“An island of grapes in an ocean of grass” — that’s how the owners describe a vineyard in the middle of Sandhills cattle country south of Nenzel, and it’s perfect. This is a working beef ranch that started growing grapes in 2002, producing hand-crafted, award-winning wines from a landscape famous for beef, not vines.
The tasting room is seasonal — May through September, Wednesday through Sunday afternoons (Mountain Time out here) — which makes a visit feel like an event. You’re tasting wine on a cattle ranch in the northern Sandhills; the novelty never quite wears off, and the quality keeps it from being a gimmick.
Pair it with a Niobrara River trip. The Cherry County wine-and-dine itinerary exists for exactly this.