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Red Trail Vineyard
Location	Buffalo, North Dakota, USA
Coordinates	46°54′09″N 97°29′41″W / 46.9024454°N 97.49480010000002°W / 46.9024454; -97.49480010000002
Appellation	North Dakota wine
Founded	2003[1]
First vintage	2005[1]
Key people	Rodney Hogen, Owner
Known for	Alpha Rosé, Frontenac Gris, Winter Wine
Varietals	Frontenac Gris, Frontenac, Petite Pearl, Marquette, Valiant
Other products	Red Trail White, Red Trail Red, Alpha Rosé, Winter Wine
Distribution	Regional, restaurants
Tasting	Open to public
Website	www.RedTrailVineyards.com

Red Trail Vineyard is a North Dakota vineyard specializing in the production of premium Frontenac Gris, Marquette, Frontenac and Petite Pearl wines. The vineyard is named for and located along the Old Red Trail, one of the first established wagon trails in Dakota Territory. The Red Trail Vineyards property covers 40 acres, with 12 acres dedicated to vines. Currently, there are over 2,500 vines which includes 14 cold climate grape varieties on the property. Those 14 varieties include: King of The North, Swenson Red, Frontenac, Sabrevois, Somerset Seedless, St. Pepin, Prairie Star, LaCrescent, Concord (Greece), Louise Swenson, Frontenac Gris, Valiant, Marquette, and Petite Pearl.

Red Trail Vineyard was founded in the spring of 2003 with the planting of 120 grapevines. Two varieties of grapevines, King of The North and Swenson Red, were planted on the north vineyard. At that same time, another 100 vines of various varieties were planted in the nursery in hopes of transfer to the main vineyard. The following year a massive planting of 900 grapevines of St. Croix, Frontenac, Sabrevois, Somerset Seedless, St. Pepin, Prairie Star, LaCrescent and Concord (Greece) was undertaken. Also that same year, a 100 year old granary building was moved to the property and remodeled to contain a tasting room, commercial kitchen and dining facilities. During the next two years an additional 300 vines of Louise Swenson, Frontenac Gris and Valiant were planted.

New ground was broken in 2007 for the planting of 1,260 vines in the south vineyard. The varieties included Frontenac Gris, Marquette and St. Croix. The Marquette grape was the latest release from the University of Minnesota, promising to be a very cold-hardy red wine variety. Another planting of a very promising grape, Petite Pearl, was undertaken in 2012 adding another 150 vines to the north vineyard.

Red Trail Vineyards produced its first wine, Alpha Rosé, in 2005. It was a very limited production of 19 bottles from the grapes of the King of The North. The vineyard produces wine at two wineries located offsite and operates a tasting room open to the public during the weekends from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day.

On July 22nd, 2014, TripAdvisor named Red Trail Vineyards 1 of 50 Top Wineries and Breweries Worth Traveling For.

The signature wine of Red Trail is its Alpha Rosé, a sweetened King of The North field blend of Cabernet Sauvignon mixed with varying percentages of other grapes grown in the same location, usually including Merlot, Petit Verdot, and occasionally Cabernet Franc.

Since 2005, Red Trail Vineyards has produced .

• North Dakota wine

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ridge Vineyards.

• official Red Trail Vineyards website
• "The Judgment of Paris" Slate article by Mike Steinberger
• "New York Times article" on 1987 sale of Ridge Vineyards to Japanese company.

Category:Wineries in North Dakota Category:Companies based in North Dakota