Grafton Winery & Brewhaus

Not at all impressed. We were the first and only diner guests on a Friday evening. I had a feeling we would not have the greatest meal.
We ordered the Spinach Artichoke dip as an appetizer and it was obviously just reheated as it came out about 5 minutes later with seemingly microwaved pita bread.
My husband ordered the seafood linguini which was as he will acknowledge — crazy. It too arrived at our table about 5 minutes after ordering. You could taste the freezer burn on the seafood and he left most of it on his plate. I ordered for myself and my daughter slightly more traditional (read safe) pub type fare: chicken strips and a grilled cheese which came with fries. The chicken strips were okay. The grilled cheese was burnt. And the fries were overcooked.
Is this place always this empty? It looks like a wonderful place but unfortunately we found the non-​wine/​beer options pretty bad.

An okay experience. Good wine, decent views, but the food was just ok — a bit bland and nothing to write home about. I guess you don’t necessarily come to a winery to eat, hence the four stars :)

Spacious building, lake view. Wine is ok but a bit expensive — $ 15, $ 20 per bottle. Surrounded by Colorful houses, road, and lake. Decent size cheese plate with fruits went well with our red dry wine.
Nice park and bikers nearby.
Eagle watching at nearby park starts in November.

Before the floods of ’15, I visited GW&B with a large group on a Friday night. We sat in the room next to the bar, which seemed like it might have been a drydock repair garage or something before it was converted. Whatever it was, today the view of the river is nice. The pinot gris was very good ($ 7/​glass) but the food had the feel of «purchased-at-SAM’s-Club,» and warmed up.
If someone could take the view and the wine, create a higher standard for staff dress, add some real food, and somehow turn a profit on an out-​of-​the-​way rural road, that someone would have a winery worth visiting frequently.

It pains me to not like this place but I do. This is what happens when big money comes into a little home town and screws it all up. This place sucks all the goodness out of Grafton. The food is overpriced, the setup is head shaking. There is no wait staff, you order in a line and pay a deposit on glasses. Size wise the place is enormous with the potential of good atmosphere but it just sucks:(. The staff are obviously there for themselves.

The family went there this past wekend after the snow fall. Fugured it would be slow and the view of the river and the surrounding area would be beautiful. We were disappointed. The food was incredible that day andthe toasted raviolis that were not from a box were amazing! I sample some wine and we purchased a few bottles. The service that day was great and the gentleman that I am guessing was the host was very friendly. That only reason I didnt give it 5 stars was the price. We spent over $ 100 on lunch and a few bottles of wine. Wine that just FYI you can get at Wal-​Mart, Shop N Save, and Schnuncks for about $ 5/​$ 6 less a bottle!

This is quite a place for a little river town like Grafton. Very clean, modern and great views. It’s a little strange where you order at the bar then the waitress bring it out to you. The place was about half full and it probably took longer than what it should have to order and get the food but we were there to talk and enjoy the people and the view so no problem. Food selection and quality wasn’t what you would go there for but the food was fresh and very good. (Tuna Melt, Turkey Wrap and Lobster Mac and Cheese). The waitresses were very busy but were great when you asked them for help. We were there about 2 hours and look forward to going back.

I’ve been to Grafton Winery several times in the past for a drink with the girls. I have enjoyed the views, the general atmosphere, and the wines.
Today, I visited for lunch following apple picking. Here’s the deal:
We arrived at noon on a gorgeous late September Sunday. There were still open parking spaces in the lot so the place wasn’t THAT busy.
My mom ordered chicken and fries practically the minute we walked in the door and it came out pretty quickly. Mom requested ranch dressing by a server passing by our table and she rolled her eyes and never came back with the ranch.
My sister and I got in line to place a separate order. We waited and waited as we could over hear the counter-​lady chatting it up with the group before us about people, places, and things having nothing to do with their orders for several minutes while the line steadily grew longer. The guy behind me was mumbling & grumbling about it too so I know I wasn’t blowing it out of proportion.
Finally, I placed our order for 2 small salads and the Winery Fries to share, and returned to the table where our mother had already been served. A half hour later (literally, I checked what time my order was placed on my receipt) and STILL NO SALADS and FRIES. I mean, did they have to grow the lettuce themselves? So I went up to the counter to ask and they quickly «bumped» our order up with no apology. Huh? No. There were so many people in the kitchen and the order was so simple that it should have been done 15 minutes ago.
So then we sit down to eat. Now, the fries we ordered were supposed to have sea salt, white pepper, and parsley on top as per the menu’s description. Did they? No. They were plain olé fries. They tasted good but were not what we paid for.
So anyway, some general notes:
1) Yes, there is no wait staff to take orders, etc. To me, this is completely contradictory with the atmosphere they seem to be trying to emulate. Order at the counter and someone will bring your food.
2) When you buy a bottle, they will charge you $ 3 for a wine glass. The catch is, they don’t actually TELL you about the policy whereby you can return the glass at the end of your visit for your $ 3 back. Not once in my several visits have I been informed of this by an employee. I only know from experience. So, return your glass to the counter for $ back, or take the glass with you. If you leave it on the table you’ll still be charged for «renting» the wine glass.
This policy is beyond my comprehension. They should abandon this practice and just sell the damn glasses if people want them while assuming that everyone else will leave theirs on the table like at any other bar/​restaurant. It’s kind of scammy.
3) In my opinion, the prices of the food are steep for what you get.
In all, I know which retailers I can buy their wine from so that I never have to experience their terrible service again. So there’s that.
If you want good service with terrific river views and a stellar atmosphere, try the Loading Dock instead. Piasa Winery also has nice wines and a nice menu if you really want to stick to wineries.

