Contessa Wine Cellars

Not the best wine I had in southwest Michigan but the owner is lovely and very helpful! The outdoor seating is great and would definitely return

The wine was good, Tony was extremely friendly, and the location was beautiful. One of the best tasting bottles of Cabernet Franc in Michigan.

My boyfriend and I came here last year for Valentine’s Day because it was the only winery open on a very snowy day. The gentleman that was there (I think the owner) was very nice and we ended up spending the whole day there! This year we had to go back and they offered 2 free wine tastings and 20% off our purchase! Wines are a bit pricey for the quality but the service was fantastic!

Of the various wineries we visited in St. Joseph, this was my favorite. I loved the outdoor seating, the peaceful setting and the variety of wines available. Not really a fan of the decoration (Marilyn Monroe in the bathroom?) but it’s not like I’m staying there forever!
Additionally, when you get off the highway, there’s a nice fruit stand for snacks on the way home!

I made a Unilocal account just to warn people not to go here. The owner Tony has left a bad taste in my mouth. Being a manager I would have never treated a customer the way he did. I still am in utter shock with how he treated people. There are so many more wonderful wineries around the area who have amazing customer service. I have been to a handful of wineries around here and I know I will never go back. Save the trip and don’t go. Stay clear of tony, multiple groups had terrible service and could not believe how rude he was. If you want crappy service this is the place!

Loved the view and the wines! Plus $ 5 for 5 tastings and $ 3.99 glasses! How can you top that

Dan was great. Helped us out and was extremely helpful. Then another employee came over and told us we were «being too loud». We were just a group of 10 girls having a good time. We all left without purchasing any bottles because the employee was so rude. We won’t be returning.

The Contessa Winery is a beautiful building with an amazing view. I’m mainly a sweet wine-​o so most of my reviews are about that. I love the tasting price of $ 5 for 5 tastings and the best I had was the Dolce Vita (red sweet wine with concord grapes). I can picture myself already making this as a sangria. The deck where you can enjoy the wine is also very spacious and pretty.

Nice winery, their reds are nice and full-​bodied. Another beautiful location, nice to just sit outside, drink a glass of wine and soak in the scenery. There are a few wineries within a few miles and they are definitely worth a visit.

I would check this out just for fun and to view the nice landscape, but the wines, frankly, are terrible. I’m not a wine expert by any stretch of the imagination, but these wines are overly sweet and lack depth. I tried a majority on the menu and did not find one that was decent. The reds are probably the most atrocious examples of what red wine should be. For what it’s worth, it was fun to sample the selection and hang out.

Great spot! Beautiful front porch, great people!

Went here the other day and all I can say is, «Meh.» The girl assisting us simply filled our glasses and didn’t bother to tell us anything about the history of Contessa or the wine we were drinking. When I go wine tasting, I want to learn something, I just don’t want to point to the menu and say, «This one next.» Talk to me! Teach me about that wine! Give us a reason to lengthen our stay. We were there only a matter of minutes.
Overall, the winery was beautiful. Maybe it was the young lady helping us that needed to learn something about wine before being allowed to pour the samples.

Great place!
People are so nice
Very good place to stop by and enjoy your day

Terri and I stopped at several of the wineries and tasting rooms along the SW Michigan «wine trail» during a recent visit to Michigan.
Contessa Wine Cellars was definitely our favorite. The person in charge of tastings was friendly without being overbearing or pushy and their tasting is «free» if you buy one or more bottle (s) of wine.
The views of the surrounding area were beautiful– overall a very nice stop and one that I hope that you will make when visiting this area.

We’re definitely a fan of Contessa Wine Cellars — we’ve been coming here for years and my wife LOVES their Bianco Bello and Celeste wines — in fact we walked out of here with four cases of wine this year — two Bianco Bello, one Celeste and one mix of Prediletto Blush and Lago Rosso.

As everyone else mentioned, yes… free tasting with a purchase of a bottle of wine, otherwise it’s $ 5. I seriously wish every winery had this policy. My mom stopped in here on a Saturday afternoon (this past weekend) so mid-​October for you readers… VERY nice weather means lots of people out and about and that is exactly what was going on here as well.
I managed to squeeze in at the bar to get my wine tasting in and purchased a bottle of the Celeste sweet white wine which recommended warming during the winter months so as winter is approaching soon, I think it’ll be great to drink up during the cold months.
The service was quick, and friendly. I definitely recommend this place as a stop along the wine trail.

We stopped in this winery after picking peaches on Saturday since they advertised having free tastings. The place is cute, and has a nice deck that you can enjoy a glass of wine on.
There were plenty of other people doing tastings, and a few staff members, so we didn’t have to wait long for a space at the bar. The tastings are free if you buy a bottle of wine or $ 5 per person if you don’t purchase anything. You get 5 tastings that contained a couple of sips each. I found that to be a little misleading.
I thought several of the wines were fine, but nothing extraordinary. I liked the fruit wines, and the sweet wine wine the best. I bought a bottle of the Celeste (sweet white) and the cherry wine. (Those were $ 10 and $ 12 respectively, so it was worth it to buy them to make our tastings free).

Had a great time talking with the staff and tasty some great wines.

Excellent Excellent EXCELLENT!!!
Great wines, great atmosphere. Tony is great.
Just wonderful.

Nice! This is a gem. Of our four winery trips this weekend, this was the prettiest and tied for first. Prices can’t be beat, customer service awesome, this guy knows what he is doing and will let you taste as much as you like.
Two of us, shared tastes, alternated wines, hammed it up with the owner who was very big on promoting the area businesses and competing winery. Now I don’t know about you, but i think that’s pretty awesome for him to do that. The thing is, he knows his wines are better… and he is RIGHT! He provided us with a flyer for a winery in Ohio that’s one of he and his wife’s fav’s and we can’t wait to try it out!
Thanks Contessa… keep up the good work. You have a beautiful facility!
I read the reviews and was leary, but we got here at first opening, no one in store, owner at our beckon call, I believe he has only the place a year (?). He did say he had 500 yesterday, so if they are that busy… c’mon people, how do you expect them to be able to keep up? And if it is summer, kudos for hiring college kids to pour. I wouldn’t expect to ask them about winemaking or processing, we have to have some common sense about who we ask what questions. As for those who like Karma better, potato vs potatoe. Go to both, see yourself. Who cares about the label on the bottle, really?