As owners of Everly Farms Winery and Minnetonka Orchard, Esther and Frank Weigel fulfilled a dream to own an orchard—the winery was “a big, beautiful bonus.” Both are from northern California, and their vision for the winery is to bring a little bit of Napa to Minnesota, where they now reside.

The owners want to embrace Minnesota and all it has to offer. In the warm seasons, they will grow their own vegetables on site and use them for wood-fired pizzas and have a farmers’ market stand in the winery.

In winter, they will add a skating rink, and have sledding and bonfires. Families can visit Santa at Minnetonka Orchard, their neighboring property, and finish off the day at the winery.

“We want the experience of visiting to be a memorable one, a place families look forward to coming to and feel welcome at.” — Esther