James Arthur Vineyards produces a wide variety of award-winning wines, all made from American cultivars and French hybrid grapes. Grown and produced here in Nebraska, we offer the finest table wines, from barrel-aged dry reds to sweet, crisp whites and delicious dessert wines and everything in between.

Describing a wine compares to writing a poem; not as easy as it would seem. Every wine tasting experience is unique because every one of us is an inimitable individual, with our own stock of aromas and flavors in memory and senses of taste and smell different to anyone else’s. Those with a privileged nose are able to identify aromas of substances actually present in the wine. Apart from that, tasters have to explain the impressions the wine created in their mind. For all this reasons, no description of a wine tasting is ever wrong.”

— World-Food-and-Wine.com

JAV Family Series

Dry Red

Fun Uncle

Our “funcle” is a light, dry blend of Chambourcin and Cabarnet Franc grapes.

Semi-Dry White

Bratty Brother

The winemaker might have had one of these in mind when naming this wine. It is one of our new JAV Family Series wines. Beautifully blended Itasca and Frontenac Blanc grapes hit you with sweet pear notes complemented by pineapple.  The strong nose accents the quiet citrus and semi-dry pear finish.

Semi-Sweet White

Crazy Aunt

Everyone probably has one of these, too. It’s another entry into JAV’s Family Series. If sweetness had a distinct smell, this wine would represent that. Made from a Minnesota grape called Brianna, this wine has a powerful banana flavor. While delicious on its own, it pairs nicely with “Nilla Wafers” for a banana pudding-inspired late night snack.

Bossy Sister

Bossy Sister is created from free-run Edelweiss, meaning the grape is not pressed; it is juice collected from “naturally juicing” as it goes through the crusher during harvest . Free run juice is going to be crisper, cleaner and clearer than traditional pressed juice. Bossy Sis presents with a citrus nose and a light, easy-to-drink mouthfeel and finish. Named for the Winemaker’s sister, this wine won’t boss you around.

Semi-Sweet

Red

Amo Té

JAV’s Amo Té is a clever combination of DeChaunac (red grape), Edelweiss (white grape), Brianna (white grape) and a little bit of St Croix (red grape). Latin for “I Love You” (from an interesting story about notes being sent back and forth between James Arthur and Neenie when in different high schools across the street in Austin, Minnesota.), our 2016 Amo Té enjoys a sensuous mouthfeel of red-hot spiced apples. A blush that isn’t much into sophistication, but rather beckons you to an evening of good times and fun. Will pair well with fresh fruits and salads with a nice raspberry vinaigrette topped with dried fruits.

Kira

A sweet blush wine named after the Winemaker’s late best-friend, Kira, a yellow lab that was by his side for nearly 16 years. This gorgeous wine has floral and citrus aromas that perfectly complement the lightly spiced red fruit flavors.

Sweet Charlotte

The latest addition to JAV’s arsenal of sweet red wines, Sweet Charlotte has taken on a life of its own. Fashioned out of 100% Frontenac, this wine creates a mixed berrylicious explosion of flavor in both your nose and your mouth…cherry, raspberry and pomegranate leap to the forefront! Plump with flavor, our Sweet Char is bright and lively. Named after the winemakers mom, the description on the label says it all, “Bottled Proof of a Mother’s Love.” Would pair well with pork or chicken dishes with a sweeter style glaze over it.

White

Voluptuous

Our Voluptuous is made from the Prairie Star grape and is loaded with citrus flavors that wind their way through your nose and on to your taste buds. A rich, yet delicate wine with highlighted with generous amounts of tangerine, lemon and lime. This is a wine created to be consumed fairly quickly, within 2-3 years. Makes a nice bookend for Hope, again, with part of the proceeds from the sale of this wine going to help find a cure for cancer. Features an elegant label highlighted with a pink ribbon on it.

Brianna

Our Brianna is a lighter style creation, underscored with a deliciously perfurmed nose which explodes in the glass enticing visions of tropical fruit. And, the nose doesn’t fool you, because that’s what you get in every sip of this unforgettable wine with hints of banana and touches of pineapple leading the way. Our Brianna would be a wonderful paring with seafood or a flan style of dessert.

Edelweiss

Over the years, JAV’s Edelweiss has been our most popular and most awarded wine. It has set the standard for Nebraska wines to follow! A semi-sweet white made from 100% Edelweiss grapes, it’s a well balanced wine that creates quite a sensation of sweetness in the front of the palate with a burst of tartness as it dances across the tongue and heads towards the finish, creating a sweet yet complex wine. Full of green apple flavors, this is a wine that won’t be forgotten. The best suggested pairings for this wine would be with fresh fruit, or completely on its own as an appetizer, or a dessert wine.

