A little background

Sovereign Estate Winery is a family owned and operated vineyard and winery located near Lake Waconia, 30 minutes outside of downtown Minneapolis.  The winery was started by  Paul Savaryn, the winery and property owner, when he had been told by his father that the south facing slope would be idea for growing fruit.  He and his wife started the vineyard in 2008 after a year’s worth of practice vines to see how they would grow.  Today, Paul’s son Ben and his wife Hana, work there, as well as his step brother Isaac.  SEW is in their fourth winemaking season and their wines are distributed by a small handful of sellers.  The majority of their wine is still sold at their winery to accommodate the large number of visitors.

We were fortunate enough to meet Paul when my fiance and I visited SEW this past weekend.  He was upbeat, friendly and was more than willing to explain his craft to us.  We both were thankful to hear the history of their winery  and to learn about different types of grapes and the flavors that each yields.

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 My thoughts

My fiance wanted to take me on a surprise date this past weekend and what better way to do that than visiting a winery!  He definitely hit the nail on the head with this one.  Note only was I able to get content for this blog, but we would be able to sample local wines!  Luckily, SEW is open on Sundays and for a small fee of $5, we’re able to sample five of their wines.  He scored some pretty big brownie points with me for finding this gem.  Here’s what we thought …

I’m not  going to pretend that I have a vast knowledge of wine, but I’ve had my fare share of them to know the difference between a mediocre wine and something of quality.  Sovereign Estate Winery definitely produces wines of quality for both red and white wine lovers alike.  Don’t believe me?  Feel free to check out the awards won from their most popular wine, Talon Crest.

Talon Crest won a gold medal in 2011 at the American Wine Society judging in New York.  This is a semi-sweet, fruity white wine and was a smashing hit with my fiance and me.  With notes of apricot, green apple and an orange zest finish, it is quite refreshing.  We decided to order two more glasses of this wine while listening to a local band that SEW was hosting for the day.  My fiance and I loved this wine so much, we had to bring a bottle home with us.

Their La Crescent is a dry, fruity wine.  It’s a French-American hybrid that is descended from the Seyval Blanc grape.  You can definitely taste the apricot and apple notes in this wine.  I tend to like whites better than reds (my fiance does, also) so this one struck a chord with us.  This wine was a little on the drier side, but we didn’t mind much.

Blue Loon was our second favorite wine of the day, behind the Talon Crest.  Not only did this wine have a delightful aroma, but the taste was astounding.  We could definitely pick out the floral notes from this wine and welcomed the citrus aftertaste.  Blue Loon was nice and crisp, perfect for a summer day.  It’s made from the Traminette grape, which is a hybrid of the Gewurztraminer.

The last wine we had was their Tenuta Di Sovrano, which is a light, dry red wine.  This wine is an Italian-styled Sangiovese that has undertones of plum and spicy clove.  To put it simply, I loved it.  I would probably have purchased a bottle, but we couldn’t resist their Talon Crest.  For red wine lovers, this is definitely one for you.  SEW recommends pairing this wine with traditional Italian fare for one unforgettable dinner.

We’re definitely going back to this place.  They have host events throughout the summer and will debut their new collection of wines June 8th of this year.  This collection will feature their estate grown grapes.  In addition, they’ve crafted a red wine version of their original Talon Crest.  Excited?  You bet we are!

For a full view of their wine list, check out the link below:
Wine List

Also, be sure to walk around their garden when you visit.

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