The Best Wineries to Visit in Central Minnesota

February 18th is National Drink Wine Day, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying a nice glass or two throughout the rest of the year. Minnesota is home to a lot of great wineries. Here are a few you can visit around Central Minnesota.

Millner Heritage Vineyard & Winery - 32025 Minnesota Highway 15, Kimball

This winery is open year round for tours and tastings. They make wines as well as ciders, and are even wedding and event venue.

Here is what curioustravelor2010 wrote in their review on Tripadvisor last summer:

We stopped here for the first time on a Sunday afternoon. As we were looking at the beverage options, Don Millner introduced himself and welcomed us. He gave us a brief history of the Winery and proudly showed us the pictures of his ancestors above the bar. We had the Apple Crisp Cider and it was delicious. There was live music to listen to while we enjoyed our refreshments. The ambiance of this place is full of history and yet modern. Vineyard tours are available and there is an outdoor patio. We enjoyed our time here very much. It is obvious that the Millners are proud of their heritage and that pride is reflected in their products.

Buffalo Rock Winery - 4527 23rd St SE, Buffalo, MN

Open year round with indoor tastings October -  mid-May, and outdoor tastings mid-May - September. Individual and group tastings are offered, and the list is extensive!

Here is what the home page says on the website:

Enjoy a wine tasting, glass of wine or stock up on bottles at Buffalo Rock Winery, a welcoming & unintimidating (one) woman-owned & operated winery located just north of Highway 55 between Rockford & Buffalo, Minnesota. Select from an extensive list of fabulous wines all produced & bottled onsite! There's something for anyone's palate, plus find unique gift ideas!

Carlos Creek Winery - 6693 County Road 34 NW, Alexandria

One of the most recognizable winery names in Central Minnesota, Carlos Creek has been around for 20 years. Live music, tastings, pairings, grape stomps, they do it all.

Here is what Seaside456620 said in their review of it on Tripadvisor:

I'm a member of Carlos Creek wine club and have been for several years even with the fact that I live two hours away I will make the drive just to enjoy a nice summer or autumn day out on the Terrace was friends and a good bottle of wine.
Weekends at times have special music vendors food vendors activities during the summer months for patrons.
Although Carlos Creek can be a tad expensive and their sample pores are light I suggest you just buy the bottle once you find one that you enjoy.
I would hope that they expand at some point because it is extremely crowded most weekends actually. Very little indoor seating during the winter months so plan your visits accordingly but well worth the trip if your wine connoisseur of good home-grown wines.

Dragon Willow Winery - 23419 210th St., Long Prairie

One of the newer wineries popping up in Central Minnesota, Dragon Willow started as a project at home, and turned into a full blown business.

It all started when Curt Richter was brewing beer and his wife Dawn asked him to make wine since she is not a fan of beer. In 2012 they planted their first vineyard at Dawn’s mom’s house about 7 miles west of Long Prairie, and n 2013 they purchased their land just south of Long Prairie and the winery building was built.

Crow River Winery - 14848 Highway 7 E, Hutchinson

Open to the public year round, Crow River Winery is much more than just a winery. They have a bistro, vineyards, tastings, a book club, live music, there's always something going on!

Since we began our project in 2004, the Crow River Winery staff has nurtured four vineyards near Hutchinson, growing Minnesota Cold Climate grapes. We practice sustainable agriculture while growing grapes and hard neck garlic and keeping bees.

LEtoile du Nord Vinyard -16451 NW Irene Court NE Parkers Prairie

Wine Tasting Season runs from May through October. An easy 15 minute drive from Alexandria, LEtoile du Nord is a newer winery in Minnesota.

After 30 years in the city David was excited to reconnect with the land, get his hands dirty, and buy a tractor (green of course). Polly grew up on the land on Lake Irene and was looking for a way to return home.

 

Do you have a favorite winery that we missed? Email Abbey and she will add it to the list!