This summer, I enjoyed trying some good South Dakota wine while visiting Huron, SD, with family. I shared about visiting the Cornerpost Vineyard & Winehouse and some other summer sips as part of today’s World, Wine, Travel writer’s summer travel theme.
My wife Jodi is from South Dakota, so we head there just about every summer to visit family. I was aware there were some wineries in South Dakota, like pretty much every state in the US. We passed by one winery regularly on our way to Yankton, but didn’t have a chance to work that into our trips.
When Jodi’s family moved to Huron, SD, recently, we started poking around the web for things to do while going for our annual visit. Huron is a small town about 2 hours northwest of Sioux Falls. Sure, we would have to visit its famous landmark (keep reading for that!), but I was also pleased to find the Cornerpost Grapefarm & Winehouse listed among area attractions. Loyal Cooking Chat readers won’t be surprised to know that I quickly added that to the list of things to do for this summer’s South Dakota trip.
Visiting Cornerpost Winery
First note about visiting Cornerpost is that they are open limited days of the week – Thursday through Saturday. The hours as of this writing are 1 to 8 p.m. Thursday & Friday, and 1 to 7 p.m. on Saturday. I’m glad I checked the schedule early in our visit or I might have missed checking out this South Dakota winery!
Cornerpost is about ten minutes outside of town. We started following the direction given by GPS, but that was going to have us driving the rental car for a few miles down a gravel road. Not a good idea! We we re-routed, and after passing by a lot of corn fields, soon started seeing some grape vines. We had arrived to try some South Dakota wine!
Cornerpost has a bright and cheery tasting room, with options to sit inside or out on the patio with a view of the vineyard.
The owners, Ryan and Samantha Brace, weren’t there when we visited, but a friendly staff person helped us pick out a sampler of tasting pours to try.
The wine menu lists some basic tasting notes along with indication of the grape variety used and a sugar scale ranking. They make a range of dry and sweet wines, both red and white. I’m not sure if it is local taste or something about the grapes used that leads to making more in the sweet category than I am used to. But I did note similar offerings when visiting Salado Winery on my Texas wine trip earlier this year.
Cornerstone currently grows Itasca, Petite Pearl and Crimson Pearl. They also have some wine with Marquette. These are all hybrid grapes grown to withstand cold weather. They aren’t messing around when they talk about cold in South Dakora! Ryan notes that their grapes must be able to withstand -30°. Yikes!
Cornerstone produces their wines with 100% South Dakota grapes, mostly their own. It sounds like many other wineries in the state are using at least some fruit from elsewhere. I definitely appreciate the focus on local grapes!
With the exception of Itasca, the grapes used at Cornerstone were familiar to me based on trying wines made here in New England. My interview with the winemaker from Shelburne Vineyard, Vermont, talks about challenges of making wine in a cold climate.
Trying the wines
We made our tasting selections, and headed out to the patio. For much of the time we were there, it was just Jodi and I enjoying our wine with a view of the grapevines and corn fields further off in the distance. It started getting a bit warm, and we finished our tasting inside with a similar view.
Overall, I found the wines quite enjoyable, with a preference for the ones on the drier end of the spectrum. My favorites were:
- Aurelia, a white wine made from Itasca grapes. The Aurelia is a crisp white wine, with grassy notes. As a sign of our approval, we bought a bottle to enjoy with dinner at our Airbnb…and picked up another a local shop later in the trip!
- Mavis, a medium-bodied red wine made from Petite Pearl. Red berry fruit, and a nice finish on this one.
- Marilyn was my favorite in their red wine category. A dry red wine made with Crimson Pearl, had more tannins and some oak notes. We also left with a bottle of Marilyn!
Background on the winery
Ryan and Samantha Brace moved to Huron in 2013, and planted their first grapevines in 2014. It was originally going to be a hobby for Ryan, leading into his knowledge via his PhD in plant breeding. But that soon turned into some more serious winemaking! Samantha also holds a doctorate, in veterinary science.
