This is a great little winery in Waconia. The wine tasting is set in an old barn and has a very laid back and country feel. If you do the full wine tasting for $10 you will be able to sample 8 of their wines which are nice. There is also an apple orchard, small petting zoo and tractor rides. This place was great for a fun afternoon in the fall!
Parley lake consistently produces very good Minnesota wines ( Ok the Brianna comes from a grower in Neb. that trade juice with) We've been getting wine from them for 4 or 5 years now and you can see it improve year to year. This year they had a new way of handling Marquette..they have their standard 11 month aged wine same as everyone else ..and depending on the oak used and the vineyard that Marquette is a dry, oaky red..in addition to this they decided to bottle a young Marquette with just 5 months of Oaking..I was surprised it completely changed the profile of the wine..now it has both the taste and mouth feel of a merlot... Unlike Sideways I DO enjoy merlot! they also have pizza, entertainment and the day we were there, free vineyard tours but as it was overcast lith light drizzle we just stayed inside.we had passports so the tasting was free AND we still got the glass. We purchased the young Marquette and the 1213 Frontenac gris..both fully estate produced. We will get more next month at the Wine & art fair in Cannon Falls.
Minnesota may not be the mecca for wineries but there are 3 in Waconia alone. They each have their own unique setting and all fun in their own way.Parley Lake has more of the farm feel with the big barn. In the summer on most weekends they have some kind of music outside with sitting all around the property. Very relaxing, good wine and friendly.
Very busy place! Lovely setting! Good wine. However, the staff was very rude. Harry needs to get a position in the company where he does not have contact with people! You can in force the rules without being rude. If I already have my ticket in my hand, you do not have to tell me you need my ticket and treat me like I am trying to cheat you and try to get a taste without paying - every time! We went to 3 wineries that day and this was the least full of all of them.wine tasting should be fun! We did enjoy the wine and bought 4 bottles in spite of the staff.
This fun off the beaten path winery offers lots of samples with knowledgeable staff to educate their patrons. The barn is rustic and charming and meeting the winemaker himself was a treat! We enjoyed our tasting and then a glass on the lawn while enjoying the sculptures. Great stop and can't wait yo come back for apple season.
We had a coupon for this place which was very generous. There regular tasting prices are not much more and will go back. Have been to several wineries before and this is our new favorite. Tasted five wines, took an informative tour on a haywagon and listened to music while relaxing in a beautiful farmyard. Loved the atmosphere and the dedicated employees. Would like to go back for apple-picking season beginning the firat weekend in September!
this location and owned by the same people. The people in the apple orchard are extremely rude , but they do it with a smile on their face. I was at this location 45 minutes prior to closing on a Sunday afternoon and was told I could no longer pick apples because they were closing at 6 PM. When I explained that I was passing through and would be on my way home the next day they would make no exceptions. Plus their apples are way over priced. Clearly they are out only to make money on their wine. Clearly I would not return to this area and would not advise future patrons to do the same.
This is a combination wine tasting and Apple Orchard! Something for everyone!! And if you come your birthday week you get $5 off winetasting! Nice rustic Barn offers as the tasting room! The wine stewards are very informational! Most of the grapes for the wine is grow on there property! apple grape combos are yummy!
The place is nice and has a wood fired pizza place cooked out of a firetruck. It tasted ok but I have to admit it reminded me of the 99 cent pizzas I buy my kids. The crusts looked processed. The place had music going from an artists and there are places to sit. Most of the staff was friendly. However, we had an older gentleman who I have to admit will cause me not to come back. You have to get a wrist bracelet to taste and they mark each one. We told a young man that we were going to share tastes instead of getting two. When the older gentleman in a bow tie was looking at my wrists my wife said we were going to share. He made a scene and insisted that I get carded and he put on a wristband that shows I am carded. Then he carded my wife and her aunt and made my wife's aunt take her id out of the purse. I know we have to be careful about underage drinking but my wife's aunt is 58 and I am 48. When others would give us a taste they poured and told us about the wine and then marked our bracelets, he would pour hold it up so he hit the line and would mark the bracelet first before doing it. Is he efficient, yes. He is also annoying and we bought no wine at all. We started to refer to him as the wine Nazi instead of the soup Nazi. Don't get me wrong good wine is one thing but customer service sells wine. I won't be back. Bathrooms were portable not sure if they had flush available.
This used to be a great trip with family. Now, it is hit or miss with the drinking tours, private parties and sometimes hay rides with people there for the wine and not all the else available. LOVE that they don't charge entry, and we always buy something to take home, often times APPLES. Tour the gardens, plenty of photo ops, animals, hay rides and often times seasonal meals such as pizza available for sale. We still make it an annual visit. Love the grounds.