September 1, 2021
Wisconsin Dells has really come into its own as a wine region, with some of the best wineries in Wisconsin dotting the landscape. If your fall travel calendar typically includes winery tours, then get to know these six wineries in and around Wisconsin Dells.
Best Wineries in Wisconsin Dells
Farmlands, bluffs, prairies, forests, you’ll find all those eco-systems as you fan out from Wisconsin Dells’ city center. It’s that environmental diversity that makes for some of the best winery tours in Wisconsin. Let’s take a look at six Wisconsin wineries, each one distinctive, that travelers to the Wisconsin Dells region will find exceedingly worthy of a visit as much for the award-winning sips as the spectacular scenery.
Where: Billing itself as a modern boutique winery, the family-owned Balanced Rock Winery specializes in wines made with cold-climate grape varietals that are capable of surviving Midwest winters. This winery is located at the doorstep of Devil’s Lake State Park and includes an expansive patio overlooking the Baraboo bluffs. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you spot the red and white barn-like façade that hints to modern industrial design. Set on 22 acres of urban land, Balanced Rock has mastered the blend of urban with rural vineyard practices. An unexpected extra: This winery has an onsite driving range.
Wine: The wines here are an expression of soil, climate, farming, and wine-making practices, giving each wine a distinctive and authentic sense of place. There’s a St. Pepin with a fruity finish, a sweet and tart Frontenac Gris, and the semi-sweet Rock Rosé, to name just a few. They also have a tasty food menu that features flatbreads, dips, charcuterie, and killer desserts, and trust us when we say you won’t want to pass up those either.
When: Balanced Rock’s wine-making facility and tasting room are open daily year-round.
Leashed dogs are always welcome on the patio.
Where: Just a short drive from Wisconsin Dells and situated high on the Baraboo Bluff northwest range sits the Baraboo Bluff Winery. Consider the panoramic views from the wine tasting room, outdoor pavilion, and the vineyard hillside as your invitation to linger, take a stroll, enjoy a picnic, and soak it all in.
Wine: The owners, husband and wife Fred and Jill Quandt, are passionate about Wisconsin’s grape-growing heritage that dates back to the 1800s and the microclimate that favors cold-hardy grape flavors. Try the Petite Pearl, an estate dry red made from their own Petite Pearl grapes and aged in Wisconsin oak. Sweet Serendipity is blended with St. Pepin and Frontenac varietals. The 2019 vintage of Sangiovese took double gold at the annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. The Girlfriend, a sweet white with hints of mango, remains their most popular. They gave that wine a new twist this year by making a Girlfriend White Raspberry version. About a dozen more wines round out the offerings here.
When: Baraboo Bluff is open year-round.
The winery is also pet-friendly.
Broken Bottle is Sister Winery to Baraboo Bluff
Where: If you end up falling in love with Baraboo Bluff Winery, then make a point to visit their sister winery, Broken Bottle Winery, on the outskirts of Wisconsin Dells next to the Wisconsin Dells Antique & Craft Mall. Heading into its fourth year, Broken Bottle offers one-of-a-kind wines, all hand-crafted at Baraboo Bluff Winery and then bottled at Broken Bottle.
Wine: The line-up here includes dries, semi-sweets, and sweets. Their motto is quite sweet too: “You don’t have to be fancy to drink wine!” Visitors here are wowed by the expansive tasting bars – two of them, each 28 feet long. There’s also a spacious front porch that serves up a rustic small town vibe.
When: This winery is open year-round.
Bring your pet as four-legged creatures are welcome.
Where: Make the short drive out to the countryside and be rewarded with some excellent wines made by Fawn Creek Winery. It’s a hand’s-on, family affair here, with three siblings and their spouses owning and operating Fawn Creek, which celebrated 10 years in business last year. Relaxing describes the setting – an evergreen forest of Dell Prairie that provides natural air conditioning. What started with one building grew to three separate buildings, three decks, and six tasting bars. On weekends through September, the woods here is transformed into a trendy music venue. There’s also a nine-hole disc golf course and lots of yard games around the grounds.
Wine: Time to talk wine, with the wines here predominately featuring California grapes that are all fermented, created and bottled onsite at the winery. Sample their traditional semi-dry reds and semi-sweet whites. The owners have also found a niche in fruit-flavored grape wines of a sweeter nature, such as Granny’s Gold, a Granny Smith-apple flavored Riesling, and Razz Prairie, a raspberry-flavored Pinot Noir. If you get the chance, pick up a bottle of their seasonal Black Bear-y Merlot.
When: Fawn Creek Winery is open year-round.
Where: This is small-batch winemaking at its most delicious. Prairie Hawk Winery, minutes from downtown Wisconsin Dells, specializes in traditional varieties plus ciders and meads. Take a seat on the covered patio of this former working farm and enjoy the sounds of songbirds as you sip and sample.
Wine: The wine list here is large and especially varied for a small establishment. Choose from barrel-aged Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, even Wassail (a blend of Prairie Hawk white wine and cider) and Glugg (a Yuletide red wine infused with spices). The Prairie Hawk Hard Cider is a light bodied refresher made with Wisconsin-grown apples. There’s also a Strawberry Cider, a blend of strawberry wine and cider. If you’ve never tried mead, here’s your chance. Their Lemon Twist Mead is a honey wine infused with natural lemon flavor and it’s a wow for the taste buds.
When: Their regular operating calendar runs May through October.
The Intriguing History of Wollersheim Winery, One of the Best Wineries in Wisconsin
Where: Wine devotees flock to Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac to immerse themselves in the storied history of winemaking in Wisconsin, a history that reaches across the pond and dates all the way back to the 1840s. Fast-forward to 1972 when the Wollersheim family bought the farm and restored it to a working winery. The current winemaker, Phillipe Coquard, who arrived at Wollersheim from Beaujolais, France on a cultural exchange, married a Wollersheim daughter, and never left. He comes from a long line of vintners in his home country.
Wine: Here at this National Historic Site, visitors will be awed by the historic stone buildings, the original wine cave, and 27 acres of vineyards lush with French-American hybrid grapes and several Wisconsin-native American white hybrids. Enjoy the Prairie Fumé, a much awarded, refreshing white that helped put Wollersheim on the map. If you can get your hands on a bottle of their Ice Wine, don’t hesitate. Their Port is a smooth sipping wine. New this year is their Hillside Harvest, co-fermented with hillside-grown Wisconsin grapes and apples and available in recyclable cans. There is also a distillery here and the brandy varieties are Cognac-inspired. Let the culinary team at the Wollersheim Bistro do the food and wine pairings for you.
When: Wollersheim Winery is open year-round.
More on all these wineries in Wisconsin, plus recommendations on microbreweries and distilleries in the area, is just a click away.