My husband and I reserved a 2pm tasting on a Sunday afternoon. We arrived about 15 minutes early and were asked to wait for our tasting outside on their covered patio. That was no problem for us, since we were hungry and had brought a pizza with us. We figured we would sit outside, especially since it was a beautiful fall day, and enjoy our pizza with a glass, or plastic cup, of their Cabernet. Before heading out, the gentleman who greeted us invited us to go ahead and check in, so we did. Upon checking in we paid the $20 for each tasting and another $16 for two cups of Cabernet, then went outside to enjoy our pizza, wine and the view. About 15 minutes had passed and the gentleman came out to let us know it would be another few minutes while the group who had been there when we arrived wrapped up. He was kind enough to offer us a tipping off of the wine and some bits of dark chocolate. We waited another 10 minutes or so and decided to go inside to see if we could begin our tasting. We were told it would be another five minutes or so. At that point we were getting tired of waiting, the gentleman was becoming testy (we don't think at us, but more at the guy leading the tasting to the group there before us), and we were not impressed at the Cabernet we had had already, so we decided to leave. We considered trying to get a refund, but the greeter was nowhere in sight and the tour guide had evidently stepped into a break room to have a snack. So much for our guided tasting. We forfeited the $40 and left. We were looking g forward to this experience, but were very disappointed. read more

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Sand Castle Winery offers delicious wine, awesome views, and at affordable prices. We can never go wrong with the terrific variety of wines ranging from reds and whites, to your dry wines and sweet-dessert wines. I highly suggest that you take advantage of one of their wine tasting events or their wine and food pairing activities. You won't be disappointed. Yum! read more

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The wines were just ok the place is beautiful we were told that it has been sold and will be turned in to a wedding venue. read more

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My boyfriend and I both had a Monday off and were out this way so we did a search for local wineries and picked this one. We had never heard of it before. We wound up being the only ones there at the time which was nice. A women helped up with a tasting. We wound up tasting all of the wine on their tasting list! Wow where they good! Then we decided to get a glass and sit and enjoy it while deciding what bottles to purchase. I left with eight bottles total! read more

Sand Castle Winery - two glasses of wine on a table - Wineries Near Me - Erwinna, Pennsylvania

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I wanted to share my recent experience during my visit, as I believe feedback can help improve customer service. Upon arrival, we encountered a rude staff member who didn't seem to acknowledge our situation. I had tried calling to inform them we would be 15 minutes late, but no answer and I received no response to my email. When I mentioned this upon arrival, I was informed that emails aren't checked at all and the phone lines were down. Ok. Him being annoyed that we were late, saying they had to turn people away from the bar area (not sure how, it wasn't packed at all) but I understand. I tried to inform them but with their phone lines being down and them not checking emails, how it would even be possible? Additionally, I was surprised to learn about the mandatory 20% gratuity for parties larger than six. While I understand the policy, it would have been more helpful if this had been automatically added to my reservation instead of relying solely on the website, which I overlooked. We ended up with only nine guests, and there was no consideration for that adjustment and still had to pay gratuity for 10. As for the wine, the quality seemed to have changed since my last visit. One sample tasted notably off (like straight vinegar) and when we mentioned this, there was little acknowledgment. However at the end they added another sample of a sweet dessert wine. We also asked about water views and or views in general and were told there were none, but we later discovered a lovely patio area outside that offered beautiful views, which would have enhanced our experience if the tasting was out there. Overall, my visit did not meet any of our expectations, and I regret to say that I won't be returning. I appreciate your attention to this feedback and hopefully will help you curate a better experience for your future guests. Thank you. read more

The view is really cool as well as for the history of the vineyard. It's the only vineyard in PA that had an actual cellar. The wine isn't as cool but I will admit Pennsylvania is not wine country. I mean if you are a white or rose wine drinker then I guess it's ok. I honestly cannot say since I'm partial to red. Not sure honestly if there's a great red to be found in the states but that's just me. I love dry reds especially Bordeaux and Malbec. In any event if you just want something fun to do but not with the intent of finding an awesome wine it's find and a nice scenic drive along River Rd to boot. read more

The Sand Castle Winery is a unique winery in Erwinna PA, in Bucks County. It's set high up on a hill overlooking the banks of the Delaware River and rolling hills. I like the idea of a winery that grows their own grapes on their estate. They use Vitis Vinifera grapes which are known as the noble vines of Europe.They painstakingly care for the grapes just like they did thousands of years ago, and once the grapes are pressed the wine is then stored in stainless steel or French Oak Barrels. The history of Sand Castle Winery is an interesting one. Two brothers from Bratislava, Czechoslovakia Joseph and Paul Maxian who were inspired by a large castle from their hometown ,which was known for making wines decided to build a 10,000 sq.foot building that looks like the castle they knew in Czechoslovakia. Sand Castle Winery grows all their own grapes and make their own wines right on the premises. Many wineries don't do all of that. The Sand Castle Winery grows four different types of grapes on 72 acres overlooking the Delaware River. They have a Tented Garden Pavilion, a Grand Hall, and a 7000 sq foot Wine Cellar with a large tasting room. All of these are available for weddings or special occasions, meetings, or banquets. You can get a tour if you like.up until 3p. The winery is open Monday-Friday 10a-5p, Sunday's 11a-5p. There is free parking directly in front or extra parking in another lot 2 minutes away. Sand Castle Winery has some tables set up off the main lobby where you can sit and purchase food. I was greeted by a lovely older gentleman named Vincenzo who was from the same area of Italy as my family. He was very pleasant and very knowledgeable about the winery and all its different wines. All tastings are done in small sips. Some are paired with herbs like rosemary or thyme, some are paired with dark or white chocolate. Vincenzo walked us through step by step. The first wine was a dry Johannisberg Riesling, Chardonnay Private Reserve, then Chardonnay Classic, Dry Rose , Santa Rouge, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cuvée Blush, Johannesburg Riesling Semisweet, Johannisberg Riesling Late Harvest, Claret, and last Alpine Wine. With some of the wines the addition of chocolates and herbs complete changed the taste of some of these wines. I really enjoyed learning about Sand Castle Winery. It turned out to be a lovely day. This is definitely a better winery very much like Europe. read more

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Our favorite winery in Bucks County!! Tyler was great and made our visit to the winery the best one of our vacation. He was very knowledgeable and just a genuine, sweet guy! Many amazing tasting wines. Cannot wait for our next visit. read more

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I held my daughter's bridal shower here this past weekend. Dean and his team were amazing. The room had a beautiful view of the winery and was a great space to accommodate 40-50 guests. We served mimosas, custom bloody Mary's, and a red sangria at the brunch. The event was a success. Dean is awesome to work with if you are planning an event here. I highly recommend this venue. It's absolutely gorgeous. Thank you!!! read more

I'm sure not many people know this place even exists. The reason for my stop? Heading to Ringing Rocks and figured seeing as I had plenty of charcuterie, yet no beverage to pair it with. Walked in and the place was dead. I thought I was being punk'd. In a building this vast it was terrifying. Yet, someone appeared out of the rest room (customer), and then others came from beyond the cellar. Super pleasant staff. The wine, pretty darn good, especially for those of you (and myself) who like dry and semi-sweet blends. read more

Sand Castle Winery - Walking up to the entrance from parking lot - Wineries Near Me - Erwinna, Pennsylvania

Always a good visit. Abby our server was pleasant and quite knowledgeable. Highly recommend this place. Good wines

Visited the winery today , a beautiful Friday summer afternoon with my girlfriend. We had a wonderful time. Brian, F. , our host was super-knowledgeable and very attentive even though he was the only one working at the time . He educated us on the vineyard, the history of the winery and the wine selection. He made sure everyone present was taken care of. My girlfriend is the Wine Person. She loved the wines and bought 6 bottles, We both loved the layout of the castle , balcony, the scenery and the landscape . Their wines are 100% made there, from fruit to wine. No outsourced grapes and only french-made barrels . We will definitely return read more

Just went to their annual sweet heart wine tasting dinner. It was absolutely AMAZING. The price was $75 per person. I took my boyfriend and the total was $150 I'm not even mad at the price it was well worth the stunning tasting food that came out as well as the wine. We got a second refill of wine for every course. As well as a discounted bottle to go. The staff were great as well. read more

The wine tasting was good but other then that and walking around through the grape vines, I don't think there's much more to do there. The wines were very good though, and I'm not a wine drinker but I am now read more

Beautiful vineyard, tasting was fun, no tour though. Negative for not allowing cellars tour. Scott was very good at explaining and demonstration. One more negative for not having light food available for guests to enjoy. I think it would be a great business for them to offer few choices so people can sit and enjoy the view while having some tasty snacks. Maybe cheese board, nachos l, French fries and good cocktails. Overall, we did enjoy the grounds got to see different types of grapes on the vines. read more

Sand Castle Winery - rows of vines in a vineyard - Wineries Near Me - Erwinna, Pennsylvania

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Scott was the best part. He educated us on the wines. Wines were pre-selected. Of 12 wines 5 were dry. 7 sweet. Winery looks like a castle. We were only people there. Fun. read more

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I went here for a wedding, which is largely what I'm basing this review on, but I would be remiss to leave out a review of the wine itself. The place itself is pretty impressive. Gaudy as others have pointed out, yes, but definitely a good venue for weddings, except for the fact that the staff shut down the dance party at 11:00. In fairness, that may have something to do with Pennsylvania law. The staff was courteous and professional and kept the booze flowing, but the wine was absolutely atrocious. And by atrocious, I mean to say, the worst wine I have ever had. Ever. Except for my parents' neighbor who thought making his own wine in his garage would somehow be a good idea. I was warned the wine was bad here before I even ordered my first glass so I foolishly thought I'd play it safe by ordering the sangria. One person compared it to nail polish remover. He wasn't far off. Thinking it must have just been something in the sangria other than the wine, I ordered a glass of their cab, which was no better. Trying to drink this cab made me want to leave IN a cab. I then became daring enough to think the third time would be charm if I just went with their chardonnay. Wrong again. The dinner was mediocre at best, but still not worse than the wine. Aside from the staff, the only saving grace here was the venue. Even the mike cut out during the reception. Thankfully, there were only 80 guests, and the older ones were sitting toward the front, hopefully with their hearing aides turned up. read more

Yesterday I met some friends for brunch close to the winery and my friends bought the Groupon for something to do after we had our brunch. My immediate reaction when driving up I was not optimistic for the afternoon. We arrived to the winery, which is nothing more than a square building with a castle facade on the outside (which needs to be repainted and power washed). I will say the staff was friendly so when you walked in they were pleasant and greeted you immediately. This is why I gave at least the one star because the staff was friendly however, that is where the visit starts to go downhill. Even though the staff was friendly, I will suggest however (and I know this might sound a bit critical), the clothing the staff was wearing was very oversized and did not fit properly. First impressions are lasting impressions and seeing people dressed looking so clumsy does not give you a good first impression. After they checked us in and we were told to just hang out in the tasting area and they would announce when the tour was about to begin. While waiting for the tour to start we walked around the lobby/tasting area to pass the time. It was very easy to notice how everything is sooooo dated from the décor to the newspaper articles on the wall. In addition, they say this is a castle but it felt more like an office building. Some examples: 1) The framed newspaper articles on the wall were from 2002! This winery has not been around that long so it would have been nice to see things that were more current 2) The entrance and entire lobby/tasting area has a drop ceiling which makes me feel like I am in an office building rather than a castle. 3) This is supposed to be a castle but I felt like it was the Godfather clashing with medieval times with a touch of corporate office space. If they want to present this has a castle they need to really work on presentation if they want to stay in business in my opinion. When it was tasting time, our tasting consisted of 12 different wines. Honestly, they were AWFUL and all of them tasted like there were chemicals added. The last one (Alpine Spice) was not that terrible but how can one call this a wine when to me it would be more of a cider since its served warm? I have been wine tasting all over and NEVER had anyone serve me warm wine other than room temperature. The other wine that they served chilled in a pitcher is more of a sangria since they combine it with oranges. Anyone that knows if you take wine and combine with anything the entire taste will change so why market this has wine. During the tasting for certain wines, they passed around cups that had pieces of chocolate and wasabi peas with a spoon for you to put in your hand to pair with the tasting. I think if you are going to offer chocolate or anything to pair the wine with it should be individually wrapped in case people put their hands in the cups or the cups sit around without being covered. These were obviously just bought from Costco and put in cups to pass out so who knows what conditions they are being kept in so they are properly stored. This is where my review gets interesting and downright scary. Part of the tour they take you down into the processing and bottling area under the building. I was SHOCKED to see how filthy and disgusting it was down in the processing/bottling area. I did not even want to touch anything and was surprised they would give tours showing where the wine is processed. What was extremely alarming was it looked like ALL over the walls there was black mold! (See uploaded photo). I am not a black mold professional but it sure looked like that to me, which made me want to get out of there even faster. This also was stuck in my mind when I was doing the tasting thinking how filthy the processing area was and that I might be drinking filth. Furthermore, I see many other photos posted of the bottling area where the walls look clean and not a bit of dirt of them from 2016. Today the walls are filthy and covered with the black mold in the photo I uploaded. The walls in the corners were completely black ... soooo disgusting! I would never recommend going to this winery to any friends or family and will never return. I think the owners need to put some serious work into this place because if I could give zero or negative stars I would. read more

Sand Castle Winery - Black Mold on Walls??? This is in the Processing/Bottlilng area....This was ALL over the walls...So disgusting! - Wineries Near Me - Erwinna, Pennsylvania

Last weekend some friends and I took a trip to catch the last of the Fall trees in all their glory. The winery isn't that easy to find in passing but it's worth a trip for sure. The long driveway leads up to the castle itself...sadly it's an American version of a castle....poorly copied and looking like a cheap Disney building. Don't be put off however, the wines are very good and a full tasting was only $5 - this they even waived for us! A tour of the whole winery starts at 1pm and costs $15, this involves much more wine tasting and is a bargain. Sand Castle Winery is located on the banks of the Delaware River just north of New Hope, PA, about 1 1/2 hours from both New York City and Philadelphia. read more

Sand Castle Winery - The Building - Wineries Near Me - Erwinna, Pennsylvania

I have to admit, I didn't have high expectations when visiting a local winery. But... This winery is the bees knees! My only two complaints is A) Why haven't I been here before? and B) Who the hell is doing their marketing, and why haven't I heard of this place!?! I went to Napa, I went to Italy, I went to France. I'm not a stranger to great wine. We did the 12 wine tasting accompanied by a tour and cheese/ meet plate. The wine was complex but pure. It was prefectly balanced. Not too sweet, not overly dry. A great experience! The tour was short but informative. They grow all their own grapes and do not outsource. The land is beautiful. Isolated on a sunny hilltop above a river. Perfect drainage and wind for perfect grapes. (Jersey and Pennsylvania is very humid, terrible for wine grapes and disease.) This place is not the case. It was fall when we went and so picturesque! Check their website, they host all kind of events. (Great place for a tent wedding.) read more

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Almost got the Five Star. Though not offering "flights" and no seating at the wine tasting counter hindered that. The Rosé wine was very delicious and smooth. The hostess was very knowledgeable and I would further dare say an expert in her field. The interior was very well laid out and decorated with a French tone. Elegant yet warm. The exterior in comparison was kind of bland. With the name "Castle", I was thinking something a little more.... Je ne sais pas. But the building reminded me of a giant White Castle. Though on a hilly overlook, there's seemed to be little or none natural shade. In closing, please go to Sand Castle as their wines are delicious. read more

Sand Castle Winery - Enjoying the Rosé - Wineries Near Me - Erwinna, Pennsylvania

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This place was fun! We found it thanks to a yelp check in offer I believe when we were down in Frenchtown, NJ. The tastings offered were probably one of the better tasting experiences to date. The person who walked us through the tastings made sure to educate us on all of the various types of wine and provided chocolate and cheese to pair with certain varieties. Discount offered on case purchases. read more

Sand Castle Winery - Save $10 on wine tour with check in special - Wineries Near Me - Erwinna, Pennsylvania

Let me start that by saying I don't know much about wine, so this is purely experience based. We spent the day tubing on the Delaware and this place was right on our path back. We looked rough but thought we should stop anyway. Let me tell you, I am so glad we did. The grounds are vast and you roll up to this castle looking building. The bar is inside and there are seats and a patio outside for if you decide to purchase. We head to the bar and decide on a tasting for $10. I have never had a tasting quite like this one before. It consisted of all of their 14 wines as well as little chocolates or spices to enhance (again, I don't know wine terminology) the flavors. The man pouring the wine was hilarious, and I really enjoyed his energy. We didn't have time to stay and enjoy, but my friend and I both ended up purchasing a bottle to take home with us. read more

I had my wedding here on October 10, and it was honestly perfect. I know everyone says that, but even our guests said the same. The spot was simply amazing. It was so affordable, very flexible in letting us kind of have free reign of the space, and very accommodating. Dean was amazing to work with and made our wedding run so smoothly (and we got to meet his adorable puppy!!). I wouldn't change a single thing about this space or our day. read more

We would highly recommend this winery, Scott helped us with our tastings, what a delightful man. Love this place

What an excellent winery! We were educated and enjoyed our time there. My husband and I tried their wine at the Phoenixville location and took a day trip with a group-on to their home base. We were helped by a woman who knew her stuff! We bought many bottle of wine and recipes to try at home. We will be back to refill our wine cabinets! Thank you for the great time! read more

I had a Groupon for a tour, wine tasting and platter at Sand Castle. Let me tell you that the location is in a beautiful area and the drive was scenic and peaceful. We were offered a quick tour of the grounds. Our tour guide was professional and knowledgeable. Our tour was followed by 13 wine tastings. The wines were sorted by regions/type of grape. Some wines were accompanied with chocolate and wasabi peas for full palette experience. The wines were well made and I liked most of them. I would recommend this winery for a great day of wine tasting and beautiful views. read more

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We did the 1 hour guided wine tasting. Learned a lot and tasted a lot. Staff was very knowledgeable and friendly and the views from the vineyard are spectacular. read more

This was my first wine tasting and your and I was so impressed! I got the $21 groupon for the meats/cheese platter, tasting, souvenir glass and tour! I learned so much from the staff and left with a few bottles of wine! They give you deals by the cases but unfortunately I'm a college student so my budget for wine is not that large! The only thing I wish is that we got to tour more of the actual vineyard! I would love to go back! read more

Sand Castle Winery - Down in the wine cellar! - Wineries Near Me - Erwinna, Pennsylvania

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We had a fun time here this afternoon. Joseph was our tasting host and he did a terrific job. Not surprising since he's one of the wine makers. Make sure that you do the tour and a tasting to get Joseph. The visitors that only did the tasting don't get him. We came home with a case of their wines. Nuff said. read more

Sand Castle Winery - Here's Joseph conducting our tasting. - Wineries Near Me - Erwinna, Pennsylvania

Sand Castle Winery is one of the best Wineries in Bucks County. I have been to almost all of the wineries in Bucks County. Sand Castle has the best wine. No matter which wine you prefer they are all good to taste. The staff are friendly and very accommodating. You are treated like family here. I highly recommend this place to everyone. read more

I visited today for the wine and Girl Scout cookie tasting. The sommelier was knowledgeable and humorous. The wine were decent. I prefer a robust red but they didn't seem to have one like that. The claret was my favorite-with oranges it tastes like a Sangria. The wines are on the little pricey side. read more

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An interesting tasting experience in a venue that looks very much like the name suggests, Sand Castle Winery is worth the visit but lacks any exceptional wine. Sand Castle Winery is somewhat of a site to behold, as the exterior does look like a giant sand castle, sticking out among the small colonial homes dotting the Delaware River. As you can imagine, it's a very popular wedding venue, with a spacious interior, two floors (an art gallery is upstairs) and a large patio overlooking the river. It's a little gaudy, but you get over it quickly (plus the really good groupon helps - definitely check it out before going and you can schedule tours online). If you're groupon-less, the tasting fee is $10 (which includes the glass), and you taste about 12 wines. The uniqueness of the tasting is not only the variety but being able to taste the wines with various food pairings, including chocolate, white chocolate, thyme, wasabi peas and rosemary, which changes the taste and adds variety to the experience. The problem though, is none of the wines really stand out as stellar. Frequently, the whites tasted a bit off and trended toward a sour or lemon flavor and the reds tasted more like grape jam. The best one I tasted was the Chardonnay Classic, 2010, with good acidity and oak balance and a surprisingly almond flavor. Another notable was the popular Alpine Spice, a Riesling Chardonnay blend that's spiced and served warm with a spritz of Bacardi rum. Pretty good, but I wish we had better wine before this drink. Overall, the wine here is simply not for me. They lack the complexity of wines grown in better climates, and while the unique tasting experience makes for a fun interactive experience, it doesn't make up for the average wine produced here. While I wouldn't oppose coming back, I wouldn't make a trip out specifically to Sand Castle. read more

had a super informative and fun wine tasting/ food pairing at sand castle winery, and i would definitely return to do it again- great way to spend an afternoon. the host was friendly, funny, and the session was interactive and overall lovely... definitely recommended! the wines aren't the greatest i've tasted in the area, but they're not bad either- i left with a few bottles. the tour of the facility was relatively quick but informative. the grounds are gorgeous- definitely a place i'd consider for an event. read more

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We have experienced this winery on numerous trips. Went the first time before the new facility was even opened. Had drawings on the wall. Wines have been consistently good. Tasting fees are reasonable. Have enjoyed this place every time we have been read more

I really enjoy this place, for $5 you get to sample something like 10-12 wines - there are mostly whites and sweeter reds with two versions of Chardonnay (steel barrel vs oak barrel), three versions of Riesling, a Pinot Noir, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Blush, a Rose, a Claret and my favorite, the Alpine Spice. The Alpine Spice tastes like a slightly sweeter alcoholic cider (think liquid apple pie) and is just wonderful heated up on a cold day. Everyone who has ever come here with us has enjoyed it. The Claret is a sweet red that is great for Sangria, all you need to do is add sliced oranges and any other fruit you like. If you're in the area, for the price of the tasting and the selection, it can't be beat. The Alpine Spice is worth the trip by itself. Oh, you get to keep the glass with your tasting but I always donate it when I get home. read more

Another stop on my winery tour. Very gaudy on the outside, looks like a catering place for weddings. On the inside a relaxing environment. The man who served us the tastings was very friendly, funny but a bit long winded. Each wine was good, not great until the end. Their "surprise" spice wine was outstanding! Warm and perfect for a fall evening. Other than the great server, all else is the same. $10 gets you about 8 wines and you get to keep the glasses. A little difficult to find and we had no intention of going here until we made a wrong turn (literally) into their long driveway. View up top are nice as well and there is an open patio with tables to the side of the place. read more

Beautiful scenery and friendly waitresses. We came here for a wine tasting with girl scout cookies. Must say it was an interesting combo. Not only did we have many wines to taste but, free cookies came with the tasting. The inside of the winery was a beautiful as the scenery on the outside. They give tours of their wine cellar and have many events planned. We all enjoyed a good time and plan on returning for other events. read more

a lot of the lower scores were spot on. The fake castle exterior is tacky, the wines are below average (besides Alpine Spice and the Port). The staff is always snobby and the interior is too 'upper class' for me. My wife and I have been there a few times as its another winery to bring people if we are up in that area. I was pleasantly surprised by the tour/tasting/food pairing though. the tour was underwhelming but was quick enough to get to the point. The tasting was informative and was one of the better tasting experiences with different food pairings (i.e. chocolates and nuts). The cheese/meat/cracker platter at the end was a decent size. all and all with the groupon cost, it was definitely a good deal. Alpine Spice is great served warm on a low heat on the stove or crock pot. I hate Ports, but thought that was one of the better local ones, it was on the sweeter side and not that liquor tasting as other local ones are. read more

Our family went to the Mother's Day brunch here yesterday, and we had a great time. The setting was quite beautiful, with tables set up under an outdoor tent with open sides overlooking some of the vineyards with the Delaware River in the background. Both the winery and catering staff (Crystal Rose Catering) were quite friendly, and the owner took the time to personally greet each table. The wine was not bad - BUT (and this a a BIG but!) the food ranged from mediocre to awful. The buffet items would have been OK at, say, a firehouse fundraiser buffet, or super-cheap wedding, but not at all what I'd expect from a pretty pricey Mother's Day event. The chicken was tough, dry, and flavorless, the macaroni & cheese was oddly dark-colored and flavorless, the potatoes that came with the eggs Benedict were inedible - gray (why gray?!) and mushy, and the eggs Benedict itself featured eggs with a fair amount of still-raw white, burnt English muffins, and watery Hollandaise. The brie and raspberry French toast was not truly awful, but kind of weird and a bit tough. Two pieces of bread glommed together and apparently deep-fried. Cooked in advanced and heated up before serving? Hard to tell! The cheese selection consisted only of tiny cubes of Swiss cheese, and the bagels were mini-bagels. The smoked salmon wasn't bad, and neither were a few of the desserts, what little was left of them by the time we got to the dessert table. But the lemon jello had an alarmingly chemical taste to it. We pre-paid online for the meals, but gratuity was not included. I pulled out my debit card to cover the gratuity, but was told payment was cash only, the explanation being that their credit card machine was down. Fortunately, we had the cash to cover the tip! The winery obviously just hit the low road when hiring a caterer - either that, or Crystal Rose was having a particularly bad day. Whatever the case, if the food had been decent, we'd hit the place again next year. If Sand Castle could pay a little more attention to the quality of the food they serve, events like this could be a real treat. read more