Chamard Vineyards

Arrived at 817pm. Kitchen was already closed even though place closed at 9pm. Difficult to find any staff member. No explanation of wines during a tasting, just pour and run off (Avery). Rushed out. Left at 830pm. Would have liked to enjoyed out visit but not at this vineyard.

How incredibly disappointing. My husband and I came here on a beautiful Friday afternoon after a lunch of lobstah rolls at Lobster Landing down the street. We figured it would be a nice way to kick off my birthday weekend and enjoy the weather. We were pleasantly surprised at how gorgeous the winery was, both outside and in their tasting room. The inside space was warm and inviting, and not at all crowded. We walked up to the bar and found ourselves to be the only ones there. The bartender seemed incredibly disinterested in us. We grabbed the menus ourselves to try to figure out what we were doing and which wines we wanted to try. Eventually, she came over and begrudgingly asked which wines we wanted. She then proceeded to pour us three glasses each, all at one time, without once making an effort to welcome us, go into the history of the vineyard or describe any of the wines we were trying. My husband did try to ask some questions, which she answered, to get the conversation going, but to no avail. Eventually, we sucked down our wine an paid, and left to go to one of our favorite wineries (Gouveia in Wallingford) where we knew we would have a much more enjoyable time.
For the tasting, we paid $ 12 each for three pours, although they did seem to be larger than normal pours. Though this is more expensive than other wineries I’ve been to, and we didn’t get to keep the glass, this wasn’t such a big deal to me. Also, be warned, if you plan to buy a bottle to drink afterwards, they are expensive, to me at least. Prices ranged from $ 28 to $ 44+. Again, other wineries I have been to typically range from $ 18-​$ 25 per bottle.
Really, the poor customer service ruined my experience here. I expected someone to show a little more interest in me as a customer on a lazy Friday afternoon. Our receipt listed the bartender’s name as Blair V. I hope this was just a fluke.

Place and views are great. Prices are outrageous. $ 28 for a bottle of wine/​$ 10 a glass. For $ 12 more I can buy a bottle 12 year old single malt scotch. Not sure how they justify it, wine is average. At any other vineyard bottles are $ 14-​$ 20.

This is definitely a beautiful vineyard to visit for a nice afternoon away, but be ready to pay the hefty piper.
The tasting room has so much character with the log cabin look and wooden bar, tables, and stools, but it is small. It took us about 20 minutes just to squeeze into a spot at the bar. The wine tasting itself is $ 12 to try 3 wines. That’s probably the most expensive wine tasting I’ve had so far. The lighter white wines were nothing to talk about, but the Voignier was quite tasty albeit rather pricey. Same can be said about the Reds. It seems that unless you get the most expensive bottles, it isn’t very delightful. So my suggestion is to go all out for the tasting.
There is also a bistro attached where you can sit down to a full serviced meal. Unfortunately, it was completed booked for the rest of the night when we arrived and we were told it’s nearly impossible to get in without a reservation. If you want, you can also eat in the tasting room for more of a casual dining vibe, which is exactly what we did. But you’ll have to scavenge for a table!
We split the burger which was delicious and served with salad greens and crispy fries, and the Mac & Cheese side which was creamy, cheesy, and baked to perfection. My biggest gripe is that it was one expensive trip! Most of the bottles are $ 30-​$ 44 a pop. Between the burger and side of Mac & Cheese, we ended up with $ 30 bill plus $ 12 wine tasting and $ 44 per wine bottle. Over $ 100 later we left satisfied, but with empty pockets for only a few hours of enjoyment.

Stopped in for brunch on a Sunday morning. To our surprise we were the only ones there. odd for 1130 on a weekend. Despite our near flawless visits in the past it seemed like the dynamic has changed a bit here, specifically the pricing and portions. $ 18 for a burger is steep. I don’t remember it being this pricy a year ago. also grilled cheese seemed smaller then usual. Service was lacking in the enthusiasm department, the staff seemed uninterested in having us. Despite the changes the meal was still tasty.
We opted for a wine tasting afterwards to try a couple new wines they were offering. In the past the tasting was at least 5 wines. now it’s 3. Not much comparison with just 3 tastes, but who knows, I’m not a wine guy. No free glass after the tasting, Boo.
I’m sure we’ll be back to see if things have turned around, come on Chamard, don’t disappoint!

