McLaughlin Vineyards

As much as I want to, I just can’t give this place more than 3 stars. The grounds were nice and the 2 wines were good… but they literally only had 2 wines! Given how out of the way they are, that’s a lot of driving for not a lot of payoff.
McLaughlin is set in a forested & thinly populated residential area. It’s not far from the highway, although you wouldn’t know it by the last part of the drive.
A big selling point are the very pretty grounds; I bet during the summer it would be a nice picnic area. And get this — they have llama hikes! I’ve been to lots of wineries, but even for me, llama hikes are a first.
As for the wine… apparently McLaughlin did well over the summer, because by the time I found them they were down to a Seyval Blanc and a Bordeaux-​style. I’m not much of a Seyval drinker, but the Vista Reposa red was actually quite nice, with just a tad pepper. If all their wines were like this I’d be a happy camper. So you can see my dilemma; how do I rate a place with two wines? The answer: not highly.
If I was local and thirsty, I’d probably give them another try. But I’m really reluctant to drive all the way there just to give them another shot.

A group of us visited this winery this past weekend at about 12:30 PM and we were the only people there. You started off by going down a long dirt driveway it was very scenic. We passed the vines and beautiful old homes.
The lady who helped us was very nice they only had three wines left. We tasted our wines, and they were decent. I wish there was more to taste but will have to come back in the spring since it was the end of the «season».
The grounds were absolutely spectacular I can’t imagine it in the spring and summer.

Not bad…
Connecticut isn’t known for its stellar wine (the way that Napa Valley or the Finger Lakes or uh, France and Italy are) so I think that’s an important little factor to consider when heading over here.
My friend and I did the llama walk with Rowanwood Farms which meets at the vineyard so after our two hour hike, we decided to reward ourselves with a wine tasting.
It’s $ 8 to do the wine tasting (or $ 10 if you want to keep the glass) and the staff talk you through the selection of five wines. The first three were not my favorite, though I could see cooking with one or two of them, but the last two were actually really delicious. Their chardonnay was delicious enough that I was willing to buy a bottle to take home.
Even if you’re not into wine, the grounds are gorgeous. They host weddings and receptions here, which speaks to how pretty it is here.

After reading some of the reviews, I truly can’t imagine they are talking about the same winery that I have come to love more after each visit. The scenery is lovely and the atmosphere is just so relaxing.
The unpaved driveway leading up to the tasting room and retail shop is in no way difficult to navigate. I think it’s charming and unique and brings you to the heart of this amazing property. The parking configuration is straightforward and spaces are plentiful even during events. The retail shop is small where they sell wines by the bottle, snacks and cheeses, and unique gift items. They also feature nice pieces by local artists. The tasting room is great and the staff is knowledgeable about the wines.
Speaking of the staff, everyone is truly wonderful and I have always been greeted with a smile and efficient service. This is the type of place where people are there because they want to be, not because they have to. They are passionate about wine and the beautiful property.
My favorite part about visiting is sitting on the outdoor patio overlooking the vineyard with a glass of wine. Reading some of the reviews, I sense people are disappointed because McLaughlin Vineyard is not like other wineries they have visited. In a way, that’s true. And that’s the point. I believe they are not trying to be a cookie cutter of every other winery in the state. I’ve been to many wineries around the region and the world and have had some amazing experiences. But this place is so different and so special and is at the top of my list.

Nice people and cute setting but the wine was bland and there wasn’t a lot to offer. I think they may get better over time but for right now I would pass on McLaughlin.

Stopped here foe a tasting on a suday afternoon. The girl who helped us, sarah was super nice and made our tasting fun! They had a band playing outside but they were finishing up whwn we got there around 4:30.

Probably my least favorite winery that I’ve visited on the CT wine trail, and I’ve been to about 75% of them. The location is nice, although it’s in the middle of nowhere. However. The service is always extremely slow (I’ve been twice). I also found that I didn’t enjoy any of the wines. They were all pretty boring even if the server kept trying to convince my boyfriend and I that we would taste hints of other fruits in the wines. Fortunately the price for the tasting and glass was only $ 8 so I didn’t feel as though I wasted a lot of money.

