Delawhere? A Visit to Nassau Valley Vineyards

Smelling like sunblock and Atlantic Ocean, The Wife and I dropped in to Delaware’s own Nassau Valley Vineyards in Lewes, DE.  Nassau Valley has “Delaware’s First and Only Award Winning Winery” as their marketing slogan, but it is a touch misleading or perhaps in need of a comma or two.  They were the first winery in Delaware, opening in 1993.  Since then, Felton Crest has opened and overnight Delaware saw their wine industry double from one to two.  Thus, the “Only” qualifier applies to “Award Winning” and not to “Winery.”  Got all that?  Tired of nit-picking?  Me too.

Nassau Valley has a pretty interesting walking tour of the history of wine, reaching way back to wine being the drink of kings because it was considered safer to drink than water.  The tour ends with a look into the winery production room and some brief info on Nassay Valley itself from inception to present.

The tasting is free for six pours out of the fourteen that they are currently producing.  We stuck to the dry wines and the Pinot Grigio was the outright winner of the day.  Their estate Chardonnay wasn’t bad but their estate Cabernet had some work left to be done on it.  I can imagine what a challenge it is to produce quality wine from Delaware grapes.  I do like the pioneer spirit, though.  All of the bottle prices on the dry side were up over $15, topping out at $23.

If you’re in the area or vacationing at the Delaware beaches, Nassau Valley is worth the visit if you’re into wine.  I’d like to see the bottle prices come down a touch or perhaps a little flair added to the tasting room.