Beautiful scenery, great food. The best burgers, yummy wines. Definitely recommend.

Beautiful Location! Excellent farm to table food. We love this place and have been there many times. I haven’t had anything there that I didn’t love. Staff is friendly and more than accommodating. We love the bar area as a perfect place for a late lunch. Fun to to go with friends. Should make reservations for dinner. They have expanded food service into the tasting room and I hear it will be out on the deck which is lovely.
If you are looking for fine wine, this is not going to compare to a tasting at Châteauneuf-​du-​Pape, but they have very good wines that pair nicely with their food. CT has come a long way with their wineries over the years, and Chamard has certainly improved their quality and offerings.
But Chamard is not just about the wine. Wine is not just about the wine. It’s the experience of great food, good wine, a perfect location, happy staff, good friends and making memories. If you are looking for this combination, Chamard has it.

This is our new favorite place! The food is fantastic and creative, and the staff is very pleasant. I can’t wait until summer to really appreciate the views.

The place itself is gorgeous. The wine tasting had only 5 wine tastings that were okay but should add more for the price $ 15. The food is amazing and great service. I would def go back!!! Love it there :)

Tucked away on a long driveway, down a winding backroad is the gem of Chambard Vineyards. The tasting room is beautiful. Enjoy the live band or the open fireplace. The tasting menu has a nice array of white, rose, & reds, most of them on the dry side, which I prefer.
Can’t wait to return to Chambard Vinyards when the weather is warmer, grab a glass or two and walk around the beautiful grounds.

Went there for lunch when we were picking up some of my wife’s artwork from an exhibit. The food was quite good.

The wine here is really not that great, especially considering the price. The food is also a bit subpar though the atmosphere slightly makes up for it. The view is beautiful and they have live music on the weekends while none of the other vineyards in the area are allowed to.

Your review helps others learn about great local businesses.
I’ve been only once. I think it’s an enjoyable experience although a bit pricey. Food presentation was nice, wine passable. Facility is gorgeous, vineyards beautiful. I’ll go back and have recommended to friends that they go.
Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.

The wine is great! The Riesling is my favorite. If you come here, definitely eat at the Bistro. Wow! Great food. Also wouldn’t hurt to have some great company as well. It’s very pretty out there too.

Fantastic food with very nice wines considering. The ambience is very warm and homey as well. Highly recommend.

Ok yes, full disclosure is that we’re wine snobs. We had little expectation to find great wine from Connecticut and turns out we were right, but at least we gave the state the ol’ college try.
We found Chamard like good Unilocalers on Unilocal,and were there just as they opened. We did a tasting flight that was pretty ho-​hum, with what I’m pretty sure I remember none of the grapes were from this state. They shipped in pre-​pressed juice and/​or grapes from California and south america, and it was really unimpressive. I would give the wine a solid zero stars.
The facility however was gorgeous. The interior décor made with old wine barrels and wine staves was quite breathtaking, and the views of the property from the tasting room was almost worth the price of the tasting, which earns it a total of two stars. I did note that they had a dining establishment on the premises with what the tasting room staff claimed to be the best food in the area, but if it’s anywhere near the quality of the wine, I’d pass on that as well.

Updated review: we frequent the bistro often & have never had a disappointing meal. We were there with friends over the weekend & enjoyed the awesome farm to table culinary creations. I received a call the next day from KerryAnn that I must have left my wallet at the outdoor bar in the barn. I collected it today, of course all in tact, and had another great lunch!
As always, spectacular setting, good service & tasty wine!

Great tasting experience! The bartender was super friendly, informative, cheerful, and attentive even when she got busier. I stopped by on a Wednesday evening for a passport stamp and enjoyed the experience. They have a very smooth red currently in the middle of their tasting set that I was pleasantly surprised by. The atmosphere in the wine bar area has a homey wood décor and plenty of space for guests both inside and on the patio. They had a couple events going on so I had to park further down which was a little tight, but worth it in my opinion. I will be back with friends if possible next time!