Ryan quickly turned around answers to some interview questions I posed via email this week. He notes that neither he nor Samantha had a background in wine, although he did get a little exposure when his grandfather did a little winemaking back in 2000.
They have gradually learned winemaking without formal training. “The learning has come by starting small, talking with other wine makers and attending grape / wine conferences,” Ryan commented. And learning from a few mistakes along the way!
Ryan shared that Crimson Peal and Petite Pearl have been very reliable. They started with Leon Millot, a grape I hadn’t heard of before. It made some good wine but often failed to survive the extreme cold.
He continues to experiment with other grape varieties, “I am looking forward to a white grapevine from Tom Plocher in the near future. His vines are reliable and produce great wines.”
Pairings
Of course, I’ve got to talk about pairings!
I try to keep the cooking simple on the road. I made a simple pasta dish with veggies one night, and it went very nicely with the Aurelia.
As I mentioned, we also took home a bottle of the Marilyn red wine, which we paired with beef tacos. Didn’t manage to grab a photo!
I asked Ryan about his favorite pairings. “The easy go-to for us is a good steak and Marilyn for my wife and Ethel for me,” he shared. Sounds like a classic choice in a state known for its beef!
More on our summer travel
You’ve come this far in the article – so you want to know about Huron’s claim to fame? Well, yes, it does host the South Dakota State Fair.
But what really grabbed my attention was the world’s largest pheasant statue!
Needless to say, this was a must see attraction, with the requisite family selfie!
This statue is located atop a store, conveniently near a nice park with trails where we enjoyed daily walks during our visit.
More South Dakota Sips & Eats
While this was the first time I’ve tried South Dakota wine, I regularly enjoy craft beer from local South Dakota breweries.
Ben’s Brewing in Yankton has long been a favorite, whether it be to enjoy a pint at the bar or to take some back to wherever we happened to be saying.
So I was happy to see an IPA from Ben’s on the menu at Marina Bar & Grill by the Gavin’s Point Dam in Yankton.
I enjoyed the beer along with a french dip sandwich along with the tater tots. Have to say the taters (along with the beer) were a highlight for me. I recall tater tots being a regular feature in our high school caf back in the day. But these were much better!
Our son Brendan, who manages allergies to egg and nuts, gives a big thumbs up to the burger he ordered. And we appreciate the staff clarifying that he’d best stay away from the fried due to cross contamination issues. Shout out to the folks in the Yankton Buzz Facebook group who suggested this spot!
We also visited Mitchell to see the world famous Corn Palace during this visit, as it is just about an hour away from Huron.
Bradley Pub & Grill, located right by the Corn Palace, served up a tasty lunch. We enjoyed it outside on a comfortable summer afternoon, with a view of the palace.
I tried a pint from a new to me local brewery, Palace City Brewing, to go with my chicken wrap. The beer was very good, as well as the sandwich. Brendan got the steak tips, which he said were very good. Had had a side of corn with the steak, good choice when dining with a view of the Corn Palace! Another good South Dakota restaurant for food allergies.
Other Wine Travel articles
Be sure to check out the articles from my colleagues to see about the summer sips they enjoyed this year! Thanks to Culinary Cam for hosting this event!
- A Day at Champagne Vaucelle Remembered at Apéro by FoodWineClick!
- A Wine to Enjoy Around the Campfire by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Montefalco Rosso, A Revelation by Avvinare
- Our Central European Whirlwind – Prague, Vienna, and Budapest – Paired with Wine by Culinary Cam
- Sipping, Nibbling, and Hiking Through the Finger Lakes by Side Hustle Wino
- South Dakota Wine and Other Summer Sips by Cooking Chat
- Summer Wine Adventures: Cedar Lake Cellars by Our Good Life
Camilla Mateo Mann
I have never been to South Dakota! Now I have some great recommendations if we ever make it that way. Thanks for joining in this month, David. I love that they are using 100% South Dakota grapes and are self-taught.