From craft beers to sparkling wine, destination beverages are a short road trip away

This paid piece is sponsored by the South Dakota Department of Tourism.

It may be winter, but that doesn’t mean you need to hole yourself in your house and hibernate.

Now is the perfect time to experience the “Great Finds” scattered across eastern South Dakota.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism even features several hidden gems scattered throughout the state in its Great Finds passport. If you visit 10 or more of the featured locations, you can earn a range of prizes, including the chance at a free South Dakota vacation.

And of all the great finds rounded up in the passport program, why not stop in for a pint of beer or glass of wine to warm yourself up in this cooler weather?

Whether you’re looking for small-town vibes, locally sourced drinks or a glass of wine to pair with a beautiful sunset view, these South Dakota breweries and wineries within a couple hours’ drive of Sioux Falls have what you’re looking for.

Get a taste of small-town South Dakota in Hartford

Even though it’s just a stone’s throw from Sioux Falls, Buffalo Ridge Brewing gives you a glimpse into small-town South Dakota, said co-owner Rick Warkenthien.

The second you step into the spacious brewery in downtown Hartford, you’ll be greeted with a smile and a welcome. That’s just how small-town South Dakota is, he added.

“When we get customers who stop in from out of town, the feedback is that they feel they were welcomed like a community and treated like family,” Warkenthien said. “Our mission has always been to provide a space to support the community.”

The brewery was opened in 2018 by a few Hartford locals, including Chris and Callie Tuschen. Warkenthien and his wife, Lisa, along with Dave and Amy Larson and the Tuschens are all current co-owners.

With 3,400 residents, Hartford was looking for a business to revitalize its downtown. A brewery fit the bill. Chris and Rick were both homebrewers at the time, and Warkenthien quickly joined the Buffalo Ridge staff.

Today, there are 18 beers on tap, plus drinks that all cater to everyone’s taste. This isn’t just a space for dedicated beer drinkers but for the community as a whole. The brewery holds several events a week, including a charity bingo event the first Saturday of the month.

Buffalo Ridge has raised nearly $30,000 for area nonprofits since 2019 through events. Upcoming benefiting charities include Project 22 and Bundle Up Sioux Falls.

The brewery also holds monthly yoga and “Pound and Pour” activities, where people work out and get a free pour of beer afterward.

“We try to have something going on every week throughout the year to keep the community busy and have events in Hartford,” Warkenthien added.

And while the brewery is intended for Hartford locals, out-of-towners will still feel right at home.

“People see our billboard off the interstate, and they’ll stop in while on a road trip. Then they’ll stop back in again on their way home,” Warkenthien said. “We’ll talk with them about how much they enjoyed their time traveling, and then chances are we’ll see them again.”

Find an idyllic oasis minutes from Sioux Falls

Every beer brewed at A Homestead Brew features at least one ingredient grown at the farmhouse brewery just outside Valley Springs.

Co-owners and brothers Lee and Josh Anderson don’t have backgrounds in agriculture, but the two now manage a farm that has been in their family since 1882.

With Lee’s culinary education from Le Cordon Bleu in Minneapolis and Josh’s microbiology background, the two wanted to keep their grandfather’s farm in the family shortly after he passed away in 2009.

Lee Anderson was drawn back to the area because of his children, and he saw an opportunity to turn the soybean and corn operation into a brewery and farm focused on local ingredients and sustainable practices.

“There’s been a lot of work and learning that went into this,” said Anderson, adding that A Homestead Brew celebrated its fifth anniversary this year. “It’s been a lot of fun, and it’s been an interesting journey.”

The two started with hops on the farm, following the hop boom of 2008, and have since included 3 1/2 acres of fruit trees, including apricots, cherries, plums, elderberries and aronia berries, along with 486 raspberry and blackberry plants.

The brewery is most well known for its sour beers and spontaneous fermentations. While Anderson focuses on brewing and culinary aspects of the business, his brother runs the taproom and focuses on managing other parts of the business.

“We’re trying to give something back to the environment so we can continue to use it for the next generation,” Anderson said. “Hopefully, my grandkids can watch something like this continue on.”

The farm is an idyllic space to enjoy a drink and company away from the bustle of Sioux Falls, he said. Customers regularly bask in vibrant sunsets at the brewery’s patio during the summer, surrounded by friends and family, laughing children playing games nearby and dogs running around the farm.

“We’re about 15 minutes outside of Sioux Falls,” Anderson said. “It’s not too far away, but it’s far enough that you get those endless sunsets, and you don’t get a whole lot of noise, so it’s pretty calming.”

But summer isn’t the only time to visit the brewery. A Homestead Brew is open on Fridays and Saturdays year-round. Upcoming events include a salsa contest in November and a chili cook-off in December.

The brewery will start hosting beer dinners after the new year because it now has an event space open to use, and summer will mark the return of its food truck.

A Homestead Brew also will hold its annual beer branding event on Saturday Nov. 26, where they’ll take a glowing hot rod from a fire, stick it in a beer and caramelize residual sugars that didn’t ferment.

“We have a couple hundred people out on those days,” Anderson said. “It’s one of the biggest days of the year.”

Celebrate the holidays with sparkling wine made in rural S.D.

Rosholt isn’t just the final exit along Interstate 29 before leaving South Dakota.

Just 2 miles outside of the northeastern South Dakota town sits With the Wind Vineyard and Winery, where owners Lisa and Jeremiah Klein live, work and play.

The couple bought a vacant 20-acre piece of farmland in 2012 a couple of years after returning to South Dakota, hoping to build their dream home on the property. Shortly after, they were inspired to test their soil and discovered the land was ideal for growing grapevines.

Fast-forward 10 years, and the couple’s business has grown to 3,000 grapevines and a 5,000-case production. Lisa Klein envisions doubling production in the next few years, with the purchase of 77 acres to the north for their next vineyard site.

“We get to work together and be very upfront with each other about our thoughts and goals and dreams,” she said about working as a couple. “We’ve raised three kids on this property, and we’ve been able to enjoy the beauty of it all.”

The vineyard is an oasis, Klein said, adding that the it’s set on rolling hilltops with picturesque farm buildings. The two retrofitted a grain bin on the property into a “bin-zebo” for customers to enjoy as well.

“We’ve had people say we have the best sunset views in the state,”she said. “It’s an unexpected piece of beauty in upstate South Dakota … and people are surprised and delighted to find us.”

Wines produced at With the Wind include a spectrum of drinks, including sweets, blends, semisweets and dries. The business also will launch its latest expansion in November: sparkling wines.

The first release, First Spark, will be a pink sparkling semisweet wine perfect for upcoming holidays and celebrations, Klein said. With the Wind is the only South Dakota-based winery to expand into sparkling wines.

The vineyard and winery is open year-round on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

From award-winning bread shop to destination trail park, 4 ‘Great Finds’ are short drive away