After reading the reviews, I was seriously scared to to to McLaughlin. However, we are on a mission to go to all of the passport wineries this year, so on a lovely Sunday we traveled down to the area to hit 4 wineries. McLaughlin was the second of the four that we visited, and one that we had never been to in the past.
The dirt road was expected based on prior reviews, and was fine with my sporty, low to the ground car. Just take it slow and you’ll do just fine. Leaving is a little scarier than arriving due to a sharp corner on a steep hill. There is very little guidance with respect to parking, so I just followed the leader and parked in a grassy area off of the dirt road.
The grounds are quite pretty, though there was not a ton of outdoor seating. The day we went they had music and if you wanted to sit outside, you had to buy a $ 10 ticket per person. Going in, for some reason I thought they did not allow outside food (not sure where I got that idea though), they definitely do as everyone sitting at tables outside had food they had brought in with them.
The tasting room is bizarre as it is really in two parts. The first room you walk into seems to be for general sales but you also have to pay there for the tasting. We did not know this, so we were chased down by the woman working there as we tried to proceed into the tasting room. Some signage might be helpful, as if the one employee is busy, it leaves anyone else who comes in unclear as to their bizarre process. You purchase your tasting ticket, either just the tasting or for an extra fee, you can purchase the stemless wine glass. We opted to share one tasting (based on the horrible reviews of the wine, and the fact that we were going to 4 vineyards) and did not purchase the glass, as we have about 60 CT winery glasses cluttering up our basement. They sell a bizarre array of food, there was a little box near the register that had one bag each of Haribo gummy peaches and gummy bears, and some miscellaneous candy bars. It scares me when there is random stuff like that, it’s like someone got it in their Easter basket and didn’t like it, so decided to try to sell it.
So…the wine. It did not taste spoiled, like rubber, or like band aids… all things pulled from prior reviews. Maybe they’ve listened and learned and made improvements. HOWEVER, that being said, McLaughlin’s wine is on par with most CT wineries, which is my sort of nice way of saying, it’s just not that good. But honestly, none of them are. I have actually had worse wine at other CT vineyards. I was able to try these wines without dumping, gagging or hitting my secret stash of wheat thins or pretzels that I keep in my purse when wine tasting (seriously, if you don’t do this, you need to start… the availability of wine crackers is always an unknown)
I generally hate white wine and that’s typically what is available if the grapes are grown in CT, and don’t even get me started on fruit wines. So I don’t think McLaughlin deserves such a bad rap, they are equally as bad as their peers. Certainly you should not be expecting Napa or Sonoma quality going into any CT winery, and really, I think that’s just common sense. With the exception of a couple of wines at a couple of wineries, I don’t really like any of it, but keep going year after year, in an effort to complete my passports in an attempt to win fabulous prizes.
Due to not wanting to pay $ 10 each for the music, we didn’t hang out at all after our tasting. We also didn’t buy any wine, but that’s not uncommon for us. Almost all CT wine is overpriced given the quality (or lack thereof).

My least favorite winery, and we’ve visited almost all of them. We’ve given this several chances but just a poor experience each time. The staff is SO unfriendly and rude. Especially right when you walk in the door. It’s clear they just don’t want to be there and if they are the owners then shame on them. Then the wine is just so undrinkable. Each time there was not even one that was good. Very rough on the pallette. Again, we are wine drinkers and have enjoyed wine all over the state and world. Trust me, skip this place. There are many other places to go that are happy to have you there and you can enjoy the wine too!

Really poor tasting wine. The «snow goose» was the worst drink I’ve tasted in my life. Seriously how could you sell something this bad. Even with 7up to cut the taste it ended up poured down my drain. Eww. The red wine (don’t remember which) was also very bad, my father managed to choke down a glass or two so I guess that makes it better than the white. I’d recommend avoiding this place!

This was probably my most bizarre experience yet on the CT Wine Trail. Firstly, this is the middle of nowhere. Signs led us down a windy dirt road through the woods, and maybe because it was a rainy October afternoon and we had Halloween on the brain, but we joked about how kind of terrifying the drive in is. I’m sure it’s lovely on a sunny summer day. But, it was spooky and muddy when we went (my tires spun out on the hill).
I was stopped by a friendly fellow who told me to park and go to the tent for a wristband. As we waited in line, I was really perplexed by their process for wine tasting– they do this out in the middle of the woods in a tent?! But as I overheard conversation around me, I realized we were in line to purchase $ 65 tickets to a hippy jam band camping festival. I don’t know why it was assumed we were there for that, because dude didn’t even ask. So, we explained we were there for wine tasting and told to drive up the hill. The girl waiting at the top asked if we had camping or day passes. What? We had no idea what we had just driven into, and the festival staff made things confusing.
So, long story short, we found the winery and it was quite beautiful. The service was quick but friendly. The wine was not very good; I found it to be bitter and some of my least favorite wines on the trail. The Farmers Daughter, a sweet wine, was ok; when I do the wine trail next year, maybe I’ll stay for a glass of that and enjoy the grounds, which really are quite nice. I would say it’s a great place to have an event, and if hippy jam bands were my thing, I would be loving that festival in such a remote location. In the future I’d suggest that festival staff ask folks if they are there for the event or visit the winery.