went for my sister’s 30^th b-​day party. if you don’t like eating inside they have a nice outside seating area with a nice view of the river. after trying several wines «summer peach» is recommended.

Overprice basic food, a fish sandwich, order of fries, club sandwich a glass of crappy wine and beer bill was over $ 40. I don’t mind paying for good food, good drinks and good service however nothing was good here. We won’t be back.

Went in for lunch today and shared a bottle of wine. Food was good although the chips were just a lot over cooked. River was very high, and it kind of added to the view. Made it a little more interesting. Definitely will be back

Our family group of 6 adults and 2 children ate here Saturday for a late lunch.
It was a hot day so we ate inside on the second floor. They were fairly busy so we had to wait in line to order and then wait awhile for our food. We ordered beer from that food line, no problems.
We ordered a lot of fried food, which is not what we normally do, but it was vacation and I’d already had a salad that day. My tilapia fish sandwich & slaw was OK, my husband’s whitefish looked bigger and better. The onion rings were average, kind of dark brown. Our daughter’s Po Boy catfish special was good. The rest of the food looked typical: chicken fingers, chicken wrap, turkey club, tater skins, chips.
From inside we really didn’t have any «view» to speak of. The food was probably a little better than at competitor the Landing Dock, but the Landing Dock has a beautiful view and a huge lovely outdoor area. The Landing Dock was hard to find — look for a huge old building with a red roof at the foot of Brown St. & it is on the river side of it.

This place could be killing it if they had a staff that worked the floor! Awesome outside upper patio area but you have to go up to the bar to order food or drinks… NO waitstaff to come to your table and wait on you!!! There is a second outside bar that isn’t being used and I think that it might still be under construction… If it’s not then wake up people and utilize it!!! Also you have to go back downstairs to order any beer that they make on site in the brew house as they don’t sell it upstairs in the patio area… Which btw is the busiest area!!! All around great building and concept but is totally being mismanaged and could be a gold mine but they run in like a coal mine!

The Grafton Winery has a massive building with a huge deck. First off. I feel like wineries need to be an intimate setting where I can really enjoy sitting down to a glass of wine. I feel like this particular winery is trying incredibly hard to be two completely separate things. «Brewhaus» is closer to the truth. I was put off by the tall expansive concrete box that is the dining interior. :(
The chicken sandwich was bone dry. And I mean bone dry. But the service was really very good, the waiter was pleasant and we made nice.
The Blackberry wine is my favorite there, they have a couple Ice Wines that are on my list of some of my favorite white wines and I am a red drinker to the core, practically.
All in all, it was ‘meh.” Food was really lackluster — but the wine selection is good. Left me feeling like I wanted a little something more…

Came to Grafton Winery. Fun gift shop. Good music. «Bartender» didn’t know the ounces to the draft beer. «Waitress» brought out cold fries. Still were good and crispy but could tell they weren’t fresh… she gave attitude when I asked for a small plate and probably walked slower then a snail. Seemed like she didn’t give a rats butt to bring it out. Shocked when she finally brought it out 10 minutes later after we were almost done. I’m a server so I know its not really that big of a deal for small requests. You have a job. Be grateful.

