Watchdog Winery is located in Sćilíp (Dixon), Montana, along the Flathead River.

At the heart of Watchdog Winery are Alyssa and Ben, whose path from medicine led them to the art of winemaking.

Our story began in Virginia, where Alyssa worked as a trauma nurse and Ben served as a flight paramedic and police officer. We met during a helicopter ride-along, married at Holland Lake in 2012, and soon returned to Montana. On that drive west, we brought home our first “baby,” a German Shepherd named Hilo, who would later inspire the name of our winery.

In 2014 we traveled to Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand, where we discovered remarkable wines and worked on a vineyard. That experience sparked the dream of growing cold-hardy grapes in Montana. By 2017 we had welcomed our first child and planted our first vines. Two years later, our second child arrived, the vineyard was completed, and we celebrated our first harvest. Today, Flathead River Vineyard is one acre under vine, producing Itasca, La Crescent, La’Acadie Blanc, Crimson Pearl, and Frontenac.

We began making wine in 2016 and built our small winery beside the vineyard. Watchdog Winery is named after Hilo, our loyal shepherd, whose enduring watch protects the vineyard and the stories it holds.

Our wines are crafted in small batches from cold-hardy grapes that thrive in Montana’s light, elevation, and dramatic seasons. The vineyard sits on ancient soils left behind by Glacial Lake Missoula, where layers of gravel, sand, and silt hold water and minerals that sustain the vines and shape the character of every glass.