Wine tasting has 4 average wines with nothing really peaking my interest. Staff was very friendly and more generous with the pours than some of the other tastings on the wine trail. The beautiful grounds were the highlight of the visit. Vineyard appeared to be much older than I believe it really is. Some outdoor seating overlooking a rolling field of vines. Some live music today, made the trip enjoyable.

Friendly and knowledgable staff. Tastings were $ 10 with a stemless wine glass to take home!

Quite a remote spot with a harrowing driveway if you dont bring a 4wd vehicle. Beautiful property… the tastings are informal and relaxed. You are given a small tasting glass. yes glass and not plastic as in prior reviews. Wines were average. Staff was friendly.

Wines are bitter tasting and overpriced. Only four wines to sample during wine tasting. The merlot was the best wine. Not much else to say.

Ill start by saying the place is beautiful. Wonderful scenery and nice and secluded. The wine is decent not the best but good. My two favorites are snow goose and the coyote white. In the colder months they have a fire place outside which is nice and cozy

Im conflicted on the rating. This was the last of the 4 wineries we visited on the SW wine trail. It is in the middle of nowhere and we were sure my navigation was lying. so much so we recorded an «if you are watching this… we are dead» video. However it was clearly unnecessary… after all the twists and turns and gravel and dirt we came upon the most beautiful oasis of a vineyard. Just gorgeous and the field in front was green lush and enormous. Big enough to host a celebrity wedding or a carnival (one in the same). Unfortunately inside was muggy no air conditioning so it was a bit uncomfortable. As for the wines, Im not a fan of Dry and even their sweet seemed dry. To me it was all horrible. It all tasted like a bandaid smells if that paints a picture for you. My boyfriend seemed to think they were fine. I kept giving my tasting to him, but that’s just my palate.

2 stars for the scenery although it deserves at least 4. It’s actually quite nice how it is way off the beaten path, and gives off a very relaxing vibe. My boyfriend and I have been here twice. The first time was June of last year (our first year doing the passport) and we came after going to Jones. We wandered around the building a few minutes before someone greeted us. The tasting went at a nice pace, and the woman was friendly. Our tasting included glasses. We thought it was good, but not great, but still worth a re-​visit in the fall. When we came back in October the tasting room was busy so we waited a bit to do a tasting seeing as we couldn’t remember what we liked the first time around. This time tasting were done in a plastic cup. ALL of the wines had a rubber after-​taste. We assumed it was the cup so my boyfriend caved and bought 2 glasses (as they apparently are no longer offered as a part of the tasting). We bought a bottle of snow goose and sat outside. To our disappointment the wine still tasted like rubber! We bought a bottle of red fox rose and another snow goose both to go since we liked them aside from the strange after taste hoping it was maybe some sort of a fluke. Nope every sip of each bottle tasted like rubber. I would like to go back there this year and see if they have improved because it is such a shame that such a beautiful place has such off tasting wine.

2 stars for the scenery. It’s really out there in the middle of nowhere CT, but the grounds of the winery are lovely.
$ 8 for 6 wines and a cheap plastic cup to take home. The difference between McLaughlin Vineyards and Jones Winery was very apparent. This winery was not as lively, the servers weren’t as friendly, and the wine is not as good!
The first 2 white wines that we were tried actually smelled spoiled. Sadly we didn’t enjoy any of the 6 wines that we sampled. Also, what’s up with the plastic wine glasses? Every other winery we went to used glass wine glasses. Next time, I’ll skip this loc and chose one of the other great wineries on the CT wine trail.

I really enjoyed our visit to McLaughlin. It’s a beautiful place that does feel like it’s in the middle of nowhere. The grounds are wonderful for relaxing with a bottle of wine and a snack.
They had live music the Sunday we went. It wasn’t as crowded as some of the wineries tend to get. It did feel a bit disorganized. As someone else here noted, we were not greeted when we walked in and wondered around for a bit to figure out what do.
Several of their wines were quite good. In particular, the Snow Goose and the Red Fox Rose were both very enjoyable thought I’d say a little overpriced at $ 20 and $ 18.