Nassau Valley Vineyards & Winery

This place is beautiful! The people working here are top shelf. We had a great time but most of the wines were too bland or light. We did end up finding the peach ambrosia, with a piece of ginger snap, is really great. The experience and atmosphere really make this trip worth the drive.

Whenever we are heading to Rehoboth Beach we always try to stop in and do a wine tasting. For $ 5 you can sample 6 wines in small wine glasses that you get to keep. You receive a list of the wines available to sample with a description and a price per bottle.
All of the ladies working there have always been so friendly and remember us when we go, though we have been a handful of times, which is really nice that they recognize us.
One of my favorite things about going is that they recommend certain flavors to help bring out different notes in their wine; with their peach wine they give you a gingersnap, and with the blueberry wine they give you a piece of chocolate, and it is really amazing how the notes in the wine enhance after the addition of ginger/​chocolate.
The Laurel Red is a great every day red wine, but my favorite red wine of theirs is the Redneck Rouge. It has a flavor that I can only describe as «deep». They recommend serving it at room temperature or even during the holidays warming it up, which I imagine would make your house smell amazing as it is a bit of a spiced wine, but I have enjoyed it chilled as well. I savor every last drop of this wine!
My favorite of their white wines is their Delaware White, I enjoy a sweeter, not dry wine, and this really hits the spot.

The wine here is only good for Sangria because it sucks flavor wise. The wine is also way over priced.

What a nice find! Tucked behind an industrial /​commercial area you will find a picturesce 5-​acre property with some vintage buildings offering some truly outstanding wines. We were impressed with the quality of the reds using grapes grown on the property. Generally to my taste, east coast grown reds are lacking in depth, but this place seems to be the exception. We were so impressed that we purchased 5 bottles. The self guided tour is worth taking before you go to the tasting room.

Super excited to taste some wine and tour the winery, but apparently there is a wedding going on today and they stopped serving tastings at 2:15. Their website says it ends at 5. Just beware– my advice is to call ahead that you’re coming because they didn’t disclose it on their website. The free self guided tour was still going though.

You now must drive through a strip mall area and more housing to find the vineyards but its really developed into something nice.
Very pretty grounds. Manicured and nice.
Its been a few years since i was here and they are now celebrating their 20 anniversary. I was a very good customer from 1997 to 2010 when my mother lived nearby.
Years ago when they were begging for business you could try 5 or 6 wines, a little sip but enough variety to allow you to decide. I always walked off very happily with 6 to 10 bottles. Now they charge you to taste like so many other places. Call me crazy but i take offense to that. So here, like the other places that charge to taste, i left with having only purchased 2 bottles of the one i was allowed to sample free of charge. Theres a certain place in northern Delaware that allows you to taste so my money goes there.
Since you are in business to sell wines you should not charge to sample.
Talked to the couple who paid $ 10 for the wine tasting– only 1 bottle purchased. !
Me :2 bottles purchased vs 6 to 10 when im
Allowed to sample free of charge. Things that make you go «HMMMMMMM»

Good place to visit on your way to Rehoboth Beach. The tasting room is pretty small and the owner’s dog was there as well. They have a number of sweet wines including a peach one. Our tasting was done in glasses, unlike another reviewer.

3.5 stars…
Nassau Valley is a cute little winery worth visiting if you’re in the area. There aren’t any tours but there is a back hallway which is like a little museum/​timeline of both wine in general and the vineyard if you’d like to get a little education while you’re there. The tiny shop sells some wine merchandise (more amusing than classy) in addition to their wine. The real reason for coming here is the tasting. For $ 5 you can choose to taste 6 of the 13 wines in their portfolio, they also let you keep the tasting glass with the name of the winery etched in it. Unfortunately it’s a small tasting glass so it’s probably not a glass you’ll use again.
The tastings are done just at a small counter you stand by. Our time there started with one woman who was just going through the motions, she left halfway through and some other woman took over and was much better at talking about the wines and being overall more pleasant. I wish the pours were more generous and that they did them an actual wine glasses I could take home and use again but overall it was a good experience with some delicious wine.
It’s also worth noting that a lot of their wines are on the sweeter side and they even make a peach wine and a blueberry wine which are delicious. I took home a bottle of my favorite (and coincidentally their best seller), the Laurel’s Red (a semi-​dry red wine) for $ 18. Bottles ranged from $ 13 – 30 with most being in the $ 18 range. Of the 13 wines they make, they only grow the grapes for 4 of them (the rest they import the juice from outside sources). Those 4 are the Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Savignon, and the Indian River Red Vinter’s Blend.

I’m still baffled at the extremely rude woman we encountered working at the vineyard. I logged right on to Unilocal in order to see if anyone else shared this experience and unfortunately it seems as though this is not the first time. We are camping nearby and have no electricity to charge up our cell phones. I politely asked one woman if it would be okay to charge them while we sample wine we had every intention of purchasing. She had no problem with it and directed us to an outlet. Another woman behind the counter rolled her eyes. When asked if it was an odd request she continued with her unpleasant behavior, shook her head, mumbled something and walked away. We responded by letting her know her curt and disrespectful demeanor cost the vineyard our business. There are certain mannerisms that are acceptable whether accommodating a customer or declining a request. Her behavior was not one that should ever be exhibited. I’m surprised she continues to be employed.

