Reviews of Chankaska Creek Ranch & Winery (Winery)

Lauren Dosland

Beautiful setting & incredible wines. Staff could have been more helpful and interested in helping us, though. It was a slow mid-day time when we arrived and it’s as though they weren’t interested in taking our food or drink order.

Alyssa Dodgen

Shout out to Chef Phil! He suggested the perfect appetizer to pair with our wine, the crab cakes with aioli! Please give him the ability to create weekly menu items, because his spin on the classics hit a home run!

Tim Brandt

Had a few glasses of wine and some chicken Alfredo pizza and it was DELICIOUS

Brian Blodgett

Nice decor, has a tasting option for both wine, wiskey, and brandy. Food is servered.

Kelsey Buelow

Wonderful wine and good food.

Emily Champon

I went here for my birthday, and while the food and wine were better then expected - our night was ruined. When we went to close the tab we found out a server gave our card to someone else. Granted the last names were similar, but theres a Big difference between a male and a females name. They offered to try and contact the man who has the card, and credit our meal but this should have never happened! And while they were kind enough to say they weren't going to charge our card for our meal, they had already charged it for his. Now we have to hope Chankaska credits it back before we have to dispute it with the bank.

Sue Neufeld

Exceptional wines and sparkling wines. Wonderful venue to spend time with friends!

Chris Santillo

We loved our experience here. they have a wide variety of wines and spirits, not just the ones that they produce, emphasizing those that are made in Minnesota. their food selection including some appetizers and pizzas was delightful, and the surrounding grounds are beautiful.

Alyssa Delgado

So I have loved coming to Chankaska for the amazing variety of wine but for the first time I had their Gluten Free Pizza ....and let me say it was the BEST pizza I've ever had. It's hard to find places that serve GF options and Chankaska has gone above and beyond!

Jenn Ribar

Here now... beautiful place. Extremely inattentive staff. 3 more worried about stocking shelves then helping us. Did the tasting for $7 which required a credit card... ok?!?! ZERO explanation on any of the wines. No need to come back here. Sorry, not impressed with the staff at all.

Samara Bilyeu-Anderson

Beautiful venue with a variety of delicious red, white and specialty wines as well as spirits in tasting flights or by glass or bottle. Decent array of foods from cheese and crackers to stuffed mushrooms to pizza. Comfortable seating at tables, standing room at bar, benches with pillows. Toasty fireplace.

Mateya Nagel

Had a group of 6 girls going in the evening and were blown away. You go up to the bar and have so many options for wines. We all did the tasting which included 5 different wines of our choice! Autumn, our waitress, was great and really helped us through what we might enjoy and what we might want! (Since it was our first time at a winery) Their grounds were absolutely stunning and great for photo ops! Also their food is the perfect thing to go with some great wine! And Autumn made made my friends birthday a great time!!

Michele Cartier

Hi, I was there last weekend and the weather, the wine, the setting, and the food were all fabulous! Everyone can find a wine at this Winery. Highly recommend.

J B

Beautiful venue, good food, great staff.

Brittany S

Beautiful winery, excellent staff, & delicious pizza. Wonderful view of the river on the patio☀️

Ryan Gohlinghorst

Nice selection of wine and food in a great atmosphere.

Martie Renville

We live near this winery, so we've visit here on a regualr basis. That being said, we've been able to see Chankaska in all sorts of situations - busy, slow, good, bad, and during it's "ups" and "downs." We've also visited many other wineries in the state via our winery passport. Chankaska, without a doubt, is the winery we compare every other winery to. We've been to wineries where we come away thinking, "This wine is awful!" Chankaska's wines are definitely commensurate with their quality - and their quality ranks right up their as some of the best we've ever tasted. And their selection is awesome! One reviewer said the place was "confusing" and "slow." Well, Chankaska is getting very popular and busy, and the staff is working very hard to grow with the learning curve that's involved with a quickly booming business. They're all helpful and friendly, and we've never found a one who has ever been less than polite and accomadating. On a busy night you may have to wait for your pizza, but just add this to your list of expectations, and drink more wine! The facility is beautiful, and you can dress as you please - casual or fancy. It's up to you. You won't be disappointed with Chankaska!

Steve Rykhus

When it opens in the spring June 2018 have to go there to see the remodeling they are doing. It will look fantastic.

Tara Bischel

Beautiful grounds and delicious wine. We didn't try the food, but the brick oven pizzas looked very yummy! Tip- The Marquette is a wonderful local red!

Michelle Baker

Chankaska is a family favorite. It has a great atmosphere and an even better wine selection. My husband and I recently had our wedding reception in the Event Center at Chankaska. It was great working with Cynthia and the rest of the staff! Everyone was very accommodating and professional; the event space is absolutely beautiful! Several of our guests made comments about how beautiful the space and grounds are. We would gladly recommend Chankaska Creek Ranch & WInery to anybody considering hosting an event there.

