As part of out week long feature on Door County Wisconsin, I thought that the best way to wrap up the week would be to feature the five Door County Wineries and their delicious variety of wines as our product of the week.

For those of you who love your fruit wines, especially cherry wine, you’ll be in heaven when you visit Door County. However, in recent years, other wineries have opened that feature the more traditional wines made from grapes.

If you’re looking for very reasonably priced wine (this definitely ain’t Napa Valley) that is still delicious, then wines from the Door County area are for you. And if you’re not sure what kinds of wine you prefer, then just stop by the wineries during your Door County visit for free tasting. Many of the wineries can even tell you which wines pair best with which foods.

So if you find yourself in Door County on a rainy day, be sure to give one or all five of the Door County wineries a visit.

Let’s talk about those wineries that produce fruit wines since, to me, those seem to be the types of wineries that are best suited to the Door County area. Just a few types of wine grapes can grow in the area while most of the fruits wines are made from local crops.

My favorite winery to visit in Door County is the aptly named Door Peninsula Winery – the first winery to open in Door County, Wisconsin. Located in a former one room school house built in 1868, and converted into a winery in 1974, Door Peninsula Winery retains a lot of the nostalgic charm of the area. And with over 50 wines to choose from (including several traditional grape wines if you’re a purist) you’re sure to find something you like. You can even take a tour of their facilities; just don’t forget to visit the wine tasting bar. Be sure to try the Cranbernet (a cranberry / cabernet sauvignon blend), the Strawberry Zin and their strong but very tasty Primitivo Ice Wine. And if you can’t get enough of their wine while you’re there, join their wine club and they’ll mail you 2-4 bottles of wine to try every month.

Orchard Country Winery is another great place to visit. Just like Door Peninsula Winery, you can take a tour of their operations, although I think it’s a lot more fun to just hit the tasting bar right away. Two blends to be sure you try out are their Blackberry Blend and their Honeycrisp Apple. Every time I visit I usually leave with at least one bottle of each, but if you can’t make it up to Door County yourself to visit, you can place your order online. Having a bottle of Honeycrisp Apple wine on Christmas Eve is quickly becoming a tradition in our family.

Located in Sturgeon Bay in the southern part of Door County is Red Oak Vineyard. They offer a nice selection of traditional wines as well as fruit wines. They’re a little further than the other wineries to visit if you’re camping in some of Door County’s campgrounds, but if you’re driving from any other place, this is the closest winery to visit.

Another of the newer wineries in the area is Stone’s Throw Winery. Of the five different wineries in Door County, this one probably does the best job of looking the part of a winery. When you drive in, you’ll see fields and fields of vines surrounding their building. Stone’s Throw offers a more traditional set of wines, but they do have a cherry wine (although I couldn’t find it on their website) if you like the traditional fruits wines of the area. You’ll find some very knowledgeable and friendly people to talk to about wine at Stone’s Throw, so be sure to include them on a list of wineries that you visit.

The last on my list is Simon Creek Winery, and this winery has changed a little since I last visited. I think when they first opened, they were trying to be a bit too “snooty” for the area, trying to act more like a Napa Valley winery rather than a Door County one. This winery is best suited to you if you’re into traditional wines, much like Stones Throw Winery. When they first opened, they didn’t offer a single fruit wine. In fact they had a sign up that said that cherries were for pies, not wines. Clearly that didn’t go over to well in an area renowned for its cherries (even their salsa has cherries in it), and they’ve listened to customer demand and now offer a cherry wine. I’ve never tried any of their wines, but they have a beautiful building, and offer free tasting, so don’t be afraid to stop by and give their wines a try – and if you do, be sure to let me know which your favorites are.