Wow, what an amazing way to spend the summer than enjoying wine and beer while overlooking the Mississippi river and the great bluffs of Grafton. Grafton is one of the best hidden treasures in Saint Louis. While I have been to Grafton before this was my first time visiting the
I really enjoyed my first experience at the Grafton Winery & Brewhaus and I have to admit that I am a fan.
Grafton Winery & Brewhaus is a two level Winery, with the Winery on the upper level with a large patio with great views of the Mississippi river and the bluffs. Downstairs you will find the Brewhaus, which is a micro brewery that offers a variety of craft beers. There was a large seating area however it was rather empty, probably because it was such a nice day outside and everyone was upstairs on the patio.
I was able to sample the Pinot Gris and Apple Crisp Wine, I did enjoy the Apple Crisp however it was much to sweet and reminded me of a Moscato, The Pino was much better choice for a casual glass, while the Apple Crisp would be a perfect desert wine. As far as beer goes I also had a Colaweizen, which is a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ blend of their Hefeweizen and Cola, this was a unique twist on a Hefeweizen. I enjoyed it but I really wish I would have just stuck with the Hefeweizen instead. A bottle of wine costs about $ 15 – 20, while a glass of beer costs $ 5, however be advised that for each glass you are charged a $ 3 deposit which will be refunded to you when you return the glasses.
I was a little disappointed with the food, I ordered the Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Breast Sandwich. The sandwich was served on a large croissant which actually got my hopes up, however they were crushed when I pulled back the top to see a small chicken breast that was a third the size of the croissant topped with with what looked like a squirt of Teriyaki sauce on top. I should have just went with the burger which looked much better.

to be honest I just was not impressed as this lacked the intimacy and charm that other «wineries» have. This is a bit of a tourist destination and feels much like a sports bar up top to me. The staff were not friendly at all and you would think they would try to charm the pants of the people strolling in to sell them wine or something wine related. Not worth the drive as it was at the end of the trail for me coming from St. Louis and it was my least favorite of the day.

«Meh» is the best way to sum up Grafton Winery & Brewhaus. I ended up here in between a wedding and reception for some good friends — and kept thinking I would have been better off going someplace quieter and — GASP — more generic.
The food: greasy, nothing special (sampled a bit of a burger, fruit and cheese plate, fries, mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders)…“meh” indeed. Aside from the burger & fruit, nearly everything seemed prepared by removing from the freezer and dropping into the fryer. Yum?
The beer: Oh boy, mostly domestic! The one «local» flavor (St. Louis) I enjoyed was over-​carbonated and sat unattended after three gulps. I was thankful for free water and refills on sodas for my non-​drinkers.
The wine: ehhh… OK. Not enough good taste to bump the review.
The parking: dirt lots next to the river, across the street (if you arrive when it is crowded). I actually preferred parking there as the provided lots provided ample opportunities for vehicle to vehicle love taps.
The atmosphere: loud, annoying, tables moved/​being moved everywhere, live «music,» TVs showing whatever sports are on. This place should settle on one theme and try that out before attempting to be 4 different places.
The dance floor/​live music was a hit, if only for the sarcastic/​snarky entertainment value. There are few things funnier to me than watching middle-​age folks and highly inebriated bachelorette parties dancing to a cover-band’s interpretations of modern pop music. Serious LOL moments here, people. This alone saved Grafton Winery/​Brewhaus from being a one-​star review.
Tread lightly, friends.

Last weekend, we decided to take a little trip up to the Grafton Winery. I had heard good thing about it, so I said — let’s drive the 45 mins to get there!
The verdict? Excellent. The weather was gorgeous, and there is a fantastic double decker patio with the winery stuff up top and the brewery downstairs and then a little gift shop.
We got there mid afternoon, did a tasting of the wines. I’m a white wine drinker, so we got a bottle of chardonnay first. It was pretty good. We also ordered food too. All the sandwiches came with Billy Goat Chips. We also go an antipasto plate that was pretty good. Full of Olives and dipping oils, fruits, cheese and meats. Went well with the wine.
After bottle 1 was done, we moved on to their famous Apple Crisp wine. It was a little too sweet for me, but I enjoyed it.
They had a live band playing and people were dancing. It was a really fun venue. While I did not try the beer, I was with 2 beer snob, and they weren’t terribly impressed with the selection.
On a beautiful breezy day, this is the spot to be. It was a good atmosphere an good people watching. I’d definitely come again!

CHECK IT OUT~! My favorite local winery in Missouri or Illinois. Why? Well their wine is awesome. They even had one last year that the server told me was created by the owner accidently mixing two bottles and it ended up being one of my favorites. Captain’s Blush is my favorite which is a sweet, rose wine.
Food: Usually I don’t do much seafood unless I’m on the coast. (Somethin’ is just not right about it being frozen to me. Maybe cause I am use to seafood from Miami.) I liked the Mahi Mahi quite a bit. It came with a fruity salsa. Delicious!
Favorite part about this place is on a hot sunny day to sit out on the patio which is on the 2^nd floor of the building and overlook the river. It is right on a strip of a few other restaurants and the flea market place. And the Loading Dock bar. It is a great people watching place. Usually you will see lots of hot cars and bikes. I love it!