Garrett Romines

Best winery in the area hands down. Went after work with my friend and had a blast. Staff was young and new, but very knowledgeable. Great service. My friend and I did the tasting, then later bought a bottle and food to relax on the patio. Beautiful grounds, selection of wines, and overall atmosphere.

Tom Baumgartner

Good food, good wine, it's been under construction for a while so that's getting a little old but otherwise nice place! Once they get it done probably in the next few months it should be gorgeous!

Diana Eide

Did a wine and gin tasting today. Was going to have pizza also, but they don’t serve food until noon. This seemed odd to me, if you open at 11 start serving food at 11. Wine was good, but could of used a little more guidance on what to taste. Will definitely check it out again.

Jordan Schultz

Great wine and amazing location. Definitely not a wine lover, but have really enjoyed everything I tried. Signed up for the Wine Circle on our second visit. Every person we have brought have loved the wine and location as well. Definitely would recommend to anyone looking for a relaxing evening and good variety of local grown wine.

Keri Gemmer

La Crescent and Frostbite wines were my favorite. Free half hour tours on the weekend are informative and the tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Only downside is most other winery's I have been to will give you a free tasting if you purchase a bottle or two of their wines, and this winery does not offer any such deals. Tasting glass is also not included, you have to purchase for $4.

Jeanine Sargent

Nice atmosphere, good pizza and great wine

karrie lawerance

Wonderful flavors Staff knowledgable beautiful views 2 Thumbs up!

Brad Pfeifer

Terrible experience!! Staff is poorly trained to say the least. If you are not a “member” be prepared to have an uncomfortable experience at best! Management was very rude and seemed to careless about our situation. It is very clear they only care about the bottom line. Not what a Winery is supposed to be about..… so sad!! We will take our business elsewhere.

Katie Eggert

Great tasting!

Jill Johnson

We had a wonderful time! Wine and food were great. Lovely location.

Jonathan Prochnow

Loved the varieties of gin and the food.

Jessica Clark

Arrived with about 20 people and a cake. Managment would not honor our reservation and wanted to put us by the elevator where they hang coats. Apparently they don't even take reservations....but we made one several weeks ago. We would not plan a birthday party and show up with that many people if we did not have a reservation. Management handled the situation very poorly and were EXTREMELY rude!!! We will never go back!!

Keith Newlander

Good winery and worth visiting!

Crystal Moreno

Horrible customer service. First time ever there, also first time drinking wine and I had ZERO help. The four ladies in the front just put menus in front of us and made sure to tell me "we don't do table side service." No introductions, no questions, and no suggestions on wine, she just left. Minutes later another couple comes in and the employee gave the other two, her complete attention and gave one on one customer service. Also the woman asked for our credit card to hold in the back, but she never asked the other couple.Never having been to this establishment I was definitely expecting to be helped by employees with better attitudes towards new customers, and be treated fairly with the equal amount of attention and customer service. I will never go there again.

Bridget Gilormini

Service was just okay. The place was very busy. It was difficult to determine if they had table service. Several staff passed us, we made eye contact, but we couldn't get their attention to ask a simple question. Made our way to the bar. Once there we were able to get our questions answered. We did the tasting. The wines are just "meh". Nothing special. The food was good. Overall a mediocre experience. Very pretty with a nice outside space.

Steve Moses

Amazing wine, friendly staff, great pizza, and next to a bubbling creek you can enjoy if you sit outside. Back again and discovered Chankaska also has spirits! The Apple Brandy and Straight Bourbon Whiskey were awesome! We also had the Thai Flatbread Pizza, very tasty. Wonderful place to relax!!

Steve Lubahn

Nice relaxing atmosphere with great wines. Also have their own like it whiskey and bourbon. Enjoy one of the wood fired pizza choices. Some really tasty pizza combinations and appetizers to pair with your beverage.

Nancy Fenrick

Always beautiful with great wine and food.

S Biermann

Sven needs to go back to his $1.275 bottle of wine. This place is amazing, top quality technology and equipment, great flavorful wines and a wonderful atmosphere. Very friendly service. I'm looking forward to my next visit.

JAMES GORDON

If im gonna go out I have to have a good reason, plenty of great reasons to go back there for me or anyone else that enjoys a good experience.

