David and Dana Cordell wanted to open a winery at the Apple Barrel market on U.S. Highway 2 East, but they just didn’t know how to go about it.
Enter Doug Wagner.
“We were always so overwhelmed by the process and all that you have to do,” Dana Cordell said. “Then comes Doug Wagner and he is a wonderful winemaker and has the experience, and it just all flowed together.”
With the help and creativity of Wagner, the Cordells fulfilled a dream of theirs, creating Glacier Sun Winery. Wines will be made and sold at the new business with hopes of creating an atmosphere for live events, cooking classes and more, according to the owners.
“We want to create a destination for people, especially locals,” Dana Cordell said. “We want to create an experience for people that’s not just about shopping but that might be about tasting some wine or coming to an event here.”
The new enterprise officially popped the top off last week in its freshly renovated facility at the Apple Barrel, which has been selling locally harvested produce since 1996. For the opening, Glacier Sun’s first signature wine, Triple Arches, was bottled with the help of Kalispell City Manager Jane Howington and City Councilor Kari Gabriel.
“We want to support local businesses,” Howington said. “Having a new and unique business in the area is great. So we want to show our support for that. It’s something fun.”
Howington said Glacier Sun is a good example of the type of business she hopes to see flourish locally.
“It’s a community based, micro-type business — that’s pretty much what we’re all about,” she said. “I think the lion’s share of our businesses are smaller businesses.”
Gabriel was encouraged by a business expanding during difficult economic times.
“It’s a new industry; it’s a clean industry,” she said. “It works great to have them here in our valley. It’s a new company for us.”
“We felt it was the right time to dig a little deeper and go for it,” Dana Cordell said.
The Triple Arches – a mix of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc – is the first wine made in house at Glacier Sun. Wagner said the wine will be ready around October, but in the meantime the winery will have pre-existing wines available.
“We hope people will come down and taste some other wines we’ve got for now,” he said. “We’ll be making some interesting wines here.”