Despite its small population, there is quite a lot to see and do in South Dakota if you know where to look. This includes wine tasting and festivities.
In this article, we will look at the top wine festivals in South Dakota so that when you visit the quaint state you will be able to find an event to check out.
The Top Wine Festivals in South Dakota
- Forks, Corks, and Kegs Festival
- The Great Dakota Wine Fest
- Fall Festival of Artists
- Schadé Annual Grape Stomp
- With the Wind Grape Stomp Festival
- Wilde Prairie Harvest Wine Festival
- Strawbale Harvest Wine Festival
- Hart Ranch Craft Beer and Wine Festival
1. Forks, Corks, and Kegs Festival
Have to admit, this sounds like fun. The venue is none other than the redoubtable Deadwood where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane came to a sticky end.
Like all good wine festivals, this one is as much about food as it is about wine. Each tasting location serves up a delicious treat paired with an equally tasty beverage. Also on offer are some of the state’s best brews and craft beers.
If you happen to hear gunfire while enjoying your meal, it’s probably one of the three Main Street gunfights staged each day for the amusement of tourists.
The 10th annual Forks, Corks, and Legs Festival will be held April 13-15, 2023.
2. The Great Dakota Wine Fest
Wine tasting, grape seminars, cooking-with-wine demonstrations, live music, a home wine-making competition, an arts and crafts fair, and the inevitable grape stomp. Have your picture used as the label on your very own personalized bottle of Valiant wine.
$15 entitles you to 12 wine samples and a complimentary wine glass emblazoned with the festival logo.
The Great Dakota Wine Fest takes place every August on the 29th and 30th at the Valiant Vineyards in Vermillion.
Check the details by visiting their website or calling 605-624-4500.
3. Fall Festival of Artists
This is a harvest wine festival celebrating local artists and the arts in general, with an emphasis on watercolors, acrylics, glass, photography, and mixed media.
The festival kicks off Friday night at 6 pm with Swamp Daddy’s Cajun food. Boxcar Beef & Dogs will be available from noon on Saturday till 6 pm.
The Fall Festival of Artists is held every September from the 11th to the 12th.
4. Schadé Annual Grape Stomp
This one-day event hosted by the Schadé Vineyard & Winery in the town of Volga is now in its 13th year.
The festival kicks off at 10 am with live music, games, freshly-squeezed juice, and wine samples galore, and goes on until 5 pm. Food is on sale between 11 & 1.
The Schadé Grape Stomp Festival takes place on or around September 10 at the Schadé Vineyard & Winery, 21095 463rd Ave, Volga. Check the website for details or call them at 605-627-5545.
The price of admission is $5 per vehicle.
5. With the Wind Grape Stomp Festival
Gone are the days when people stomped grapes for the sheer pleasure of feeling them burst underfoot. Now it’s competitive, so it’s only a matter of time before the prize money skyrockets and a professional grape stomper league (GSL) emerges.
Grape stomping is a team sport. The stomper stomps while the mucker clears the drain of skins and holds in place a bottle to receive the juice. The winners fill the most bottles in the shortest time so buttonhole your bestie with the big feet and register today to avoid disappointment. 1st prize is a case of wine!
Solo stomping costs $15 (not recommended), a two-man team (the only way to go) $30.
The With the Wind Grape Stomp Festival is held every September 11 & 12 at the With the Wind Vineyard & Winery in the town of Rosholt at 10722 Lake Road.
A rough itinerary looks like this:
Saturday (admission: $5 per person)
- 11 am: the wine-tasting room’s official opening
- 12 pm: the Merlot release party
- 1 pm: the grape stomping competition
- 5.30 pm: The People’s Choice Costume Prize Contest
- 6 pm: Live music
Sunday (admission: free)
- 1 pm: the tasting room, vendors & food trucks
- 5 pm: Live music
- All day: Games for the whole family
6. Wilde Prairie Harvest Wine Festival
Outdoor family fun! Grape stomping, pumpkin and face painting, popular vendors, live music, artist-assisted wine & canvas activities.
Hosted by the Wilde Prairie Winery in Brandon on October 3, the doors open at noon.
Located at 48052 259th Street, Brandon, you can call them on 605.582.6471 or send them an email.
7. Strawbale Harvest Wine Festival
Hosted by the Strawbale Winery in Renner, their Harvest Wine Festival is a family-friendly venue with kittens, chickens, live music, local vendors, and lawn games like a bean bag, cornhole, and bocci ball.
Best of all, they’ve got a pumpkin catapult! Not only do you get to send a pumpkin hurtling skyward, but you also get to paint it first.
The Strawbale Harvest Wine Festival takes place every second Saturday in October at 47215 257th St, Renner. Admission is free.
For details, call them at 605-543-5071 or visit their website.
8. Hart Ranch Craft Beer and Wine Festival
A wine event that self-identifies as a festival, it comes with all of the usual accouterments: live music, craft beer, souvenir wine glasses, food trucks, and, of course, wine. Lots of wine.
The venue is the Hart Ranch Resort located at 23756 Arena Drive, Rapid City. The date and time are July 23, 5.30 pm-9 pm.
Visit their official site or call them at 1.800.605.HART.