Deer Springs might have the best origin story in Nebraska wine: founder Jim Partington was a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral and strike fighter pilot who came home to Lincoln, decided to try gentleman farming on the family homestead, and ended up planting grapes. The winery opened its tasting room in 2007; the wines have been winning national and international medals ever since.
The tasting room is the original farmhouse, carefully renovated to keep its 1800s character, on land deeded to ancestor Patrick O’Halloran in 1874 by President Ulysses S. Grant himself. Pine trees surround the property, and the whole place has a peaceful, out-of-time feel — minutes from east Lincoln, but it doesn’t feel like it. Winemaker Jennifer Reeder (the Partingtons’ daughter) makes the award-winning lineup.
Live music on weekends, a gift shop, breads and cheeses alongside the tasting — it’s the complete package, and the closest great winery to Lincoln.