Visit New Ulm: Winery 2 of 4

I’m a sucker for anyplace with a winery, a brewery and links to famous authors. New Ulm has all of that — and more. Click here to read the first installment of this four-part series.

See more at morgancreekvineyard.com

MORGAN CREEK WINERY

Billed as the only underground winery in Minnesota, Morgan Creek Winery (morgancreekvineyards.com) is about 10 minutes outside New Ulm. The drive in is beautiful; turn right before the creek. The winery building is set inside the hill and spills out into a pasture. There are plenty of tables for folks to sit a spell, as well as a fire pit. Live music drifted out of the building, and folks were spending their Friday evening sipping wine and snacking on wood-fired pizza ($6.25-$7), swiss raclette ($4.75) and bruschette sticks ($6.75).

Don't you want to be sipping a glass of wine there right now?

My toddler immediately went running through the field, straight to the swing hanging from a huge tree. We chased her down there and relaxed awhile, enjoying the early evening light coming down on the vineyard.

The appetizers coming out of that European wood-fire stove looked amazing.

This was a great swing to while away a few hours.

Warm up on a cool evening with friends and wine.

Then we headed back up. I had some wine to taste!

That's what I was there for: the wine tasting. During the Friday night Winedown for the Weekend, tastings are free.

This particular evening, during the “Winedown for the Weekend” event, the tasting was free. Among the offerings were:

DRY

Puck’s Pride

St. John Researve

Colure

Redtail Ridge

SEMI-SWEET

Nova

Gerwurtztraminer

Zeitgeist

Relativity

SWEET

Fox Run

Morgan Creek Myst

Fantastic.

I love their wine names. The place produces German, French and American-style wines, including Minnesota coldhearty varietals. I would have enjoyed staying at the winery all evening, but the toddler had sat enough that day. I bought a few bottles to bring back, and off we went back to our hotel. Maybe I’ll return for the German winefest later in the summer, the Cambria Crush: The Annual Great Grape Stomp in the fall, or the Christmas Candlelight Winetasting.

Nova. Relativity. Zeitgeist. What great names!

23708 478th Avenue

New Ulm

(Four miles south of New Ulm on Highway 15, then 4 miles each on County Road 24, and south 1/2 mile on 478th to site.)

507-947-3547

www.morgancreekvineyards.com

Hours: May to October - Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 12 a.m. to 5 p.m.

COMING UP

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