Our Vineyard

White Raven’s young vineyard is located five miles south of our Tasting Room and Cellar, in a weather eddy of the Canyon in Columbia Falls, Montana. We proudly practice sustainable viniculture to help ensure our vineyard’s grapes remain as free as possible from harmful chemicals. As a result of our commitment to practicing sustainable viniculture, there is a visible weed and alternative ground crop presence in our vineyard.

At the moment, we’re growing five grape varietals from the Vitus riparia vine at our vineyard: Marquette, Sabrevois, Brianna, Somerset, and Petite Pearl. We harvested a small amount for the first time in the fall of ‘22. (Until our vines are mature, we will continue to source high-quality Montana grapes from Spotted Bear Vineyards on Finely Point, Gut Craic Vineyard in Thompson Falls, and Luna Llena Vineyards in Hamilton, Montana. ) Vitus riparia vines are known to survive temperatures of -30 to -35 degrees Fahrenheit. These vines are High Cordon and have five months, on average, of proper growing degree days (GDD). Our growing season or “bud break” begins in late April to early May and ends at harvest time in mid-to-late October.

The acreage of our vineyard lies in the shadow of Columbia Mountain, which is the terminus of the Swan Mountain Range. At an elevation of 3,390 feet, our vineyard gets an average of 18 inches of rain and 57 inches of snow each year—that’s half the rain that the U.S. gets on average annually but twice the snow!

The soil of our vineyard is loamy sand, a fine mixture of sand, silt, and clay. Our acreage has more sand than loam, which means it’s a perfectly primed, extremely absorbent canvas for artisanal wine-making—many experts suggest loamy soil is the best type of soil for grape growing.

our grapes

Six of our wines are made with 100% Montana-grown grapes (five of the current six, sold out). As soon as we are able, we intend to increase the number of White Raven wines crafted with Montana grapes. In the meantime, we source whole cluster grapes from Washington, Oregon, and San Diego County, CA to make our other seventeen wines.

Those who come to Montana to taste our wines are often most familiar with grapes derived from the more common Vitis vinifera vine as opposed to the Vitis riparia varietals grown here. Our wines are thus as honest, wild, and delightfully unexpected as Montana and its abundant landscapes—we’re in the pioneering stage of creating just what a signature Montana wine will become known for.

Our Community

Who will harvest our vineyard acres when the time comes? The White Raven Winery Team is hands-on in all aspects of winemaking, and we take pride in being able to engage community volunteers when appropriate.

But while we get to know our vines and wait for them to mature, we make sure a member of our team attends harvests at the other Montana vineyards we source grapes from, to observe and assist as needed. This ensures that White Raven is involved throughout the entire wine-making process and that we’re always filling your glass with the highest quality wine. 

Honoring the Past, Cultivating the Future

where we’ve been

Since its inception, Columbia Falls has always been a hard-working Montana town. The closures of the aluminum plant in 2009 and sale of Plum Creek Mill in 2016 did not change that spirit of hard work, but they did impact generations of Montanans whose livelihoods depended on these industries. As White Raven Winery takes flight, these generations are at the forefront of our efforts.

At White Raven, we feel that the best way to honor our community’s past is to work hard in the present so that we can contribute to its future. This winery belongs to Columbia Falls, just as much as it belongs to us.

What Lies Ahead for White Raven

2021 (our first FULL year in business) proved to be an exciting time for our team. White Raven’s Wine Club grew substantially, as did the list of subscribers to our monthly newsletter -WINEspiration! And, by collaborating with many valley-wide chefs, artists, and musicians we proudly produced many unique wine pairing offerings for the community’s enjoyment. In 2022 we crafted more 100% Montana-grown Vitis riparia varietal wines and produced some truly barn-burner wines that helped further define the growing Montana wine industry and, in turn, attract more wine lovers from around the world.

In August of 2022, White Raven Winery attended the 2nd Annual Montana Wine Festival and took home 1st PLACE in the (red) Vitis vinifera and (white) Vitis vinifera categories, as well as 2nd PLACE in the (red) Vitis riparia category! But artful wine-making means that we’re always watching the horizon.

In 2023, five of our six Montana “born and raised” wines SOLD OUT just three months after being released! And, at the insistence of White Raven’s WINEmaker, one of those popular wines was created by the White Raven TEAM . Under Dan Murphy’s patient tutelage The Confluence, a unique red blend (with a touch of Viognier), appealed to a wide variety of palates and consequently had the added benefit of bringing people together. But that’s not all, our Wine Club members and WINEspiration Newsletter subscribers have doubled, and requests to pour at private events has increased substantially! White Raven has also had the pleasure of welcoming guests 6 days a week from all over the U.S. who are members of HARVEST HOSTS! These markers of growth, coupled with a steady increase in foot traffic and the expansion of our vineyard (we recently planted another two acres and have plans to expand the surrounding infrastructure) suggests the best is yet to come for White Raven and its’ devoted fans! And bonus for all forward thinking oenophiles out there, White Raven now accept BITCOIN payments for on-site purchases! (Your welcome.)

Now in 2024, we’ve hosted MORE SOLD OUT wine pairing experiences than ever! Due to their diversity, in terms of artistic genre, these unique wine pairing experiences remain as RARE in the Flathead Valley as our name sake- both of which aim to satisfy your soul not just your palate! Therefore, going forward any opportunity to pair the exceptional musical, visual, written, and or artistic talents of the Flathead Valley, with our locally made (and in some cases grown) wines is an opportunity we’re sure to consider along with more ARTISANAL FOOD PAIRINGS! In fact, we are so committed to doing so we’ve decided to WELCOME Fare on the Fly! This food truck, new to the valley and managed by our very own Assistant WINEmaker Meredith Hanson, is sure to hook ya! With a menu of mouth-wateringly delicious breakfast paninis, pastries, soup specials, salads and chips to go or stay…it’s sure to keep you coming back for more! And with the addition of more picnic tables in our backyard with a view- seasonal sipping under the sun promises to be better than ever!

Looking to the future, White Raven will also continue to expand its vineyard, honor beloved icons of Columbia Falls by naming wines after them, host wine festivals and conferences, and provide volunteer opportunities for those looking to get involved with the only winery in the Flathead Valley that makes its wines on-site from whole cluster grapes to the glass we put in your hand (Have we mentioned volunteers often get paid in WINE SAMPLES - just sayin’)! Beyond this, no matter what comes next, we’re satisfied with the knowledge that what we’re producing is RARE and thus special—that our carefully cultivated wines are yet another reason why Montana is the Treasure State. We thank you for your patience in advance as we grow in a SUSTAINABLE way.