Studio Winery & Geneva Lake Distillery, Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva’s Studio Winery opened first in this building right off the former Highway 120 on the way between the U.S. 12 freeway and downtown Lake Geneva. Geneva Lake Distilling became the expansion a few years later, and together they offer a wide variety of wines and spirits, all produced onsite. Their facility is billed as an “art studio, music studio, wine & spirit studio”, encompassing art and creativity as well as craft beverages.

The owners, Doug and Kathy Jackson, blend art with their beverage crafting throughout the Tasting Room, the outdoor patio, and the other rooms (this place is pretty big). Doug is the main winemaker and distiller, as well as a keyboard player; Kathy is a painter and glass artist. You’ll find plenty of adorning artwork throughout.

Studio Winery produces a nice variety of sparking, white, red, rose, sweet, and dessert wines. All can be sampled in a flight served on a colorful artist palette as you sip and enjoy all the art on the walls in the tasting room. Our last visit included:

Pink, a dry tart cherry sparkling wine

Heart, a dry rose

Amadeus, a semi-dry white wine

Dry white wines including Mode Blanc, Chardonnay, and Estate Frontenac Blanc

Hendrix, a semi-dry red

Dry red wines including Cabernet Franc, Marquette Reserve (using Marquette grapes, a Wisconsin- and Minnesota-grown grape that was cultivated originally by researchers at the University of Minnesota), St. Croix Reserve, Foch Reserve, and Petite Pearl.

Sweet Wines and Dessert Wines include Coltrane, a sweet white; Axl, a semi sweet rose; Ringo, a sweet red, Zappa, a sweet white dessert wine; and Joplin, a sweet Ruby Port.

Studio Winery also concocts a vermouth they call Bjork, both a dry and sweet version.

Geneva Lake Distilling crafts a 90-proof Vodka, a 100 proof Moonshine, a 90 proof Rum, Brandy, Whiskey, and Bourbon – which is aged at least 6 months in Wisconsin oak barrels. They craft cocktails with them, of course, and they suggest their signature Old Fashioned but of course they’ll craft up whatever you want!

You can enjoy four samples for $12, or for free when you purchase $30 worth of wine or spirits. Their wines generally run $8-12 per glass, or $21-$50 per bottle. Spirits are generally $30 per bottle; the Bourbon at last check was $40. Snacks are available, and they’ll offer palette-cleansing oyster crackers so you can sample each beverage with a clean set of taste buds.

You’ll find Studio Winery & Geneva Lake Distilling on Sheridan Springs Road on the north side of Lake Geneva. The building’s back side faces the main road leading to U.S. 12, known as Interchange Road at that spot but Sheridan Springs continuing west. It eventually curves south as Williams Street to reach Lake Geneva’s downtown. The road was originally Highway 120, although now 120 follows U.S. 12 around the side of town (we hate bypasses sometimes!) You can reach it easily from U.S. 12 via the Highway 120 exit but heading west towards town; it’s also an easy reach from Highway 50 either via a short hop on U.S. 12 to the Highway 120 exit or by heading north from downtown via Broad Street, which turns into Williams and then Sheridan Springs. Just follow it, we promise it will take you there!