Passing the bottle

As the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end."

But that doesn't mean that the fine fruit wines from Dakota Sun Winery are gone for good.

Business-owners Bruce and Merleen Gussiaas sold the winery to Devin Quick of Williston in February, meaning the production of the award-winning wines will no longer be done from the family's rural Carrington farm in Nordmore Township.

From their entry into the wine-making business back in 2010, the Gussiaases have built the winery, and associated gardens, into a regional success story that has brought tasters from around the state and the country to their home roughly 6 1/2 miles northeast of town as the crow flies.

"It was a lot of experimentation," said Bruce. "When you're serving thousands of samples at shows, you figure out what people like, what works and what doesn't. Merleen was kind of the chief taste tester."

Their product has won numerous accolades on the worldwide stage, and a display shelf in the former winery building showcases medals and trophies from many prestigious competitions.

A trophy in the middle is of particular pride to the former owners, the 2018 Winery of the Year from the Indy International Wine Competition.

"It was the first time that award was given to a winery for primarily producing fruit wines," Bruce said. "It was over 300 wines in 13 countries. That was definitely a shocker, that one."

At their peak, the Gussiaases estimated that they attended up to 19 shows per year.

Their expertise in building a flavorful product has led to Bruce being asked to speak at wine-making conferences, as well as being a featured speaker at NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center Field Day's Northern Hardy Fruit Review.

After deciding to retire, Bruce and Merleen was looking for prospective buyers for the winery.

"We were just in the process of slowing down, and were letting distributors know that we would no longer be providing the product," he said.

"Devin came to visit us at the winery and the gardens," Merleen said. "It was kind of her dream to own one, she told us."

Things progressed from there, and the sale was finalized on February 1. News of the ownership transfer was posted to Dakota Sun Gardens and Winery's Facebook page on Monday, April 15.

As part of the transaction, Quick, who worked previously as a geologist in the Bakken oil fields, will move the business and all its equipment to Williston.

While they had a great time with what began as a hobby and later became their mid-life livelihoods, the Gussiaases agree that now was the time to step away.

"The biggest thing we're going to miss is the people," said Merleen. "We made lots of friends through our business."

"Someone said to Bruce the other day that it's kind of bittersweet," she said. "We're going to have some more family time, but we'll miss the relationships we've built."

With their newfound free time, the family hopes to do some traveling, as well as be doting grandparents to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

"That's our most important thing, is time," Bruce said.

Quick is very excited for the new opportunity, and has lots of ideas to grow the business.

"I would suggest just to keep on the lookout for your favorite wines through me, finding us on the Web, our social media, and at all the trade shows we can handle," she said.

At the current time, the Dakota Sun Winery, as owned by Quick, does not have a public access point for the wines, but she has made several appearances with her product at craft and vendor shows during the past months.

For more information on Dakota Sun Wines and their products, visit their website at http://www.dakotasunwines.com, e-mail [email protected] or call (701) 978-1448.