Three Lakes Winery

What Three Lakes Winery does

Three Lakes Winery is a family-owned American winery founded in 1972 by the McCain family and headquartered in Three Lakes, Wisconsin. It is the second-oldest winery in the state and the original producer of cranberry wine, with a portfolio of 27 SKUs spanning single-fruit wines (Wisconsin Cranberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Elderberry, Marion Blackberry, Pomegranate, Pumpkin, Red Raspberry, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Wisconsin Wild Plum), blended fruit wines (Cabin Blend, Black Cab, Cranberry Cherry, Cranberry Pomegranate, Cranberry Raspberry, Cranberry Rhubarb, Cran Zen, Holiday Harvest, Northwoods Blend, Old Glory, Strawberry Rhubarb, Trail Blazer), and a smaller selection of grape wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Lake Side Moscato, Riesling, Zinfandel). The company differentiates on a proprietary whole berry fermentation methodology developed over more than 50 years, producing wines strictly from whole fruits and berries without added flavorings, juices, or grape wine bases; all wines are gluten-free and bottled at 10–12% alcohol in standard 750ml format.

The core technology is the whole berry fermentation process, which is positioned as the company's primary production moat and underpins its authenticity claims versus competing fruit wineries. Operations are run by a small team (headcount band 11–50) with no external funding, parent company, or subsidiary structure disclosed. Distribution is direct-to-consumer only, combining a destination retail tasting room housed in the historic 1880 Chicago and Northwestern train depot at 6971 Gogebic Street with a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront that ships to most US states (with regulatory exclusions in 22 states).

The revenue model is direct-to-consumer bottle sales at a uniform $15.00 per 750ml bottle, augmented by tasting-room walk-in traffic, on-site gift and specialty food purchases, and a cause-marketing partnership (Trail Blazer wine) that donates $2 per bottle to the Three Eagle Trail Foundation. Customer segments are exclusively consumer — individual wine enthusiasts, gift buyers, tourists visiting the Three Lakes area, and shoppers seeking gluten-free fruit wines — with no B2B, wholesale, or hospitality accounts disclosed. Marketing is executed through organic social (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Google Plus), an email newsletter/mailing list, and the website's content/blog funnel.

Name

Three Lakes Winery

Legal name

Three Lakes Winery

Website

https://tlwinery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Three Lakes Winery is a family-owned Wisconsin winery founded in 1972 by the McCain family, producing 27 fruit, berry, and select grape wines via a proprietary whole berry fermentation process and selling them direct-to-consumer at $15 per 750ml bottle through a tasting room and Shopify e-commerce site.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fruit Wines

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Wineries (31213), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB), Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Fruit wine production
• Wine tasting services
• Wine retail
• Berry wines
• Specialty beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Three Lakes

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine Sales: Direct-to-consumer wine sales through e-commerce website and tasting room. Wines are sold in 750ml bottles at $15.00 per bottle. The company also sells wine-related gifts and specialty foods at the winery.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Three Lakes Winery manufactures and sells a portfolio of 27 fruit, berry, and grape wines (including cranberry, blueberry, cherry, elderberry, raspberry, pomegranate, and seasonal blends) produced via proprietary whole berry fermentation with no added flavorings, juices, or grape bases. Wines are sold in 750ml bottles at $15.00 USD each through the company's Shopify online store and a physical tasting room in Three Lakes, Wisconsin. All wines are certified gluten-free with 10-12% alcohol content.

