About North Folk Winery
Award-Winning Winery Located in Harris, MN
Mike and Ann have been hobby winemakers for many years and in 2008 decided to take their hobby to the next level. Mike says the winery is “a hobby gone wild.” Not coincidentally, a parcel of land adjacent to their homestead was put on the market in 2008 which is now the site of North Folk Winery.
Timber frame construction of the winery was an easy choice as Mike and Ann have constructed three other timber frame buildings. The timbers were cut at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais under the direction of master timber-framer, Peter Henrikson, with the help of 32 volunteers. The structure was erected on site in 2011 and the tasting room opened in 2012.
The Best of Everything Local in One Place
The wine produced at North Folk Winery is made in small batches from locally grown fruit whenever possible. Mike and Ann value sustainable living and promote local businesses at every opportunity. “The Best of Everything Local” truly describes what the winery is all about, including the fruit made to produce the wine, the ingredients used in the preparation of food, the display of art in the tasting room, and the best of live and local entertainment.
The relaxing atmosphere of the tasting room and beautiful surrounding flower gardens, self-guided fruit garden, and vineyard make a perfect destination for socializing with friends or impressing a special someone in your life. Visiting North Folk Winery is an experience; a sense of community in a warm and inviting environment.
Special events are scheduled at the winery throughout the year including Gourmet Pizza Night, Soup ‘N Sip, Painting & Pinot, Mother's Day Brunch, Father's Day Pizza Party, The Vines Bluegrass Festival, Oktoberfest, Cheese/Chocolate/Wine Weekend, Carols and Candles, the annual Concert Series, and live entertainment every Friday night. The winery is also available for small weddings, holiday parties, meetings and special occasions.
The History of North Folk Winery
Mike and Ann have been hobby winemakers for many years and in 2008 decided to take their hobby to the next level. Mike says the winery is “a hobby gone wild.” Not coincidentally, a parcel of land adjacent to their homestead was put on the market in 2008 which is now the site of North Folk Winery. In 2010 we continued with our fruit wine production!
Peter Henrikson – North House Folk School Master Timber Framer, was our teacher and guide from the beginning to the end of the project. We chose to have the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota help us with the design, cutting of the timbers, and assembly of the winery. The pile of timbers is Day 1 of the 2 week project. The project was accomplished with the help of 30+ volunteers who committed time to work at the Folk School over a two week period. With the help of many volunteers, the timbers were erected on-site over a five day period. Work continued through Fall, Winter and Spring of 2011/2012 to finish the tasting room and wine production area. The winery officially opened as Stark Wines May 2012.
Grape wine production began September 2013 with cold climate grapes purchased from Ann River Vineyard in Mora, Minnesota. The addition of the brick pizza oven in 2013 allowed us to expand our menu and offer Gourmet Pizza Night every Friday night. The addition of the porch in 2014 expanded our seating. The porch addition is timber frame construction, again, under the direction of Peter Henrikson. The self guided fruit gardens enhance the lovely grounds of perennial flowers and vineyard and enable customers to see the fruit before it’s in the bottle.
In 2019, Mike and Ann decided it was time to expand the production area to allow greater space and larger wine making equipment. The new state of the art production building provides space for production, bottling and packaging, case storage, and a barrel room.
Video of the Winery’s Construction in 2011
