Who we are

The Southwest Wisconsin Wine Trail is a consortium of 4 Wisconsin wineries that are located within the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area).  These wineries share a passion for their craft – creating wine.  They each have a story to tell. As you visit these wineries you will find that there is a common thread to each story. That thread is the challenge of making great wine from new and emerging grape varieties that are cold hardy enough to withstand the weather of the Upper Midwest. Some of these wineries make their wine using only their own grapes and others wineries don’t grow any grapes but do source from local growers. Some of them also make wines from fruit, such as cranberries, apples, cherries and currants.  You can even find Mead, a wine made from honey. So take the trail that winds through the beautiful hills and valleys of Southwest Wisconsin and taste the passion and the variety for yourself.

 Spurgeon Vineyards & Winery – Highland,  Whispering Bluffs Winery – Potosi, Wild Hills Winery – Between Muscoda and Richland Center, Sinnipee Valley Vineyard & Winery – Kieler, use Cuba City for GPS town.

About the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA

Established in 2009, the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA recognizes the effects of climate, landscape and soil in the facilitation of grape growing in the Upper Midwest. There have been vineyards in the region long before the AVA was established but they lacked this formal recognition.  These vineyards grow mainly hybrid grape varieties such as Brianna, Edelweiss, La Crosse, Marechal Foch, Frontenac, Marquette, Saint Pepin and Saint Croix. Research is on-going to develop new hybrid grapes that can better withstand the cold winter and ripen earlier. Come taste what we are all about.