Mackinaw Valley Vineyard

I will start by saying we go here every year for my dad’s birthday. We do enjoy the ambiance — offers a nice large deck to sit and look out at the grapes and the lake. We usually bring our own food/​charcuterie platter. They do offer gourmet chocolates in the gift shop, but they have a hefty price tag.
Save yourself some trouble and bring your own paper plates, a cutting board, paring knife, etc. You cannot bring any outside beverages in, but they sell their wine and quite a few beers so that is your only option.
My only issues with this place are the employees and the wine tasting process. Many times the counter where you can taste wines is crowded and you feel very rushed to get in, taste your samples, buy, and get out. You go in and go up to the main counter and if there are people available to help you (and that’s a big IF if you go anytime there is more than two groups) they offer a limited knowledge of the wines before pouring you a tiny sample in a plastic cup. I feel it would be more professional to serve them in a glass. If you wan to try more than one or two wines, expect to be there awhile. I’ve felt like I was bothering the employees by asking for samples — multiple times I’ve wanted to buy more wine but felt like I was hassling them and just thought, ‘forget it.’ I shouldn’t have to beg someone to take my money!
I also think this place would benefit by having their employees become more professional and knowledgeable about the wines. The young guy several Sundays back simply offered, «Yeah, that one is good, it’s pretty popular.» Uh… ok.
Several times we’ve either had people who were hurried/​bothered/​slightly rude or hungover from the night before (Maybe they are allowed to stay and drink after hours??) Someone else mentioned their casual dress and I would agree with that. Maybe a uniform polo would be an improvement. I wouldn’t expect something super dressy since it is a laid back winery, but I would agree that they should have higher dress-​code standards. If they could improve the wine tasting process and the employees’ customer service skills, I would consider this a five star.

I’ll start by saying that I’m not a wine drinker. The closest that I come is sangria, of which I am actually quite the connoisseur. Saying that, this place is a beautiful stop in a random County. I came with my grandmother for a grape stomping and wine tasting. The land is gorgeous with a gazebo, small lake, and a very cute koi pond. There are swing benches everywhere so adults can get out of the blazing sun and cool off with a beverage. The staff was very friendly and we could not stop thinking of all the great events we could have here. The only catch is that I was not much a fan of the sangria. Mostly I was just wondering where the wine was in the drink. The sweet reds that I did try were not bad but I was not super impressed overall. I think this location be wonderful for any wedding, reunion, or outing for families and friends as long as you are not expecting good sangria. Cheers!

What a total bust! Haven’t been here in forever but if this night was a sign of the times, they are slipping far and fast. It was a stormy night and we got there late but were still made to pay the full cover charge with less than an hour remaining of playing time. Okay fine but then we heard ONE SONG before the band quit. The most expensive song of all time…
These wines will make you sicker than a dog with a headache for days and a sour stomach so bad not even a Bloody Mary will cure. Their coolers don’t actually keep their bottled beers cold so drink up fast ladies and gents. Want a vodka soda? Oh too bad, no hard alcohol here and no you can’t bring it in, it’s undrinkable wines or warm beer to drink while listening to your one song. Couldn’t get out of here fast enough and then hit a major State Trooper road block on the way back to the interstate (Thank god for no hard alcohol at that point!) so somebody at this winery isn’t donating quite enough at ISP fundraisers…
Added one star back in for the decent bands they get once in awhile and honestly, the grounds and layout are really beautiful. Just needs run by new management!

Anniversary weekend vacation. followed the signs. pulled in and went in and it was a mad house. Wedding and a seperate baby shower. WHAT THE HECK! I asked the wine lady – dressed in a orange hoodie — waaay casual for the events going on inside… bad weather so everyone was located inside crammed… not one sigh telling the public that it was closed due to… Car loads after car loads of people wanting to sample… no room for us. What a mess. They should have had a back up «SPECIAL”=back up plan. room for the wedding reception… not even a chance to even look for a gift… my opinion there should have been a sigh placed outside by the entrance «SORRY for any inconvenience but it is closed to the public.»

It’s hard to believe this place is called a winery. The wine tasting was served in plastic cups and the wine was undrinkable. Employee was not very knowledgable of product and was very pushy to hurry the experience. Grounds are nice but not even worth the drive from Bloomington.

You know what’s great ?? Things unexpected. Srs.
Some of the best things and times i’ve had t/​o my life have been those that are unplanned or simply a case of «I think ~insert activity/​event/​place here~ will be this much fun/​non-​fun» and it turns out to totally exceed your expectations.
I present to you Exhibit A: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard.
I came here for a wedding with a friend of mine and was all like, «where/huh/what?etc». She’s quality though so I said no prob, i’m in.
This place is tucked away about 30 min East of P-​town in a very rural, wooded and scenic area. The place is ideal for an outdoor wedding and is basically gorgeous.
If I were on the craic and wanted to marry again, this would be a potential venue, perfect for a small wedding, read: 100 or less. I believe there were approx 65 guests at the one we went to and it was great.

Magical in the summertime when they have concerts. You can’t beat great wine, your own picnic, and music on a saturday night. The setup is amazing with the vineyard behind the band. The have some great local award winning wines and a very nice outdoor lawn. There is also deck seating a little white lights strung all over. They provide food but also allow you to bring your own. Put it on your bucket list for sure!

What a beautiful winery!
The boyfriend and I arrived at his parents’ house in Mackinaw and plotted out how we’d be spending our evening. Our first stop was the Mackinaw Valley Winery. I have to admit I didn’t have high hopes for this place — a winery in hicksville?
We pulled into the winery and the first thing I saw was all the carefully tended-​to vines. They went as far as I could see — I felt like I was in California! We hopped out of the car and went into the tasting room. There was a wedding going on out on the back lawn, but the owner was happy to let us taste a bunch of his wines. We each tried 7 or so wines, and they were really good! I’m no wine snob, but I know what I like, and I really liked what I tried here.
We then each purchased a glass and headed out the back. There’s a beautiful back porch that faces onto the vineyards, and a patio off to the side that faces a small lake with lots more vines in the background. It was a beautiful setting for a wedding. They hold lots of other events here, and on Saturday nights in the summer they have live music for free.
I loved my time here and will surely be back. Maybe one day I’ll get married here? Hrmmmm…