Galena Cellars Vineyard — Attraction in Guilford Township

Could not be happier with our recent stay at Galena Cellars Vineyard. They truly treated us like family!

We are originally from the Chicago-land area, so we visit the Geneva location pretty frequently. This was the first time I had ever been to the Galena location. We were there this past weekend for my bachelorette party and everyone was super happy with their experience.

We checked in around 4:30-5:00 on Friday evening and they were just about to close, but still offered everyone a glass of wine after the long trip. Everyone was super generous and kind and did not rush us out whatsoever. They patiently showed us around and explained how to enter the farm house and vineyard suite. It felt like we were truly staying with family. We walked into a very clean, well kept home with a welcome letter, fresh towels, clean sheets, water in the fridge etc.

Our stay included free tastings for everyone at either location (vineyard or downtown) - We used those coupons the second day of our stay. Our bartender was a complete hoot!! She introduced herself to all of us and got to know each member of my group! Like I said, I was there for my bachelorette party weekend, so she was chatting with my mom and mother in law to be about the wedding plans, how me and my fiance met etc. She was just perfect, friendly, attentive and overall just wonderful!! We tipped her very well!! - After our tasting, everyone purchased multiple bottles of our favorites from the list. Our bags went home much heavier than they came.

Overall, Galena Cellars made my weekend absolutely perfect. I couldn't recommend this place more. As soon as we left, I called my fiance and told him to pick another weekend for us...

My husband and I visited the vineyard for a group tour and wine tasting. The tasting was only an extra $2.50 and we each got to try 6 different wines. I'm no wine connoisseur, but they were pretty tasty in my opinion.

The other good thing about the vineyard was its location. It was gorgeous and had a beautiful view of the valleys below.

I rated the vineyard with 3 out of 5 stars because the tour was basically a complete waste of time (the guide didn't know any answers to questions people asked), started late (by about 20 minutes), and provided no interesting information. I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt a little tricked by the tour guide, too. Just before the tour she asked us as a group if we wanted wine slushies. It definitely sounded like they were provided as a courtesy, until she charged us all an extra $5 for them. They tasted like they had barely any wine and were probably only about 6 ounces of slushy, which isn't a lot when you consider that most of it was ice.

Afterward, we tried to buy a few bottles of wine and had to wait about 15 minutes before anyone even acknowledged us at the counter. They were busy, but to me that's pretty unacceptable.

All in all, I'm wish we hadn't gone. There are better...

Did you know you can stay ON the premises here? Yes it’s a vineyard and tasting room AND there are 2 options for overnight stay!

Much like Napa Valley, there are the ‘downtown’ tasting rooms in addition to the vineyard location further away.

The location is perfect for a mini getaway to Galena: easy parking, your own private deck, fully functional kitchen.

The decor is questionable- like you’re stepping into someone’s lake house. It doesn’t scream “winery” which I thought would be the base line since we’re on a winery. There’s golf statues in the living room, a giant wooden fish over the fire place, framed wine posters, antique chiller lamps and mallards. It reminds me of a Wisconsin lake house - a collection of things that make no sense, but you don’t care because you’re only there for a short while. There is a familiar feeling of comfort here despite the scrambled decor choices. There’s gotta be a story here on those weird golfer statues;)

My favorite part is the guest book FULL of stories of other people who have stayed here- what were they celebrating? Where did they eat? What season did they stay?

We’ll continue our tradition of coming...