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The Winery is located ½ mile north of Highway 61 in Lutsen, Minnesota. If you see the gondola, you’ve gone too far! Photo courtesy of Kim Corliss
North Shore Winery (Winery) is celebrating its 5th anniversary of serving wine and cider in Cook County. The Lutsen Winery has grown consistently, producing 12,000 bottles in its first year to over 50,000 bottles of wine, currently. In addition, the business has invested in additional storage and beverage-making building space, expanded its outdoor seating areas and, in 2021, added a new amphitheater to host music events during the summer and fall.
“We are amazed by the continuing support of local residents who bring friends and family to the Winery and the number of tourist visits in Cook County,” states Kim Corliss, North Shore Winery founder. “We measure this by the number of tastings poured which are typically enjoyed by new visitors to the Winery. Since opening in July 2016, the business has poured more than 60,000 tastings.”
The business continues to optimize its beverage making space through careful planning for grape arrival in the fall, bottling in the springtime, and cider making in the summer. In addition, significant investments have been made to create efficiencies in processes and, more importantly, hire two very talented full-time individuals to the team – Charlie Bronstein and Jayden Corliss. Charlie recently graduated from the VESTA program with a certificate in viticulture and enology, which will benefit our cider-making program. Jayden joins us after graduating from the University of Minnesota in environmental studies and is the assistant winemaker and business manager.
“Charlie has been with the Winery since 2017 and Jayden joined the team full-time in 2020,” explains Chuck Corliss, North Shore Winery founder and winemaker. “Charlie and Jayden bring skills to the table to help us make a better product, utilize our limited space efficiently, and bring science skills to create the best wines and ciders from the fruit we bring in each year.”
The Winery expanded its Tasting Room team by hiring Jason (Jay) Ernst full-time to manage the bustling room and to create a fun atmosphere for both the staff and customers. He has created new ways for customers to enjoy their Winery visit safely and for staff to stay healthy during the COVID pandemic.
“Jay has been a great addition to the Tasting Room team,” says Jayden Corliss, North Shore Winery assistant winemaker and business manager. “Collaborating with all at the Winery to improve processes and create a safe environment has been very important during COVID, especially since the Tasting Room was affected by so many changes over the past year. We are so grateful for everyone on our staff and we are excited for many more ideas to come from this team as the Winery continues to grow.”
The Winery is open six days a week and closed on Wednesdays. The business serves wine and cider tastings, pours by the glass, and bottle sales in Lutsen. The wines are available for purchase online in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin at www.northshorewinery.us. Under “Find Our Wine” at the same URL, customers can locate a liquor store or restaurant in Minnesota carrying a selected offering of wines.
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