Millbrook Vineyards & Winery — Attraction in Town of Washington

Just as I had read in so many other reviews, the screnery on the drive to Millbrook and the views from the winery were spectacular. The outside and entrance of the building was clean and Bruce welcomed us cheerfully to see if we were interested in wine-tasting, which of course we were. It was about 1:30pm when we arrived (after their noon opening). We asked about the chili and were told they had run out of the beef chili already, as this was part of a special series of "chili weekends" when Millbrook was promoting wine and homemade chili as a draw to bring people in on a mid-winter day. Good news was we were told they had pork chili and corn-jalapeno chili as well. Unfortunately, our visit went down-hill from there. We were squeezed into a very crowded wine-tasting counter, 4 of us positioned next to another 3 customers. Justine greeted us and was very friendly and seemed knowledgable. However, there was 3 other sides of the square tasting area jam-packed with people---quickly growing to 25 patrons, to be exact. Poor Justine was absolutely overwhelmed with no help in site. The wine tasting service was horrible, only because Millbrook was severely understaffed. Justine tried to tell us a bit about the wines as we went along, but even that got worse as the crowd had grown. After each tasting, we all stood around with no attention, waiting and waiting for our next pour as Justine scurried around the tasting area trying to keep up. By the time she came back to us, she was so rushed she barely said anything about the wines and just poured into our glasses. I've never gone to a winery, locally in CT, in California or in Virgina and had a worse tasting experience. On the plus side, many of the wines seemed quite good. The final straw of our bad experience came as we went upstairs at 3pm to enjoy some chili and we were all hungry. It took a full 90 minutes to fininsh our tasting !! We were informed that they were OUT OF CHILI !! I went down and spoke to Jake and let him know how frustrated were were that chili was gone and the reason we likely missed it is because the tasting took so long. He was not at all empathetic and curtly said there would be more chili NEXT WEEKEND, with no apology for either the slow service or the lack of chili. Fortunately, we packed a light picnic lunch meant to accompany our chili lunch. To boot, Millbrook doesn't allow "outside food" inside, on their decks or anywhere in front on building. Any picnic lunches must be brought to a "picnic area" about 500 feet away, down a hill near a pond. A pretty setting, but all the picnic tables are placed so they are severely sloped. Not a very comfortable setup. It is really unfortunate that our first experience had so much potential on a sunny, pleasant 55 degree afteroon. I was fair in my rating, as there was nice wine, the facility was very nice, with beautiful scenery and the staff were friendly. We will not be returning since there are so many other...

Vino? Wine not!

Thank you Groupon for getting it right! I discovered this amazing spot thanks to the peeps at Groupon. Mega deal so I couldn’t resist! I have no idea how I missed raving about Millbrook Vineyards sooner. I’ve come here a few times and I cannot wait to be back this summer again.

When I purchased the tasting tickets I thought it would be something brief, lame with a bunch of cheap wines at a meh spot. I was so wrong! I purchased my Groupon in advance and before I took friends here I wanted to make sure we tested the “waters”. As soon as we drove in on the sunny day everyone was out having a great time chilling by the lake side on the picnic tables or blankets on the grass. It was seriously the perfect scenario. Walking in, I went straight to the cashier checked us in got us in for our tasting. You get (depending on the one you choose) 8 tastings of different wines (also depending on the season). These tastings are delicious and you get to mark off your favorites and take notes so you’re able to purchase a glass later on or a bottle if you wish.

After the tasting, you can walk around check out their wine selection. They have things from Villa Pillo in Italy. We tried their Cinghialino wine and it was amazing! The staff is very knowledgeable and by no means do you feel rushed during the tasting or during your stay.

I highly recommend coming here for an afternoon, plan to spend 2-3 hours. You can come just for the tasting and be done with everything in one hour but I suggest staying a little longer. It’s nice to bring a picnic blanket pack some snacks, cheese and crackers throw in some grapes. This will definitely be a good idea since, once your tasting is over, you can purchase a bottle or two and sip them in your free souvenir glass (included in the tasting). You can sit by the little lake/pond hang out in your blanket. Enjoy nature and just people watch drunk parents taking care of their little toddlers. Truthfully it’s the best! Dogs are welcome in the property (as far as I know).

Also, make sure to take plenty of pics around the property. Best views! You almost feel like you’re in Europe but you’re not. Lol! Good way to mentally transport yourself there while still being in NY.

I love Millbrook Vineyards & Winery! Btw, they do sell food in their “restaurant” area. I haven’t tried the food yet since the last few times we’ve gone it’s either been closed or used for a private event.

And remember: where there’s a wine...

I've been visiting Millbrook Winery for years and my recent experiences have declined in value. While the wine is great, the customer service is nearly nonexistent.

I went to Millbrook with my family for Mother's Day with a reservation for an indoor tasting that we had booked three weeks in advance. When we checked in, we were told that there was no 3:00 indoor tasting, and that our tasting would be outdoors. If we wanted an indoor tasting, we could wait until 3:30. If the winery had contacted us to inform us that they could not honor the location and time slot we'd originally booked, we would have changed our plans for a different time. We agreed to the outdoor tasting.

My parents are members of the winery club, and have been for several years. A perk of this membership used to be free tastings. We learned that day that this perk had changed, and that member tastings now cost $5. This is also not something that had been communicated ahead of time.

Our reservation was four seven people, though three members of our party were not drinking for medical or personal reasons. This was made clear to the woman who checked us in. However, we were not told that this would be an issue until we arrived at the outdoor tasting tent. The woman doing the tasting, Katherine, originally told us that the other three members of our party would not be able to sit at the table with us. This was very upsetting because we made these plans to celebrate Mother's Day as a family. If we had been told of this policy ahead of time, again, we could have made different plans. Other guests did not show up to the tasting, and the other three members of our party were allowed to sit in the end.

We felt as though the service that we had booked was not honored. The winery neglected to inform us of their policies, including the change in the location of our reservation, the people allowed to sit at the table, and the cost of member tastings. The lack of communication about these issues felt disrespectful on the part...