BY STACY SOBOTKA
and LARRY SOBCZAK
Youngblood Vineyard has been making waves in Ray Township since April 2016 when Jessica and David Youngblood decided to switch from soybeans and corn to planting 11,000 grapevines on their 48 acre farm.
“This is something unique we wanted to do rather than the corn, soybeans and Christmas trees we used to plant,” Jessica Youngblood said. “There is nothing like this in the Metro Detroit area.”
They are now one step closer to the dream of opening a winery.
The Ray Township Board of Trustees approved a resolution for a manufacturers and wholesale license application for the vineyard at their meeting May 16.
This is the first step towards obtaining a liquor license from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. An approved resolution from the township is required by state law before applying.
“We’re working really hard on getting our grapes to grow and we’re expanding our vineyard. We’ll be at 23 acres by the end of this month,” Jessica Youngblood said.
With the help of friends and volunteers, the Youngbloods planted more than 9,600 new vines this spring with the final planting for the season occurring on Saturday.
She said that it usually takes three years for the vines to start producing grapes but there are signs this season may produce the first crop.
She said that they plan on making some test wine with this year’s crop which will help determine the varieties and blends they will carry in the future when they are ready to open for business.
Currently the Youngbloods are growing six cold-hardy wine grape varieties of which there are three white and three red. The varieties are Marquette, Traminette, Frontenac, Frontenac Blanc, Prairie Star, and Petite Pearl.
“When we lived in Virginia, there were family friendly vineyards. That’s what we want to do here,” Youngblood said.
