Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery

What Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery does

Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery is a privately held, family-owned Kansas farm winery that produces, bottles, and labels wine in Salina, Kansas, using grapes sourced from multiple vineyards across the state. The company was founded in 1991 by Steve Jennings and Kay Bloom, who hand-planted the first vines on a one-acre field in Salina; ownership transferred in November 2012 to George Plante, his daughter Nicki, and her husband Brock, who continue to operate the business today. The product portfolio centers on sweet wines, with two flagship SKUs — Sweet Lady (a sweet white marketed as a Moscato alternative) and River Valley Red (a Concord-based sweet red) — supplemented by Pink Catawba, seasonal offerings such as Christmas Wine and Heartland Red Velvet, and wine slushies.

The business operates a multi-channel direct-to-consumer model anchored by three owned physical locations: the main winery and tasting room at 2771 Centennial Road in Salina (with a newly remodeled interior, outdoor patio, and group capacity of up to 8), the Under the Cork outlet at 110 North Main Street in Lindsborg, and the Kansas Originals Wilson Wine Tasting Outlet at 233 HWY 232 in Wilson. Distribution extends to Kansas liquor stores statewide, online wine shipping via Vinoshipper, branded merchandise (wine-themed shirts and gift boxes) shipped via USPS/UPS, and digital and physical gift cards. Pricing is straightforward pay-as-you-go: $8 for a five-wine flight at the Salina tasting room, complimentary 1-ounce samples at the two outlets, and $2 off glasses during Tuesday-Friday happy hours (4-6pm).

Revenue is supplemented by private event hosting (winery rental and off-site tastings) and seasonal participation in Kansas farmers markets, craft shows, and community festivals (e.g., Salina River Festival, Tulip Festival, Wichita Holiday Fair). Marketing is community-led, relying on an email newsletter, the Squarespace-hosted website, and event sampling rather than paid digital acquisition. With 1-10 employees, Kansas-only geography, and no disclosed revenue, the company operates as a small lifestyle/lifestyle-adjacent business rather than a venture-scale venture.

Name

Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery

Legal name

Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery

Website

https://smokyhillwinery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery is a family-owned Kansas farm winery producing sweet wines from in-state grapes and selling directly to consumers via three Kansas tasting rooms, online shipping, liquor store distribution, and community events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Winery

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAB), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Wine production
• Farm winery
• Wine tasting
• Bottled wine sales
• Vineyard operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Salina

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wine Sales: Direct sales of bottled wines to consumers at tasting rooms, online via Vinoshipper, and through Kansas liquor stores. Flagship products include Sweet Lady (sweet white) and River Valley Red (sweet red).
2. Wine Tastings: $8 flight of 5 wines at the Salina tasting room. Complimentary 1-ounce samples at Under the Cork and Kansas Originals outlets.
3. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including wine-themed shirts, gift boxes, and other items.
4. Gift Cards: Digital e-gift cards and physical in-store gift cards available in any denomination for in-store purchases.
5. Happy Hour: $2 off glasses of wine during Happy Hour (Tues-Fri 4-6pm).
6. Private Event Hosting: Winery rental space for private gatherings and events. Rates dependent on group size and timeline.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery produces, bottles, and labels wines in Salina, Kansas, using grapes sourced from multiple Kansas vineyards. It sells its own bottled wines (flagships Sweet Lady and River Valley Red) direct to consumers through three tasting rooms, online shipping via Vinoshipper, and Kansas liquor store distribution. The winery also offers staff-led wine tastings, private event hosting, and branded merchandise.

