chankaska creek ranch & winery

I was pleasantly surprised to find this gem hidden between St. Peter and Mankato. They have a reasonably priced wine tasting flight that allows you to choose which wines you prefer. Most of their wines are a blend of imported grapes; however, the quality in taste was quite refreshing compared to other Minnesota wineries. They also offer delicious oven baked specialty pizzas as well as other appetizers to pair with your wine selection.

Booked a bus tour in August & this was suppose to be a stop for supper, heard many excuses, 35 people on the bus & the help ignored us, no place to sit. Was going to be 45 minutes to get food. This was only booked back in August. Not recommended.

What a surprise! Minnesota is not known for wines and most of their wineries have dessert wines. Chankaska offers a wide range of Cabs, Merlots, Chardonnay, Reislings, Pinot, and a variety of other reds and whites. They offer a $12 package where you can sample 5 styles and get a wine glass . . . we did this and sampled 10 of their styles. Very impressive! They also have a nice menu of light meals and appetizers . . . we chose the small cheese sampler which came with 3 cheeses, arugula, dried apricots & cranberries, small bread slices and some crackers . . . it was excellent. They have two wonderful outside areas . .. a porch and a patio w/ firepit. We sat on the porch in beautiful 70 degree fall sunshine and spent an hour and a half enjoying the wines and our cheese sampler. The staff was very helpful, told us about each of our choices and managed to do this while working with perhaps 40-50 guests. Afterward we strolled the paths thru the property which are open for snowshoe treks in the winter and then returned to the gift shop for some small items and two bottles of the Chardonnay to take home to Virginia. We were told about this spot by the owner of the Lone Star BBQ in St. Peter and he was right when he said they produce "an excellent selection of wines." A great spot for a romantic, relaxing time with your sweetheart.

We joined the wine club got a free wine tasting enjoyed all the wines, look forward to coming back quarterly to pick up our exclusive bottles of wine. We had a some very nice apps and a bottle of wine and relaxed on the outside deck overlooking the woods on a beautiful fall day! A very nice atmosphere. good food and some of the best wine I've tasted in MN.

While in St Peter visiting family went to Chankaska on a whim. The cab was delicious and so was the meat and cheese platter. What beautiful scenery too. Was able to sit outside and enjoy!

We went to the Uncorked event and had a fabulous time! Winery is beautiful. Had the Creekside Red and it was very good. I'd love to go back for a wine tasting as this was my first visit to the winery.

Found this on Mn wineries website and took a 1 hour trip from the Twin Cities. It's located just outside of St. Peter and for a Minnesota winery is quite charming,. There is a $7 charge for 5 tastings. We were served promptly and the wine generally was pretty good.

I find this venue tough to rate as the grounds are beautiful, facilities are very nice and the wine is very good. The hard part is that the staff was fairly rude and unhelpful. I can't say its worth the $8 glasses of wine for that reason but I tend to care about service as I am a firm believer that it matters. We were recently there for a wedding as well and the wedding party felt the same way. Kicked out by the end of the ceremony and bossed around as to which part of the winery we should be in. Hard to want to go back.

I attending a wedding a few weeks ago and WOW the grounds are wonderful! I only wish that this place was around 12 years ago when my wife and I got married! The staff was great, all the catering, music, tent, even the security were pleasant to be around. If anyone is looking to have a wedding, I can't think of a better place! Everything is TOP NOCH and please don't forget the wine! I would have giving this place a 10 but there are only 5 dots!!!!!!!!

Attended a wedding at this winery on Saturday. Very disappointed. Beautiful surroundings but that was it. There wasn't a center aisle for the ceremony. They only provided 2 little satellites for bathrooms, little porta potties, otherwise female guests had to climb up a gravel path in heels to the bathroom in the winery proper. Food was poor. No vegetable with the meal. Some guests received baked potatoes but were not provided butter or sour cream. Chicken was horrible tastless thawed pieces. Cheapest quality possible. Pork was dry and no glaze that they said there would be. They didn't even have any salt and pepper on tables. Drinks were outrageously priced. I heard that the bride's family thought they meals would be around $20'plate (subject to change) and when the wedding time came the winery was going to charge $36/plate. I don't know what the final price was but it wasn't worth the food or the facilities. Cannot and would not recommend. Would rate a 0 if possible.

Recently went with my wife and mother. We have been to many MN vineyards and wineries. They range from huge, gorgeous new buildings with so-so or even not good wines to small pole barns or even sheds with good wines. Whether or not there are food options is a 50-50 proposition here. Chankaska had just about everything you would want. It is one of the most beautiful buildings and grounds that we have seen. Bathrooms are new and clean (very important). The selection of wines across the board was good for all taste preferences. They had a small selection of food, but what we ordered was good. The tour was given by a staff member that seemed to have memorized the tour as opposed to "knowing" it. The staff did seem a bit frenzied but they were very friendly and you could tell they wanted to provide good service despite how busy it was. All in all, you can find better MN wines, better food options, and a more knowledgeable tour guide (an actual grape grower or winemaker). You will be challenged to find a better facility all around than what Chankaska has to offer. Taking everything together, this is one of the more pleasant winery visits we have had for awhile.

I have to say the times I've been here I've only had good experiences. It does get busy on the weekends sometimes, but there is ample space. My wife and I have always gotten great service from all the staff and we love the wines! The Marquette is amazing!! We also really enjoy the pizzas. The menu changes with the seasons and is always very unique. I am constantly recommending to all my friends and family. I truly believe you wouldn't be disappointed.

The winery has good wines but apparently the wine maker is no longer there which I heard from a staff member. I have been going to this establishment for some time and the amount of turn over in staff is fairly regular. The staff are very young and not very knowledgeable about wines. If you know this walking in and have your expectations low than you will be fine. Every time we have gone the food has been good. It's mainly cheese platters and pizza's. It is important to know they do not take reservations during their busy season. I have had their manager tell me that despite not taking reservations "she could get us in, since we are regulars". This promise led us to wait for 30 minutes for a table to sit at only for us to get angry and leave. The wines are now getting really expensive. Most wines are 25 - 45 dollars. I like wine but there are plenty good bottles for less than 20 that are more reasonable.

We had a group of ten on a Friday evening. Perfect service, excellent food (wood-fired pizza and appetizers), very welcoming tasting room and gift shop, live music on lower level. We would love to come back in warm weather since there are two lovely patios, fire pit, etc. And...good wines!

Nice winery tour. Good selection of wines. Offer cold weather grape wines. Reasonable prices for a small winery.