je1058
We were actually driving by and saw the HUGE vineyard, one of the most impressive we've seen in VA and the big, beautiful house on the hill and just had to investigate! We pulled into the driveway and drove the entire length to that house on the hill and we also now very impressive that the owners provided such a long paved driveway, knowing that paved driveways are VERY expensive - Thanks for not making guests drive that far on gravel and mud!Upon pulling up, the parking lot was a muddy mess, but it was easy enough to drop our group off on the paver patio, park and come in. The tasting room is a small room in the basement of this huge house. The two ladies working the room were very rushed, even though there weren't too many people at the tasting bar.The wines tasted nice, but given the very loud tasting room, as there was a large group of college-aged folks in there, and that there was nowhere to sit, we just did a tasting and left.Because it was raining and chilly, sitting outside wasn't an option, but sitting outside, on the grass field on a beautiful, sunny day overlooking the valley below would be an INCREDIBLE thing to do, if we come back. There are many other choices in that area, so we're not quite sure yet.But again, the wines were done quite nicely, too bad the entire experience didn't match,
strawberryale
As with most of the reviews, yes, the views are unparalleled. You can see the mansion from the bottom of the hill, and you start to get excited when the long, paved driveway takes you up the hill to that very estate that you see from afar. THIS is the winery? Yes, it is, well the tasting room at least. I would have given this winery more "stars" however, there was but one pourer and she had several customers that she needed to keep up with. I tried to get her involved in conversation, but that only took her away from other customers, so I kept quiet after a few minutes. Had there been more staff to allow that one-on-one that you expect from a boutique winery this would have been a great visit instead of a good one.
Leopardgirl
So glad to hear that you loved the Chardonnay, it is one of our favorites too! We hope that you are able to visit us again on a return trip to the area.
onevagent
Thank you for taking the time to review your time at Grace Estate and we are pleased to hear you enjoyed your visit. We couldn't agree more that the property offers a great place to relax with a glass of wine and we hope you'll come back soon to experience it again!
644jackm
We are glad to hear you've been having a great time visiting the tasting room! The staff continually strives to make sure everyone has the same great time. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
janicepk
Thank you for your feedback regarding your recent visit to the tasting room. We apologize for your experience and want to assure you we are taking appropriate steps to ensure an enjoyable time for all guests. Please feel free to message us if you would like to discuss this matter in more detail.
MrKnowing
Perhaps the best scenic view of all the local wineries. The wine was ok to good and we had great service.We'll be back at least each fall.
thezoo5
This is a busy place but they have ample staff and you feel your tasting is important. For the first time my husband really enjoyed some reds! There is a very cool lineage chart beyond the bar (and a magnifying glass to be able to read it!). The outdoor patio is huge and has a white pavilion tent - but the view makes this patio. Plenty of seating areas to just sip and enjoy!
Ventura_County_Girl
My girlfriend and I went on a wine tour and Grace Estate Winery had the worst service out of the 4 wineries visited that day. The views are amazing and definitely worth the drive but the wine was so-so and service absolutely terrible. The tasting room wasn't anything great - not to mention there were stink bugs falling on you while using the restroom. It looks like they are building a new tasting room at the bottom of the hill but doubt they will change their poor customer service. The blonde who is supposed to be in charge of the tasting room and staff should be fired and replaced by someone who has some customer service experience. If you decide to visit - just go for the views but not the wine.
14andrewf
The wine wasn't bad. The tasting room was still being built. W were in a building that basically was all plywood. When it's finished, it should be nice.
kecompel
Beautiful views and relaxing setting. The tasting room is nice and so are the staff. The wines weren't my favorite but everything was great!
749leslyc
We planned a day of winery visits and drove almost 3 hours to Charlottesville. Grace Estates was one of my most anticipated visits, and it was largely due to the pictures on the website. The beautiful sweeping views, the gorgeous estate itself, etc.Well, when we arrived, we were guided to a lower "farm" that had a run down white house with a red transitional looking "barn" across from it, and this was the tasting room. What happened to the beautiful estate with the sweeping vistas? Oh, that is closed today for a private function this evening. So we did our "tasting" in what seemed like a makeshift barn looking building, that had one tasting counter, with employees that really could not have cared that we were there.The wines were not that great, and I think they tasted worse than they were simply due to the disappointment we felt. The website shows all these beautiful scenic pictures, and this gorgeous building - but only on a day with no private events. So I highly recommend calling first to see if there is something happening the day you are planning to visit. Otherwise, there is not much that this winery offers. Unless you are into "roughing it" - then you have it made.
fauljo
Visited here over Father's Day as part of a joint celebration. The setting is absolutely beautiful. And the wine was very good. We sat in shade on the patio which was very comfortable.The only issue was the number of dogs present. Love dogs, but there must have been at least a dozen present that day and many of the owners were not mindful of their canines. So there was a lot of noise from people and dogs and a lot of movement and confusion. Not totally relaxing, which is what our party was hoping to find.
29suzanneb
Grace Estate has a breathtaking view of the valley below. The tasting room was on the basement level, so it felt a little dark and cramped, but there is private event space on the upper floors, which I'm sure is beautiful.
Skidaddy20
Spent two days touring various wineries throughout the entire area only to be completely turned off by the total lack of service at Grace Winery. The views were outstanding but the service ruined that. We sat outside with friends and after the second wine the girl completely seemed to forget we were even there. To make matters worse, we wanted a cheese and cracker tray and all she could tell us was "we have some cheese and stuff like salami and different cheeses". When we ask her what kind her response was "I'm not sure but it is kind of like Boars Head". When we ask her to bring us some out, she brought a pack of cheese, a pack of crackers, and a type of Lunchable from a kids lunch and just set it on the table. We were left with a plastic knife trying to open a sealed cheese pack and salami. We actually had to go in and remind her twice to bring out our other tastings. Then to top off the day, we had kept glasses at every winery we had been at all day. Not here! Believe me, she had no problem staying right there after the last tasting to get our glasses. Grace, your service crew kept us from ever returning. To bad the service did not match the views.