We made a quick stop at the beginning of our road trip around the Midwest and they had some decent…read moretasting wine. The staff was really nice too! One of the ladies heard about our road trip and gave us some great tips for stops along the way. We'll have to make time to come back sometime!

First time I visited the Amana Colonies, since moving to Midwest and stopped in this winery around…read more11:45am on a Saturday, we walked up to the counter were barely greeted and everyone was busy stocking and checking the orders. Once they noticed we were there, we said it was our first time, so we just read the menu and did a wine tasting with cheese for $14. The lady said okay, sit wherever. We sat in the back of the tasting room, there was no-one else in the place, she brought the wine and cheese to the table and left. No explanation, no entry into their wines, nothing. First off the glasses were thick, like used for beer tasting? no ability to see the legs on the wine. But what was I thinking? I had my doubts just given the names of the wines... Ember wine? Dandelion wine? Marquette rose? I proceeded to start with the ember - a red-ish wine... not full body, lacked depth. The rose, had an after finish of water that just ran off my tongue, a good rose has a crisp refreshing taste with balanced acidity and fruit notes... this was horrible. Next up the dandelion? I'm only to assume it's supposed to be like a chard, but honestly I left it on the table. Should it be warm like a mead? Confusing. I'm from the PNW and we are known for exceptional 90+point wines and family estates, so I know wines, and whatever I drank today, was not it. On my way out, other folks entered and were at the check in and the staff was more than willing to walk them through selections of wines for tastings. Wish I had that!

The Yelp name header says wine and gifts. I feel that is inaccurate. I saw neither…read more This is a Antique store of the first rank. Very well laid out with fair prices for the things we look for. He played nice country music the entire time. Many rooms and well organized. I did buy here. I collect Salt and Pepper Shakers and I found a another set I could not leave behind. This is one of my top three Antique stores so far in the Amana Colonies.

The Amana Colonies are old-school kitch, based on the original settlers and makers of your…read moredishwasher's and washing machines. The town is amusing to walk through, but skip the screw top rhubarb wine, and move on.

My parents went when I was a child and now I've introduced my adult children to our favorite…read morewinery! The staff are helpful and the wines are sweet and delicious. What more can I say? Visit Amana on your next trip and stock up for the holidays.

TLDR: history weirdo gives bonus star for old flavor wines and hopes they update their website…read more I'm the survivor of a late 1980s childhood transplant to Texas. Over the last few years when my parents have visited Iowa family they habitually hit the Amanas for themselves and have picked up wine for me. Ackerman is one of the now-familiar labels they have kindly brought back multiple times. At home in Tx, it's usually Pinot Grigio or Texas viognier/drier local mead by my plate or on the porch. I can do the sweets like port or moscato, and the Ackerman bottles I've gotten tend to hit closer to that spot. Not as bad as my friend S's dad's homemade fruit wine with sugar crust sealing the lid, but make no mistake. *Sweet* I usually ask my parents to find something unusual (their mango would qualify here, definitely not an endemic Iowa flavor) or local/historic like the dandelion wine I discovered probably two decades ago when I stopped at the Ox Yoke for lunch. Part of my heart belongs to throwback flavors like dandelion; not that long ago we as a nation were eating the greens in salads and the blossoms went into wines or jellies. This wine is great with friends or a book, I think the only thing I paired with it at any point was a handful of salted almonds. The only thing harder to find than dandelion in any form is rhubarb. PLAIN rhubarb, not half cut with strawberry. And my goodness, this rhubarb wine was the surprise gift because it was not as sweet as expected. Or perhaps misremembered or from another label. This rhubarb was comparatively pert and I loved it. The blueberry was lovely, an amazing deep garnet and as sweet as a moscato. Again, nice for dessert or sitting in the sunshine. Not really to pair with any sandwich or pasta but you do you--I started enjoying wine much more when I threw the pairing wheel away. The online site isn't navigable, frankly, and I hope they get someone to update it because they're missing sales. I didn't have the patience to call the listed phone number to see if I could even order for shipment (cross fingers, Tx has bent a lot of -OH rules already for the shutdown). I'll just say to Iowans who drive outside their state that 1. stashing a bottle or two for your weird foodie friends will probably prove rewarding for them, and 2. thanks very much for sharing.

