Alba Vineyard & Winery — Attraction in Pohatcong Township

This review was removed from Yelp, not sure why as it does explain a consumer experience.

My wife, 2 daughters and parents (who specifically asked to go here) visited the winery after spending some time at Ringing Rocks Park. As we pulled in, we saw the wine tasting room just off the parking lot and a nice sitting area outside. Since we had our dog with us, the plan was to take turns in the outside sitting area while we had some wine samples. No sooner did we start walking up the driveway towards the wine room that a lady came out and without so much as a hello she said no dogs are allowed on the property. I asked if she meant everywhere on the property and I was going to mention the sitting area, but before I could, she said no and returned inside.

As my wife and I were heading back to the car to take turns staying with the dog, my mother took my 10-year-old daughter inside the establishment to use the bathroom. My mother returned and said the same lady told her that the bathrooms were for paying patrons only. In the meantime, my father had walked near the side of the winery to snap a few pictures as he is an avid photographer. Once again, the lady came out and told my father that he was not allowed to walk to the vineyards. He explained he was simply taking pictures that it was not his intention to wander around.

When we told my father that the lady refused to let my daughter use the bathroom he went in to inquire. The same lady said that she can't let the general public to use the bathroom as they have a septic system. She went on and on about "what ifs" like a bus load of people wanting to use the bathroom. My father told her that it was not right to deny a child the use of the bathroom and that she just lost four paying customers. We proceeded to get in the car and leave.

I was shocked at how a business owner could be so rude and unaccommodating to potential customers or the needs of a child. This individual is in the wrong job and needs a course in customer relations at the very least. It is a shame that we were treated with such an attitude as we were all looking forward to a nice time sampling wines and this put a damper on an otherwise great day. Needless to say we will never be back and will spread the word to all of our...

One of the most beautiful vineyards I have ever been to! The wine was great, the views of the vineyard were breathtaking, and the entertainment was heavenly. We had the most amazing and relaxing day here. We will definitely be returning, thank you!

Edit: I loved this place so much and decided to show some of my girlfriends this place a few days after. When I initially went, it was on the weekend. When I went with my friends, it was on a Monday or Tuesday. It should be noted that the area where they sell food and the music entertainment is only available during the weekend. Now, when I walked in with my friends, I was so excited. Almost immediately after we paid and sat down, I was ready to leave and check out another vineyard. There was no music playing in the background whatsoever so you're just sitting there in the quiet. Especially since it was just us there and another couple a few tables down. When we initially walked in, the lady at the desk said hello and just asked us if we wanted a bottle of wine or flights. We decided on 2 bottles. My girlfriends wanted to know more about the history of the vineyard and when they asked, the lady looked bothered and didnt really answer their questions. She just told them you can sit down outside, drink your wine and that's about it. I told her that before picking our bottles, we wanted to look at some of them that were on display so as we were walking towards it, she told us "well the list is right here, you can choose from here." She made us feel SUPER uncomfortable and unwelcomed. We just chose two random ones so we could just sit down. When we did, we finally relaxed and drank our wine. One of my friends got up to order another one and the lady told her "are you sure you want another?" My friend said yes and the lady hesitantly opened the bottle. She then told my friend "well then you should know that we're closing in an hour." When she came back to tell us that, we quickly finished our bottle and took off. I was so disappointed in the service and the way they treated one of their only customers for that day. It's unfortunate because I really loved my first visit here and was so happy to return again a few days after, but after that I most likely will not...

We randomly decided to come here when Benaduce said they were doing "group therapy" at 5pm on a Saturday (no idea) and this place was nearby. Based on the reviews, our hopes weren't terribly high but we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived. The vineyard and winery are really beautiful. They have large indoor and outdoor spaces and the outdoor space has plenty of shade. They had lovely live music that everyone enjoyed.

As to the wine, some of the wine was pretty decent (I think my expectations for NJ wine are pretty nonexistent). The reserve and estate pinot noirs were solid - I'm not sure I'd spend the ~$55/bottle they were asking for them but $18 for the glass was reasonable for the quality.

Many of the reviews say this place is expensive. That's not a fair assessment. Running a winery and vineyard is an exceedingly costly endeavor. Their flights (4 2.5oz pours) are $24, $28, and $34 - this is reasonable given the location. It's a little annoying that they make you pay $10 for entry if you just want to buy a glass or two, but waive that $10 cover if you buy a flight - I'm not sure what the point of that is but it seems like a stupid policy. They should just have a $10 or $15 pp minimum spend if that's what they're getting at.

We ordered a few food items and they were all good. The whipped feta was particularly delightful, and the charcuterie board was a good serving (though I'd swap the bread they provided with some crackers). The pizza was a little underwhelming but totally fine if you're hungry.

The biggest complaint we had is that they do not serve wine at the appropriate temperature. Both the reds and whites needed to be colder (and the whites particularly so) - the flight pours were straight up room temperature and not enjoyable. Separately, they don't offer water for free - you have to buy bottles. This is exceedingly annoying, especially when it's super hot. Every restaurant, bar, brewery provides water for free. I'm not sure why they wouldn't put out a cooler.

In any case, this place is worth a visit. It's very pretty and makes for...