2 Brothers

Named after the winemaker’s two sons, the 2 Brothers is a special wine in more ways than one. Usually, created from 100% free run LaCrosse, it has a beautiful clear color with a hint of yellow. Free run refers to the juice that naturally flows out of the grapes while waiting to be pressed. It is said to be the best juice to make wine from. However, because of the lack of LaCrosse grapes, our latest version is the pressed juice. The 2 Brothers has a crisp fruity nose with a flavor reminiscent of tree fruits, primarily pears and apples. The crispness carries over in the finish of the wine, with just enough acidity to create a very interesting combination with the wine’s sweetness.

Vignoles

Our proprietor and namesake’s personal favorite. It only takes a brief moment before you appreciate the beauty of this landmark wine. Delicate and smooth, this semi-sweet white wine evolves each time it’s tasted. Made from 100% Vignoles, you’ll pick up hints of apricot and the peaches on the nose and most definitely in the flavors. This wine would pair wonderfully with Oriental dishes as well as spicy foods. Or, to really get the full effect, try it with some tiramisu for dessert! In the past, JAV’s Vignoles has captured Best of Show honors in the Florida State Fair International Wine Competition as well as the Monterey International Wine Competition, and has also been tabbed with a Jefferson Cup. Consistently one of the top wines in the Midwest.

3 Legs White

A masterful blend of Edelweiss, Brianna, LaCrosse and Prairie Star grapes, this wine’s aroma is dominated by Brianna and its tropical banana notes. The perfectly blended juices complement each other in such a way you get bright fruit-like pineapple and mango drizzled in honey, finishing almost tart. The JAV family includes animals and this wine is named after the late, great Diablo, a 3-legged fellow who guarded the winery for nearly 18 years and was loved by all who encountered him.

Free Run LaCrosse

Another crisp and clear free run wine, the LaCrosse juice gives a pineapple nose with a poignant kiwi and green apple profile followed by a sweet finish. Try it beside our 2 Brothers and you’ll be amazed by the difference despite being made from the same grape.

Frontenac Blanc

This new single varietal wine has a citrus and floral bouquet. It starts with bright, crisp notes of citrus like lemon, lime, grapefruit and green apple, appealing to its almost-syrupy mouthfeel. Although we house it under our semi-sweet selections, this easily could be mistaken for a true dessert wine.

Blush

Edyn’s Blush

Fresh, fruity and fun. That’s the perfect description for our latest version of Edyn’s Blush. Created from Brianna and Concord, this wine reminds one of eating fresh grapes off the vine. A pale, rose colored wine, our Edyn’s Blush tends to lean towards a citrusy and lighter flavor, with hints of orange peels on the nose. Would be perfectly matched with a cream-based-sauce with pasta, or with almost any spicy dish. The winemaker suggests serving Edyn’s Blush slightly warmer than fridge temp to take full advantage of all the gentle flavors it possesses. This wine is special to the winemaker, as it is named after his only daughter and the baby of the family.

Story Teller

This wine features 100 percent Concord grape grown right here in the vineyard, very light compared to the grape used in Welch’s juices and jellies. Our Concord provides easy floral red fruit aromas and a beautiful grape “jammy-ness” It finishes all-too easily and would be the perfect partner for peanut butter on toast.

Dessert

“32”

Made from Edelweiss, this dessert wine is as close to an ice wine as we can get. In 2017, we crushed nearly 100 tons of Edelweiss grapes, and quite frankly, ran out of tank space. So…we froze some Edelweiss juice and when a tank opened up, we thawed out the juice until it reached 32 brix and then started the fermentation, leaving us a luscious sweet dessert wine, pushing about 12% alcohol. Unique and intriguing, this wine is a must try for dessert wine lovers.

Port-Style

Tropasti

Modeled after a finely made Port wine, our Tropasti is not for the faint of heart. Fortified with grape brandy created from JAV’s own St Croix, this dessert wine is full of rich plum overtones up front that fills the entire mouth, and then complimented by a nice slow and flavorful burn on the finish that is created the byproduct of wine pushing 20% alcohol. Perfect as an after dinner wine paired with a rich chocolate dessert, or on its own in front the fire or coupled with a nice cigar, our Tropasti is a must try. Next time you stop by the winery, ask about how we came up with this fun and unusual name for this enticing wine.

Aura

A very unusual find here in the Midwest, we have created a white port from our Brianna. Not quite as much alcohol (only 18%) with wonderful tropical fruit notes in the mouth, followed by a slow and pleasing burn on the finish. Come experience the sensation of Aura.

Rei

There is nothing like this port-style wine in Nebraska. Winemaker and co-owner, Jim Ballard, loves a good port and started making Tropasti, our version of it in 2009 after laws in Nebraska were changed to make it happen. He began saving back one barrel of Tropasti every year since then. Then, in 2019, we released our first 10-year-old Tropasti and called it Rei (pronounced “ray”; Portuguese for “king.” There’s no way to truly describe the complexity and incredible taste of this wine. You’ll just have to try it and see for yourself.