Hidden gem! Wide selection of products - whiskey, wine, beer, and gifts! It's difficult to walk out…read moreof this cellar without buying more than you were planning to. The owner is also very pleasant and knowledgeable. Hoping they have wine tastings coming up this summer !

What a delightful place! Went there for a birthday party and enjoyed the space and atmosphere…read more While there we visited their little store ,which is stocked with gourmet goods and high end spirits. The owner, Lauren is is absolutely wonderful. Two minutes off the 380 Shueyville Swisher exit. Worth stopping by, the Secret Cellar won't be a secret for long!

This is a grocery store with an absolute CRAP wine section. DO NOT RECOMMEND, if you want a nice…read morebottle of wine. Besides that it's a grocery store nothing fancy.. Service was fine, not busy.

At first I was hesitant to enter the Hyvee spirits room. Figured it would be akin to Kmart having a…read moreliquor store and.with Barzini's and Jon's in town, why venture from greatness - dead wrong says I. This place is serious about libations! The manager here is a connoisseur of finer beverages and the place shows it. Upon entering you're greeted by plenty of wine. Highfaluntin bottles to three buck chuck and all things in between. To the back right is an amazing selection of larger bottles of microbrews that range from light to dark, to fruity to holly. Second only to Jon's and a couple spots in Seattle in variety and with a taste for any palate. To the left in the back are the six packs that again range from known to mysterious. The management is making a concerted effort to rotate the selection and seriously, it's rad. They're building the Iowa microbrew selection and have a great variety of regional and beyond brews. Best part is they'll often sell them individually. Liquor selection is good, however, the best part is that the manager will take requests. He's got some great connections and scores some tough regional favorites. Overall, I've been very impressed with the selection and service. A close second to Jon's and on par with Barzini's. Well played Hyvee!

Hours different than advertised on Yelp. Couldn't shop because they were closed…read more Business needs to keep current on their Yelp site

I live close to Westside Spirits, and I watched the place go from a Fas Fuel to a classy joint. I…read morekept meaning to stop by, and today I did. I had a little time to wander the aisles, and there's a lot of good stuff going on. The highlights: labels to find celebrity-owned brands, great gift ideas in stock, tons of mixers and accessories. The place was super clean, smelled nice, and the folks working were super friendly. They were quite happy to look up a wine and try to get it in stock, as well. Whatever negative perceptions of a liquor store you might have, this place defies them. I'll be stopping by more often.

I have been to this place multiple times and never had bad service. The people really make this…read moreplace a great place to visit. The owners are often around and a pleasure to talk to as well. The beer is obviously really good too. HD creates a good variety of beers to choose from and if you don't drink beer they do have a cooler with hard ciders and other drinks along with a few non alcoholic options. In the summer they have bands on the weekend and a canopy over most of the outdoor seating. In the winter the have igloos to keep warm. They don't have a kitchen so no food except free popcorn and a snack bowl of mixed nuts. You can buy a few things to eat like peanuts and beef jerky. Th location is just off the Cedar Valley Nature Trail so this is a good location for those that bike or hike on the trail. There is a large bike rack to accommodate those individuals. This is a must visit if you are in the area.

New brewery tucked back on main street in Ely. Walking up they have a great outdoor space for…read moregames and I'm sure it will attract riders from the bike trail. It was their grand opening weekend, but unfortunately they were still waiting on their brewers license so they only had guests beers on tap. While they don't serve food, they did have a good truck available for those who wanted to eat. When you walk in, it's not real big, and it was crowded because if the opening. I'm sure at other times it would be quite cozy. There are about 4 tables and bar seating with the brewery off to one side. The staff was very friendly even in light of them being swamped. I had a beer and chatted with one of the owners. I'm looking forward to trying their beers and getting back when it's not so crowded

Good selection, a bitchin play list bumping and good prices. Ya heard!!! I'll go back here when I'm…read morein town!

-Fantastic selection -Great environment…read more-Awesome staff My roommate and I went here to pick up a bottle to celebrate our 21st birthdays and could not have been happier with the experience. Spent a good half hour just talking with the clerk while we waited for midnight to roll around. Highly recommended.