A Quick Guide to Winona, Minnesota’s Wine Country

Minnesota is famous for many things. It was the home of the musician Prince, is the home of the Juicy Lucy burger, and the largest freshwater lake in the country, Lake Superior. But did you know that Winona, Minnesota, is also famous for its wine country? Here’s a quick guide of the wine region for those that love the grape.

Garvin Heights Vineyards

Located on 20 acres atop a bluff that overlooks the Mississippi River, Garvin Heights Vineyards specializes in small-batch wines made from cold-climate grapes. Their vineyards currently grow over 20 varietals and they purchase grapes from neighboring vineyards to produce some of the finest wines in North America.

They produce reds, whites, and rose wines, along with fruit wines, brandies, and Hungarian style Palinka brandy. Their wines and winery have won over 20 awards in the last 10 years, including the Gold Medal for their GHV La Crescent and the MGGA Gold Award for advancing northern viticulture.

You can come for wine tastings at the vineyard on Garvin Heights road or order from their collection of wines online and have them shipped to you.

Seven Hawks Vineyards

Located 15 minutes north of Winona in picturesque Fountain City you’ll find Seven Hawks Vineyards where, as they say, you’ll come for the view and stay for the wine. The vineyard sits atop a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River Valley in all its splendor. Seven Hawks Vineyards is more than just a winery, they are a bed and breakfast offering five distinctive cottages and two dramatic lodges, all with a hawk’s eye view of the winery and valley below.

When you get to the wine tastings they are always fabulous and always free. You can try their award-winning Hunter’s Blend, a red blend of northern grapes with flavors of dark berry, cherry, and chocolate. A Frontenac Reserve wine is made from grapes developed by the University of Minnesota. They share the same smooth, fruity finish of the Syrah grape and the wine is great with red meat or rich pasta dishes.

Their Frontier Red is another award-winning wine made from hybrid grapes in the treasured style of your grandparents. Light, fruity, and flavorful, this wine is great for that picnic in the park.

Elmaro Vineyard

Perhaps one of the largest vineyards in the region, Elmaro Vineyard farms over 1,400 acres of land in nearby Trempealeau, Wisconsin. What started out as soybeans decades ago has been converted to grapevines since 2006. The vineyard has won many awards for its wines, as well as, the Wisconsin Winery of the Year award in 2016.

Visiting their tasting room is like traveling the world. You can enjoy the Gold St. Pepin white wine that will transport you to Alsace, or the Barrel Select Chambourcin with its fine notes of cherry, vanilla, and oak taking you to France.

You don’t have to live in Napa Valley to enjoy great wine. La Crosse, Wisconsin’s wine region is home to some of the finest wineries in the country. So go ahead and visit one of these great vineyards and experience for yourself the best wines around.