-
Zinc
7 reviews
Charlottesville, VA
Category: American (New)
-
C & O Restaurant
10 reviewsCharlottesville, VA
Category: Restaurants
Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard Farm
Rating Details »
100 Grand Cru Dr
Charlottesville, VA 22902
(434) 984-4855
Charlottesville, VA 22902
(434) 984-4855
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
6 reviews for Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard Farm
Kluge estate is about a 20 minute drive from downtown Charlottesville. For those college students looking to bring their parents, s/o, or frankly any out of town guests somewhere I *strongly* recommend it. $10 a person for a wine tasting. The two options are 6 half-glasses of wine or 4 half-glasses of sparkling wine. The sparkling tasting is really what makes Kluge stand apart from the other estates and vineyards in town. Go on a nice day and take your tasting, along with a delicious cheese plate, olive tapenade, or any other paring available, outside into the garden beneath the trees. It's relaxing, it's romantic, and it's fairly inexpensive.
Afterwards, take a walk up the path to the herb garden. It's just a wonderful day out when the weather is nice.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
We've been there twice: the first experience (July 4 weekend 2008) was sublime, we did a tasting with a gentleman who really knew his wine, particularly the sparkling wine. They also served food, and we got a curried chicken salad, which was awesome. The setting outside was lovely, with plenty of tables on a clearing in the woods.
The second time we went (Pres. day weekend 2009) was a HUGE disappointment. The place was packed (especially for late on a Sunday afternoon), there were no professional pourers to be found, just a cattle-call line for a $12 set of 6 test-tubes, which made it impossible to swirl and sniff. The tables on the clearing were gone, so we had to wait for someone to leave before we could sit down and have a drink - we would have just sat on the grass, but it was too muddy. But the biggest disappointment is that they aren't serving the yummy food anymore. It seems like they are doing everything they can to alienate people, including pricing their sparklings @the $50 level, like they really think they are that much better than say a Veuve Cliquot.
The Charlottesville area has too many outstanding winery options to put up with this place.
I had heard from one freind that Kluge was good. The location and the setting is wonderful but the wine sucks. My recommendation... drive about a half mile further up the road and go to Blenheim. The wines are much better, the service is great, and if you're lucky perhaps C-Ville's own Dave Matthews could be pouring.
Anyway, more on why Kluge sucks. First, while you can sit outside in a beautiful setting while enjoying your wine tasting, there is no server to tell you about the wines or answer your questions. They bring all your samples out to you in these conical plastic test tubes which look really nice, but don't allow you to swish the wine, or get a feel for it's nose (since you can hardly get yours into the tube). They have two samplings: a still wine flight and a sparkling wine flight. Both flights individually at $10 (still) and $12 (sparkling) were the most expensive I experienced at any of the 6 local wineries I went to in early August 2009. And it is especially disappointing after you find the wine to be mediocre at best.
Every other winery I went to in Charlottesville offered better wines than Kluge.
4.25 stars. The beauty of Kluge is multi-fold: the rolling hills, the pristine water, the vines, the artisan cheeses, and, of course, the lush wines of Virginia. I'd strongly suggest their wine and cheese tasting plate. For $25, you have the option of a traditional tasting OR trying the wines at your pace and leisure. This is an amazing deal compared to other wineries in the state. Most importantly, the staff does a superb job of matching the appropriate cheese to augment the nuances of the chosen wines. I strongly recommend a trip to this particular winery if one is doing a Virginia wine tour or happens to be in the Charlottesville area.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (3)
This is a very upscale winery and food shop. Excellent top of the line wines. Great place to take a break, grab some small tasing places and a bottle of wine and relax.
No views, but a nice ride in and wonderful setting in the woods.
good wine and gorgeous vineyard. artisan cheeses to die for, i first had chimay here and let me tell you, i love cheese and almost cried it was SOO good! it's a great place to take a scenic drive and just relax. highly recommended!
