by Painter Creek Winery is a new winery located in Minetrista, MN. This winery opened late December 2018. They are located on a large ranch space next to Minnetonka Orchards. We visited shortly after they opened so their wine list seemed quite limited.
The location of this winery may seem a little bit out of the way but the wine, cider and atmosphere are all worth the trip. The tasting room sits on a ranch and looks like a large pole-barn-like building. Once you walk in it is nice and welcoming. There was corrugated steel on the walls and vintage lighting giving the whole space a rustic feel. The bar top looked to be made of concrete and could seat a small group. There was plenty of other chairs and tables and a large fireplace inside as well. It was a cold January day when we visited so the outdoor seating area was not set up. Another fun feature that we did not get to experience was the indoor/outdoor bar (its like a mini garage door that when open connects the main indoor bar to the outside seating area).
While we were there we were served by a very friendly gentleman. He didn’t seem to know very much about the wines (mispronouncing several different grape names) but he was very enthusiastic and really wanted us to try everything they had to offer. It made the visit interesting, in a good way. There was another man working behind the scenes who we did not have direct contact with but witnessed the interaction between the two employees which wasn’t very friendly and made it a bit awkward.
His Tasting Notes: I enjoyed all of their red wines. The Marquette was an easy drinking wine. It is a semi-dry red that has medium body. The Frontenac Dessert Wine was my least favorite of their wines. It was a very sweet wine with the chocolate notes taking over any of the fruit notes.
There cider is quite good. The Farm Cider is a classic cider with a strong apple taste. The Honey Gold Cider is similar to the Farm Cider but has less of an apple flavor leaving it lacking. The Habanero Farm Cider is a fun cider to try. It has the nice hard cider flavor with the lingering heat of the habanero peppers. It is not overly hot so anyone that may not like a lot of spice will still be able to drink the Habanero Farm Cider just fine.
Her Tasting Notes: Some of my favorite wines are made with Marquette grapes so I was excited to see that they had one available. The Rams Head Marquette at Painter Creek was not on my list of top Minnesota Marquette wines but it was still one of my favorites that they had to offer. My favorite was actually the mulled wine they were just serving for a special event (I drank mine and my husband’s). I also enjoyed all the ciders. Overall, I would like to return to this winery later this year when the weather is nicer and once they release more wines.
We took home a bottle of the Rams Head Marquette, Old Oliver Cabernet Sauvignon, and a bottle of the Farm Cider.
Wine List*
Rams Head Marquette
Mildred Red Merlot
Old Oliver Cabernet Sauvignon
Anchors Away Chardonnay
Route 26 Frontenac Dessert Wine
Mulled Wine
Hard Cider List*
Farm Cider
Honey Gold Cider
Cidergria Cider
Cidosa Cider
Habanero Farm Cider
*List as of January, 2019. Some products may no longer be available and Painter Creek may have new wines added since our visit.*
North Woods Wine Hunters 
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