Community Highlights: Meet Christy Fuller-Flyntz of White Tail Run Winery & Vineyard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christy Fuller-Flyntz. 

Hi Christy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We had plans to just be a vineyard. My Dad, Dan, had just retired from the United States Post Office in 2002. Growing up we had farm animals so Dad got bored in his retirement rather quickly. In 2003 we planted our Seyval and Chambourcin vines. That first year the deer ate all of our newly planted vines down to the ground. Due to that damage, we were 2 years behind schedule on our first harvest. When we were finally able to harvest our grapes, it was 2008 and the economy collapsed. We had a very hard time finding wineries that would buy our grapes because of the unknown difficulties from the bad economy. At that point, we had five acres of vines so my dad, along with the help of my brother, Dan Jr. (or Dusty as we call him), and myself made our Semi-sweet Seyval wine and entered it into an amateur competition in which we won a bronze. After finding out we had won my dad came to my brother and I with the idea of starting our own winery. So, we started producing wine in 2010 and here we are 11 years later. We now craft 18 different styles of wine and sangria. Customers can visit our tasting room and enjoy a wine flight while being surrounded by our beautiful vineyard. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We definitely struggled in the beginning with all of the deer damage to our vines. It normally takes 3 years to get your first harvest from grapevines but due to all of the damage from the deer, it took us 5 years. I’m proud to say we stuck with it though. Yes, there were a lot of times we wanted to through in the towel but we have persevered and are now a boutique winery that makes award-winning Kansas wines from grapes we have raised ourselves. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about White Tail Run Winery & Vineyard?
We grow three different grape varietals on five acres. Our winery produces 17,000 bottles of wine a year. We are family-owned and operated and have owned the land the vineyard/winery has been located on for 44 years. Though we are a smaller, boutique winery compared to others in the area we have won numerous awards on our wines including the prestigious Jefferson Cup on our Oak Chambourcin and Semi-sweet Seyval wines. Some of the other awards we have won include; Gold at Finger Lakes International Competition, Silver at Great American International Wine Competition, and a Sweepstakes Nomination at the Mid-American Wine Competition. We are known for making our customers feel like they are part of our family. 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
We don’t want to make just local Kansas wines but world class wines made in Kansas from Kansas grown grapes.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@whitetailrunwinery.com
• Website: www.whitetailrunwinery.com
• Instagram: @whitetailrunwinery
• Facebook: @whitetailrunwinery

Image Credits
Jason Eberts
TBL Photography