Originally aired on YPR’s Flavors Under the Big Sky
In 2010, two wineries found their start: one in Billings, Yellowstone Cellars and Winery in November and another in Miles City, Tongue River Winery the month before. While Yellowstone Cellars source their grapes from Washington, Tongue River Winery makes their wines from fruit grown on their property or sourced locally.
The first winery, Mission Mountain Winery located on the West Shore of Flathead Lake was founded in 1980 with its first vintage in 1984 made with grapes grown in Montana and Washington’s Rattlesnake Hills. Then in 1998 Andy Sponseller and Constance Poten purchased property near Missoula to prevent development to later plant grapes for their winery, Ten Spoons…