Pleasant Valley Wine Company, also known as Great Western Winery, is a historic winery complex located in the Hamlet of Rheims in the Town of Urbana in Steuben County, New York. The complex consists of nine historic buildings constructed of fieldstone.
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4.7
(113)
This is an older working winery. Many may be familiar with the name Great Western Champagne. It could use some updates in the seating area / entry, but really maybe it just adds to the charm.
If you're looking for a lot of interesting information on wine, the wine making process and the tools and implements used for the same, this is definitely a place to go. You can garner a lot of information here. You can do tours and there is also a theater for learning more. Be sure to check out the stained glass window in the ceiling above the main bar/tasting area.
We came as a group and did not have a reservation. They were able to handle 12 of us. Our server Dez was a lot of fun and knowledgeable on Pleasant Valley Wine and their history. With a group we were seated for our tasting. Five selections were provided for $5. A good selection of champagne and wines. It also included a small brownie sample and crackers. Definitely a good value. We all wrote our name on the top of our selections sheets, but to have some fun gave ourselves some different goofy names. I guess we amuse easily.
The first winery in the US to pay taxes (US...
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My wife and I found this to be the best part of our trip around some of the wineries in the Finger lakes. Of all the places we went this was one of the few that I could say there was a "pleasant" taste and experience in every glass.
My wife's love of chocolate was fulfilled with the Chocolate Lab wine. Personally, I found a few of my favorites there as well, from my beloved dry reds to the sweet reds. My favorite surprise came with their "Solera" version of Dry Sherry. I have since bought a couple cases through a local merchant.
In addition, the tour was filled with history as this winery is truly a part of the long Fingerlakes story, it's ups and downs and changes. One of the oldest wineries around, the character of the place is amazing and enchanting to say the least. Large places for parties and meetings are available for reservations I am sure.
We all have different tastes but this was a tremendous highlight for us, and will be one of our favorite places to visit whenever down that way. We are sharing this as often with friends and family as possible. Worth the trip and worth the...
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We visited Pleasant Valley Wine Co. but were disappointed. The winery was off the beaten path and was showing it's age The tastings were $5 for 7 samples and the tall older gentleman who poured was quite friendly. Unfortunately, he couldn't answer our questions on how some of the wine was made. There was a huge display on the history of the winery that we declined to purchase, but the memorabilia looked interesting.
Pros: The concord blended wine was sweet and easy enough to sip. There was also a chocolate sherry that seemed OK as well, but I'm not sure if I could drink an entire glass of it. Also, full bottles were as cheap as $10 each.
Cons: We tried the Masala, Madeira, regular and Cream Sherry, Ruby and Tawny Ports. Not a single one was palatable. The finish was raw and harsh. It definitely needed more finesse. After one sip, I did the unthinkable: I dumped the rest of the glass.
I highly suggest they tour and taste some of the other Finger Lakes wineries to see what modern, delicious wines are being made...
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