If you want a gorgeous vineyard wedding, this is the place. There are two main venue spaces that are great for a big or small wedding and you can have the ceremony outside or inside. Do be aware that they only provide the building. All tables, chairs, utensils, napkins, etc. had to be rented by an outside vendor. I find the space to be expensive for only providing the room since the couple has to pay for so much more ontop of that. There is a new event coordinator there named Angie who is very helpful with questions but sometimes the customer service can be neglectful and it can be hard to reach someone to answer those questions. The wine is fantastic and I was very glad to introduce most of our guests to such an eclectic variety of wines. Overall, I’m very glad we used this location but there were just some concerns throughout the planning process.

We had our wedding reception at Nassau Valley, so we visited many times over a year of planning and coordination. I’ve tried all their wines in the past two years and I would recommend the winery to anyone who enjoys a drink who is visiting the area. The vineyard is very nice and has a country-​farmhouse feel to it. They have an area you can walk around and read about the history of winemaking, as well as a nice little tasting room.
You do not taste from paper cups, as someone else wrote, you drink from glasses. Not that I have anything against paper cups, I’ve drunk some wine in my day from paper, plastic, Spanish goatskin, an occasional wooden goblet and your garden-​variety silver chalice. Wine will taste good out of all of them.
As far as the wines go, they have a fairly wide range so you’re likely to find something you like. However, if your taste is aligned with Robert Parker or Frank Prial, you probably won’t be that impressed. But Delaware isn’t Bordeaux, it’s not Sonoma. If you want wines that taste like they’re from Bordeaux or Sonoma, you have go get wines from there. At Nassau Valley, you’re going to get wines that taste like the Eastern Shore. The vines are still pretty young, and they will improve with age.
That being said, we had 150 people at our wedding, and the blueberry wine was really popular. Everyone from a midwestern ladies bridge club to Marine combat vets bought bottles, and that is no lie, I have receipts. I personally like the cabernet sauvignon, which is a really drinkable dry, smooth table wine at a reasonable price (~$ 18), which I think compares favorably with the cabernets here in northern Virginia or the Finger Lakes of upstate New York. The chardonnay is also decent, a little buttery and oaky, although the white blend that they have was much more popular at our wedding.
As far as an event venue, the vineyard was great. As far as customer service, Peggy, the owner and founder, probably was far too busy to effectively manage everything from business, production, strategy and special events. After all, I heard she was instrumental in getting the state legislature to change the law to allow the winery years ago. After she hired an assistant for special events, the communication improved significantly.
I would definitely recommend them.

We had our wedding here in August and it was an amazing day. We don’t regret having our wedding at NVV but at the same time I would have thought twice if I had any idea what a headache the planning would be. In other words, I just wish that there were other reviews about this place as a wedding venue before I booked so I could be aware of the following:
Pros:
— beautiful, rustic vineyard
— you can customize most things by choosing your own catering company, flowers, bar menu, etc.
— plenty of clean, nice bathrooms (somewhat hard to find at area vineyards since they are not necessarily designed as wedding/​part venues)
— location. It’s a great area to host guests since the beach is close and there are plenty of other activities for both single people and families.
Cons:
— wine is just ok. It’s not bad but if you’re a true wine lover you may be disappointed, especially since you have to serve their wines or pay a corking fee. However, i believe there is an exception for champagne since they don’t make it on the premise.
— Customer service was terrible. There is already so much involved with wedding planning that the last thing you want to deal with is a vendor who has a serious attitude and an inflated ego (I have a feeling it’s the same guy the review below mentions since the staff is so small). The person we worked with at NVV was rude and downright insulting. At first i tried to answer back with more kindness with the hope that maybe he’s just bitter because he sometimes has to work with high-​maintenance brides but I quickly realized that it wasn’t just me. The other vendors I worked with (in fact almost every single one) remarked on separate occasions that he was such a pain to deal with and he made preparations more difficult. considering how much money we spent on the venue, I think the level of customer service we received is unacceptable.
If you would like more specific details or examples, please feel free to contact me. I am happy to elaborate so you can make a more informed decision.

Delaware’s attempt to create a Virginia /​California /​New York winery experience is commendable. The wine here is decent, and they have a good selection of both drys and sweets (they had a blueberry wine and an elderberry wine when I visited, although currently I don’t see elderberry listed on their website). They have a dry rose which is perfect for summer vacation sipping at the beach. The prices are very good as well. This is a pleasant excursion for those visiting Rehoboth/​Dewey/​Bethany for a few days.
Why only three stars? Maybe I’m too accustomed to Virginia wineries. A) Tastings were done in plastic cups when I visited. Hate to be a snob, but… B) You cannot buy a bottle or even a glass and hang out on their premises… chalk that up to some bonehead state law. However, if they have a concert or festival and food is brought in, you can buy and drink all you want. C) The winemaker who conducted our tour was a bit of a dweeb. He had an «I’m the winemaker here… so pfffft to you» attitude. I’ve been to many wineries, and have met many winemakers. I hadn’t been on a tour with such a pompous winemaker before. (I visited this spot about 1 ½ years ago, so maybe they’ve got a new winemaker — apologies to winery in advance if that’s the case).
Apparently Delaware is starting to get a few more wineries, including one in Fenwick that is in my future (so says Criswell).