Who We Are

Iowa wine at its finest

Nearwood Winery Tasting Room is located on the Square in downtown Knoxville, Iowa. It is a cozy environment for experiencing award-winning locally produced wines. Nearwood wines are made exclusively from grapes grown at Nearwood estate vineyards and from other Iowa growers. We select grapes for the very best quality and variety.

Catering to people who enjoy wine and know what they like or who are just starting on their wine adventure, we have more than a dozen different wine styles. Nearwood Winery also encourages and supports the creative arts, bringing together local authors and writers, artists, musicians, storytellers, performing arts, and the healing arts. That's why our tag line is "where creatives gather."

Our History

Owner and winemaker Michael Van Natta began making wine as a hobby around 1979 and after a few failed attempts, learned the value of great starting materials. After winning the Iowa State Fair amateur wine making contest, he promptly planted a small vineyard. Alas, life would intervene and he abandoned the operation to pursue medicine.

In 2010, he tentatively replanted some grapes only to catch the wine making bug in a much bigger way. The next year, he expanded the vineyard and opened the Nearwood Winery Tasting Room in downtown Knoxville.