Cold Climate Varietals Distinguish Niobrara Valley Vineyards’ Wines

Nenzel, NE – Nestled into the Nebraska Sandhills near Valentine, Niobrara Valley Vineyards, LLC has grown from an initial planting of 200 vines intended for a gourmet vinegar producer into a coveted Best of Show Double Gold winner in the 2024 International Cold Climate Wine Competition for its “Boss Cow” white.

The vineyards are co-owned by brothers Gregory and Tim Nollette, whose great-great-grandfather founded the town of Nenzel. “The sign says population 20,” Greg says, “but it’s really closer to 12.”

The fifth-generation family has ranched cattle for decades on the Diamond Lazy J Ranch south of Nenzel. The Sandhills’ history as beef cow country explains why Niobrara Valley Vineyards bills itself as “An Island of Grapes in an Ocean of Grass.”

In 2002, after exploring new ways to become self-sustaining, the Nollette brothers planted the first vines with the help of George Johnson from George Paul Gourmet Vinegars. The French American hybrids did well, and the quality was excellent.

“In 2004, we began expanding the vineyard and our consultant, Ed Swanson, commented that the wine that George was making was too good to turn into vinegar,” Greg recalls. “In 2010, George made 30 cases of wine to sell for us, and that was the beginning of Niobrara Valley Vineyards. Our wines sold out and we began to make more Nebraska wine each year.”

Three years later, they built a winery on the ranch. Today, the winery produces more than 3,000 cases of wine a year, and its 17 varietals have won numerous awards, including the gold medal for its “Sweetheart Red” in the 2025 Great American International Wine Competition.

“It didn’t happen overnight,” Greg says. “We’ve built a following because we have an area in the Sandhills that produces some of the best, deep-bodied, bold red wine in Nebraska.”

He says the climate in the Sandhills makes a difference. “Grapes need to be stressed,” he says. “We can have highs in the 70s, a frost on September 1, and then back up to the 90s. We get the extremes out here.

“When our nights drop into the 40s and the 30s, it gives our grapes a higher concentration of flavor.”

The effort to be self-sustaining has led the Nollette brothers into other ventures. In 2021, the brothers began working with the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) and its Small Business Development Center (SBDC) team in Chadron. Gary Dusek, Jennifer Wittrock, and Swairie Fernando assisted with expansion planning, financial projections and obtaining capital funding for an event center and RV park.

“They helped analyze our plans from a business standpoint, and that was crucial to us securing funding,” Greg says. “Some areas describe themselves as rural, but out here, we’re ‘really rural.’ It’s not easy to fund a $1 million facility in the middle of nowhere.”

The event center, which is available for weddings and tours, seats 120 people inside and 100 people outside. It features the cooking of Tim Nollette, who also utilizes the expansive kitchen to produce specialty meat products. Greg concentrates on the winemaking.

The Nebraska Valley Vineyards Dark Sky RV park is a growing attraction for campers and stargazers who appreciate the incredibly clear night skies.

“They come out to see the Milky Way and constellations,” Greg says, “and they’re posting some very positive reviews about their experiences.”