Round Lake Vineyards and Winery

We were making our way to South Dakota, so we needed a place to stay between Iowa and Sioux Falls, SD. Why not stay at a winery on a lake? Round Lake Vineyards and Winery was in a perfect location and is a Harvest Hosts affiliate. Harvest Hosts are all over the country and allow you to park your RV for free for the night and support local at the same time!

Support Local!

And support we did! We sampled all of the red wines - Sangiovese, Gander, Heron, and Drake, with the Gander being our favorite. We also indulged in a jumbo Bavarian pretzel with beer cheese dip, the Round Lake burger, and the chicken bacon ranch flatbread. After our delicious meal, the owner came out and chatted with us and told us we could wander around the vineyards with our wine. We walked along the lake and vineyards as the sun was setting, while sipping on wine.

History of the Vineyards

Round Lake Vineyard and Winery is owned by Scott and Jenny Ellenbecker. The land has only been used as a vineyard since 2007, but has been in Jenny’s family for years. It used to be a wildlife bird preserve where many ornithologists came to study. You can still see beautiful birds like egrets wandering the property. I don’t remember the specifics, but Scott told us it took three years for the vines to start producing viable grapes that they could harvest for wine.

This place is truly magical. We highly recommend coming to try the food, obviously try all the wines, and explore the grounds. They even have a separate building to host wedding receptions. Scott had to step away from chatting with us to go drive a bride and groom around the vineyards.