Intimadator Kulik

Beautiful grounds and facility. Wine tasting room is top shelf. Tables for inside or outside seating are available. Very enjoyable experience multiple wines to sample and buy. Minnesota and California varieties.

brenda weber

Had a great time with my daughter, sister, sister in law, and sons girlfriend. Awesome pizzas (4) cheese and meat platters (2) AND OF COURSE.......GREAT WINE

John Morales

Great prices and a great selection

Kris Nordgren

Fantastic winery a must see when in the area. Great food, wine, and venue.

Matt Bremseth

Went here as part of a wedding. Heard from multiple people the wine was ok but most of the wine had sediment at the bottom if the glasses. Beer was warm and flat served at the reception by young/inexperienced staff. Multiple people tried to explain that the CO2 needed to be adjusted on the kegs but staff would rather put glasses of beer in a bowl of ice to let the head settle, then top glass off with more warm foam. No manager onsite. Also had totes of rotting, fly infested fruit sitting in the parking lot. Bad service with a bad attitude.

Laurel F

A nice spot for a Mother's day gift - the tour was interesting and the staff were friendly. The wine wasn't my favorite - perhaps on the lighter side. The food was "OK". It is a lovely - but long - drive from the Twin Cities area. Would give 3.5 stars if I could.

Gail Chilman

Good wine and great entertainment.

Ann Studer

Horrible Customer Service! As a first timer, there was NO direction whatsoever. Upon entering there weren't signs saying seat yourself. Nobody was present upon entering and I had to find one of the many employees to ask for guidance, which even that wasn't very helpful. I learned to seat ourselves, but didn't know EVERYTHING was self serve, get your own wine (without any guidance or suggestions from the staff), order your own food (waiting and asking for help from the many 'busy' employees). Had we known everything was self serve, my husband and I would have gone somewhere else or stayed home and just bought a bottle of wine and cooked at home. The concept of self serve isn't awful, the lack of direction for new people is what made this place a confusing and frustrating place to dine. The amount of employees working seemed as though having waiters and waitresses would be a very doable thing and would make this place a great place to dine. The wine was good and it really is beautiful. The only thing that made it a little better was the band playing outside. They do have little s'more kits which you could make your own s'mores which was neat. I think if you know what to expect, it would be an okay place to dine. Unfortunately, our first time experience was not a good one and we do not plan to return.

Robert Kurowski

The atmosphere was very pleasant. Very clean. Wine was fabulous. Will definitely come back.

Jeff Fox

An awesome setting. Good wines & snack menu

Amandia Tawney

Wine was wonderful and so was the food

julie Steineke

Great place ,will be awesome when outdoor space is completed!

John Fell

Chankaska did a great job in hosting an event for our leadership team. We had a private tasting, tour of the grounds, meal, and terrific wines. Can't think of what Kris and Spencer could have done to give us a better experience. Another big thanks to you two and everyone at Chankaska for making our event so memorable.

Kris Brock man

Great for date night or hanging with the girls! Excellent wine, food and atmosphere.

Julie Manuel

The atmosphere, variety of wines, and knowledgeable staff make this a great place to grab a quick glass of wine, or sit and relax with food!

Nicole Johnson-Chavez

Prices were reasonable, staff was friendly, beautiful outdoor patio, not overly crowded, and our food came in a timely manner. The tiramisu was some of the best I have ever had ! You can do five tastings for $7 which I thought was right on point for price !

Calen Douglas Wilson

Great place for a date with the lady! Not too high class but not the least bit trashy. I really like the atmosphere.

Matt Sipe

This is one of the best wineries around Southern Minnesota. The grounds are simply stunning. We enjoyed a few glasses of wine as we walked the grounds strolling by the creek and sitting in their relaxing environment. Enjoyed it very much. Can't wait to get back there.

Scott Bergs

Beautiful day at the Creek. Wonderful place to spend a summer day ... or any day for that natter.

Kelsea Peterson

I loved it here. I went in the summer. They had live music and a huge bonfire that you could use to roast marshmellows. It was so beautiful. I had a wine passport and tried samples of the different wines. I really liked the Gewurztraminer wine.

Jennifer G

Excellent wine tasting!

Mischelle Toltzman

Awesome! Greate atmosphere and good wine. Limited seating so arrive early.

Trevor Rodgers

Came here for my 2nd time and loved it. Great selection, comfortable seating and the scenery is stunningly beautiful!

David Schmitt

Being part of their members circle was quite the good choice. Now, when we visit, we receive complementary wine tastings that leave me excited to return and enjoy all their offerings. While I can't evaluate their food choices, I am happy that their wines are not all the super-sweet types one would expect. There's a decent amount of variety.

Matt Elfert

Nice place with a relaxed atmosphere.

John Kraemer

Don’t believe any of these negative reviews. This place is wonderful. Every wine we tried we liked and the food was amazing!

