South Dakota Wines and Wineries

South Dakota is not the first state most people name when the conversation turns to wine. In 2023, we spoke with Vanessa Christensen from With the Wind Vineyard & Winery about how grapes grow there and what makes the state’s wine scene different.

How Do Grapes Grow in South Dakota?

Christensen explained that the state’s hot summers and very cold winters make cold-hardy grape varieties especially important. She pointed to grapes such as Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, Crimson Pearl, Itasca, King of the North and La Crescent.

Those varieties are still part of With the Wind’s vineyard today. The winery currently says it has more than 5,000 cold-hardy vines planted across its South Dakota property.

What Is With the Wind Winery Like?

The winery’s original property is in northeastern South Dakota, near the Minnesota and North Dakota borders. Christensen described a landscape of farmland, rolling hills, prairie and lakes, with the wide-open skies that come with that part of the state.

Owners Lisa and Jeremiah Klein returned to South Dakota after living in Colorado. What started as a family farm eventually became a vineyard and winery after they began exploring whether the land could support Midwest viticulture.

How the Vineyard Grew

By the time of our 2023 conversation, the family had built the property into a sizable working vineyard. Christensen talked about the challenges of growing grapes in a climate that can swing from summer heat to intense winter cold.

That growth has continued. With the Wind’s current site says the vineyard includes more than 5,000 vines and identifies the business as South Dakota’s largest vineyard and winery.

Where Can You Try South Dakota Wine?

Christensen encouraged visitors to look beyond the usual wine regions and explore smaller South Dakota wineries. With the Wind now operates tasting locations in both Rosholt and Hill City.

The broader takeaway from our conversation was simple: South Dakota wine exists because growers have adapted to the climate rather than pretending it is California. Cold-hardy grapes, local conditions and a lot of persistence are the story here.

For another look at a wine region people sometimes overlook, see our Long Island wines guide.