Wineries and vineyards in Vermont have only been around since the mid-1990s, but that’s not to say it doesn’t produce some excellent wines. Over the last couple of decades, a wide range of top-quality wineries have popped up, offering distinct and flavorsome wines.
Due to Vermont’s humid continental climate, many vineyards specialize in cold-hardy grapes that can withstand cold winters like La Crescent, Marquette, and Vidal Blanc. You’ll also find some truly unique beverages like maple wine and ice wine.
Whether you’re a casual wine drinker or wine connoisseur, Vermont is a must-visit. However, there are a lot of wineries to choose from.
Best Vermont Wineries & Vineyards
So, to help you narrow down your choices, we’ll be covering the 7 best wineries/vineyards to visit in Vermont.
Vermont winery map:
Lincoln Peak Vineyard: Delicious Red Wines
- Location: 142 River Rd, New Haven, VT 05472
- Contact: 802-388-7368
- Website: https://www.lincolnpeakvineyard.com/
Surrounded by lush fields and trees sits Lincoln Peak Vineyard, a 12-acre estate in New Haven, Vermont. While the winery produces remarkable rosé wines, they’re mostly known for their outstanding reds.
The rocky soil, in addition to the climate of their northern location, provides the ideal conditions for red wine grapes. They specialize in growing Marquette and Farnsworth grapes, both of which have unique fruity flavors.
Lincoln Peak Vineyard’s Marquette wines have rich flavors of cherry and bramble, alongside subtle notes of spicy black pepper. Their Farnsworth wines are packed with tannins and flavors of black fruits.
To ensure superior quality is maintained throughout all their wines, the winery picks the grapes by hand and produces them in small batches. The grapes undergo minimal processing to allow for full expression of their terroir, resulting in distinctive flavors you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.
The tasting room at Lincoln Peak Vineyard is cozy and rustic, creating a homely atmosphere that’s sure to make you feel welcome. It’s open Friday to Sunday from 12pm to 7pm, but you might want to make a reservation beforehand to guarantee a spot.
They offer a wide variety of curated wine flights, as well as wine by the glass and bottle. To accompany their phenomenal wines, they offer a selection of cheeses and crackers from local businesses. Each tasting comes with a complimentary wine glass too, so you’ll have a souvenir to bring back home!
Editor’s Note: If you’re after a light and refreshing wine, mix the vineyard’s Piquette 2020 with a bit of plain seltzer. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a warm summer’s day!
Snow Farm Vineyard and Winery: Rustic and Homely Setting
- Location: 190 W Shore Rd, South Hero, VT 05486
- Contact: (802)-372-9463
- Website: https://www.snowfarm.com/
Next up on our best wineries/vineyards to visit in Vermont is Snow Farm Vineyard and Winery, a beautiful estate located on an island in the middle of Lake Champlain.
The vineyard’s climate is similar to Burgundy, France, allowing them to produce cooler climate vinifera grapes like Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, and Riesling. They also make a wide range of reds, including Baco Noir and Leon Millot.
Open every day from 11am to 5pm, Snow Farm Vineyard has a gorgeous tasting room to sample their wines in. There are plenty of other areas to relax in, both indoor and outdoor, such as the annex, atrium, bar, awning, patio, and deck.
Tastings are conducted as flights, but they also offer wine by the glass or bottle. You can choose from an assortment of wines, from sweet and smooth to dry and full-bodied, so there’s something for everyone to try.
Alongside mouthwatering wines, Snow Farm Vineyard hosts an array of local events, from concerts to art workshops. There’s always something to do at the vineyard other than sipping delectable wines, so be sure to stop by for a fun day out for all the family.
If you’re after a gorgeous venue for a wedding or private event, Snow Farm Vineyard offers all the amenities you need, including chairs, tables, bar service, and a tent with a 200 person capacity. You can choose from a few stunning locations, such as next to the grapevines, atop Fox Hill, or even on the shores of Lake Champlain.
You can also stay at their stunning country farmhouse, complete with a maple sugar house and livestock for a real rustic atmosphere. Enjoy a continental breakfast in the main dining room with a brick beehive baking oven and fireplace, and bask in the views of Mount Mansfield.
Whether you stay a day or a few nights, Snow Farm Vineyard is sure to make you feel right at home.