Sven Loki

Overpriced for so-so tasting wines. I did like the Rose but 15 to 22 bucks for so-so wine and 7 bucks for 5 small measured tastes was over priced based on the tastes. We had much better wine and a down to earth atmosphere at Wilde Prairie winery in Brandon SD today. Prices were 14 to 18 and MUCH better. Snooty attitude at Chankaska....Won't be back Didn't buy any bottles here

Brittany Marie

Love this place! The people, the wine, the food, the scenery is incredible! It’s completely picturesque and the perfect place to go for an after work glass, date night or weekend night out! I’ve witnesses many weddings out here as well and they have an excellent event staff as well!

Melissa Abben

Beautiful venue for a summer wedding.

John Kidd

The best winery in Minnesota! Great wines, wonderful food especially the pizza. I love the chardonnay and Creekside White. Even the reds are wonderful even though I don't like reds normally. The staff is well trained and very helpful during the tasting. No complaints at all. I recommend to everyone that is a wine fanatic.

Orianna Maus

It was fantastic. Had great interactions with the staff, wine tasting sizes were generous, wine was delicious, and the live band was great. It was currently under construction and we were in the usual spot so I'm not sure how it normally is but regardless of being in the parking lot it was awesome.

Mitch Goudy

Amazing wine, people, and music.

Danny King

Wines were pretty good and the whiskey was surprisingly good, but the service is incredibly slow, it's confusing your first time here and the staff isn't overly friendly.

Gene Vogel

Had a great time, great staff. Then we got the bill. $25 for a Moscow Mule!? Ripoff. Now I know why the price wasn't posted with the "special".

Samantha Conway

Love going here but I wish they had a changing table and high chairs. We've brought our kids a few times and its not as family friendly.

Richard Glaze

Great winery. Always fun!

Sarah Millerbernd

Good food and excellent wine in a fantastic atmosphere! In the summer, music on the patio under the twinkly lights with a bonfire going is an experience to be had, the grounds are pristine. In the winter it is a bit more relaxed but still can get crowded when they have events. Personally, I like going on off hours when there aren't so many people there and playing board game.

REBECCA Elsenpeter

Great pizza, and pairings with wine!

Amanda Pilarczyk

I stopped here to visit on a business trip while staying in Mankato as I saw an advertisement in the hotel magazine. Reviews seem. ed ok and checked it out. The price for tastings is great and you get to pick which wines you want. I ended up doing two rounds of tastings. Their Riesling and Chardonnay are extremely good. For the reds I really enjoyed the Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon which are both great. I ended up purchasing a bottle of all four. The service was good but could be better. The first young lady didn't explain the wine tasting and just asked if I wanted to open a tab before giving me any further information. They could use some lessons in customer service and wine guidance to enhance the experience. Overall the wine and atmosphere are great. If I lived here this would have been a great establishment for a wedding. I highly recommend if you are in the area to stop in and have a tasting... Or two.

Doug Brown

Good atmosphere, nice wine, food, and spirit selection....looking forward to the new construction finale.

Leon Rayes

Love this place, amazing wine.

Phil Seibel

Beautiful grounds, great wine, what a great local option! Some of the best Minnesota wine I've had

Kyle Welty

I would not recommend purchasing wine via the web. I purchased wine on 5/2 with the hopes that it would be delivered to a location in MN by Mother's Day. I was suspicious when I didn't receive a confirmation email post purchase, but was hopeful that maybe it was just a glitch. Mother's Day came and went without a wine delivery. When I attempted to call, their phone system stated it would route me if I pressed a button, but would not route. It was simply a voice message on a loop directing you to press a button that does nothing. After notifying them of the situation via Facebook, I received an email from the owner several days later saying she would refund my money. A week went by with no refund and no update, so I had to dispute with my credit card to get my money back. This was 20 days after the initial purchase. I'm guessing that all the great reviews are not online customers.

Josh Landowski

Good wine, great atmosphere and amazing wood fired pizza.

Steph Smith

An incredibly cozy and friendly winery. They have great food and friendly service that is great an navigating you around their menu!

Josephine Stafford

This venue is gorgeous, perfect for your outdoor ceremony on the lawn in the woods and Italian winery inspired reception. The layout is perfect for keeping guests entertained, with a large bar and outdoor fire pit. It's really easy to get to and to find, for guests coming from out of town or who aren't familiar with the area. The bridal suite and groom's room are perfect spots to cozy up and get ready in. But those aren't the best parts of this venue. The best part? The staff. I have been to a LOT of weddings, and as a wedding planner I was blown away by how professional, courteous, kind and generous the staff was. Everything went off without a hitch because this venue understands that a wedding day can't reach perfection without support. THANK YOU guys for making my job that much easier and for ensuring that my couple had a perfect wedding day!