Also known as Great Western winery. It's the 1st bonded winery in the United states. For historical purposes of understanding champagne, wine, and sherry production, as well as its inception and roll in the region everyone should take the tour of Pleasant Valley Wine Company. This really is a treasure!! Allow 3 hours to spend time in the museum, watch a short film, take the tour, do tastings, and shop! It was time we'll spent for our group! Jenny, the manager, was our tour guide today. She was engaging, knowledgeable, and plain old a pleasure to spend time with on our tour. She gave us an in-depth tour of the facility with a lot of history! It gave us a better understanding and appreciation for champagne and sherry, how they are made and their history. I hope sherry has a comeback!! What a cool product with so many uses. The property could use some TLC, new roads, some fresh paint, but I get the idea they're doing what they can to keep the business alive. Our tasting experience, also with Jenny was enlightening! We had their champagne, found them to be wonderful! They also offer wine tastings, and sherry tastings. I'd never had sherry before. But it won't be that last time. I'll bake with it, cook with it, sip it! What a treat! They have an on-site shop where champagne, wine , sherry, and trinkets can be purchased for VERY reasonable prices! Don't miss this treasure! read more

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While visiting Keuka Lake, my boyfriend and I ended up running into my mom and aunt who were in the area celebrating my aunt's birthday. Their next stop was to Pleasant Valley, so we decided to join them. My mom had made reservations and we arrived and added to them. The tasting was only $5 for each person, which was really nice compared to some of the other wineries who are charging a lot for the wine tastings. We were part of the last tastings of the day, so we didn't have time to look throughout the museum they have, which would have been nice. There is a lot of history there. For this winery, you are seated, and you give the server which wines you want and they bring them back with some crackers, and a piece of brownie. I didn't really care for the wines, I like drier, but my mom and aunt enjoyed it. read more

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This was an interesting stop. We came to see the museum (free) which focused on educating visitors about wine and local wine history, including local legends like the Taylor family and Dr. Konstantin Frank. Although it was dated, it was still interesting. I also did a tasting of the "Great Western" sparkling wines. There were several other types of wines available to try as well. Lastly, there's a gift shop as well but we didn't spend too much time checking it out. read more

Friendly attentive staff. We had a party of ten and they didn't miss a beat. Definitely more "commercialized" than the smaller wineries. Did purchase some wines and I plan on making the dip with the Brut Champagne. Very tasty. Allow some time to walk through the self guided tour of the museum. It is the oldest winery in Finger Lakes. read more

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Stopped by for a wine tasting and had an amazing experience, courtesy of our host Jenny. The wines were delicious and this winery has some of the strongest history in the area. I highly recommend making a stop here for wine, a tasting, or a tour. Ask for Jenny! read more

My husband and I visited Pleasant Valley on a Friday afternoon in summer. We were immediately seated for a tasting. The tasting list was huge with tons of variety, but we selected all champagnes. Our pourer, Noah, was so friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about the winery. We really enjoyed his anecdotes and trivia and also enjoyed all of the wines. The wines are also very reasonably priced and if we didn't already have a huge collection of sparkling wines would've bought a few. We'd love to return someday and take the tour! read more

OK, we only went here for reminiscing. We were students at Cornell in the early 70s and took a wine and spirits course. Yes, 2 credits and the drinking age was 18. We had a field trip to what were basically the only wineries in the Finger Lakes then -- Gold Seal, Taylor and Great Western. They're all here in this location, now Pleasant Valley Wine Company. We were really hoping for a tour but they weren't available that day. Some great, very old buildings on this site (dates back over 150 years). We settled for a tasting which was hard to get through after the great wines we'd had at other wineries like Hermann J. Weimer. The "good" news is they still make the historic wines that started it all in the Finger Lakes. The bad news is they still taste like what we drank in college. Admittedly we purposely tasted those things we drank like sparkling burgundy but there are a few drinkable wines like dry riesling. The Gold Seal Blanc de Blanc was, however, and still is, pretty good. I'd like to visit again when we can have a tour but skip the tasting. read more

Pleasant Valley Wine Company - Great Western sign and barrel, view from Pleasant Valley Wine Company - Wineries Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

I agree with the other reviewer that this is a less touristy place. The tasting wasn't very informative though, kind of just a "here it is, if you like it you can buy it." I wasn't a big fan of anything I tried, so I didn't buy. They had many sparkling wines, which I normally love, but just didn't try anything that sparked my interest. Gift shop is nice. They have mini bottles of sparkling which say Happy Birthday, It's a Boy, etc., which would be fun to pick up for parties. The building itself has many exhibits on the history of the region and winemaking. I didn't get to look around that carefully but it was a cool change from the other straightforward retail stores. read more

Pleasant Valley Wine Company - Stained glass over the tasting bar. - Wineries Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

Your staff was very helpful! The wine was very good!! Looking forward to seeing you again soon

We stopped here on a recommendation for bubbly. The people were very friendly but the atmosphere and wine were just ok. There are 3 names of wineries on the signs which is confusing. We didn't take the tour to see the historic buildings and did buy a bottle of "champagne." We probably wouldn't stop again. read more

Pleasant Valley Wine Company - Wineries Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

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They have an awesome museum of Finger Lakes wine history (with some awesome literature quotes on the walls), and Cory gives an awesome tour. The wines aren't really my thing- no dry reds. But the champagnes were good, and I was impressed enough with the sweeter wine's sangria potential to leave with a bottle. Worth a stop in, and their hotel is gorgeous. read more

Great winery- no tasting fee and staff was super helpful and accommodating. Their burgundy champagne was my favorite! They have a large selection of wines that are affordable and tasty. The interior is dated but we still enjoyed our visit. Glad we stopped in. read more

A great tasting experience with wonderful flavors. With hosts who are generous and gracious. I would definitely come here again!

