Michele R.
Yelp
The year1876 was memorable in what was then the Dakota Territory. General Custer and his men in the 7th Cavalry rode from Dakota north to their end at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Wild Bill Hickok was shot in the back while playing poker at a saloon in Deadwood. And Czechoslovakian immigrant Ana Pesa Vojta was making wine at her Dakota Territory homestead resulting in a business kept alive by her family and 137 years later it thrives as Prairie Berry Winery.
We visited all three of the above during a recent history and culinary vacation. If you think Prairie Berry doesn't belong on the destination list for a stop in, it may be because you haven't been in. If you are visiting Mt. Rushmore or Custer State Park, go visit Prairie Berry. We went in twice during our four day stay.
This winery produces some "durned good" wines if one sets aside oenophile perspectives. There are uber friendly staff at the tasting bar, a deli making very good food for eat in or take out, a gift store with all kinds of things for home and kitchen, a delightful outdoor patio to enjoy sipping wine (for sale by bottle and glass) or dining on the deli delights, plus a family friendly and fully accessible site. Also ample parking (including accessible - aka ADA - parking which is as rare as hen's teeth in this part of South Dakota) and sparkling clean restrooms with very cool sinks. Trust me on that.
WINE TASTING:
A large tasting room and retail space, you'll be greeted at the door immediately on entry asking if this is your first visit, inviting you to try the wine (if age is right), introducing you to their local award winning deli, and encouraging you to enjoy the gift shop for samples of local goodies like honey and jam. The friendly and knowledgeable folks at the tasting bar will hand you a tasting card of all of the wines (both grape produced and other fruit produced) and you are invited to choose several (five or seven?) with no fee.
WINES:
The most well known Prairie Berry Wine is "Red Ass", a blend of raspberry and rhubarb. In fact the label for same with donkey is featured in most marketing materials. (A clever Tshirt for sale in the tasting room shows this image with the question "Does this wine make my ASS look big?")
I liked Red Ass and many of the other fruit wines which were much better than I anticipated. Great chilled summer beverages. My favorite, rhubarb fiend that I am, was Uncle Ralph's Rhubarb. Off dry and luscious. Also enjoyed the semisweet Poker Face blend of pear and pineapple. Seriously. Nice acid balance in all of the fruit wines. My husband enjoyed some of the grape varietal red wines, like Phat Hogg Red.
Bottle prices are reasonable and run from roughly $17 to $25. By the glass pours are $6 to $8 depending on wine.
PATIO:
A lovely place to linger and refresh with a beverage and order from the Deli. Ample standard height tables and chairs.
DELI:
Good, wholesome food was at a premium in the Black Hills based on our experience. The deli here was one of the best experiences we had. The two chefs know their stuff! They buy their greens and veggies from a local garden when they can. They roast their own meats. They bake their own desserts. They choose their cheeses carefully.
There are options here from soup to salad to sandwiches to pizzas to desserts, all in house made, that would be appealing for visitors from vegans to vegetarians to omnivores Kid's menu here too and soft beverages available.
We enjoyed dine in on the patio one day and shared bruschetta with olive salad, goat cheese and mushroom duxelle ($13) and finished with a wickedly good, dense piece of chocolate cake with ganache frosting ($7). On another day we took away a pulled pork sandwich on house made foccacia bread ($10) and a side of new potato salad with vinaigrette dressing ($7) which easily fed the both of us. Locals buzz that the deli is "pricey". But for the quality and serving sizes, my husband and I thought it one of the two best values in the area.
Kitchen hours 11a - 7:30p daily in summer.
ACCESSIBLE & FAMILY FRIENDLY:
ADA compliance seems ignored in many retail places in the Black Hills. But it is well observed here. Universally accessible for people of all abilities and ages. Kid friendly too
THIS N THAT:
1) TUNES: During the summer season they have music events on the lawn below the main winery building.
2) MORE TUNES: Background music mix at this tasting room and retail shop was a great one with a mix of artists including David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Adele, and The Rolling Stones all set at a just right level.
3) MORE EATS: Check out Linda's Deli in Hill City for good stuff. http://www.yelp.com/biz/lindas-deli-hill-city#hrid:2SmYwrPjK5L2T45i7X9NrA/src:self
4) ANOTHER ONE TO VISIT: If you have time for two wine tasting rooms in the area, Stone Faces is also worth a stop. http://www.yelp.com/biz/stone-faces-winery-hill-city#hrid:-o2TG3H8H1pzcEagFf_3zw