American Wine Project
American Wine Project is a Wisconsin-based boutique winery producing low-intervention natural wines from cold-hardy hybrid grapes, selling across 10+ U.S. states via regional distributors, a tasting room, online store, and wine club.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersMineral Point, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What American Wine Project does
American Wine Project is a boutique winery founded in 2018 by Erin Rasmussen, operating from Mineral Point in Wisconsin's Driftless region. The company specializes in low-intervention natural wines produced from cold-hardy hybrid grape varieties developed by viticulturist Elmer Swenson, varieties selected for their resilience to the Upper Midwest climate. Production volumes are small and experimental in nature, with the winery focusing on varietals adapted to cold-climate viticulture rather than traditional vinifera. Press coverage in Food52, Wine Enthusiast, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Punch Drink has supported brand-building around this distinctive terroir-and-philosophy positioning.
The business operates a multi-channel go-to-market strategy. Distribution reaches consumers across 10 or more U.S. states via regional distributors, complemented by direct-to-consumer channels including a physical tasting room, an online store, and a wine club subscription program. Additional revenue is generated through event partnerships (Waterford Wine, Outstanding in the Field), curated tasting experiences such as the Five for Dinner series, and white-label production for hospitality clients including Babe's.
The operating model is lean: three core team members supplemented by part-time tasting room staff, with no disclosed external funding. Growth has been financed organically through operations, with expansion expressed through added distribution states, new revenue lines, and partnership buildout rather than headcount or capital scaling.
American Wine Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- American Wine Project
- Legal name
- American Wine Project
- Website
- https://americanwineproject.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- American Wine Project is a Wisconsin-based boutique winery producing low-intervention natural wines from cold-hardy hybrid grapes, selling across 10+ U.S. states via regional distributors, a tasting room, online store, and wine club.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
American Wine Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Boutique Winery
- NAICS
- Wineries (312130), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)
- 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), Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF), Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)
Keywords
Where American Wine Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mineral Point
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
American Wine Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct Wine Sales: Direct-to-consumer wine sales through the tasting room and online store with nationwide shipping. Includes current releases and small-lot experimental wines.
- Wine Club Membership: Recurring subscription model with no membership fee. Members receive 10-15% discount on wine purchases, advance access to small-lot releases, VIP flight tastings, event invitations, and bonuses with deliveries.
- Food & Merchandise Sales: Seasonal food menu including pizzas, tacos, cheese plates, and ice cream sandwiches sold at the tasting room. Merchandise including wine-related products.
- Event Revenue: Annual signature event 'Five for Dinner' featuring five chefs paired with wines. Ticketed dining experience showcasing locally-raised hog with regional producers and farmers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Wine Club - Standard Member |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Wine Club - VIP Member |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tasting Room Food Menu |
| Other | Monthly | Tasting Room Associate |
| Other | Monthly | Student Tasting Room Assistant |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
American Wine Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
American Wine Project is a boutique winery that produces low-intervention, natural wines from cold-hardy hybrid grape varieties (Elmer Swenson-bred varieties such as Frontenac) grown in the Driftless region of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. It sells its wines direct-to-consumer through a tasting room in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, an online store with nationwide shipping, and a Wine Club subscription, and distributes wholesale through regional partners in 10+ U.S. states.
Product overview
American Wine Project is a boutique winery specializing in low-intervention, natural wines made from cold-hardy hybrid grape varieties developed in the Driftless region. The core offering is the wine product line (available for nationwide shipping or tasting room pickup), supported by several membership and experience programs including the Wine Club (providing exclusive access to small-lot wines and discounts), Garden Club (volunteer gardening with perks), and the annual Five for Dinner dining event. The Tasting Room Experience provides in-person wine tasting with food service including seasonal tacos, pizzas, and other menu items. E-Gift Cards offer a gifting option for tasting room purchases.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Natural Cold-Climate Wines Low-intervention wines made from cold-hardy hybrid grape varieties (Frontenac and other Elmer Swenson-bred hybrids) grown in the Driftless region. Hand-harvested, native yeast fermentation, no commercial yeasts, no ingredient additions, no fining, and no filtration. Available for nationwide U.S. shipping and tasting room pickup.
- Wine Club Membership Subscription program providing curated wine selections, advance access to small-lot project wines, VIP flight tastings, advance event invitations, bonuses with deliveries, and 10–15% discounts on wine purchases. No membership fee.
- Tasting Room Experience In-person wine tasting and purchase experience at the Mineral Point, WI winery. Open Thursdays 3–7pm, Fridays 3–7pm, Saturdays 12–7pm, Sundays 12–5pm with seasonal hours. Offers wine flights, glasses, bottles, and a seasonal food menu including tacos, pizzas, cheese plates, and ice cream sandwiches.
- Five for Dinner Annual signature ticketed dining event held at the winery featuring five chefs each creating a course paired with AWP wines. Showcases locally-raised hog and highlights regional chefs, producers, and farmers.