Editor’s Note: The vineyard’s Vidal Blanc Ice Wine is a must-try on your visit. It can’t be produced in many places other than Vermont as the grapes need to be left to freeze on the vine, hence the name!
Putney Mountain Winery and Spirits: Fantastic Fruit Wines
- Location: 8 Bellows Falls Rd, Putney, VT 05346
- Contact: (802)-387-5925
- Website: https://putneymountainwinery.com/
Putney Mountain Winery makes some of the best fruit wines in Vermont, made possible due to their keen eye for attention. Alongside fruity wines, they offer an assortment of spirits that are made in small batches for optimal flavor and quality.
They make their wines and liqueurs using fresh ingredients from regional and local farms. Their winery is 100% solar-powered and all waste from the winemaking process is recycled or composted.
Why not try their mouthwatering Apple Maple fruit wine? It’s a semi-dry wine with a deep apple flavor and a subtle maple aftertaste. It’s delicious either chilled in the summer or mulled in the winter!
You can sample some of the winery’s spectacular fruit wines and liquors at their comfortable tasting room, open from 11am to 5pm every day excluding Tuesday. You can also view the winemaking process through the two large observation windows at the winery.
Note: They have another tasting Room in Quechee, located inside the Cabot Cheese Store in the Quechee Gorge Village shopping attraction on Route 4.
Putney Mountain Winery’s knowledgeable staff will be happy to accommodate you and talk you through each wine.
Soak up the stunning views of the mountains and enjoy their refreshing fruit wines for a day that will be as relaxing as it is delicious!
Editor’s Note: For a tasty beverage that’s perfect for summer parties, try the winery’s very own Rhubarb Frosé wine cocktail recipe. It’s made using their Putney Mountain Rhubarb Blush wine, strawberries, ice, and mint leaves. Fruit-tastic!
Shelburne Vineyard: Scenic Views
- Location: 6308 Shelburne Rd, Shelburne, VT 05482
- Contact: (802)-985-8222
- Website: https://www.shelburnevineyard.com/
Another one of the best wineries to visit in Vermont is the stunning Shelburne Vineyard, boasting beautiful views filled with mountains, lakes, and valleys. Alongside its striking settings, the vineyard offers an assortment of tasty wines, including reds, whites, desserts, and sparkling.
Most of the grapes they grow are cold, hardy hybrid varieties like La Crescent, Marquette, and Vidal Blanc, but they also have a small plot of Riesling.
They use American-made hybrid oak barrels made from French, American, and Hungarian oak. The barrels have a charred interior for a moderate toasty flavor. Their winery is energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
Any spillage or organic waste produced from the winemaking process is composted.
Shelburne Vineyards tasting room is open Thursday to Tuesday, 11am to 7pm. They offer tasting flights and wine by the bottle or glass. Enjoy their wine with one of their sumptuous cheese and charcuterie boards.
As well as an indoor tasting room, the winery has lawn seating and a stylish outdoor patio for warm days. They tend to be pretty busy, so you might want to book in advance to ensure you get a table!
The winery hosts a variety of local events on a regular basis, from BBQs to intimate storytellings about wine. You can also book out the winery for private functions like weddings, parties, fundraisers, and bridal showers.
Editor’s Note: For the ultimate wine-drinking experience, consider attending the vineyard’s monthly Wine & Story events. Share personal anecdotes about wine while drinking the evening away with friends or family.
Honora Winery and Vineyard: Terrific Tours
- Location: 201 VT-112, Jacksonville, VT 05342
- Contact: (802)-368-2233
- Website: http://www.honorawinery.com/
Influenced by Napa and New England traditions. Honora Winery and Vineyard is known for their award-winning wines and gorgeous setting. The estate is ultra-modern, providing you with a luxurious atmosphere to sit and relax in.
From their Chardonnays to their Syrahs, every one of Honora Winery’s wines is spectacular. Most of them have won awards for their quality and flavor, which just goes to show the vineyard’s dedication and passion.
Their tasting room is located in the village of Jacksonville, Vermont, and is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm. You can enjoy a tasting flight or wine by the glass/bottle.
They offer an assortment of sumptuous artisan cheeses, as well as other tempting snacks like pretzels, charcuterie platters, and grilled cheese.
The outdoor area filled with pine trees, a stream, and a pond is the perfect way to unwind with a bottle of wine.
