Stuck at home and need some wine? Want to support a local winery? Several students in our online wine classes asked us for this list, and here is our list of the Best Wineries Near Philadelphia! If you have any favorite wineries not on the list, please let us know.
These wineries are a short road trip from Philly. To make things more interesting, we also included a few wineries worthy of a road trip, just in case you are getting stir crazy. If you aren’t up for leaving home right now, you can also order wine online.
Pennsylvania Wineries
Best Wineries Near Philadelphia. All are less than 45 minutes from Center City, Philadelphia.
Penns Woods Winery
Chad’s Ford has always been a hotbed for wine production in PA. Penns Wood has become a specialist in Cabernet Sauvignon. You should seek out their reserve bottlings if you want to treat yourself. Their planting of Cabernet vines dates back to 1997, making them some of the oldest vines in the state. These wines show what is possible to achieve here. https://www.pennswoodswinery.com/
Chaddsford Winery
A classic winery that was hugely influential in the PA fine wine scene in the late nineties and early oughts. After a decade of decline, Chaddsford has rebounded into its former glory. Of particular note is their Cabernet Franc, which is on par with their 2001 vintage. Their Artisan Series is an up-and-coming line of fine wines. https://www.chaddsford.com
Karamoor Estate
A winery that is all but a transplant from Napa Valley. The wine production here focuses on Bordeaux blends. A project by the influential Karabots family, the winery is located on their sprawling Fort Washington estate. It is the bonafide and resources far beyond the reach of any other Philly winery. https://www.karamoorwines.com/
John Roberts Cellars
A new winery is located in what could be called South-South Philly (It’s actually in Essington). They are an urban winery sourcing fruit from both California and Chile. They are going strong after their first vintage. Of note is their Petite Sirah from Suisun Valley. https://johnrobertcellars.com/
Stone and Key Cellars
While a local winery, they source grapes from across the world. Of particular note are their wines sourced from Columbia Valley in Washington State. The Obsidian bottling is a worthwhile splurge. Much of the top production staff earned their wine certification here in Philly. http://stoneandkeycellars.com/
New Jersey Wineries
Best Wineries Near Philadelphia. All are less than 45 minutes from Center City, Philadelphia.
William Heritage Wines
A longtime favorite at the Wine School. The wines here are ever-evolving. A decade ago, they were focused on Bordeaux blends, and their BDX bottling has been a standard-bearer for luxury East Coast red wines. They moved into sparkling wine production, which has earned national praise. I expect they will continue to evolve and push the NJ wine scene forward. Their tasting room experience is one of the best in the region. https://www.heritagewinenj.com/
Amalthea Cellars
You need to meet the owner and winemaker Louis Caracciolo to love Amalthea. He’s been making Bordeaux blends in Jersey longer than anyone. He has gained a long list of ardent fans, including the best-selling author George Taber. Of particular note is the Europa series of wines. https://www.amaltheacellars.com
White Horse Winery
A new winery that has excellent potential. Their vineyards were planted in 2013 and pulled their first harvest in 2018. While still young, their 50-acre vineyard is showing promise. Of note is their estate white wines, Albariño and Vidal Blanc. For reds, the reserve Cabernet Franc is excellent. Philly Magazine named their Chambourcin as “Best of Philly” in 2019. https://www.whitehorsewinery.com
Worth The Drive
New Jersey
A few New Jersey wineries over an hour away are worth the journey.
Working Dog Winery
Hands-down one of the outstanding wineries on the East Coast. Their syrah has earned praise from other winemakers and international wine critics. The winery started the same year as the Wine School (2001) and grew over time. Their wines began to get noticed by the national press in 2010, and it’s reached a fever pitch now. They are legit rock stars in the Jersey wine scene. An amazing winery in New Jersey. http://www.workingdogwinerynj.com/
Hawk Haven Vineyard
The leading winery in Cape May, Hawk Haven has produced stellar wines for a decade now. I first wrote an article praising their wines in the iconic (but sadly defunct) Philly Beer Scene magazine. They produce an excellent Chardonnay, and their Viognier has fantastic potential. Their white game is solid. If you are a fan of natural wines, seek out their Pet-Nats. https://www.hawkhavenvineyard.com
Alba Vineyard
This sliver of New Jersey is becoming a premier white wine-producing region in America. Their grand reserve estate chardonnay is spectacular. They are also producing some of the best Pinots on the East Coast, and I expect they will continue to push the envelope. www.albavineyard.com
Pennsylvania
A few Pennsylvania wineries over an hour away are still worth the journey.
Galen Glen Winery
Located just outside Jim Thorpe, this winery is one of the outstanding wineries on the East Coast. It shows mastery in an obscure but demanding field of winemaking: Austrian wine styles and varietals. The Gruner Veltliners and Rieslings here are extraordinary. https://www.galenglen.com
Va La Vineyards
The original natural wine destination in PA. The wines are sourced solely from their vineyards planted in 1997 with an odd assortment of Italian varietals. Nebbiolo from the chilly & hilly Piedmont region is planted near Primitivo (Zinfandel) from hot & flat Apulia. Like many in the natural wine movement, the choices are unique and against the grain. What has been consistent is the high quality and uniqueness of these wines. These wines are often cited as one of the best wineries in PA. http://valavineyards.com/
Cellar Beast Winehouse
Three alumni of the Wine School opened this winery in 2021. Mat Check, the former winemaker at Stone & Key, is the Head Winemaker/Owner. The amazing Karin Kozlowski is the Head Cider Maker, co-founder, and natural wine guru. https://www.cellarbeastwine.com/
In the “worth the drive”category I would say Turdo Vineyards in Cape May is a must. Closer to Philly, I’d include Unionville Vineyards (in Ringoes) and Beneduce Vineyards (in Pittstown). There are many others in NJ well worth the drive.
Friends and I go to Penns Woods Winery frequently, probably the best quality local wines available, other than Karamoor which is terribly pricey, but excellent quality, and definitely is like Napa. Penns Woods merlot and viognier are very well done and I buy them frequently, as well as their cab franc. I wish the Karamoor tasting room would open because taking the entire tour just to get to the wines is expensive and repetitive. Galen Glen is another terrific winery producing lovely German style whites.
Heritage is a great winery. Hawk Haven is really worth visiting, too.
Great list of wineries. Kudos for including Working Dog Winery!
In your list of local wineries you fail to distinguish between Pennsylvania wineries producing Pa. Wines and transplants wineries buying juice or maybe shipped grapes from California or South America.
Pinnacle Ridge, VaLa, Galen Glen, Karamoor stand out as truly Pa. wineries and deserve to be recognized for there true ability to make good wines from Pa. grapes. Stone Key Cellar, Chaddsford, and John Robert Cellar make South American, California and Washington state wines.
We need people like the Wine School to really support our local grape growers and local Pa. wineries.
I have to apologize for Dean. He’s a fellow member of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Wine Society. Sadly, his knowldege level is not equal to his zeal. He doesn’t realize that most wineries buy their grapes and that in these difficult times we really need to support all our local wineries.