Product overview

Three Lakes Winery is a family-owned winery founded in 1972 by the McCain family, specializing in fruit and berry wines made from whole fruits without additional flavorings or juices. The product portfolio consists of 27 distinct wine products, including single-fruit wines (Wisconsin Cranberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Elderberry, Marion Blackberry, Pomegranate, Pumpkin, Red Raspberry, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Wisconsin Wild Plum), blended fruit wines (Cabin Blend, Black Cab, Cranberry Cherry, Cranberry Pomegranate, Cranberry Raspberry, Cranberry Rhubarb, Cran Zen, Holiday Harvest, Northwoods Blend, Old Glory, Strawberry Rhubarb, Trail Blazer), and grape wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Lake Side Moscato, Riesling, Zinfandel). The winery's signature product is the Original Cranberry Wine, which has won gold medals since 1972. Products are sold in standard 750ml glass bottles with alcohol content of 10-12%. The wines are true table wines, gluten-free, and processed using whole berry fermentation for authentic fruit flavor. The winery operates both a retail store in Three Lakes, Wisconsin and an online store powered by Shopify.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wisconsin Cranberry Original award-winning semi-sweet wine made from whole Wisconsin cranberries. Winner of many gold medals since 1972. True fruit wine with semi-sweet, easy-to-enjoy taste.
• Cabin Blend (Cranberry Blackberry) Cranberry Blackberry Wine combining two award-winning wines. Smooth blend of cranberry and blackberry.
• Blueberry Gold Medal winning semi-sweet wine made from whole, ripe blueberries. Presented in a cobalt blue wine bottle. Good served chilled, at room temperature, or with creamy desserts.
• Black Cab Sweet, rich, and complex blend of Blackberry with Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich, complex flavors with balanced sweetness.
• Cabernet Sauvignon Full-bodied yet mellow red wine with black cherry, leather, ginger and cedar nuances. Pairs with red meat, tomato-based sauces, hearty sauces, and dark chocolate.
• Cherry Wine made from fresh fruit fermented whole with no additional colorings or flavorings. Reflects perfected art of fruit wine making.
• Cran Zen Semi-sweet Cranberry and Zinfandel blend combining semi-sweet Original Cranberry Wine with bold, spicy flavors of American Zinfandel.
• Cranberry Cherry Blend of cornerstone Cranberry Wine with top-selling Cherry wine.
• Cranberry Pomegranate Gold Medal combination of Cranberry Wine with Pomegranate, blending tart cranberry with sweet pomegranate.
• Cranberry Raspberry Blend of tart and sweet berries with sweet, luscious raspberry nose and zesty lemon and warm jam after-tastes.
• Cranberry Rhubarb Special blend of tart cranberries with mild rhubarb. Well-rounded wine that has been a favorite for over a decade.
• Elderberry Semi-sweet wine reminiscent of young red wine with distinctive, complex and hearty flavor; deep color and rich, smooth taste.
• Holiday Harvest (Cranberry Rhubarb) Seasonal cranberry-rhubarb blend available October through December in a festive holiday label, intended for gift giving and holiday meals.
• Lake Side (Moscato) Refreshingly light bodied Moscato, slightly sweet with a crisp finish. Serve chilled.
• Marion Blackberry Well-rounded, semi-sweet, smoky and smooth wine using premium whole Marion Blackberries from Oregon.
• Northwoods Blend (Cranberry Moscato) Cranberry Moscato blend combining award-winning Wisconsin Cranberry Wine with delicate Moscato. Serve chilled.
• Old Glory (Cranberry Blueberry) Gold Medal-Winning blend named in honor of two berries native to America, combining cranberry and blueberry into a semi-sweet wine.
• Pomegranate Wine produced strictly from pomegranates without flavorings or grape wine base.
• Pumpkin Smooth, semi-sweet wine similar to traditional Chardonnay, made only from pie pumpkins.
• Red Raspberry Rich, velvety wine not too sweet, bursting with fresh, ripe raspberry aromas. Top seller; pairs well with cheesecake.
• Riesling Semi-dry, well-balanced white wine with elegant body and long finish. Food pairings include seafood salad, mild fish, and Japanese cuisine.
• Rhubarb (formerly Piestengel Pink) Mild, semi-sweet and smooth wine with all-natural pink color, made strictly from rhubarb.
• Strawberry Gold Medal Winner wine made from whole strawberries. Simple and refreshing with fresh strawberry aroma.
• Strawberry Rhubarb Wine blending fragrant but not-too-sweet strawberries with rhubarb, with hints of ginger, cherries and vanilla. Serve well chilled.
• Trail Blazer Pomegranate Wine blended with Pinot Grigio. $2 from each bottle sold is donated to the Three Eagle Trail Foundation to support trail development.
• Wisconsin Wild Plum Wine from native Wisconsin wild plums with sweet juice and very tart skin, fermented on skins to create lush nutty flavor. Pairs well with wild game.
• Zinfandel Spicy dry red with delightful aroma and full range from black pepper to raspberry tones. Pairs with barbecued foods, Indian or Mexican foods, tomatoes and citrus fruit.
• Wine Tasting Room Experience Free in-store tasting experience at the historic Three Lakes tasting room (located in an 1880 Chicago and Northwestern train depot at 6971 Gogebic St, Three Lakes, WI), open seven days a week year-round, allowing visitors to sample up to 6 wines.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Three Eagle Trail FoundationminorOthersTrail Blazer wine is a blend of Pomegranate Wine and Pinot Grigio. $2 from each bottle sold is donated to the Three Eagle Trail Foundation to support trail development. The partnership provides a charitable giving component tied to product sales.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St. James Winery: Missouri-based winery specializing in fruit wines (strawberry, blueberry, peach, cherry, cranberry) with a similar DTC and tasting-room model. Most directly comparable peer given shared fruit-wine focus, multiple gold medals, and DTC distribution approach.

Regional players

• Door Peninsula Winery: Wisconsin winery with multiple tasting locations, a fruit-wine-heavy portfolio (cherry, apple, cranberry), and DTC e-commerce. Comparable Wisconsin-tourism positioning and overlapping fruit-wine SKU set.
• Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery: Illinois-based family-owned winery with tasting room and DTC. Comparable as a small, multi-generational Midwest family winery relying on tourism and direct-to-consumer channels in a similar regional market.
• Lautenbach's Orchard Country Winery: Door County, Wisconsin winery producing fruit wines (cherry, apple, cranberry) from on-site orchards with a tasting room and farm-market retail. Comparable Midwest fruit-wine producer with tourism-driven DTC model.
• Lemon Creek Winery: Family-owned Michigan/Wisconsin-border winery with tasting room and estate-grown fruit and grape wines. Comparable as a small Midwest family winery combining fruit wines with traditional varietals in a tourism-driven DTC model.
• Breitenbach Wine Cellars: Ohio Amish-country winery producing grape and fruit wines with a tasting room and DTC. Comparable small craft winery with similar fruit-wine diversification and Midwest regional tourism positioning.
• Wollersheim Winery: Wisconsin's oldest winery, located in Prairie du Sac. Comparable as a heritage Wisconsin winery with a tasting room, DTC sales, and a diversified portfolio of grape and fruit wines serving the same regional customer base.

Others

• Veritas Vineyard & Winery: Virginia boutique winery with tasting room and DTC. Comparable small-scale craft winery model, though focused on grape varietals rather than fruit wines - useful as a benchmark for tasting-room economics and DTC execution.

Broad incumbents

• Cherry Republic: Michigan-based specialty food and beverage brand built around cherry products including cherry wine. Comparable as a fruit-centric heritage brand leveraging tourism, tasting rooms, and DTC e-commerce, though it operates more broadly as a specialty foods company.

Emerging players

• Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards: New York State family-owned winery famous for its Red Cat and fruit-forward wines including cherry and raspberry wines. Comparable fruit-wine specialization with a heritage brand and DTC/tasting-room model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/winery79751
• Facebookfacebook.com/3lakeswinery
• Instagraminstagram.com/3lakeswinery

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Three Lakes Winery