Warwick Valley Winery, Distillery & Orchard — Attraction in Town of Warwick

9/17/2023: Updating my 4 stars to 3 stars. They make you park all the way up top on busy weekends. Even when there are spaces available closer to the main building. Why? Makes no sense. They'll claim safety reasons, but there is nothing unsafe about just grabbing an open parking spot, and what is it with the service charge when I order food? For that reason, I stopped tipping when I ordered food.

It is located in a nice wooded area with mountains in the background. Very friendly and pleasant staff. Live bands that perform mostly oldie rock music. It's not really my type, but I dont go there for the live music. The delicious wine is what I'm there for. You can get a bottle....or two of wine and sit anywhere on the large property. Lots of grass and trees to sit under on a hot summer day. We take our kids, and there are lots of other families with kids. You can take your pet too. There are lots of dogs on the weekend. There isn't a huge variety of wines, but what they do have is pretty good. Price ranges from $10 - $13 per bottle. There is wine tasting for a fee, and you keep the wine glass. They have apple and pear picking. The food is good. My kids love the Margarita pizza. Variety of salads and sandwiches. Reasonable pricing food. Nice rustic feeling dining area. Those are the good things. Now for the bad. On warm sunny weekends, expect to be on line up to an hour or two to order food. There is always just one cashier taking orders. It can get pretty crowded on warm weekends. It's hard to get a table in the dining area on busy weekends. Partly because people will continue to occupy a table well after they are done with their meals and drink wine. I think people should be asked to free up tables when they're done eating. They'll hit you with a fee for parking on warm weekends, too. The worst is the row of portable toilets or portajohnnies that really are an eyesore. Everything there looks so nice. You feel like you're out in the country until you pan over to the portajohnnies. There is a ladies' and men's room inside near the wine tasting area, but they close it down when it gets crowded because the line to the bathrooms interrupt the winetasting. They'll put an out of order sign, but I'm sure thats not the case. Well....who want to go take care of business in a portajohnnie. I would suggest tucking away the portajohnnies behind the building or somewhere that doesn't degrade...

🍇 Overview & Atmosphere • Nestled in the foothills of the Hudson Valley, the winery spans 120 acres of manicured grounds, gardens, and apple orchards . • The setting is vibrant and family-friendly, with live music on weekends, scenic walking paths, and seasonal activities like apple-picking .

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🍷 Tastings & Beverages • A wine, cider, and spirits destination: • Wine tasting: $10 for guided flight + souvenir glass • Cider tasting: $8 for a flight + glass • Spirits tasting: $12 for a flight + rocks glass • Or choose the Trio tasting (all three) for $25 . • Flagship beverages include Doc’s original cider, Black Dirt bourbon, Warwick gin, and multiple award-winning wines (Chardonnay, Harvest Moon white, fruit-forward Baco Noir red) .

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🍽️ Food & Experience • The on-site café/grill offers farm-to-table fare—think cheesesteaks, brisket tacos, pizzas, burgers, chili, and more . • Popular extras include tractor rides to the orchard and the opportunity to pick your own apples during the fall season (August–November) .

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👍 Highlights: • Beautiful, well-maintained grounds with extensive outdoor seating • Diverse beverage offerings—wine, cider, spirits—all under one roof • Family-oriented, yet also appealing to adult groups with live music & scenic ambiance   • Clean facilities and friendly, knowledgeable staff praised even during peak crowd times 

🚧 Notes: • Crowds and lines can be significant, especially on weekends or during apple season; arrive early  • There’s a $10 parking/admission fee per car during apple season  • Food ordering and tasting can feel disorganized when busy 

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Warwick Valley Winery, Distillery & Orchard is a vibrant, wholesome destination combining live music, scenic beauty, delicious beverages, and seasonal fun. Ideal for families, couples, or friends looking for a relaxed outdoor escape with options for tasting and apple picking. Plan to arrive early on weekends or during fall, bring cash (some food vendors are cash-only), and leave room for spontaneous tastings!

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🧭 Planning Tips • Open daily, 11 AM–6 PM, café Wed–Sun, 11 AM–5 PM  • Taste before you sip—do the guided tastings early • Bring blankets/chairs in case seating is limited • Coordinate ride home if you’ll enjoy...

Much different experience since Covid. I usually really like this winery but I was there recently and had multiple unpleasant experiences in the same day. First off the guy behind the counter inside the wine tasting bar (Joey I think his name was) was unbelievably rude. We asked how much the tastings were and he said, "On the board behind me! Don't you see it!?" Umm excuse me? Then we ordered glasses of wine and left him a tip on the bar and instead if saying thank you he snatched it up and slammed it into the tip jar....oh were we supposed to put in the jar for you? So sorry A-hole! Then the cheese platter I spent $22 on had hardly any cheese, just some slivers, a loaf of bread and some grapes. I remember it being done much better in the past. Masks. Now while I do understand the importance of complying with the law; they take it to another level here. First off; we are outside on the large property. My husband is walking in 95 degree heat. He has some breathing problems but wears the mask anyway. He lowered his mask for a moment to take a breath and a young man patroling the area in a golf cart type vehicle advanced on him aggressively and started yelling at him! Then proceeded to follow us to where we were going! We were literally nowhere near anyone. THEN later I saw the same guy walking through the tented area with no mask on himself!! Oh and there was a group of about 20 people sitting, congregated on the lawn near us, NOT wearing masks....but that was also ok...just strange. I know they are trying to comply with the law and it's not easy but there was this really militant and aggressive vibe coming off most of the staff and the way they were patrolling the area...it was difficult to relax. I can see doing this indoors I guess but outside on a breezy day? Maybe this makes some people feel safe, but it disturbed me....I think I'll wait to come back here, if I...