12 Best South Dakota Wineries

By VI Staff on November 5, 2019

South Dakota is often overlooked when it comes to wine producing regions of the country, but guests would be wrong to completely count the Rushmore State out of the wine game. Because of its colder average climate, grapes that grow in South Dakota feature more concentrated flavors, and when blended with various fruits, can produce uncommon wines. There are various wineries around the state who have founded vineyards and take pride in only using grapes and fruit grown within the state, which provides visitors with a chance to try something truly unique.

1.Belle Joli Winery Tasting Room

The Belle Joli Winery was originally founded by the Jackson family, and works hard to bring family traditions and values to their wine business. The winemaker, Matthew, studied wine at California State University and met his future partner in life and business, Choi. Together they moved to South Dakota to fulfill their family’s passion for winemaking, and together they founded Belle Joli Winery. The first vines of the vineyard were planted in 2000, and their start of the art facility produces sparkling wine of many varieties. The vineyard is tourable by guests on appointment, and the tasting room is open for guests to try and buy Belle Joli wines.

594 Main St. Deadwood, SD 57732, Phone: 605-347-9463

2.Firehouse Wine Cellars

Firehouse Wine Cellars is more than just wine, they are also a destination where guests can drink, be entertained, and eat both light and heavy foods. Located within Firehouse Wine Cellars is a theater that puts on nationally travelling plays for small audiences, which guests can watch while enjoying a glass of their favorite Firehouse wine. If they are hungry, guests can order a freshly prepared pizza from the Firehouse kitchen, made to order. There are many different wine varieties for guests to appreciate at Firehouse Wine Cellars, which is why they can order wine by the glass, bottle, or even by the sample to find their favorite.

620 Main Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, Phone: 605-716-9463

3.Naked Winery

Guests who travel to Naked Winery can enjoy a romantic atmosphere, delicious wines of many varieties, and top tier service to ensure their experience is pleasant. Naked Winery works hard to ensure more than just the taste buds are pleased, so not only do they pair their wines with food, but also purposely shape the aesthetic of the room to enhance the tasting experience. Some may consider Naked Winery’s wine labels to be a bit risque, and the winery owns up to that, but they like to keep it light hearted as well as delicious.

23851 Hwy 385, Hill City, SD 57745, Phone: 866-355-7889

4.Prairie Berry Winery

Being able to trace winemaking roots back to homesteaders in 1876 isn’t something that all South Dakota wineries can claim, and Prairie Berry Winery is proud to have such deep roots. They primarily focus on berry wines, which bring a light and sweeter flavor than typical red and white grape varieties. Prairie Berry Winery provides more than just a wine drinking experience for guests who visit them in person. It is common for them to have fun events going on during various times of the year, from painting pottery to bingo, production tours, and more.

23837 US-385, Hill City, SD 57745, Phone: 877-226-9453

5.Schadé Vineyard & Winery

What began as a hobby in 1999 quickly grew into a passionate business for Jim and Nancy Schadé, who discovered their love of winemaking could easily be shared with others in their community and provide them a living. All of the grapes used at Schadé Vineyard & Winery are grown in South Dakota, making their unique wines a special treat for local enthusiasts. They typically focus on cold-climate hybrids that can survive South Dakota winters, and supplement their winemaking with fruits like the chokecherry, plum, strawberry, rhubarb, and more. In addition to wine, they also produce a Tawny port style wine that is 100% South Dakota sourced.

21095 463rd Ave. Volga, SD 57071, Phone: 605-627-5545

6.Stone Faces Winery

Featuring an extensive wine tasting room that serves local wines and beers, Stone Faces Winery is one of South Dakota’s many wineries that specializes in using only South Dakota grapes. The natural climate of South Dakota tends to be on the colder side, making the hybrid grapes that grow in the state produce a unique flavor and mouthfeel. Stone Faces Winery features sweet, dry, grape based, and fruit based wines for guests to enjoy by the glass or bottle. Samples are also available for free to guests, within reason, to ensure the guest can find something that is to their liking.

12670 Robins Roost Road, Hill City, South Dakota 57745, Phone: 605-574-3600

7.Strawbale Winery

The experience of Strawbale Winery starts with the actual building that houses the winery, which was constructed with the help of friends and family and is made using straw bale construction. The winery is tucked between a century old barn, a shelter belt, and fields of grapes. Guests to the winery will experience traditional farm settings from a simpler time, and be able to enjoy their wine with sweeping views of the countryside. Strawbale Winery takes environmental impact very seriously, which is why they chose to build using super insulating straw bales to create their temperature controlled cellars that house their wine.

47215 257th St? Renner, SD 57055, Phone: 605-543-5071

8.Tucker's Walk Vineyard and Farm Winery

With a diverse collection of grapes, including Marquette, Brianna, Frontenac Gris, St. Pepin, La Crescent, and St. Croix, Tucker’s Walk Vineyard and Farm Winery produces a collection of wines for guests to enjoy. They also grow and ferment various fruits like raspberries and rhubarb to supplement their grapes and create new tasty drinks. Because South Dakota is in a colder climate, Tucker’s Walk Vineyard uses hybrid cold grapes for their wines. This vineyard is young, so quantity is often limited, but their tasting room is always filled with wines for guests to sample and but.

48348 254th St., Garretson, SD 57030, Phone: 605-594-6287

9.Valiant Vineyards

Valiant Vineyards runs many events throughout the year based on season and holiday, and their tasting room is open Monday through Thursday by appointment, and Friday through Sunday from 11am until 4pm. They have many wines that touch on all the classic flavors. Their Sturgis Merlot claims to be a full bodied red wine, and their Full Throttle is on the extreme end of cabernet fortification. They also feature dry and medium dry wines in both red and white varieties. Aside from wine, Valiant Vineyards also sells mixed cocktails and specialty beers depending on the event and time of year.

1500 W Main St, Vermillion, SD 57069, Phone: 605-624-4500

10.Wilde Prairie Winery

By providing fun for the entire family, Wilde Prairie Winery ensures that those wine lovers who have kids aren’t left out of the excitement. The winery is located on the scenic Split Rock Creek, surrounded by rolling hills, and has both outdoor and indoor seating for guests to choose from depending on the weather. Jeff and Victoria, the owners and operators of Wilde Prairie Winery, can usually be found on the premise to answer questions about the wines and surrounding area. Together they have over 25 years of wine making experience, and became South Dakota’s 9th farm winery in mid 2004.

48052 259th Street, Brandon, SD 57005, Phone: 605-582-6471

11.With the Wind Vineyard & Winery

In the winter of 2012, South Dakota natives Jeremiah and Lisa Klein decided to move back to their home state from Colorado and purchased a farm site to call home. After coming across an article in a local newspaper that detailed the specific attributes needed for Modern Midwest Viticulture, the Klein’s realized their land was ideal and started making wine as a hobby. This hobby grew into a business, and eventually their full time careers. All wine is produced on site using South Dakota grown grapes, and the With the Wind tasting room is the perfect place to enjoy them.

10722 Lake Road, Rosholt, SD 57260, Phone: 605-537-4780

12.Humble Hill Winery

The Humble Hill Winery is a small, family owned winery that takes pride in keeping operations small and personal. They use only their own grown grapes and fruit for their wines, and make all of their wines on site. During various times of the year they feature special events, so guests are always encouraged to contact the winery by telephone to see what is happening at the time of their planned visit. The Humble Hill Winery Tasting room is open during rotating hours in the summer, but guests visiting in the winter will have to make an appointment before arriving.

25219 485th Ave, Garretson, SD 57030, Phone: 605-359-0315