Walked in at 11:30 AM - The place was packed... And rightfully so as J R Drill provided a wonderful tasting experience. Offering five tastings for $5 the wines here were consistency excellent. Among our favorites - The Lake Glass White and Sauvignon Blanc 2017 (we left with both). We also enjoyed the 2018 Chardonnay and Dry Riesling 2017. Friendly and informative hostess. Handsome interior tasting room with an extended bar. Beautiful views and outside seating is available. A must visit... read more

I was really disappointed with our experience at J.R. Dill Winery. It wasn't very busy when we arrived, but we were repeatedly told they were "slammed." Because of that, they wouldn't offer wine flights, which is a big part of the experience. We asked to taste just three wines and barely got the opportunity. When we tried to purchase bottles, we were told they couldn't provide any chilled ones because they were too busy. We also attempted to order meatballs, but the kitchen was apparently too overwhelmed to serve them. What stood out most was how things ended. When we decided to leave due to the limited service, we were told, "don't leave us a bad review," followed by "perfect, that's better for us" as we walked out. That response felt dismissive and unprofessional. Overall, it seemed like they were operating beyond what they could handle that day. If that's the case, it would be better to limit guests or temporarily close rather than provide such a poor experience. Unfortunately, we left feeling unwelcome and disappointed. read more

Incredibly poor experience today. Understandable to be overwhelmed with a busy day and events, however we left without being served anything. Asked for a tasting, told no. Asked to order food, told no. Asked for not one, not two but THREE! Different bottles and were told no. They "weren't prepared for how busy it had gotten". Which fair enough but the man behind the bar was rude and dismissive, this was my first and LAST visit. We were a party of 6, 5 of which were going to be tasting and everyone was hoping to have food and a good time. There was feedback relayed about the "wine and cheese festival" taking place, all of which the wineries we had visited earlier in the day were also participating. But J.R. Dill was not able to accommodate. For their sake, I hope they get it together before the real busy season sinks in, as I don't think this was their first day operating...? You'd never know it though... It's fine to be busy, but attitude and experience change everything and personally I will not be back. Save yourself the time! read more

This place has interesting flights. We got to sample 5 different wine samples. I really like the different variety of flights offered. I also liked how I could customize the flights based on what flavors I liked. The space in here is a pretty decent size. My only qualm with the place is no small snacks were offered at this winery. All snacks were offered at a cost. read more

J R Dill Winery - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

Dog friendly inside and outside. Loved that they had a sangria option which was so yummy on a hot summer day. Saw families with kids stopping by and having some of their food offerings as well. Very nice and attentive staff. read more

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We have been to this winery a number of times, even attending a wine dinner there in the past. It is just beautiful here and located on a well, landscaped sloping hill. The giant corkscrew in the yard is a trademark. You can't miss it from the road. Being long-standing case club members, we received a free tasting from a sheet to guide you through your personal preferences. The flights were perfect and matched by number on your list, making it easy, even switching off and sharing. All we tasted were wonderful. The staff were really well versed in all the wines and history, you could sit at the bar and ask away anything about the wines and the history of this winery. At the tables, the conversation is what carries you through, discussing with each other about the wines. The servers will also talk to you but are busier than the bar setting. That was fine. This visit we bought a case of our favorite, dry white called Cayuga White Rise. It's just perfect. Plus a 20% discount! Oh, yes, they also have finger foods for purchase for you to enjoy and complement your wines. This winery has events throughout the year, with food and entertainment. Lots of fun for friends and family. We will definitely be back. read more

J R Dill Winery - Wood carved Seneca Lake wine rack in the tasting room - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

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This was the last stop on our wine tasting tour. The setting was fabulous. The tasting room was nice, but the tasting itself bland...in more ways than one. When we arrived, we were handed a sheet with all the wines listed and told we could sit anywhere we liked. We were informed we could chose a set amount for the obligatory fee. No problem. We sat down, made our selections and the sheet was picked up and the wine delivered. No information. No background about the winery. Nothing about the wines themselves. I thought this was pretty standard procedure, but apparently not. The servers remained behind the counter, chatting throughout, checking on us once. Of the four of us in our group, nothing seemed to jump out as spectacular or demanding our purchase. We paid and left. Weird experience. It appears people have had wonderful experiences here based on the reviews, ours was not that. I'd pass next time we are in the area. read more

J R Dill Winery - a large wine opener on a tree stump - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

We popped in as it was on our way back to the air bnb. The wine opener outside was so cute. We went in and such a friendly vibe. They surprised my bf with 2 flights and I picked mine. My bf even got a shirt from here. If not for the wine our server Olivia was amazing. I even went inside to ask for the manager to say how great she was; that is very rare for me. I can count on one hand how many times I've done that. read more

J R Dill Winery - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

Calling all pickle girls! Have you ever had a wine pickle? Yeah, me either until it was shared with me at JR Dill. I'd like all pickles to be like this now! SERVICE: Something my husband and I appreciated about J R Dill was the laid back atmosphere. They allowed us to go at our own pace and didn't hover over explaining the wines at length. We asked questions and they were kind and helpful, but left us to enjoy the wine at our leisure. After a day (or several days!) of the same wine tasting experiences, this was a great break. ATMOSPHERE: casual space inside or outside. The front bar is donned with colorful glass. WINES: like any wines at the finger lakes, you're not in Napa and most of them are pretty sweet. But unlike some of the other places we visited, we enjoyed their whites. So much so that we left with a bottle of their rosé which really surprised us how delicious it was without being overly sweet. Pick up a bottle of rosé and jar of Cayuga pickles and you've done well! read more

J R Dill Winery - Sample flight - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

Nice $10 tastings. The wine is ok but not great. Lite fare available. We bought 3 bottles log the white. They're trying to do a bit of everything. read more

This place was great. The staff was very helpful and the wine was super tasty. They also had barbecue sauces for us to sample. read more

J R Dill Winery - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

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I went here with my husband, baby, and 2 dogs and we really enjoyed it. We sat on the deck which had a nice ambiance and views, and enjoyed 2 wine flights. Then when checking out we got the flights comped because we bought a few bottles of wine. We also enjoyed a few appetizers of hummus and spinach dip that were excellent. Overall a really nice experience and our two servers were excellent! read more

J R Dill Winery - Flight - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

Cute spot. Highly recommend the Vidal Blanc! Very refreshing. The flights come with oyster crackers which was a great touch. Our server was awesome! Attentive and knowledgeable. A few wines weren't for me, but that's a matter of taste. read more

The tasting room is nice with a deck overlooking the lake. It's dog friendly. The service was great - very friendly. The wines were good - Lake Glass White and the Three Barrel Blend red were our favorite - they were nice and hit the sot for the first wines of the day. Several groups came in while we were there and the staff was exceedingly friendly and attentive. We had the focaccia and there was enough to take home for later appetizers. Probably will stop by again during the week before we leave the area, read more

A nice wine selection and a wonderful patio. We enjoyed our time here with our pups. I would definitely head back on our next trip up!

Cute place at the south end of the wine trail on Seneca Lake with a really nice tasting and little snacks to buy. If you buy a bottle you get your tasting money back ($5) I bought 2 bottles and a jar of pickled string beans. read more

J R Dill Winery - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

We had a nice tasting experience. Wines were good, the waitstaff were competent. There is a nice view and a covered deck. Overall, this was not amongst our favorites in the finger lakes, but everyone has different tastes, so I recommend you give a try if you are in the area. read more

Loved this place! Kevin and staff were amazing. They greeted us with warm smiles and brought water out for our dogs. Kevin was an outstanding host in regards to his knowledge of the wines and the region. We loved that our dogs were welcome to join us in our wine tasting adventure. Huge plus!!! We will definitely go back next time we visit the area. read more

J R Dill Winery - Our wine tasting for the day! - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

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JR is a must stop for me each time I'm in Watkins Glen. The tasting room inside is spacious and the people pouring for you are awesome. They also have a fantastic deck in the front with wonderful lake views. Also-I was lucky enough for a little tour of their winemaking facilities in the back! Wine wise-I'm a red fan, so my review comes mostly from those. They're great. If you're new to the FLX wine experience, don't sleep on the reds up here! The region may be known for their whites, but the Cab Sauv/Cab Franc blend I purchased at JR Dill is spectacular and I can't wait to open it with dinner soon. read more

J R Dill Winery - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

Peaceful views to enjoy a sample flight. We had excellent and fast table service to deliver our wine samples and a jar of pickles. What I liked best is they were open to 6 when many of the wineries in the area close at 5. The extra hour allowed us to enjoy the sunset over the peaceful Seneca Lake. The wines I tasted were good, not great. I can't wait for tours to reopen to learn more about the various wines produced. read more

Excellent customer service and delicious wines. We ordered flights, mine were red and husbands were white. Cheese curds were delicious

Great stop on the wine trail! We normally don't go for sweet wines but their sweet red was so good we ended up buying a bottle. Also, they take the price of your tasting ($5) off the price of any bottle you buy (ours was $9) so we ended up paying $4 and some change for a tasting and a bottle of wine - can't beat that! read more

J R Dill Winery - Jabber Waulkie (a sweet red wine) - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

By far the best conversation we had at any of the vineyards during our weekend. The place has a great set up and I liked the open space. The wines were good, but none were my favorite during the trip. read more

My fiancé was looking forward to visiting this winery since he is also named "JR." We stopped by post COVID around 4 pm on a Friday. They have seating inside and outside on their deck with a nice view of Seneca Lake. I loved the historic Watkins Glen pictures they have on their wall from the early 1900s--super interesting. The gentleman that sat us and spoke with us was so attentive and we loved that he chatted with us for a little while. Such a nice guy. We like sweeter wines and although they do offer sweet wines, they just weren't exactly our thing. WAIT!!! The sparkling red was pretty darn good and we left with two bottles. This was the only winery we visited during our post COVID trip that reimbursed the $8 tasting fee if you spent $20. I love that they did this here. I bought the pickled green beans and they were sooo good!!! This place is definitely worth a visit -- I'm sure you will find something you like! read more

Great vineyard staff was very friendly. Views were beautiful as well and the wine was delicious. We tried the sweet wine flight for $10 and it was amazing read more

J R Dill Winery - Great view - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

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With the exception of the sparkling wine I tried, and then4 reds, they all seemed to taste the same. No differentiation. Good t-shirts and other swag, wine was boring. ‍ read more

We drove here then came back the next day with other friends. This winery is a must to see. Free wine tasting with checking in @ yelp. The bar is huge and well presented. The top of the bar is made of cut glass that was collected from the lake for years. The person who was helping out with the wine tasting is efficient in what he does. Since I wasn't doing the tasting he gave me a glass of water, which was a great thing to do.. Very Impressive. Their reds are excellent as per my friends and they loved it. Huge parking out side. This is a must to see. Good wines, nice staff and good deals. read more

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I went to JR Dill today. First of all thanks to the winery for offering a free tasting with a Yelp check in. I hadn't thought of stopping by but after seeing the check in deal I didn't hesitate. It also made purchasing a bottle of wine an easy decision (the cost of the bottle was close to what I would have spent on a tasting). The winery and tasting room was very large. If you're putting together a large group for tasting I would strongly consider it. The wine was good but not outstanding (but to be fair it might have more to do with my palate than the quality of wine). Our server was very knowledgeable and when I told her what I generally like her suggestions fell right into it. In a nutshell a solid choice and good representative of the quality wines in the region. read more

J R Dill Winery - Sealand in the display case. - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

This place was so fun. If you like to chill out and have a glass of fabulous wine, this is your stop among the wonderful winery destinations. Ask for Sara-she was informative and helpful. We enjoyed the tastings-they were all interesting. I loved the peace decor. And the view is, of course, gorgeous. Enjoy! read more

We enjoyed a visit to this winery on a Thursday afternoon in the summer. I would categorize the selections on the menu to be well rounded and pretty decent, as I'm not too knowledgeable about the trade but felt like it was simplified enough with its descriptions to point the basics out to someone like me in selecting a flight that fit my tastes, which tends to be on the sweeter side. The waitstaff was friendly and accommodating and everyone in my party enjoyed the tastings we selected. I also ended up buying 4 bottles to go which were all reasonably priced and for every 20 bucks spent they took off the price of a wine tasting so 2 of 4 tastings ended up being complimentary. The two sweet wines I selected and really enjoyed were the Jabberwaukie Blush and Sparkling. One unfortunate fact is that they don't serve food here which is something to keep in mind compared to other wineries in the area. However we did enjoy the wines and the no frills/laid back atmosphere. read more

J R Dill Winery - Wine Menu - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

This was our last stop on our winery exploring and I wish we found it earlier! Every wine we tasted was delicious and our server was friendly and engaging, unlike some other places we visited nearby. Prices were very affordable as well, everyone in my group left with several bottles! read more

Very cool new buisness with a heck of a view. The wines were very tasty (my favorite being the Cab Franc). There is definately a wide variety to suite anyone's preferances. The owner is quite friendly and really has an extensive knowledge of the wine buisness. The Jaberwakee label is one of the most awesomest labels I have ever come across! The winery itself is neat. The bar is a must see with light shinning through sea glass collected over the years from Seneca. Pleanty of room for tasting and viewing of the neat vintage posters lining the walls. There is a nominal tasting fee, but you come away with your very own J.R. Dill wine glass...a very nice touch!!! If you stop in, be sure to tell Jeff that the Dutchman sent you! read more

I came to this winery as part of a tour and I was incredibly impressed. The attentiveness and showmanship during the tasting was wonderful and every employee was polite and friendly. Most importantly, the wine was phenomenal! I highly recommend the Jabba Waulkie, as I think it is a perfect red blend. The atmosphere of the winery was very relaxing and peaceful, with a beautiful view of Seneca Lake and a lot of yard right off the deck. Truly a place I would come visit again, and definitely with new people! read more

I visited this winery while staying at the Senaca Springs resort next door. The winery was great. The proprietor was very personable and interesting. The tasting counter is made from reclaimed glass from the lake. His wife has collected the glass over the years and they decided to use it in the winery. He also explained the relevance of the Jabberwocky monster, which is fabled to live in the Lake. Some of their wines bear the Jabberwocky name. I won't ruin the fun for you, but it's definitely worth the visit. Oh yes, the wines were great too! We each bought three bottles. Because we were staying next door, we were able to enjoy the tasting for free. I highly recommend checking out the J.R. Dill Winery. read more

We visited a lot of wineries during our weekend trip to the Finger Lakes and the hospitality and atmosphere at JR Dill was second to none. The owner is a fourth generation Watkins Glen native and has many great stories and local flavor to share. We bought two bottles and were given a souvenir wine glass to take home. This is a relatively new winery and will only get better with age. read more

I highly recommend stopping by J.R. Dill if you're doing a tour of the Seneca wineries or just visiting the area. In addition to having excellent wines, the owner is an exceptionally pleasant young entrepreneur who really knows his wines. The facilities look brand new, and there is plenty of space for wine tastings, even when there are a lot of people there. We got a bottle of the DeChaunac, which was different and delicious. I'm not sure I'd ever seen that varietal before. If they have it when you visit, I recommend tasting it. Finally, a minor note, check out the actual counter where you do the wine tasting. It's like an illuminated glass display case filled with crushed up, multicolored pieces of glass bottles. The owner told us that its made from bottles that his family has been finding in Seneca Lake for the last 30 years or so -- amazing! Anyway, this place is definitely on my "must stop here" list of Seneca wineries. Check it out. read more

This is a true gem. I've been to many Finger Lakes wineries, and this is by far one of the best. Incredible view as well as the wines. A special call-out and thanks Kevin for a most enjoyable tasting. read more

Checked in on Yelp and received a free tasting. Score!!! All of the Jabber Walkies were great had to buy them. read more

J R Dill Winery - Great place! - Wineries Near Me - Burdett, New York

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I stopped in JR Dill with 5 girlfriends the other day for a wine tasting. Our bartenders were very friendly and welcoming. Loved the lake glass counter tops! The bartender who helped us was extremely nice and helpful in explaining the wines. I bought a bottle of the Cab Sav/Cab Franc blend which was amazing. Overall really loved the relaxing vibe here! read more

This winery has done amazing things with red wine. Our host mentioned that they were one of the first in the area to take a chance on the DeChaunac wine, and it was very good. We also liked the Cab Franc/Can blend and the Cab. For those of you that like bold CA reds, this is one of the best places we went to on Seneca Lake. read more