Discovering 4e Winery

Harvest Hosts has a knack for connecting travelers with unique, off-the-beaten path locations they never would have otherwise found. Between the farms, wineries, breweries, golf clubs, museums, and more, there are so many places to choose from in beautiful locations all across the country. Located just minutes from Fargo, North Dakota, you can find one of our excellent winery hosts, 4e Winery. There, Greg and Lisa Cook run a boutique winery located on a century-old farmstead. The setting is quiet and peaceful, with nearby highway access. Read on to learn more about their history, business, and what to expect if you pay them a visit.

About the Winery

4e Winery first opened their tasting room in 2015. Greg works as a chemistry professor at North Dakota State University, and the couple enjoyed making wine at home. They decided to open the winery as a fun and relaxing hobby. While it has not been relaxing, they certainly have fun running their winery and making wine.The winery’s name (“4e”) represents the four elements of earth, fire, water and wind, as each is used in the creation of their wines. They explain this saying, “Quality products, born of the northern prairie (earth), kissed by the sun (fire), nourished by the flowing rivers (water) and brought to life by prairie breezes (air) are the foundation of 4e wines.” We think this might be the most creative and unique winery name we have ever heard!The winery’s name is not its only unique quality. All of their wines are produced using a blend of cold-weather grapes that were created to withstand the harsh winters of the North Dakota plains. With research gathered from the University of Minnesota, North Dakota State University created a variety of grapes built to withstand the brutal winter temperatures, using a blend of traditional grape varieties and hardy Native American grapes. The result is red wines made of Marquette, Petite Pearl, and Frontenac grapes, as well as white wines made of Brianna and Frontenac Blanc grapes. Visitors from all over enjoy the experience of sampling these unique and delicious wines.

The Business Today

Just five years later, Greg and Lisa are still enjoying the experience of running their winery together. Their twelve-acre farmstead is open for tasting, picnics, and tours on weekends in the summer months. They serve fifteen different varieties of wine, so there is surely something for wine lovers of all stages. Throughout the year, they host different events and also participate in selling wine at local farmers markets. When asked about their favorite part of running their business, they replied, “The best part of owning our winery is the people we get to meet.  We love tending to the plants, harvesting the fruit, crushing the grapes, making the wine, and bottling the finished product, but the very best part is the people we get to meet and the stories, told and heard.”