Garvin Heights Vineyards adds event center, more room

Eight years after the first bottle of wine was uncorked and poured for tasting room visitors at Winonas Garvin Heights Vineyards, owners Marvin and Linda Seppanen are constructing an addition to the building.

Below ground, the winery will triple in size. But the half-million dollar project wont be just a larger tasting room. For the past year the couple, along with their daughter Christine Seppanen and her husband, have been planning an event center with space for medium-size weddings of 100 or so guests, Marvin said.

On Tuesday, the Seppanens grapes rustled in the wind, seemingly undisturbed by the sound of hammering and the rhythmic pulse of the air compressor. Construction crews were hard at work laying floorboards for the event center, and cement walls stood guard over a sand floor in the lower level.

The project, which began in mid-July, will be completed sometime this fall theyre not sure precisely which day.

You know how that goes, Linda said, laughing.

Marvin, an engineering consultant, and Linda, who retired from teaching nursing at Winona State University this year, have been growing grapes at their location above Garvin Heights for 25 years. They made wine for family and friends until they reached the 200-gallon benchmark that required them to get a license.

Their four acres of grapes are augmented by grapes from at least two other growers, Marvin said, so theyre not restricted by the amount of land they have. The winery currently offers about 20 different wines to its customers.

Of course, fall is wine-making season, and theyll start making wine the first week of September in the current space. Once next year rolls around, they hope to increase production with the extra space the addition will afford.

Linda said she looks forward to offering more events in the new space. Shed like to offer classes like how to pair wine with cheese, and her daughter Christine plans to offer wine and yoga classes.

Besides that, the addition will allow the Seppanens to continue to offer their tasting room to visitors without interruption there will be a separate entrance for the event center.

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Garvin Heights Vineyards adds event center, more room