North Shore Winery

What North Shore Winery does

North Shore Winery is a family-owned winery and cider house founded in 2016 and headquartered at 202 Ski Hill Road in Lutsen, Minnesota, on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The company produces wines (Rock of Ages, Lutsen, Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot, rosé varieties) and ciders (Herbie's, Razzzzz, Kim's, Porchin') from purchased grapes and Minnesota-grown apples, with the cider line operated through a wholly-owned subsidiary called Sawtooth Mountain Cider House. Founders Chuck and Kim Corliss, joined by partners Jeremy and Mary Hanson in 2017, run the business with five employees.

The company generates revenue through four channels: (1) direct-to-consumer sales at the Lutsen tasting room and bottle shop with on-site food service; (2) a four-tier subscription wine/cider club (Premium Barrel-Aged at $90, Signature at $50, Cider at $35, Holiday at $40 per biannual shipment) shipping to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa; (3) wholesale distribution to liquor stores across five Minnesota counties and to restaurants throughout the North Shore region, with the company now transitioning to in-house distribution; and (4) event hosting, including weekly live music series, private events, and the annual Holiday Market. E-commerce is powered by the WineDirect platform.

The customer base is diversified across three segments: North Shore tourists and recreational visitors, year-round and seasonal Cook County residents, and regional wine club subscribers. The company differentiates through destination appeal, limited-production barrel-aged wines, local-ingredient ciders, charitable giving (10% of Rock of Ages to the Violence Prevention Center of Grand Marais), and year-round event programming. There is no evidence of external investment, and the company is privately held with no public listing.

Name

North Shore Winery

Legal name

North Shore Winery

Website

https://northshorewinery.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

North Shore Winery is a family-owned winery and cider house in Lutsen, Minnesota, producing wines and Minnesota-apple ciders sold via tasting room, four-tier subscription club, and regional wholesale to MN, WI, and IA customers including tourists, locals, and restaurants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Winery and Craft Cider Production

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cider & Perry Producers & Brands (CRADAIAE), Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA), Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB), Wine Bars (CRANACAE)

Keywords

• Craft winery production
• Wine club subscriptions
• Cider house operations
• Winery tasting room
• Specialty beverage retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Lutsen

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine and Cider Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of wines and ciders at the tasting room, bottle shop, and through e-commerce. Products include premium barrel-aged wines, signature blend wines, and ciders such as Herbie's, Razzzzz, Kim's, and Porchin'.
2. Wine Club Memberships: Recurring biannual shipments of wine or cider club selections. Premium Barrel-Aged Club ($90/shipment), Signature Club ($50/shipment), Cider Club ($35/shipment), and Holiday Club ($40/shipment). Members receive 10-20% discounts on purchases and free shipping benefits.
3. Event Hosting: Revenue from hosting private events, live music performances, and seasonal events including the Holiday Market. The winery offers space rental for private events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

North Shore Winery produces and sells premium barrel-aged wines and craft ciders from its tasting room and bottle shop in Lutsen, Minnesota. The company offers four recurring wine and cider club subscriptions shipped biannually, on-site food and beverage service, live music events, an annual Holiday Market, and wholesale distribution to liquor stores and restaurants across Minnesota.

Product overview

North Shore Winery is a family-owned winery and cider house in Lutsen, Minnesota offering wine, cider, and experiential hospitality services. The core products include wines (Rock of Ages, Lutsen, Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot, and rosé varieties) and ciders (Herbie's, Razzzzz, Kim's, Porchin'). The company operates four subscription wine clubs: Premium Barrel-Aged Club, Signature Club, Cider Club, and Holiday Wine Club. Entertainment offerings include Weekend Wine Down live music every Sunday, Local Tuesdays, Date Night Thursdays, Winter Music Series, and Holiday Music Series. The winery also hosts an annual Holiday Market event. WineDirect powers their ecommerce platform for online sales and distribution across Minnesota.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• North Shore Winery Wine Wines produced at the winery including premium blends such as Rock of Ages, Lutsen, Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot, and rosé varieties like Honeymoon Trail and Boundary Waters, sold to individual consumers.
• Sawtooth Mountain Cider House Cider Ciders made from Minnesota apples including Herbie's (off-dry with local maple syrup), Razzzzz (blended with raspberries), Kim's (classic dry cider), Porchin' (honey-ginger-mint), and seasonal blends.
• Premium Barrel-Aged Wine Club Wine club featuring three bottles of premium wines shipped twice yearly in spring and late fall, with access to limited-production wines, 10% off tasting room purchases, 20% off case discounts, and a certificate for two free glasses with first order at $90 per shipment plus shipping and tax.
• Signature Wine Club Wine club featuring three bottles of customer-favorite signature blends shipped twice yearly at $50 per shipment plus shipping and tax, including 10% off tasting room purchases, 20% off case discount, and a certificate for two free glasses with the first shipment.
• Cider Club Club featuring three ciders shipped twice yearly in spring and fall at $35 per shipment plus shipping and tax, with first access to new releases and 20% off case discounts, plus free shipping for existing wine club members.
• Holiday Wine Club Add-on wine club delivering special holiday wines shipped with fall wine club orders at $40 per shipment plus tax, including bottles such as Caribou Sparkling and Vive les Joyeux, with free pickup at the winery and free shipping when added to a Fall Wine or Cider Club shipment.
• Weekend Wine Down Live Music Events Live outdoor music performances held every Sunday from June through October featuring local and regional musicians on an outdoor stage and natural amphitheater.
• Local Tuesdays Music Series Weekly Tuesday evening music events featuring Eric Frost with local discounts available.
• Date Night Thursdays Thursday evening music events featuring Gordon Thorne with music from 6-8pm as part of the regular tasting room programming.
• Winter Music Series Saturday afternoon live music performances held from late December through early April during winter months.
• Holiday Market Annual holiday vendor event featuring local craftspeople, vendors, food, and live music.
• Tasting Room Food Service Charcuterie, local cheeses, crackers, Grand Marais Mercantile truffles, and occasional wood-fired pizzas and soups from local caterers available for purchase at the tasting room.

