Winehaven Winery

History

Prior to establishing a vineyard and winery, the Peterson family cultivated bees in the St. Croix River Valley for 3 generations. The first type of wine produced was mead (honey wine) made from Peterson Honey. To reflect its background in honey production, the official logo of Winehaven consists of an image of a honey bee together with the brand name.

Awards

Winehaven is among the most awarded wineries in the Upper Midwest, having earned over 100 medals from international competitions in New York, California, Indiana and Minnesota. Included among Winehaven's more notable awards are:

• Semi-Sweet Honey Wine- 2009 & 2010 Indy International Wine Competition, Honey Wine of the Year. 2010 Mazer Cup International Mead Competition, Best Traditional Semi-Sweet Mead.
• Merlot- 2006 San Francisco International Wine Competition, Best Merlot; Double Gold.
• Marechal Foch- 2008 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, Double Gold.
• Grapewinds Port- 2010 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, Gold.
• Chisago- 2010 International Eastern Wine Competition, Gold.
• Cranberry- 2010 International Cold Climate Wine Competition, Double Gold.
• Slippery Slope White Ice Wine- 2009 International Cold Climate Wine Competition, Best Specialty Wine.

Varieties

Winehaven offers 19 types of wine made from a variety of fruits, honey and grapes, including several grape varieties which have been bred to be winter hardy in Minnesota. The Chisago grape is used in a variety of wines, which include a sweet Deer Garden Red, a desert-style Slippery Slope Red Ice Wine and a newer varietal sold under the name Chisago.

References

References

1. Nelson, Connie. (2000-10-18). "Grapes that go for the cold". Star Tribune.
2. "Three Rivers Wine Trail".
3. Zenzen, Mary. (2009). "Top 25 List: Minnesota Wineries ranked by cases produced in 2008". Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
4. Book: Faubion, William and Stacy Corrington. Treasures of Minnesota. Medford, Oregon: Morgan & Chase Publishing, 2007
5. Book: Monaghan, Patricia. Wineries of Wisconsin and Minnesota. St. Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2008.
6. Kness, Ron, ''TravelRoads''. (July 27, 2008). "On the Trail of Minnesota Wine".
7. "2009 Indy International Wine Competition Commercial Trophies".
8. "2010 Indy International Wine Competition Commercial Trophies".
9. "2010 Commercial Mead Competition Results".
10. "San Francisco International Wine Competition 2006 Results".
11. "Finger Lakes International Wine Competition 2008 Results".
12. "Finger Lakes International Wine Competition 2010 Results".
13. "2010 International Eastern Wine Competition Results".
14. (December 2025). "ICCWC 2010 Winners".
15. "ICCWC 2009 Winners".
16. "United States Patent: PP19246".
17. Faust, Eric. (June 9, 2009). "Chisago: Minnesota's Newest Grape".