Wollersheim voted one of country's best winery tours
California's Napa Valley may be the best area in the country for sipping some sweet fermented grapes, but don’t overlook another winery close to home.
Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac was voted as having one of the 10 best winery tours by the readers of USA TODAY’s 10Best.
The winery isn't without its ties to California. In the 1840s, Hungarian immigrant Agoston Haraszthy planted a vineyard and dug a wine cellar on a hillside near the Wisconsin River. The grapes, however, could not survive Wisconsin's harsh winters, so Haraszthy headed west to become the father of California viticulture. His Buena Vista Winery still stands in Sonoma, Calif., today.
It was the only Wisconsin winery to make the list, which included six California wineries, and wineries in Illinois, New York and Virginia.
Great lakes
Lakes are popular destinations for summer getaways, and with more than 15,000 in Wisconsin, there are plenty to choose from.
But two of its greatest lakes may offer the best options. Travel + Leisure magazine included Lake Superior and Lake Michigan in its list of America's best lake vacations.
The article mentions the fishing opportunities on Lake Superior in particular, but the coldest, deepest and largest of the Great Lakes offers plenty of other recreational pursuits including kayaking, sailing and simply relaxing on a beach.
For Lake Michigan, the magazine noted the lake's 1,600-mile shoreline offers more beaches than any other lake in the country.
Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin's largest inland lake, also made the list, and was noted for its windsurfing opportunities thanks to a steady breeze and easily accessible launches. The relatively shallow lake also means water temperatures are fairly warm this time of year.
About This Feature
How do we rate? There is no shortage of lists, rankings and charts to tell us. Adding Us Up is a recurring look at where Milwaukee and Wisconsin rank on the latest lists, from the semi-serious to the silly. If you spot a ranking that rates, share it with us at greensheet@jrn.com.