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Violence Prevention Center of Grand MaraiscoreOthersNorth Shore Winery supports this local nonprofit through the Rock of Ages wine, with 10% of sales benefiting the Violence Prevention Center. This includes wine club sales of this blend.
• Grand Marais Liquor StoremajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary retail distribution partner for North Shore Winery products in Grand Marais, Cook County. One of the key liquor stores in the region carrying their wine and cider.
• Lutsen Liquor StoremajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal retail distribution partner in Lutsen, providing wine and cider sales in the immediate vicinity of the winery.
• Fitger's Wine ShopmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDuluth-based retail partner carrying North Shore Winery products, leveraging the established Fitger's brand in the craft beverage space.
• SuperOne Liquor StoremajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor retail chain partner with multiple locations, expanding North Shore Winery distribution in the Duluth market.
• Bluefin Bay GrillemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRestaurant partner in Tofte serving North Shore Winery wines to guests of the Bluefin Bay resort and general public.
• Cascade RestaurantmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRestaurant partner in Lutsen serving North Shore Winery wines, targeting visitors to the Lutsen ski resort area.
• Gunflint TavernmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRestaurant partner in Grand Marais serving North Shore Winery wines, aligned with the local culinary scene.
• Local Craft Vendors and MakersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with local artisans and vendors for the Holiday Market event including The Big Lake (Art and Gifts), North Road Knits, Scent From Nature, Wild Country Maple Products, Tabla Bake Lab, Lucy and Anna Carlson, Beth and Robin's Funky Wreaths, Julie B., Sharron's Rugs, and The Crumby Rise.
• Local MusicianscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with regional musicians for live music events including Eric Frost, Gordon Thorne, Bump Blomberg, Barbara Jean and Mike Lewis, Billy Johnson, Jim Elverhoy, John Cron, Teague Alexy, and others. Musicians perform weekly at the winery, creating destination appeal.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Parallel 28 Winery: Wisconsin boutique winery producing limited-batch wines with a tasting room and wine club model at similar scale and regional positioning.
• Door 44 Winery: Door County Wisconsin destination winery with tasting room, wine club, and event-driven tourism positioning closely mirroring North Shore Winery's experiential model.
• Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery: Illinois destination winery combining tasting room, wine club, vineyard tours and events at a similar small-batch family-owned scale with regional wholesale distribution.
• Carlos Creek Winery: Minnesota destination winery combining wine, cidery, tasting room, live music and events with a multi-channel retail and wholesale distribution approach similar to North Shore Winery.
• Chateau St. Croix Winery: Wisconsin family-run winery with wine club, tasting room and live events, operating as a regional tourism-destination winery in a nearby state with overlapping consumer geography.
• Three Oak Winery: Minnesota family-owned winery with a similar DTC tasting room, wine club, and live music event model serving local and tourist customers in the region.
• Cannon River Winery: Minnesota small-batch winery with DTC tasting room, wine club subscriptions and on-site events, operating on a comparable scale and family-business model.
• Alexandria Lakes Winery: Minnesota small winery with tasting room, wine club and event programming serving a regional lake-tourism market comparable to the North Shore positioning.
• WineHaven Winery: Minnesota family-owned winery and cidery operating a tasting room, wine club and event programming in a comparable small-to-mid scale format.

Regional players

• 45 North Vineyard & Winery: Michigan family-owned destination winery with tasting room, wine club, cidery line and event programming; comparable in operating model though serving a different state geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-shore-winery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 North Shore Winery