Ackerman Winery & Gifts

Location:
Ackerman Winery is located in the middle of the city of Amana. Since the signs start advertising for the winery and its attractions all the way 20 miles out on the interstate, you basically will just want to find your way into Amana, and you’ll find it there. Parking is right out back, so you don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot. Tons of available parking spots when I was there as well.
Short Version:
Great little winery with a lot of character and items to buy. If it has to do with wine, they probably sell it. Great wine selection, friendly service, and honestly, one of the best wine establishments that I’ve seen before.
Long Version:
This isn’t just a little winery. It’s actually relatively large on the inside, and as far as retail establishments go, they actually have a decent amount of stuff to offer you — probably at least an hours worth of entertainment if you stop and enjoy all of the various aspects. The building also offers men’s and women’s restrooms (as a note).
Tastings: Ackerman Winery wants you to enjoy their wines and pick a good one for you! They offer complimentary tastings of their wines in small, little cups at their counter. They offer up to six free-​of-​charge, so you can try out a whole bunch of the various wines that Ackerman Winery offers. It’s an informal tasting, so there’s no structure or anything to it; you just ask to try a taste!
Store: The store is really the fascinating part about Ackerman Winery & Gifts. This ISN’T just a winery! They have a large store in here that sells pretty much anything you could think of for wine-​related accessories — and it isn’t just boring stuff either. A lot of this is accessories and fun and playful items that I never would have thought about. They have neat stuff like wine bottle holders, wine bottle accessories, wine glasses, wine wall art, wine glass stands, wine purses, corkscrews, shirts, and much, much, more. It’s like a little wine emporium store.
Tour: Ackerman Winery offers a little self-​guided tour of the wine-​making process. It’s pretty bare bones, but it gives you a light look into the world of making wine. I don’t think they actually make their wine at this location anymore, but you can see the equipment and whatnot. The tour shows you the awards they’ve won and lets you look at some of their wine-​making equipment and tells you some of the history of Ackerman Winery. It’s about three-​rooms in size. I would have loved to see a lot more thorough details about the process and whatnot, though, but it’s a cute tour into the background and history of Ackerman Winery.
The employee who was working there (Jane) was super friendly. She was really talkative and not-​at-​all judgmental about wine. She was happy to make recommendations, and when I was checking out the bottles of Dandelion wines on the shelf, she offered me a small tasting cup full of it to try. (If you go, seriously give it a taste. I never would have thought of making wine from dandelions!) Great, friendly staff, and it was clear that she knew what she was doing.
Fantastic little winery, though. If this is any indication of the quality of the rest of the wineries in Amana that the city is known for, I think it’s time that I make an actual, longer trip to here.

I’ve been to Ackerman Winery and Gifts a couple of times. I’ve been impressed each time; not only with the wine and the ability to sample them, but also all of the other goodies they sell in the store. Décor, snacks, collectibles, etc. Definitely a must-​see if you’re touring the area. Something for everyone.

Great winery with plenty of parking to start your Amana tour. The Ackerman Winery, and nearby Heritage are owned by the same 5^th generation winemakers, and the commitment to great wine is evident. The staff is really nice and don’t make you feel like an idiot for not knowing anything about the «mystic» of wine.
Both are based out of historical Amana building and the Winery is where the production takes place. Take the time to walk to the back of the building and go on the walking tour which shows pictures of the Ackerman family making wine through the ages as well as the tanks, barrels, and bottling line. If you luck out (as we did on our trip) you can see the owners in action! In an age where everything you seem to buy is from somewhere else, it is cool to see what you are consuming is being made by the owners in the same building they sell it.
My wife is a wine snob and she really enjoyed the whites (chardonnay, zinfandel and riesling). I didn’t think I was much for wine, but they had a lot of great sweet wines of varying sweetness and ended up buying a 12 pack. They have a dandelion variety, and somehow it is both great tasting and actually taste like you think a dandelion might.

Gotta get off I-​80 and enjoy the town, the ladies are wonderful as they inform you of all their great wines. What a good time, great rheisling!

Ackerman winery sits on the right side of the street about a block into the main drag of the Amana colonies and it has become a place we stop every time we’re in town.
The wine they sell here is similar to that sold elsewhere in the town, but the one-​up they have here is the Winery tour! It’s not a huge tour, but you can walk to the back of the place and watch where the magic happens! They have won over 400 awards for their wines including 100 golds — I’m not completely sure what it means, but it seems like a good thing and I’d give some of their stuff gold medals if I was in such a position!
They have a 20+ varieties of wines there ranging from rhubarb to dandelion to red raspberry as well as more traditional varieties like merlot and chardonnay. The prices are excellent for what you’re getting — average 750 ml bottle price is less than $ 10, and 375 ml bottles are $ 6.95. They give discounts for 3, 6 and 12 bottle purchases and you often get a free wine class with a 12 bottle purchase!
For those not interested in wine, but rather the accessories, they have plenty of glasses, wine racks, and wine trinkets!
A great spot to kill some time and always a crowd favorite as they give out free samples of any winese they carry. Many of the wines they have are really sweet so even if you’re usually not a wine fan, you’ll probably find something you like here.
The staff is always very helpful and friendly as well. Worth stopping by to check out be it a quick drive up or an afternoon where you stop at every shop!