The tasting room and porch are cute and romantic and warm and all of those other things, but the wine is just mediocre. Go here with friends for a relaxing afternoon, just don’t have high expectations for the wine. The setting is all you need. After a little bit the wine starts to gain appeal. There’s no reason to avoid Chamard as long as you don’t have your heart set on a fantastic local wine. It’s ok and perhaps if we try the restaurant we’ll have a higher opinion of the overall operation.

The first time I tried to visit Chamard left a very bad taste in my mouth. We were close by at the outlets and just wanted to do a tasting. We were told that tastings ended for the day (it was around 4 or 5 pm on a Sunday), and we would have to pay a $ 10 cover per person if we wanted to stay, since they had music. Needless to say, we left. I don’t know if they still do that, but the hefty $ 15 tasting fee they currently charge is kind of ridiculous, we’re not in Napa and their wines are not that good. Service is slow and I always feel like I’m bothering them when I try to order a glass of wine.
This year I tried a glass of their sparkling champagne style wine. It was decent. I’ll take my obligatory annual visit for the passport stamp, but it’s not one of my favorites.

4 star wine
2 star food
Yes: appearance: My husband took me here for a romantic birthday and it was a gorgeous day. We walked around this lovely place hand in hand, the landscape, furniture and décor were all luscious.
Yes: wine: We had the entire dining area to ourselves. The light was pouring in and the red wine was flowing. dERP, I can’t remember which wine we ordered, I normally like Pinot Noir, I can say for sure it was red, and delicious.
No: food: sadly the food was a let down. We ordered strawberries and cream. Seemed like they were overripe, washed the night before, and were kept in too cold of a refrigerator to compensate for them being on the edge of spoiled. They were covered in mushy spots, rally should not have been served. I wanted to send them back but husband was really hungry and we were both tipsy so we soldiered through. :(I got a macaroni and cheese and it was mushy, and had that blandness that comes from an uninspired cheese blend. No tang, no cheese flavor, all milky creamy. Surprising considering that it would need to stand up to wine.
Overall: Seemed a lot of what was wrong in the food came from this overall feeling of everything being super prepped ahead of time and untrained staff just «adding cream» or «putting in oven» that’s what it felt like.
Overall a lovely birthday treat. I’m not sure I’d eat here again but would gladly buy the wine.

overall this is a great place.
I enjoy the wine, I enjoy the scenary. the atmosphere is pleasant, if a bit snooty.
the food, in general, is very good.
I am rating this a 3.5 based on everything I know. if I were to rate on the meal I had today, it would be a 2.
the cheese plate, the charcuterie, the burger, the tuna, plenty more, are great.
today 8 had the gnocchi, and they were severely disappointing. the sauce was good (not great). the veggies were good (not great).
The gnocchi themselves were not good at all. not tender, not fluffy, not light, not flavorful. they were tough little lumps of bland dough tossed in sauce.
I did not make a complaint, so I do not know what they would have done about it — the rest of the meal was great, everyone was happy, I didn’t want to cast a negative light. that’s on me for not testing what they would do to fix it, and maybe they would have.
but I feel for the prices involved, and the overall pretense of the place, gnocchi should be done right tell first time.

Chamard is one of those hidden gems that you would never know about unless someone told you. My mother told me just this past fall about the Vineyard so I made her take me when I came to visit. The location is super close to the Clinton Premium outlets and easy to find. Parking is ample and clearly marked.
If you want to enjoy Chamard Vineyards, go during the Spring/​Summer/​Fall to get the best views and opportunity to walk around the property.
The property is large and beautiful when in bloom, most of the items they grow in the gardens are used in their restaurant and bistro. The best part is that you have free range of the property and their are many great photo opportunities.
In terms of food I’ve only eaten in the tasting room, which is more like a bar menu. The food is fresh, quickly made and great to share with a group of people. We had the cheese plate (this is a must have!), Pommes frites and the Four mile river farm sliders (another must have!). This was PLENTY of food between three people, the cheese and mini burgers/​sliders were excellent.
The wine — Yes I’ve had better and yes I’ve had more options, would this prevent me from coming back, absolutely not! The experience here is what will make you come back. I did enjoy the Malbec, and would definitely come back again for this.
All in all Chamard is not just a vineyard it is a place to go to enjoy CT, food and the beautiful views. It really is a beautiful experience that you should try once if you are in the area. They also have a private room that you can rent out: fancy dinner with friends or a wedding/​baby shower! This truly is a wonderful and intimate place to host a small gathering.
Tips: There are specials on Monday/Tuesday’s that add up to incredible discounts; half price on glasses of wine, What!!! Also they offer live music on certain days, so make sure you go early to get a seat and enjoy the show and wine!