Specialty

Mead

Regarded as the ancestor of all fermented drinks, the genesis behind our honey wine was to promote our annual Renaissance Festival. Since then, this semi-sweet wine has become a staple on our tasting card, and is truly a unique offering for us here at JAV. How do we best describe our honey wine? Grab a glass and we’ll pour…your perception is better than anything we could describe!

Sangria

For years, we’ve been offering pitchers and carafes of Sangria during our summertime events at the winery. We’ve finally decided to capture the refreshing and crisp flavors of Sangria in the bottle. Using our San Realto as a base, we’ve added some natural fruit flavorings to give this wine a wonderfully fruity nose of wild strawberries and groves of orange trees. Once you try the first sip, you’ll be hooked as a smorgasbord of fruit flavors explodes in your mouth. This wine should be taken home and put on ice. Add a little bit of your fruit concoction if you so desire to push it over the top!

Dry & Semi-Dry

Red

Hope

This wine is near and dear to our winemaker. A 50/50 blend, this dry red marries the heaviness of St. Croix with the subtleness of St. Vincent to create a silky tapestry of these two hybrid varieties. Ruby red in color, this dry red, like the majority of our dry reds has spent a good portion of its life aging in American Oak. Part of the proceeds from the sale of this wine go to helping find a cure for cancer, and features an elegant label, highlighted with a purple ribbon on it.

Nebraska Red

Consistently the favorite of all JAV’s dry red wines, this medium bodied dry red is a perfect table wine for any occasion, casual or elegant. A blend of St. Croix, St. Vincent, and Frontenac, our Nebraska Red was aged in American Oak for nearly a year before bottling. This red features a wonderful earthy and slightly vegetative nose that changes to a spicy, almost peppery sensation on the palate. The lingering finish on this wine is impressive. The winemaker suggests that you drink this wine while it’s still young, but it will age well. The perfect food pairing with Nebraska Red would be typical “American” cuisine, such as pizza or hamburgers. However, there is enough backbone, it would also hold up very well with a good Nebraska steak!

Frontenac

Our Frontenac is made from 100% Frontenac grapes. The color is a deep red highlighted with a ruby tint. Our Frontenac is a fresh and fruity wine highlighted with hints of black cherry and smokiness interwoven throughout the tasting experience. A perennial favorite with tasting room staff, our Frontenac is a fairly hefty red that should go well with well-seasoned foods.

St. Croix

The St. Croix is a bit heavier than most of the other dry reds on our tasting card. Made from 100% Nebraska grown St. Croix grapes, this red wine has a dark red ruby color that comes alive in the glass. Aged in American Oak for 14 months, the St. Croix has hints of currants and dark berried fruit. It is the perfect food wine that goes well with steak or any other red meat dish that would grace your table. Or, for an even more delectable treat, try the St. Croix with dark chocolate!

Marquette

The grapes from our Marquette come from Old School Vineyards in Hordeville, Nebraska. A light to medium bodied wine, it is characterized by black fruit and earthy notes with some subtle hints of tobacco and leather on the nose. One should enjoy Marquette early in its life, to really experience the richness it offers.

Chambourcin

The wine has a fruit forward plum and black cherry nose with touches of spice. It invokes blueberry and cherry profiles. This medium-bodied blend leaves a perfect balance of oak barrel and spiced fruit on your palate. This is easiest drinking dry red we offer.

Frontenac Barrel

This bourbon barrel-aged Frontenac was aged in a Willet Bourbon barrel for nearly 6 months and it has all the character of Frontenac with an extra dry finish that enunciates the bold tart fruit flavors, with a subtle but obvious bourbon kick finish that adds an intriguing and delicious layer.

Miss Red

This cabernet franc draws you in with its red fruit and floral nose and boasting bright red fruit flavors like cherry and cranberry. This light-bodied red has a silky mouthfeel to complement its hint of spice finish.

White

2 Pups

This extra dry white Itasca is barrel fermented and aged in oak giving it a pronounced oak aroma. Being aged in barrel the fruitiness you would expect from a white wine is muted by the bold American oak and tannins.

Itasca

To give this dry white wine a little personality we aged it in a red barrel giving it a little color and warm, spicy citrus notes. These aromas trick you into thinking it may be sweet but the red barrel shines in the tannin and oak finish. This is our version of an “orange” wine.

Semi-Dry Rosé

Horizon

Strawberries fill the air as you breathe the nose of this gorgeous semi-dry wine. Made from St. Croix, the rich and ripe strawberry flavor then fills every corner of our mouth with subtle hints of red licorice adding to the fun. Make sure you take the time to truly experience the finish of this wine, as it is beautiful, long and lingering. A truly delightful summer-time wine that is perfect with anything off the grill, especially chicken and fish.

Semi-Dry White

Nebraska White

Crisp and clean, our Nebraska White is made from 100% LaCrosse. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, this semi-sweet white is refreshing. There is sweetness to this wine, created from the fruitiness of the grape. Beautifully packaged in a crimson red bottle.