Winemaking in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area

Whispering Bluffs Vineyard sits on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. The land of the vineyard is part of the Driftless area of southwest Wisconsin. About 100,000 years ago, glaciers bypassed this area. As a result, our grape vines grow in soil untouched by the glaciers yet nourished by thousands of years of nature’s changes.

Why Driftless?

Glaciers typically flatten the landscape and leave behind a mixture of rocks and gravel, boulders and residue called drift. Untouched by glaciers, the area is drift-less. Soils are primarily silt loam and clay loam on limestone bedrock.

Travel Wisconsin’s Great River Road

This unglaciated landscape features dramatic vistas – especially along the Mississippi River Valley where Whispering Bluffs is located. Travel the 250 miles of the Wisconsin Great River Road to experience the area’s abundant natural, historic, cultural and epicurean delights.

Almost 85 percent of the Driftless area sits within Wisconsin. Driftless Wisconsin lies about half way between Chicago, Illinois and Minneapolis, Minnesota. It encompasses all of Grant County, home to Whispering Bluffs Vineyard in Cassville and Whispering Bluffs Winery in Potosi.

A Climate for Producing Unique Wines

At Whispering Bluffs, limestone bluffs above the Mississippi River capture the sun’s warmth. Together, the slopes and river keep the air moving. Their interaction helps to protect the grapes from the cold.

Today we grow cold hardy grapes on this untouched soil, giving our wine a truly unique and wonderful flavor. More than 2,000 grape vines chosen for their taste qualities, winter hardiness and disease resistance grow across 7.5 acres at Whispering Bluffs Vineyard. Red grapes include Maréchal Foch, Marquette, Noiret, Petite Pearl and Concord. Our white grapes include Brianna, St. Pepin, Prairie Star and Lacrosse. We are constantly increasing the size of our vineyard and will plant additional Brianna and Edelweiss plants in 2019.

We invite you to taste the unique flavors the growing conditions of the Driftless area impart to our grapes. Open daily, the tasting room at Whispering Bluffs Winery offers samples of our award-winning red, white and dessert wines.