Article and Photos by Stephanie Fong

If you had asked Deb Kinzel 10 years ago what her dream was, she would have told you to retire early with a home in the Black Hills. And, if you were to tell her that instead, she and her family would build and operate the only licensed domestic winery in southwestern North Dakota, she would have laughed at the thought.

Yet here she sits—for a brief pause in her busy day—in her winery’s beautiful dining area, staff bustling in the kitchen, a view of her home just to the south and rows of grapevines to the west, catching the setting sun in their leaves.

Starting small
How she and her husband Kevin found themselves as founders of Fluffy Fields Vineyard & Winery near Dickinson came down to a matter of timing, some leap-taking, and a hobby that had exploded into a passion.

The hobby started small: Kevin was intrigued by producing his own alcohol, making various fruit wines out of their home. They purchased 15 grapevines one year, and 600 the next.

Deb explains she previously was not much of a wine drinker, until Kevin’s hobby took hold.

An uphill climb
With Kevin continuing to work full time in his career with Winn Construction, Deb devoted her waking hours to the winery. Both of their grown children, son Kody and daughter Krista, work at the winery as well.

From securing the start-up financing to the long hours put in by the entire family to make the business a success, Deb admits the learning curve has been steep at times.  

“The challenge of running a business has been huge. I’ve learned a lot. You look at things a whole different way when it’s your own business.”

One test the new business faced was waiting for their grapevines to mature enough to produce quality fruit.

“There is no return for three-plus years on a business like this,” says Deb.  

Last summer after their opening, they sold other local wines as they waited for their own product to be ready to bottle and sell.

“The wine needs at least six to eight months in the tanks.” Deb explains that they probably sold their product too quickly at the beginning. “We probably should have waited, but we wanted to get some cash flow coming in. Our wine is much better when it has time to rest.”

Despite the challenges, the feedback the Kinzels have received since Fluffy Fields’ opening in June 2016 has been overwhelmingly positive.

“People are pleasantly surprised, even a bit shocked, to find out there is a winery in Dickinson,” she shares.

Deb has been surprised herself at how many travelers and seasonal tourists make wineries their destination, finding Fluffy Fields online or spotting their billboard on the interstate and making a point to check it out.  

Their visitors are on display in the winery’s guest book, with entries from a number of states and foreign countries such as New Zealand.

A relaxed wine experience
Fluffy Fields offers their visitors open-air seating as well as indoor dining, a downstairs tasting room, lunch and dinner menus, retail items, and a special events venue that can accommodate approximately 75 people. Throughout the year, they have hosted a number of events, from fashion shows to weddings to yoga sessions on the grounds.

Deb says they are still growing their business and letting the community know they are open year round.

“We want people to know we have something for everyone. Anyone can come here! We are pretty down-to-earth. I don’t know a lot about wine, so wine connoisseurs make me nervous!”

A year in, the magic for Deb has been in seeing what people think and how people enjoy the Fluffy Fields wine experience. The summer growing season and tourist season is one of Deb’s favorite times, where she gets moments to connect with visitors, whether local people or tourists passing through.

“That’s what I want in five or 10 years,” she smiles. “To have our kids kind of take over and Kevin and I to have more time to sit and have a glass of wine with our visitors.”

Their motto—or “Fluffy Philosophy”—displayed in the dining area is, “Break the rules and decide what tastes good.”

That’s exactly what Deb, Kevin, and family hope guests will dare to do by taking a trip to their business and sampling locally made wines.   

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Stephanie Fong lives in Dickinson with her husband Carter, daughter Sydney, and son Parker. Originally from Powers Lake, North Dakota, she has lived in southwestern North Dakota for over a decade. She enjoys contributing to Inspired Woman magazine stories about interesting and inspiring women.