Great River Winery

About Us:

Marshall's Great River Vineyard/Nursery is a family owned and operated vineyard established in 1988 just north of Lake City, Minnesota.  Located on the shores of the mighty Mississippi directly across Highway 61 from Lake Pepin, which is actually a widening of the Mississippi River that runs from just south of Red Wing, Minnesota to just north of Wabasha,  This natural phenomenon was created by the natural damming of the river by sand brought down by Wisconsin's Chippewa River at its confluence with the Mississippi.  This 25 mile widening of the river creates an excellent meso-climate for our vineyard which grows on the sandy/loam and gravel flats on the Minnesota side of Lake Pepin.  This site, most of it on glacial age lake bottom where pre-historic lakeshores and Indian mounds can still be seen, has proven very suitable to the growing of grapes.  The sandy loam soils under laden by deep gravel deposits has proven rich enough to encourage good growth without the overly vigorous growth often seen on richer soils. It also allows for excellent drainage of excess rains and spring runoff which can be harmful to vines.  Moreover the proximity of Lake Pepin discourages late spring frosts that can reduce the crop and often keeps early fall frost away that can damage the canopy and bring the growing season and the ripening process to a premature end.  Overall we feel we have one of the best sites for grape growing anywhere in the Upper Midwest and we invite you to stop by and see it for yourself.