We have visited Chamard multiple times, and they are always spot on. Their brunch is excellent and their lunch is even better. Their burgers are very good, they use quality organic beef and it shows. We recently enjoyed their French onion soup which was huge! Definitely share this one. Oh, and finish off your meal with crème brûlée.

I’ve never been here and I’m so happy that I came!
The grounds are GORGEOUS! The service is with a smile and the wines although not my absolute favorite… were yummy.
ALTHOUGH, They had this wine that they were just testing out and it was not for sale… it was a blush of some sort and it was sooooo good!
The flat bread pizza we ate in the tasting room with the tapanade and arugula on it… i still think about it.
Plus, I believe on Saturday they have a BBQ outside which in my book. is always a plus.
Can’t wait to go back!

After over a year in CT, I so miss our California wineries and clubs. We are now members of two NY Long Island wineries and sort of like them. Their wine is ok! Last fall we attended a birthday celebration at a central CT winery. The birthday girl invited about 40 people to a potluck at the tasting room. Rather than giving her some private space, there were tables in the common area full of covered dishes. I stood in line to buy some wine. Once I arrived at the counter a young woman asked how she could help me. I told her we were having a party (look to your left) and I wanted to buy some bottles of red wine. I asked to taste some so I could choose.
I was informed that I could only pay for a set tasting of a mixed set of wines. No, I could not try some reds for free so that I could buy bottles. We left the party to the chagrin of the birthday girl. Our introduction to CT wineries!
Fast forward to last weekend. A group of us had heard about Chamard’s custom crush program. Make your own barrel of wine. We arrived early on a Saturday morning. It was a new spring day. As we entered the building we saw it was divided into tasting room and bistro/​restaurant. As we strolled toward the tasting room a nice gentleman immediately greeted us. He asked if we wanted to do a tasting. We let him know we had an appointment with Alexis. He told us he would fetch her right away. After that Alexis met us, had us hang out and enjoy the space until our party was all present. Then we were led to the beautiful cellar to meet both wine makers.
We had a lovely introduction to the custom crush program. Both winemakers spoke to us and explained how our custom barrel would be produced.
Since then we have had numerous meals at the Bistro (another Unilocal venue).
Fantastic wines!

Very good! I took my mom here after a trip to the outlets. We both wanted a nice glass of wine to celebrate our great shopping adventure. We stopped at Chamard for a change and was very surprised at how great our lunch was.
The menu has plenty of options and is farm to table. Since summer is coming we both opted for the Chardonnay. One of the reasons why I love this place is that the wine is good for a Connecticut vineyard, probably because they get their grapes from California! For lunch we decided to split a few things since everything looked so good! We started with a Mache Salad, followed by the Four Mile River Farm Burger and fries. To top it all off we had a really excellent chocolate dessert and french press coffee. If you get the coffee, there are about 12 cups within the french press so definitely sharable!

The service left something to be desired,
But some wines were tasty and made me a bit tired,
Gorgeous grounds, even in the winter,
Cool natural wood tables; don’t get a splinter.
We had a coupon for this place, so we made the drive down Saturday afternoon. Nice, big parking lot. The building is set right in the middle of all of the grapevines with a nice fountain on-​site.
The bar area was packed so we were allowed to sit in the bistro area. Then the waitress kind of forgot about us. When she finally did come over she made me feel kind of rushed, so we decided not to eat here.
I sampled a Pinot Noir (oaky and flavorful), Chardonnay (weird taste), and Sauvignon Blanc (citrusy and refreshing). Not bad wines but I’ve had better. Classy interior with character. Might be back in the summer.