Sometimes wine creeps up on you. But this story is not what you might be thinking. If you love to travel like we do, you have learned to be open-minded and to experience what your destination has to offer. In the case of South Dakota, I will admit that we were not looking for a wine travel experience. But it’s funny how things work sometimes. We weren’t looking for South Dakota wine, but South Dakota wine found us. And we’re glad you did!

Our plans called for driving through South Dakota on Interstate 90 to visit the famous Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore area outside of Rapid City. Interstate 90 is the main thoroughfare here, running across the state for 400 miles.

After some preliminary research, we learn that the Missouri River runs through South Dakota and forms a rich fertile valley in the far southeastern corner of the state. This is where you will find the small town of Vermillion, where Iowa and Nebraska intersect with South Dakota off Interstate 29.

Looking at the surrounding landscape, we are reminded of our recent trip down the Missouri Wine Roads, with high cliffs and rolling hills and the Missouri River below. So it wasn’t a surprise to see an ad for a winery at Vermillion, Valiant Vineyards, and Buffalo Run Winery. With an overnight stay ahead of us about 45 minutes north on Intestate 29 in Sioux Falls, it was the perfect time for a wine tasting.

Located on the Vermillion River overlooking the Missouri River, Valiant Vineyards and Buffalo Run Winery are actually part of the Buffalo Run Resort. This attractive resort is well known in the area and offers attached bed and breakfast along with typical resort activities.

In addition to tasting her spicy Turkey Ridge Creek Shiraz, our gracious host told us a little about grape growing and wine making in South Dakota. As we guessed, South Dakota’s winter climate doesn’t offer ideal growing conditions, but certain wine grapes do very well in the southern section of the state. Commonly grown varieties include Frontenac, St. Croix, Brianna, and La Crosse, a white wine grape with Seyval Blanc kinship. South Dakota vintners also make the most of various fruits, giving wineries a wide spectrum of options for wine lovers.

After leaving the complex, it was a short trip down Interstate 29 to the largest city in South Dakota, Sioux Falls. Along the way, in nearby Beresford, there is a new winery, Birdsong Vineyards. For now, they are producing fruit wines from orchards in the area, with the expectation of offering at least a dozen different wines by the summer of 2008.

Traveling the Sioux Falls Wine Trail

This pleasant little town, with a population of 141,000, continually wins livability awards from various national publications. Sioux Falls has extensive lodging options, a charming historic downtown, and three wineries in close proximity to each other. In short, a perfect place to spend a day or two.

Before settling in and exploring dining options, we made a stop at Wilde Prairie Winery in Brandon, a suburb of Sioux Falls. This is a family farm winery at its finest. Wilde Prairie is located west of a stream surrounded by hills, perfect for growing grapes. We were delighted with the wide variety of interesting fruit wines, including a fun Apple Rasberry offering, made from 95% local apples and 5% raspberries. We bought a few bottles of this, along with their American Frontenac, a semi-dry red that pairs well with cheese.

Our first stop the next day was Hahn Creek Winery in the small town of Crooks, SD (suburban to Sioux Falls). Their vineyards were planted earlier this decade and the crops include 10 varieties of grapes, strawberries, elderberries, chokecherries, and more. We loved the White Riesling, with its grapefruit and apricot flavors. Also their most recent Chardonnay, with a nose of tropical fruits and a slightly spicy mouthfeel.

For the third stop on our Sioux Falls winery hike, we visited perhaps the most architecturally interesting winery we’ve ever seen. It’s Strawbale Winery, in the city of Renner. The winery itself is insulated with straw bales, hence the name. This is truly a farmhouse setting, as the winery sits between a beautiful century-old red barn and the vineyard used for Strawbale’s wine. Grapes are cold hardy varieties that thrive in this South Dakota valley climate. Dechanauc and St. Croix grapes are used to form Ruthie’s Red, a semi-sweet red named after a beloved pet. We also enjoyed their light, dry Seyval Blanc, which went really well with some locally made cheese we bought the day before.

From here, it was time to travel west on Interstate 90, through the heart of South Dakota. It’s a good day driving from here to our ultimate destinations: Rapid City, Mt. Rushmore, and the famous Black Hills area. Along the way of this roughly 300-mile hike are two of America’s best-known tourist attractions, the Corn Palace at Mitchell and the Wall Drug Store further west.

Came in the black hills

Rapid City is not very large, with a population of just over 60,000. And yet this area receives more than 3 million visitors a year as a launching pad for all the attractions in the area. Simply put, Rapid City and its surroundings are beautiful. The air is fresh and clean, an outdoor lover’s paradise.

Two unique wineries

After a visit to majestic Mount Rushmore, we enjoyed hospitality at the two wineries here in western South Dakota. They are both well known for using South Dakota grapes and fruits to produce their products. Let’s first explore Prairie Berry Winery, in nearby Hill City, about 20 miles from Rapid City.

At Prairie Berry, owner Sandi Vijta oversees the production of more than 30 traditional and fruit wines, following a family wine tradition since 1876. You can have lunch in his bistro or sample his many award-winning offerings. His Frontenac and Frontenac Gris have won gold medals at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Prairie Berry specializes in making regional wines from national and wild prairie fruits, including locally grown chokecherries, buffalo berries, rhubarb, gooseberries and honey. They also make wines from new grape hybrids, developed specifically to grow in the colder, drier South Dakota climate. Be sure to try Cascade Falls Citrus, a semi-dry white made from a blend of Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc grapes.

Venturing into fruit wines, we ended up buying several bottles of Gold Digger, made with hand-selected local pears. Nice and slightly sweet, it’s perfect for happy hour or with grilled fish. If available, try the very popular Brianna, a fruity white wine made from South Dakota grapes. We had a blast reading testimonials from wine lovers who favorably compared the wines to California offerings and praised the friendly, relaxed service. A short drive west of Rapid City on Interstate 90 is the town of Spearfish, near the Wyoming border. Spearfish is home to the Black Hills Winery, which offers a wide range of fruit wines and an attractive Gewurztraminer.

This was really a nice trip. South Dakota is a beautiful, clean state with numerous natural attractions and friendly little towns. And as we continue to learn, good wine is everywhere and a lot of fun to find.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *