Gouveia Vineyards

This is one of my favorite vineyards in CT. The wine is great, the location is beautiful. They have a lot of indoor/​outdoor area to sit. On the weekends it is crowded so get there early when they first open. You can bring whatever outside food you want, and boardgames. When you do the wine tasting you get to keep the glass.

Bring your own food and enjoy spectacular views, wander the vineyards, sit by a cozy fire or just have a drunken bachelorette!
Bottles are decent especially the Stone House Red, and yes they are pricey, but, you pay a little more so that you can enjoy the great space they maintain (I wouldn’t buy the wine to take home, $ 26 a bottle but in the Vinyard setting? Perfect!)
It’s a first come first served situation unless you have parties of 25 or more, so get there early Or bring a folding table.
Again: bring a picnic, pizza or more

I went with a large party so we didn’t do any tasting but we were able to buy a few bottles and bring in tons of our own snacks. The Sangria was delicious and the outside view was beautiful. It was extremely packed inside so it was quite loud but luckily we were able to get a few tables for our group. I would definitely love to go back when it is less crowded.

Gorgeous views! You bring your own food and can Order wine by the glass or the bottle. The wine is great but their show stopper is the sangria. I could spend hours at this place. The only reason I subtracted a star is because the two women behind the bar were a little snippy and not too polite. I absolutely love this place.

It is nice to have a glass of wine here in the Summer because the view is so gorgeous. But in the colder months, or a rainy day I would not recommend it. The inside is cramped with long tables and lots of people with food and celebrations. It is SO packed and loud and the acoustics in the place make it very unrelaxing. When I think of a winery I like to go and enjoy a nice table or place to relax and enjoy the wine. This is reminds me of a college dorm, unless you are able to sit outside of course! The wine is pretty good as well. They offer lots of varieties and most we tasted we enjoyed.

Went there for my husband’s company party. Had a great afternoon with amazing views from the great room. We got a sampler for $ 10 and we got to keep our glass. The people were very knowledgeable about the wines as well as told us information about their signature series. Only been once but would love to go again for any occasion.

Perfect summer spot to come with your girlfriends for a girls day, or with your significant other. The place is beautiful — nice views and nice atmosphere. The best thing about it is that you can bring in your own food. We usually pack up some cheese and snacks and sit outside. I love this place so much I had my engagement photos taken there in the Fall. The wine is good too — yes it’s a little bit on the pricey side, but worth it. I always get the Cayuga White which is wonderful.

I’ve only been here once and it was in the evening during autumn, but I still enjoyed the nice dining area and the wine. My mom and I brought some salads that we got from B Muse, and between the wine and the salads, it was delightful, bordering on decadent! It’s very spacious so it’s good for large groups, especially for any group that might want to have a classy dining environment without having to pay through the nose at an upscale restaurant. The wine assortment was very good and fairly priced, especially seeing as how it’s a family vineyard. In addition to trying out a few wines there, we also bought a bottle of sweet wine (I think it was a dessert variety) for Thanksgiving dinner that was a big hit. I’m giving 4 stars out of 5 because it’s a bit of a specialized thing and some people might not want to have to bring their own food, but they seem to have plenty of satisfied customers. I mean, heck, my mom used to work for a taxi company and a good chunk of their clientele came from Gouveia Vineyards, so you have to figure that the wine is good if they’re helping keep taxi companies in business!

I went here for a friend’s birthday. We arrived when the sun had already set so we couldn’t enjoy the views that everyone has been talking about :(
That being said, the vineyard building is very pretty. It has high ceilings so it really gives it space. There’s a «loud» drinking area and a quieter one. I like the vineyard because they set it up as a cafeteria style tables with normal tables on the side.
You can bring in outside food, which can be summed up in one word, awesome! Bring on the cheese, crackers and meat!
One thing I didn’t care for was the wine itself. It’s not that good, especially when you factor in the price. I had their limited edition wine that coated $ 30, and it wasn’t not worth it. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t what I expect 30 dollars to bring.

I love Gouveia Vineyards and relish the fact that they are literally in our backyard! We met up with another couple on a hot September day and spent quite a few hours there. First we spent time in the outdoor tent for tastings and then we purchased a few of the bottles that we liked, found a nice space outdoors, spread our blanket on the lawn, opened up our own spread (cheese, crackers, grapes, dark chocolate, etc.) and enjoyed the wine. It was crowded but the place is so large that you hardly notice. And photo opps are everywhere! Can’t wait to go back!

I’ve been here with a significant other and then again for a bridal party get-​together. The wine samplings are great and they usually have a good deal (on Groupon or otherwise) for a bottle purchase with the tasting.
The staff is friendly and knowledgeable without being pompous or pushy. They have spectacular views all around and you can freely walk the vineyard without being bothered.
They also have a large lake on the property, perfect for a picnic since they allow you to bring in outside food! But note that NO outside drinks (including bottled water) are allowed. This is because of the type of licensing they have.
If the weather is sucky they also have a very nice indoor seating area with large bay windows that look out over the vineyard.

If not for the freaking cold weather we would have stayed here much longer. Inside is beautiful and also packed when the temp drops to say 50 in the middle of October! We stopped here before hitting 6 Flags and its cool. the rolling hillside and endless views are quite nice. We will be back in the summer next year.

360 degree views of hills! Gorgeous setting. Delicious Cab Franc! It can get VERY busy so be prepared.

We visited on a gorgeous autumn Saturday afternoon with friends. When we arrived we were unclear as to the process to start the wine tasting or even where the entrance was located. The bartender at the front bar was helpful and instructed us to purchase our wine tasting tickets at the bar. Tastings are every ½ hour and they weren’t offering any wine tours on this day. The wine selection for the tasting is preselected and you’re able to choose 1 of your choice at the end. We would have preferred to try 5 wines of our choice. We purchased 4 bottles for our table, Whirlwind Rose and Stone House White. We were lucky to snag a picnic table after our wine tasting, be prepared picnic tables are first come first serve. There is only one outdoor bathroom where most of the guests are. So don’t wait until it’s too late to wait in that bathroom line!
Besides the initial confusion we had a great experience overall. if you come to this place with a great company you will always have a great time. You may be a little uneasy at your first visit because of all of the people around and lack of instruction. Quick tip: don’t forget to pack your picnic they don’t serve or sell food. But they do provide take-​out menus for delivery!
Overall, it is a great place to be. It’s a place where you can meet new people and hang out with groups of friends all while enjoying great wines and beautiful scenery. Our group was really allowed to take full advantage of the area and day.

I really enjoyed my time at Gouveia vineyards. The atmosphere was great and the views were outstanding. No one said anything to us about bringing outside drinks (it was just green tea /​water) but I am seeing all the reviews that they are strict about it — so take heed on that. The wine tastings are done every half hour and we purchased our tickets inside. I absolutely love that you can bring your own food and have a picnic (inside or outside!) We chose to eat inside because the day we went it was super hot!

If you want an easy escape and a beautiful view, go to Gouveia. The vineyard is up on a hill and offers a sweeping landscape view. There’s even a little pond out front if that is more in line with what you’re looking for. Inside, there are two tasting bars and a number of tables spread around the two rooms. Outside, you have the option of a vine-​covered patio, picnic tables or patio tables on the edge of the vineyard, or you can bring your own picnic setup. You’re welcome to bring any food you want but no outside beverages are allowed (they sell water and soda in addition to their wine and sangria).
The wines here are decent. I prefer their whites but like just about everything they have. They’ve also recently released a Muscat, which is probably the best wine I’ve had there.
It does tend to fill up during nice weather, and since they don’t take reservations, you are taking a chance by driving out there. Luckily, there are some other vineyards nearby, so you can easily visit all 3 in one day and can return to Gouveia once the day has calmed down a bit.

We started here on our trip through the Connecticut Vineyards. Are we lucky it was a Tuesday morning or what? Dawn took us through the tasting with much to say about the wines, the grapes and vines, her co-​workers, and the owners as well as the history of the vineyards. We had a great time and ended up returning after lunch to buy the Epiphany Reserve they were selling in 375ml bottles. It’s a chocolately dessert wine that is just out-​of-​this-​world. If it weren’t raining, we’d have taken advantage of the beautiful spots to picnic and hang out. Next time!

Beautiful setting! Nice space to celebrate an event with friends.
However, the staff are cranky and not very friendly. We went on a Saturday afternoon and it was pretty busy. At one point a bathroom near the wine tasting bar became out of order. Instead of putting a sign on the door they yelled at anyone who went to go into it. «Ma’am that bathroom is out of order!»
It was very loud due to the acoustics of the high ceiling room and the number of people drinking and talking animatedly. I was waiting in line for another bathroom and a staff member told us to keep our voices down while we waited in line. It was already so loud in the room, that it was kind of ridiculous. Plus my friend and I weren’t the ones making a lot of noise. Another issue was getting enough drinking glasses for everyone. When one of our friend bought a bottle they gave him one glass. We couldn’t get glasses until we paid for a tasting session.
In general we had a great time. I would give it 3.5 stars; mostly for the interior setting, long wooden tables, and exterior view of the sloping countryside and vines growing. The wine is decent but nothing to write home about.

My husband and I headed here on a winter Friday. The fields were still all full of snow, but the land is definitely beautiful. The inside is rustic and huge, great for small and large groups of wine drinkers.
It seems like there’s a little bit of differing opinions about the wine, but I did find about 2 or 3 tastings I’d definitely consider drinking more of. We left with the rose and their chocolate, port-​like wine. They have a huge variety, which is different than some other vineyards on the CT Wine Trail.
Great for views and something cozy. I can’t wait to come back another season!

This is a gem of the Connecticut wineries! Located in Wallingford, CT, Gouveia is the perfect setting for a wine tasting or relaxing with friends. They allow you to bring your own food (no outside alcohol) and provide picnic tables with umbrellas for their guests.
I went with two of my girlfriends on a Monday evening after work for a unique happy hour. We did the $ 10 wine tasting (not the best I’ve ever done) and settled on a bottle of rose to share. We had a fantastic picnic with us and stayed until closing at 8pm. It was a gorgeous night and we had the best time.
The wines themselves are hit or miss. I loved the rose and one of the drier reds (not a fan of sweet reds), but I wasn’t blown away with the whites. CT isn’t known for their wines and this vineyard, like many other in the state, has to bring in grapes from other regions for some of their varieties. The bottle of rose cost $ 16 and tasted lovely.