITH GRAPES. Donna Sachs, co-owner of River Bend Vineyard & Winery in Chippewa Falls, tends to some sort of fruit-bearing vine.

It’s not often you get to see the entire process behind what you eat and drink, but at River Bend Vineyard & Winery, their wines go straight from the grape to the glass – right before your eyes.

“We begin with the raw material in its most basic form,” co-owner Donna Sachs said. “We’re there for the farming to the processing to the bottling.”

The husband-and-wife-run vineyard has been growing for four years now, but the winery, newly built, is still in its infancy, turning out its first batches of wine from last year’s grapes, as it takes three to four years for the vines to even begin producing fruit.

“This year there was a lot to learn,” she said. “There were a lot of bumps in the road to figure out. Next year will be much more fluid.”

The winery, nestled among the trees and hills of Chippewa Falls, amidst the sun-drenched rows of grape vines, will hold its grand opening June 5-7, though they have been selling their wine at local retailers since December, and will continue to do so. What’s truly noteworthy of the winery and vineyard is the selection of wines they produce. Wine is all about where it’s grown, and the grapes that are grown in the Chippewa Valley have their own distinct flavor that is closely tied to the land that produces them.

Donna Sachs, along with her husband, Albert, started with small winemaking kits and moved on to work with the University of Minnesota to grow the hybrid fruit that’s needed to withstand the harsh climate. With such a short growing season, only about three to four months, the grapes don’t have a lot of time to reach their full potential, with the acidity dropping and the sugars rising to the appropriate levels. With a white wine, a high acidity is great, but in a red wine, the taste is too sour.

    They specialize in a group of blended wines with distinct flavors, using features of different, separate wines to create something that has the best of both worlds. In some cases, it’s simply blending wines with low and high acidities.

One wine that was just released on May 25, the River Bend Blend, is a perfect example. The Blend is a mixture of zinfandel and frontenac, a hybrid grape that can produce after a winter with temperatures as low as -33º F. The frontenac mellows the flavor of the zinfandel, which covers the “veggie” taste that can be associated with frontenac, Sachs said.

Stepping in from the field, the brand new winery is top notch. The dark hardwood floors, butter cream walls, and rows wine bottles, housed in dark, hardwood cabinets of Albert Sachs’ own making, create a cozy atmosphere for people to not only enjoy the taste of their wine (or take a bottle home), but to behold the entire experience. Feel free to sample complimentary tastes of wine, sitting beside the great stone fireplace, rested comfortably in a comfy leather armchair.

Or, take your glass to the outdoor patio. From your glass-topped table, with a glass of the aromatic and fruity white Moonlight wine, the sun nearing the horizon and the scent of a bonfire, sit back and enjoy the view as the vineyard rows stretch out before you.

    River Bend Vineyard & Winery is located at 10439 33rd Ave., Chippewa Falls. The grand opening includes wine tastings, live music, vineyard carriage rides, and cheese sampling June 5-7. Visit RiverBendVineyard.com for details.