Without a doubt, you need to have an open mind in trying these wines. They are funky and unlike any typical wine varieites you've had before and are made in small batches with local ingredients like rhubard, dandelion, elderberry, apple, Dakota cherry. With that said the tasting is free and you can try whatever your heart desires. Friendly guy helping us out and i completely forgot his name. I took home the 375 dandelion wine and it was light and fragrant. Something I could see myself sipping while on a ferry boat, in a sun dress and a big sun hat... Prob going to end up being me on the pool deck but hey, a girl can dream. An acquired taste for sure, but definitely give the different kinds a try as I'm sure theres something for everyone here. They also have a sister distillery two doors down which we went to as well that has cordials, brandies, and vodkas. The apple one was AWESOME and you could barely taste any liquor..sensual but deadly read more

There are three parts to a Winery: the Product; the Service and the Atmosphere. I can only comment on the Product and the Service, as my purchase was through the website, so I'm going to replace Atmosphere with Delivery! Here's something else - Wine. I like it or I don't. I am unschooled and uncool - running on flavor only... Some of you may think I should just stick to beer, but you just don't get to pick what I drink, so here goes: Dandelion Wine Party 2013: Maple River was the only place I could find Dandelion Wine. So I bought a case and had it shipped to my friend in Ohio. Packaging was spectacular and everything arrived in perfect condition. Signature was required. The wine itself tastes "green" and earthy. Very different and a definite discussion point and treat for all guests. The bottles were beautiful: 375ml, but very long and narrow - further adding to the discussion. The website gives a lot of background on how the wine was made, which I love!... 100 yellow flowers/375ml! Is that an interesting piece of trivia, or what?! The website was easy-peasy and shipping was free, due to volume. Although it's a hassle to impose on a friend outside of PA for delivery - this transaction went smoothly, the service was fabulous and the product was unique and inspired some great conversation. read more

This is a neat little business making decent fruit wines with some different twists. I'm not generally a fan of non-grape wines, but we ended up buying four bottles from them and two bottles of a blended vodka from their distillery a few doors down. They had some different wines: lilac wine (which was good), apple jalapeno wine (very interesting), and elderberry. The elderberry is listed as having a merlot-like flavor. It doesn't, but it's good on its own. I wish they had grape-based wines, like another winery a little further west on I-94 (which was closed). If they did I might give them 4 stars based on their hospitality and what they've been able to accomplish with a rather limited fruit selection. They do sell a lot of North Dakota-made items in the gift shop, so this is worth a stop even if you're not a wine-lover. read more

Very disappointed. My boyfriend & I were driving through North Dakota on a road trip back to Oklahoma. We wanted to try a winery while in North Dakota and found Maple River was on our route. We detoured making sure we could make it with enough time to taste a little bit before they closed at 5:00 pm. We got to the gift store first at 4:30 pm. The sign said Open but a note on the door said "Go two doors down". We went two doors down to the Distillery/Winery but there was a note on that door that said "Be Back Shortly". We waited around for 30 minutes to see if anyone was coming back but they never showed up. I called the phone number but no one answered. If you are going to detour from your route to go by Maple River Winery I would definitely call to confirm they will be open since their hours don't appear to be set in stone. read more

Really great wine and cordials! My favorite by far is the bubblebee wine, its a super sweet red if thats what you are into like me ;) Pro tip: you can go to the actual winery taste the wines and spirits plus schedule a time to tour the facility. read more

I love the rhubarb wine & cordial liquor. It is very Midwestern and local. The staff is amazing & free tasting. Made out Fargo trip.

Maple River Winery/Distillery have a great choice of alcoholic beverages. You can sample any beverage that is currently available to purchase. The staff is very friendly and can recommend great mixer choices. I'm a fan of sweet wine so they rhubarb and strawberry rhubarb wine are great. Their apple cordial is a great choice to sip on during winter or summer with a little 7 up. Finally their rhubarb vodka is great with a splash of lemonade. read more

I was a little nervous walking in but this place turned out to be a gem. My rating is based on what and where this place is, not comparing it to Napa/Sonoma or Willamette Valley. I used to be a bit of a wine snob until the economy corrected my wine budget, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Everything I tasted was excellent! Very friendIy, personal service. Only had room for one bottle in my suitcase and after tasting through about a dozen different wines I went with the Dakota cherry. Keep in mind, this is all non-grape fruit wine. No vitis vinifera here. Just approach these wines with an open mind. The distillery didn't look open. read more