We stopped at Pleasant Valley Winery and were first surprised by the size of the winery, particularly compared to the previous couple wineries we visited. We went into the visitors center and were impressed by the historic elements inside the building. The most impressive part of the visit, other than some of their delicious wines, was the person who provided our samples. I highly encourage anyone that visits, and you should, to request Noah. His in-depth knowledge of the history of the wines, as well as the wine making process, was phenomenal. It really added a unique experience to the typical wine tasting process. read more

Stop in to Pleasant Valley for a personalized wine-tasting session. It's not a "touristy" place and produces wines, not views of Keuka Lake from a hilltop. If you've spent all day touring the newer wineries, Pleasant Valley offers a view of Keuka Lake's rich wine heritage. If you're an uppity wine-snob type, don't stop here. They actually produce some drinkable wines that-*"The Horror!"* are packaged in screw-top bottles. The staff is very helpful and genuinely happy to see you. They go out of their way to get anything you need. The complimentary tasting is done around a large bar that adjoins the wine shop and wine museum. Pleasant Valley is known for its sparkling wines, so be sure to give those a try. read more

I absolutely love this winery. We have been to quite a few in the area but we really like this one because of the tour and you get six tastings for free. We always leave with at least six bottles. The service is great and it also comes with a smile. read more

Pleasant Valley Wine Company - The biggest cork I've ever seen. My wife would like the bottle of wine it came out of LOL - Wineries Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

Beautiful stain glass ceiling, knowledgeable and friendly tasting host, worth a stop on your wine tour of Keuka!

This was our first time visiting Pleasant Valley Wine Company. The tasting was a whole new experience at this lovely place. The history in that building is amazing! We loved hearing about it and really enjoyed the wines. Who knew it was the home of Great Western Champagne? A familiar bottle that I've seen at family gatherings for years. When it came time to make our purchases, it was difficult to choose. There is something there to please every wine drinker. read more

Brest winery around. My grandfather helped build it and Aunt and Uncle put in 100 years here. My mother worked here and my son-in-law works here now. read more

The tasting room in Watkins Glen was very nice. Doreen was very generous with her knowledge and time. She went above and beyond and marked great places to visit on our map. We thoroughly enjoyed talking with her; the visit was a great end to our day. read more

Unexpected Gem. Lauren was fabulous and purchased nearly 2 cases of wine at a great price.

Cool wine tour. Informative guide. Yummy blackberry & Concord grape wine. Very enjoyable.

Excellent, excellent. The wine and especially the champagne are top notch. And the price they charge makes there wines a steal. Worth the trip. And no charge for samples. Don't pass this place up read more

The history behind the legends of the Finger Lake winery including this one is very impressive. There is a great family friendly museum with a self guided tour that everyone can glean something positive and interesting from. There is also a sampling bar, the server was a wikipedia of knowledge of the history of the brand and the products. Very cool concept for a rainy Saturday adventure. The gift shop has plenty of goodies at fair to reduced prices. read more

All I can say I Love!!! My husband is a huge fan of the Catawba, best around. They have this autumn frost line that is only 5.99 a bottle and sooooo good!! The best part of the wine is Chocolate Lab,it's a red wine that is sweet and taste just like chocolate! Best chocolate wine I've had. Also what's best is the history behind the winery it also acts as a museum. Another fun fact is Caywood winery on Seneca is also same owners. So the wine is available at caywood also! read more

Fun place to visit. This is the number 1 bonded wine Co. the first winery officially recognized and taxed in USA. The original buildings are located across the road from bottling and tasting room. Tours are given at the top of the hours through weekdays. If you love architecture and history, do the tour! 5 dollars gets you a 45 minute tour, with tasting at the end included. Several vaulted stone rooms, so cool the smell of wine and oak permeate the old facility. Great tour with McKenzie! Wines offered are decent, but,the American Champagne is what you'll want to focus on several offerings, award wining burgundy champagne is so good. Very reasonably priced product here. My only negative is main tasting room and welcome area needs updating, it's like stepping back into the 70s. This is the winery which Coca Cola owned in the 80s, and produced Taylor wine, which pushed Walter S. Taylor to build his own winery, Bully Hill. read more

Staff was very friendly. Building was dark and outdated. Tastings are free. The wines were okay. The ports were my favorite. Cheap prices for wine by the bottle. read more

This is an old winery with a great tour. It used to be Taylor wines. The marshals and Madeira we nines are great to cook with. The chardonnay is nice. Visit the town of hammondsport ny its a small town at the end of keuka lake. Like going back in time. read more

we loved our visit to Pleasant Valley Wine Company, our tour guide CORY, made it, He's the best. The wines and champagne were great!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Just a little FYI if you get a rebate check from Pleasant Valley don't deposit it because they are no good and your bank will charge you a &10 fee for a lousy $2 check read more