After working in the school system for years... Chris Vatne decided it was time for a change.

"Where else can you go and start tasting wine at 10 in the morning and have it be a part of your job requirement," says Chris Vatne.

Chris and her husband Neil bought Wine Creations six years ago, which gives people the unique opportunity to make their own wine.

"It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to mix up a batch and then when the wine is finished in anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks we let our customers know when it's finished and then they come in and help bottle it," says Neil Vatne.

Customers can fill around 30 bottles per wine kit, saving them a little green instead of buying it off the shelf and providing a real sense of accomplishment.

"I like to give ice wine as gifts for Birthdays and Christmas and this is a wonderful way to do that because a bottle of ice wine can run $45," says Wine Creations customer Carol Johnston.

Since the wine is made on location it has fewer preservatives helping to make it healthier for consumers.

"They have approximately one-fifth the sulfites, which are the preservatives of commercial wine. So it's also not as intrusive as other wine," says Neil Vatne.

Wine Creations has seen significant growth each year that it's been open.

"It was wonderful. I really enjoyed it, every aspect of it... the corking, the bottling, and putting the labels on," says Wine Creations customer Marge Hyppa.

"In this society where we are all so busy it's time to take out a couple of hours and just enjoy a friendship and what better way then with a glass of wine," says Johnston.

Chris and Neil plan to continue expanding... as wine is a luxury people are apparently not willing to give up.

Wine Creations is one of the first wine-on-premise stores in the Midwest.

Chris and Neil also recently moved to a new location off Miller Trunk Highway in Hermantown.