Product overview

Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery is a Kansas-based winery producing and bottling wines in Salina, KS. Their portfolio centers on sweet wines, with flagship offerings Sweet Lady (white) and River Valley Red (red), alongside Pink Catawba and seasonal varieties like Christmas Wine and Heartland Red Velvet Wine. The company operates an e-commerce store for direct wine shipping and merchandise sales, and offers wine tasting experiences at their main Salina location and two tasting outlets in Lindsborg (Under the Cork) and Wilson (Kansas Originals). They also provide private event hosting and participate in community events across Kansas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Under the Cork: Wine-tasting outlet store located at 110 N. Main Street in downtown Lindsborg, KS. Open Fri & Sat 11am-5pm. Offers complimentary 1-ounce wine samples and bottles for purchase.
• Kansas Originals - Wilson Wine Tasting Outlet

Products and services

• Sweet Lady Flagship sweet white wine from Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery, known for tropical fruit flavors and a slightly acidic finish, marketed as a Moscato alternative. Sold by the bottle to consumers through tasting rooms, online, and Kansas liquor stores.
• River Valley Red Top-selling sweet red wine produced from Concord grapes with a sweet, jammy flavor, described as easy drinking 'adult' grape juice. Sold by the bottle to consumers through tasting rooms, online, and Kansas liquor stores.
• Pink Catawba Popular pink wine offered at Smoky Hill wine tastings and featured among the winery's most popular wines.
• Branded Merchandise Wine-themed merchandise including t-shirts and gift boxes offered to consumers via the winery shop.
• Gift Cards Digital e-gift cards and physical in-store gift cards available in any denomination, redeemable for in-store purchases at Smoky Hill locations.
• Wine Tastings Staff-led wine tasting experiences at the Salina tasting room ($8 flight of 5 wines), with complimentary 1-ounce samples at Under the Cork (Lindsborg) and Kansas Originals (Wilson).
• Private Event Hosting and Off-Site Wine Tastings Farm Winery service providing private off-site wine tastings at customer locations and a winery rental space for private gatherings, with rates dependent on group size and timeline.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Vox Vineyards: Kansas winery based in Paola, KS with a tasting room and on-site events. Directly comparable Kansas farm winery competing for local wine tourism and DTC customers with similar small-scale craft positioning.
• Grace Hill Winery: Kansas farm winery located in Whitewater, KS producing estate wines and operating a tasting room. Directly comparable as a Kansas DTC winery targeting the same central-Kansas consumer base with a similar tasting-room-led model.
• Wyldewood Cellars: One of the largest Kansas wineries, based in Paxico with multiple tasting rooms across the state. Direct competitor for Kansas shelf space, DTC tasting room traffic, and agritourism visitors; comparable product mix including sweet and fruit-forward wines.
• White Tail Run Winery: Kansas farm winery producing grape and fruit wines with a tasting room. Comparable as a Kansas-based DTC winery competing for the same hyper-local consumer base with similar sweet-leaning product positioning.
• Liquid Art Winery: Kansas winery and tasting room operating in Manhattan, KS. Direct peer in the central-Kansas DTC winery category with overlapping event-hosting and tasting-flight revenue models.

Broad incumbents

• Bogle Vineyards: Large California family-owned winery with broad distribution and DTC tasting room. Comparable as a multi-generational family winery, though far larger in scale and distribution reach; Bogle competes in the same off-premise Kansas liquor store channels.
• Trinchero Family Estates (Sutter Home): Major US wine producer best known for the Sutter Home sweet white wine brand — the most direct mass-market analog to Smoky Hill's Sweet Lady. Broad incumbent competing in the same Kansas liquor store channels and consumer sweet-wine segment.

Regional players

• Pirtle Winery: Missouri farm winery operating a tasting room in Weston, MO. Comparable as a Midwestern farm winery with a DTC tasting-room-led model competing in the same broad regional wine tourism category.
• Les Bourgeois Vineyards: Missouri winery and tasting room operation along the Missouri River near Rocheport. Comparable as a Midwestern winery with strong DTC tasting-room, food, and event-driven revenue model targeting regional wine tourists.
• Stone Hill Winery: One of the largest and oldest wineries in Missouri (Hermann, MO), with tasting rooms and a long history of award-winning wines. Comparable Midwestern farm winery with similar multi-generational, tasting-room-led DTC model, though operating in a different (Missouri) state.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SmokyHillWinery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery