First off, we are wine club members, so my review is very much based on the many many visits that I've been so far and how much I love this place.
We moved from California last year and definitely missed our winery visit, so we were excited to learn about this winery! Make sure you book a reservation on Resy, because the waitlist might take a long time if you show up without one, especially if you have a larger group. The app is free to use an easy to book.
First things first, give yourself plenty of time to get to the winery, especially if you are in the resort areas because you have to drive all the way up to the airport and then come around to go into our country, thanks to the billionaires hoarding the private roads. There is a 15 minute grace. Period. But you should have enough time to get there at the same time. Enjoy the calming, quiet, away from the tourists drive that driving in upcountry offers you. You will pass through a few towns before going through the last section of the drive so make sure you are fully aware of your driving capabilities.
The winery itself is located on a historic estate that used to be owned by one of the Hawaiian kings where they used to have hula circles and special events. Now it is open to anyone dining and drinking at the establishment. They do provide a room that's filled with historical signs and timelines for you to soak in all the history, as well as a paper map that you can use to walk around the main portion of the property closest to the highway. They do not offer any touring or anything like that at the moment, but I'm hoping that they will bring that back at some point this future.
The most unique thing about this winery is that they make pineapple wine. Probably something you have never tried before. It's delicious and we love it and definitely recommend it to you because it's something you won't find Ralphs. They do have a grape wine tastings, as well as for pours, but keep in mind, they do not offer a full meal for lunch in any sense. They only have small plates, tapas, cheese, boards, etc. All that they serve is delicious so definitely try out their snacks and find out what the daily special is.
Besides wine, there is a whole merchandise store that includes local products made by vendors as well as their own 100% Maui, coffee, wine, syrups, chocolates, T-shirts, sweaters, the list goes on and on.
We definitely love buying some of the syrups and coffee to give us gifts to friends.
By being members of the club, we pay twice a year for a six bottle package, sometimes, including wine that are not on the regular menu. They have different priced tiers of wine subscriptions for the members and the best part is that you get two free tastings every month! We are back every month like clockwork because it's such a fun drive up to the upcountry in Texas away from our normal life in town.
They do offer memberships if you live abroad and include shipping charges to make sure you get your products wherever you may live. They also do sell individual bottles and can put your purchases for you in packaging so that it does not break in your check in baggage.
Overall, this place is a new monthly tradition for us living in Maui. I definitely recommend you checking out and spending some time in the country away from the mega resorts. read more