Better yet, book one of their fantastic tours to learn more about their vineyards and winemaking procedure.
The Vineyard Walking and Tasting Tour is a two-hour experience in which you’ll walk around the vineyard and hear about the varietals and process that makes the winery’s award-winning wines.
You’ll even be treated to a wine and cheese pairing, as well as a barrel sample.
For larger groups, check out the Vine and Wine tour, then settle down for an evening of wine drinking at their pleasant estate.
Honora Winery and Vineyard is also a fantastic venue for a wedding or other private events. Their magical 6,000 square foot event center is nestled between two of their vineyards and can accommodate up to 2,000 guests.
It features French doors from every direction, two hand-crafted mahogany bars, six wrought iron chandeliers, and a four-sided stone-cut fireplace in the very center. It oozes luxury!
Editor’s Note: Mull over a glass of their lavish 2015 Muscat wine, a sweet white with scents of mineral, lemon zest, and starfruit. It tastes refreshingly citrusy at first and has a peach, floral finish.
Charlotte Village Winery: Berri-liscious Wines
- Location: 3968 Greenbush Rd, Charlotte, VT 05445
- Contact: (802)-425-4599
- Website: https://charlottevillagewinery.com/
Located in Charlotte, Vermont, Charlotte Village Winery boasts an idyllic setting paired with some of the finest fruit wines in the state.
The winery is especially renowned for their marvelous blueberry wines, which they first started producing in 2001. The estate is surrounded by blueberry bushes, which are available for picking in the summer months.
In addition to fruit wines, they also produce reds like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as whites like Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.
They have a cozy tasting room that’s open Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. There’s an intimate indoor seating area, as well as tables and chairs outside on the patio.
You can sample a variety of their tasty wines, and they’ll even make up a cheese board for you to enjoy. The tasting room has a small gift shop too, containing souvenirs like shirts, sweatshirts, and wine accessories.
Perfect for bringing home a little something for friends and family or even yourself!
Editor’s Note: As this vineyard is known for their delectable blueberry wines, it seems only fitting to try at least one of them on your visit. The Midnight Blue Dry Reserve is a particularly great choice, a dry full-bodied red with spicy overtones.
Whaleback Vineyard: Original 1700s Farmhouse
- Location: 202 Old Lake Rd, Poultney, VT 05764
- Contact: (802)-287-0730
- Website: https://www.whalebackvineyard.com/
Last but not least on our best wineries/vineyards list to visit in Vermont is Whaleback Vineyard, situated in Poultney, Vermont between Lake St. Catherine and the picturesque Green Mountains.
Their 9-acre estate cultivates over 6,000 vines of wine grapes, and they offer an impressive selection of wines such as white, rosé, red, fruit wines, and honey mead. They cultivate St Croix, Marquette, La Crescent, Frontenac, and Frontenac Gris, which thrive in Vermont’s climate.
One of the standout features of this vineyard is its beautiful tasting room, an original colonial farmhouse that was built in the late 1700s and remodeled in the late 1800s.
Wine tastings are free and available Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm. You’ll get to taste a variety of their delicious wines and learn more about how each one is made. Group tastings are also available in the vineyard’s remodeled barn, so it’s the ideal place for parties and special occasions.
While the farmhouse has a wonderfully rural feel to it, the outside porch is equally as welcoming. Relax outside and take in the views of the barn, vineyard, and rolling hills, and mountains.
With such a striking historic estate, Whaleback Vineyard is the picture-perfect setting for wedding ceremonies and other private events. The barn overlooks their beautiful vineyard and the Green Mountains.
Amenities include full bathrooms, two accessible lofts, a changing room, a separate room for banquet-style food service, and electrical outlets throughout the barn.
After a hearty helping of wine, why not look around the small gallery located in the farmhouse? It features local artists and gives you a deeper look into the area’s culture.
Editor’s Note: If you’re after a sweet and slightly dry white, the winery’s Moonlight in Vermont wine will have you greedily pouring glass after glass. It has subtle flavors of pear, apple, and citrus.
Final Thoughts
While Vermont isn’t exactly known for its wine, it’s home to a huge number of top-notch wineries and vineyards. Delicious wines coupled with breathtaking views make it an excellent destination for a day out, weekend getaway, or even a week-long stay.
We hope our list helped you find the best wineries/vineyards in Vermont. Be sure to have an extra glass or two on us!