- E-Gift Cards Digital gift cards for in-person purchases at the Tasting Room, sold through the Square platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- 91 points - 2018 Rivals (The Cork Report)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use American Wine Project
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
American Wine Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature2 records
American Wine Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Outstanding in the FieldminorPouring wine at Outstanding in the Field ticketed event at Meadowlark Farm & Mill in Ridgeway, WI. National dining circuit event.
- Babe's Women's Sports BarminorLaunching a bespoke white label wine for Babe's Women's Sports Bar in Chicago. Custom wine production for partner brand.
- Waterford Wine & SpiritsminorErin Rasmussen speaking at Women in Wine Festival at Waterford Wine & Spirits in Fitchburg, WI. Joint marketing event celebrating women winemakers.
- Chromatic Wine CompanycoreWisconsin distributor for American Wine Project products.
- LagniappecoreIllinois distributor for American Wine Project products.
- US Natural WinecoreTexas distributor for American Wine Project products.
- Voyager BeveragecoreOhio distributor for American Wine Project products.
- New FrancecoreMinnesota distributor for American Wine Project products.
- Roni SelectscoreCalifornia distributor for American Wine Project products.
- Zev Rovine SelectionscoreNew York distributor for American Wine Project products through By the Hand partnership.
- Meadowlark ProvisionscoreIowa distributor for American Wine Project products.
- FromaginationminorCheese shop in Madison hosting pre-concert wine pours for Concerts on the Square. Regular off-site event partner.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
American Wine Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Matthiasson Wines: Matthiasson is a family-run, single-site California boutique winery known for natural, balanced, food-friendly wines. Comparable in being a founder-led boutique operation with strong press, DTC emphasis, and a low-intervention philosophy.
- Wild Arc Farm: Wild Arc Farm is a Hudson Valley, NY natural winery producing low-intervention wines from cold-climate and hybrid varieties. Comparable in cold-climate hybrid focus, low-intervention winemaking, and founder-led small-scale DTC operation.
- Broc Cellars: Broc Cellars is a Berkeley-based natural winery focused on low-intervention, organically farmed wines from lesser-known grape varieties. Comparable in its founder-led, natural-wine, single-site DTC positioning and emphasis on minimal manipulation.
- Channing Daughters Winery: Channing Daughters is a Long Island boutique winery known for natural and experimental winemaking with diverse varietals. Comparable as a small, founder-led winery that experiments with non-mainstream varieties and emphasizes food pairing.
- Bloomer Creek Vineyard: Bloomer Creek is a small Finger Lakes winery focused on natural, low-intervention wines with a strong DTC and tasting-room model. Comparable to AWP in scale, philosophy (minimal manipulation), and direct-to-consumer community building.
- Frontenac Point Vineyard: Frontenac Point is a Finger Lakes winery that has historically worked with cold-hardy hybrid grapes including Frontenac. Comparable as a small winery emphasizing cold-hardy varieties in a cooler U.S. climate, sharing AWP's hybrid-grape focus.
- Field Recordings Wines: Field Recordings is a California natural-wine label producing low-intervention wines from lesser-known varieties with a strong distributor-driven multi-state footprint. Comparable in DTC-plus-wholesale channel mix and natural-wine positioning.
- La Garagista Farm Winery: La Garagista is a Vermont farm winery producing low-intervention, natural wines from cold-hardy hybrid and alpine grape varieties in a similarly harsh northern climate. It is the most direct conceptual peer to American Wine Project, sharing the hybrid-grape, low-intervention, single-site DTC philosophy.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
American Wine Project social profiles
Digital presenceAmerican Wine Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
American Wine Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
American Wine Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
American Wine Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about American Wine Project
What does American Wine Project do?
American Wine Project is a boutique winery that produces low-intervention, natural wines from cold-hardy hybrid grape varieties (Elmer Swenson-bred varieties such as Frontenac) grown in the Driftless region of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. It sells its wines direct-to-consumer through a tasting room in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, an online store with nationwide shipping, and a Wine Club subscription, and distributes wholesale through regional partners in 10+ U.S. states.
Is American Wine Project a public or private company?
American Wine Project is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was American Wine Project founded?
American Wine Project was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is American Wine Project based?
American Wine Project is headquartered in Mineral Point, United States, in the North America region.
How does American Wine Project make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Direct Wine Sales are the primary driver. The others are wine Club Membership, food & Merchandise Sales and event Revenue.
Who are American Wine Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Matthiasson Wines, Wild Arc Farm, Broc Cellars, Channing Daughters Winery, Bloomer Creek Vineyard, Frontenac Point Vineyard, Field Recordings Wines and La Garagista Farm Winery.
Does American Wine Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for American Wine Project.
What industry is American Wine Project in?
American Wine Project's product category is Boutique Winery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAIAB, Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands, with a secondary code of THAFALAE, Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms). Its NAICS code is 312130 and its SIC code is 2080.