Never has there been a flavor combination better than cheese and wine. David and Mary Mitchell, owners of the “Wine and Hop Shop” on Monroe Street, are growing a product unusual for the Wisconsin region: grapes, specifically for the purpose of winemaking.

The Mitchells have owned the shop since 1972, and planted their first vines four years later. After requests from customers to supply grapes for the winemaking process called vinography, Mitchell realized there were no local vendors and decided to plant a vineyard.

“I had never farmed before, and I bought land, bought a tractor and planted some grapevines,” Mitchell said.

When he decided to start a vineyard in Wisconsin, Mitchell realized he was taking a few risks, including facing cold and humid weather.

“Every area in the country has its own set of problems, whether it’s diseases or a particular set of insects. There’s no place that is exactly risk-free,” Mitchell said.

To adjust to the bipolar climate of the Midwest, Mitchell created techniques to help his vineyard survive the harsh winters.

“I plant vines that are very hardened and able to withstand cold temperatures,” he said. “I’ve had winters where it’s gotten to 22 below and my vines have come through in pretty good shape.”

To prevent disease, Mitchell and his team of workers often manually adjust the leaves to allow more sunlight to shine on the grapes. Over the course of six acres of land – about 3,500 vines – each vine is usually adjusted by hand about 10 times each season.

“I do a lot of work with the vines. I could do a lot less work but I try as hard as I can to use every means I can to make a fresh crop for good wine and grapes,” Mitchell said.

Growing grapevines is a lengthy process that can take up to four years until a crop is even recognizable. A typical harvest season begins in May or June when the flowers begin to break bud. They are then cropped and adjusted manually, specifically the canopy leaves, so the buds can receive the proper amount of sunlight, allowing the grapes to produce the best flavor possible.

Once the grapes are grown, the winemaking process can begin. According to the information shared at their winemaking classes, Mitchell believes there are three important concepts necessary to making a successful wine. He said the first two are self-explanatory: First, follow the recipe. Second, use fruit that is ripe. The third concept, which involves not allowing a lot of oxygen to be stored with the wine, is more important.

“A bottle is shaped like [its usual form] rather than having a flat top, because then you would have more oxygen on top of the wine,” Mitchell said. Overall, Mitchell emphasized the importance of paying attention to the detail.

“It’s like cooking, but over time,” he said. “Instead of cooking a meal for half an hour, you are basically tending the wine for a couple months, so you want to pay attention to detail during those couple months.

“A lot of people who have vineyards say that the wine is made of the vineyard, not the winery. You can’t make good wine from bad grapes, but you can make bad wine from good grapes.”

This season in particular, while other parts of the country struggled with rainfall and cold weather, the Mitchell vineyard had an abundant harvest as a result of good weather.

“We had a cool and cold spring here, but fortunately in July and August the weather got very hot,” Mitchell said. “When people were going around complaining about 95 degrees was very hot and humid, I was very happy.”

The Mitchell Vineyard cultivates a wide variety of grapes, but most of them are classified as French-hybrid because they combine many different European varieties. One popular wine is called Marquette.

“Years ago they had a hybrid flavor which many people liked, but they’re trying to breed them more so they taste more like the Californian varieties,” Mitchell said.

The grapes the Mitchells harvest often depend upon the requests of their customers, which most recently has been a variety in flavor. According to Mitchell, judges at wine contests and wine enthusiasts in general are showing an increasing interest in fruity flavors or a “depth of flavor.”

“A lot of that flavor in red wine comes from the skin of red grapes. … White wine tends to rely on the fruitiness of the juice. People tend to vary between liking dry, sweet or bittersweet,” Mitchell said.

The vineyard also tries to make the process convenient for its customers by providing many tools as they begin to make wine. After customers pick their grapes, they have the opportunity to work with machines that squeeze the juice from the skin, helping customers make use of the best possible flavor. During every point of the harvest, Mitchell carries high expectations for the vineyard through consistent objectives.

“My goal is to always have the grapes in good shape and quality so people can make the best wine they can,” he said. “People who do it like to do things themselves and make things themselves.”

A day at the Mitchell Vineyard is a learning experience that can hopefully be passed on to future generations. The art of winemaking is a long and delicate process that often goes unnoticed, but the Mitchells are working effortlessly to change this pattern. As a result, they try to attract children to the vineyard by making it fun.

“Parents want their children to know that there’s a reward out there,” he said. “Not all wine comes from liquor stores.”