vines & rushes winery

Despite being about a half-hour away and open for two years, I had never heard of the place. We went there because they were hosting an event for a local artist who is a colleague of my wife. We had a wonderful time! After viewing the artwork and while my wife chatted with her friend, I went into the "showroom" tasted a few of their wines and the hard cider. While I am not a wine "ponce" I found all to be exceptional, and in short, we left with half a case of various product.One thing I found interesting and like, they use all Wisconsin grown grapes, strawberries, and apples, for their product. A side note: their strawberry farm is just across the road, and has pick-your-own in season.They are hosting a series of events, which can be found on their webpage " vinesandrushes.com ". Another item worth mentioning: they are on Hwy E, right alongside the Mascoutin Recreational Trail between Ripon and Berlin. So if you are snowmobiling (or biking later in the year) stop in! You won't be disappointed.

I've visited this winery twice. The first time was in summer of 2014 with a Groupon. The second was January 2015. Both times were enjoyable and worth my 3 hr round trip. The staff are nice and knowledgeable (likely because they are friends and family of the winemakers). I wish I bought more wine afterward and look forward to the day it's available near me or they sell online. I'm currently sipping their Le Crescent as I type and am amazed this comes from WI grapes. It's crisp and unique. I also love their sweet red Frontenac and the Wiskonsan strawberry, which is mild and tastes like real WI strawberries, instead of sugary artificial flavors. I like that it's all local.The tasting is free. If you want to try the ice wine it's $3 though. I didn't feel rushed either time and the staff took time to explain and answer questions. When my friends and I visited in the summer we bought their cheese and chocolate, borrowed a board and knife from the counter, and sat outside enjoying our finds and the sites of the vineyard and farms. They sell cheese from my favorite WI cheese artisan: Marieke. Try the fenegreek or burning nettle gouda if they're available. They are my favorite. Also worth buying is Indulge chocolate; I love the raspberry chipotle, and it's also made in WI. Are you seeing a "buy local" theme? The wine is $15-$21, with the exception of the ice wine (which was a little more than $50). Wine tours are sometimes available, but I haven't done that...yet. I recommend taking a couple ones to tip (just because they do a great job and I forgot cash my second visit) and buy more wine than you initially think:) they do take credit card.

This is a small but excellent winery! We tasted most of there wines and purchased several dry whites. Family owned and run. We met the family while there and they were so friendly and informative about their wines. They also have great cheeses, chocolate, and condiments to purchase. We came home with several different things to try. Truly a fun place to stop and "have a taste or two". Highly recommend it!

We have this summer, gone to a lot of wineries. Slight change from microbreweries that I always have liked. While in Wisconsin. we looked on our "app" for wineries in the area and this one came up.Just off the main roads and north end of Ripon, Wi. After around 25 different wineries this summer to take from, I enjoyed our short visit at this one. Checked out all they had on hand and picked out a couple of ones that we liked. Small and friendly is what I would call this one. Great setting and good wine makes this special. Not stuffy or loud. Quit nice I would say. Will make it here more often on the motorcycle. Well worth it. Enjoy

My friend and I had bought a Groupon for a wine tasting and a bottle of wine. We weren't sure what to expect, but we were truly amazed to find this gem!I had visited Napa Valley, CA this summer and this wine was right up there with those wineries! And the service was incredible. The day we went the had a band and a stand with fire grilled pizza. After our wine tasting we sat outside to drink our bottle of wine and ate a pizza.It was a great experience. We are already planning another visit with more friends!

While traveling in Wisconsin with friends we happened upon this small relatively new winery near Ripon, not quite two hours SW of Green Bay. The winery is housed in a cute, modern building that is surrounded by the winemaster's family farm. We participated in the wine tasting option. My husband and I tried all of the whites and the special strawberry wine which was not yet available for sale for 2014. (It sold out in 2013) We liked them all but our favorite was Le Crescent, a semi-dry white wine. The winery does not serve food but sells many of the family's food products and lots of wine accessories. There are picnic tables outside so you could pack snacks or lunch and enjoy the scenery with your wine purchase. The staff (family members of the winemaster) were VERY hospitable and helpful. Loved the place! Worth a trip out of the way IMO.

A younger vineyard in a beautiful and peaceful setting. The wine tasting is free. The wines are not overpriced. These wines are well made; not syrupy and overly sweet like many newer vineyards. Kelly, who did the wine tasting, was knowledgeable and very personable. She knew background information about the wines, and what to pair each with. There is a small gift shop and plenty of room to sit and enjoy inside and out. It is set in a beautiful farming community about 30 minutes from Appleton and 20 min from Oshkosh. They have yoga and live music on certain dates. I am so glad they put an offer on Groupon to get the word out. Definitely worth the short drive. They are located a few minutes south of a state trail for those of us who never get enough nature and would like to pair a walk with their wine.

I learned about this winery thru Groupon. We had some out of town guests coming and we were looking for ways to entertain them. The winery is only about 40 minutes from our home but we hadn't heard anything about it. It was such a pleasant surprise! While the vineyard is very young, the owners are very serious about making real grape wine. The lady who presented the tasting for us did an extraordinary job. She answered all of our questions and was extremely knowledgeable. I can't wait for the vineyards to become more mature and the wines to evolve. If you are In the area, you better check this place out. They may be aiming to give Napa Valley some competition.

My husband and I parked our car near the library in Berlin and biked a few miles south through town to get to the Mascoutin Valley State Trail. The trail was easy riding on crushed limestone and the scenery was a nice mix of fields and woodlands. About 8 miles/1 hour later we arrived at the Vines & Rushes Winery. A nice sign was placed near the bike trail and a mown grass path leads right up to the parking lot from the trail.The winery had 10 different wines for us to try. (Tasting is free.) All of the wines are made with grapes from Wisconsin and some of them use Vines & Rushes own grapes. They are still growing their vineyard and hope to be able to use more of their own grapes in the future. We started with the dry white wines and moved up in sweetness to the reds. Ryan, one of the owners, was so helpful during the tasting. We could tell that he is very passionate about what he does. We enjoyed trying to pick out the different flavors in the wines and talking about what foods would pair well with them. The winery also offers locally made crafts, books by a few local authors, and local foods such as dilly beans and salsa. A fridge holds cheese and other cold drinks (including soda for non-alcohol drinkers) that you can purchase and enjoy while relaxing on their patio out front. The winery was a great destination to bike to along the Mascoutin Valley State Trail. And the best part - I didn't have to worry about driving under the influence.