Who We Are

Iowa wine at its finest

Knoxville's First & Only Winery & Vineyards
Experience award-winning locally produced wines at Nearwood Winery & Vineyards. Nearwood wines are made from grapes grown at Nearwood vineyards or from other nearby growers. We select grapes for the very best quality and variety and process in our new winery facility.

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.

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 replanted some grapes and caught the wine making bug in a much bigger way, expanded the vineyard and opened the Nearwood Winery Tasting Room in downtown Knoxville. In 2018 he and his wife, Joann, expanded again to the new location on Hwy 14, 2 miles south of Knoxville, IA.