TONTITOWN — David Peachee poured up glasses of white wine for Sandi and Sandford “Sandy” McKim to taste Friday afternoon at the Tontitown Winery, which opened Oct. 15.
There hasn’t been a winery in Tontitown in at least 25 years.
“Tontitown was founded by wine, grapes and Italians,” Heather Ranalli Peachee said. “Now all that’s left are Italians. There’s hardly any vineyards left.”
The Peachee family hopes to change that by bringing wine and its traditions back to Tontitown.
Northwest Arkansas once produced a large quantity of grapes, until the Welch Food Inc. grape juice plant in Springdale closed in 1978. The plant bought most of the locally grown grapes.
When the plant closed,the wineries eventually shuttered. They found they couldn’t effectively compete after a change in state law curbed incentives for wineries and other outlets to buy local grapes.
By the mid-1980s, the Granata, Dixie Pride, Mantegani, Morsani and Niel’s wineries closed up shop or sold out.
“There are no other wineries [in Tontitown],” Heather Peachee said. “[Tontitown Winery] is kind of a one of a kind out here.”
Heather Peachee knows about winemaking and its Tontitown roots. Her father runs Ranalli Farms in Tontitown, a family owned and operated vineyard and farm complete with its own retail market. Her grandfather and great-grandfather worked at Granata Winery, where her grandfather was a winemaker for 35 years. She grew upmaking wine in the basement of her family’s home.
The idea to bring back a Tontitown tradition began in the basement while David Peachee was making wine.
“We were just down there stomping grapes one evening, and we said ‘Why don’t we do this for a living?’” David Peachee said.
David Peachee’s father and stepmother decided to invest with David and Heather. The couple then found the farmhouse where Dixie Pride wines had once been produced, and a year later Tontitown Winery opened.
Prices run from $9 to $16 a bottle or $5 per glass. The price depends on the grape, some of which are hard to maintain in Arkansas, Heather Peachee said.
A month after Tontitown Winery opened, it had sold about 2,000 bottles, David Peachee said.
On Friday, some customers said they stopped in because Heather Peachee’s family has a reputation for quality products. Others said they wanted to support a local business or stopped in just because they love wineries.
“It’s fun to collect wine from all over the country,” Sandi McKim said.
She and her husband had traveled to Tontitown along Route 66 from Oklahoma, looking for out-of-the-way wineries.
About 50 people had stopped by Tontitown Winery by 2 p.m. Friday, enough to keep the Peachees busy pouring and restocking favorites like Ives Noir and Italian Red.
Tontitown Winery is lucky to have access to grapes through Heather Peachee’s family farm. While grape production in Arkansas rose about 21 percent this past year, Northwest Arkansas does not have enough farmers growing grapes to support the demand from Arkansas wineries, experts said. Most wineries must buy some out-of-state grapes.
The Peachees bought grapes from California to produce two of their wines, including the chardonnay, Heather Peachee said.
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is trying to interest more people in growing grapes by cultivating varieties that can tolerate Arkansas’ brutal heat and sun, moist falls, freezing winters and voracious insects.
The Peachees said they hope to expand their business one day, including an increase in the amount of wine they can produce from their maximum of 5,000 gallons. They also hope to produce new varieties in the next few months and unveil a line of wines made from blueberries, apples and plums.
David Peachee said the community has been very supportive. No one contested the liquor license and no one contested the store sign, he said.
People want the wine tradition back in Tontitown, Peachee said.
“It’s your roots,” he said. “You don’t want to get away from your roots.”
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 11/27/2010