Set along the banks of the Delaware River, Sand Castle Winery's expansive grounds are impressive, but the wines fail to make the mark.
The Place: The drive up to Sand Castle Winery from Philadelphia is absolutely beautiful. You drive on winding roads, through small towns, and finally arrive at the entryway to Sand Castle. As you ascend the long driveway, the mammoth building, appropriately designed to look like a sand castle, greets you head on. To me, the building seemed out-of-place and contrasted with the landscape. I went into the tasting with an open mind, but had already decided that this type of winery was not necessarily for me.
The Experience: When entering the tasting room at Sand Castle, it feels like you are entering a banquet hall or wedding venue that also just happens to have a tasting room. Along one side of the large room, an expansive tasting bar area hosted several other visitors ready to taste this Bucks Country winery's offerings. However, a space this large fails to create the intimate, rustic, personalized atmosphere and experience provided by most other wineries along the Bucks County Wine Trail.
Put off by the décor, ambience and lack of personal attention, I can't say that I was eager to taste the wines at Sand Castle. Again with an open mind, I put aside my pre-conceived notions about what the tasting would be like and tried to enjoy the experience as much as possible. Before the tasting began, my friends and I took a quick tour of the vineyard.
The Wines: Starting with the whites and moving to the reds, I sampled most of the current releases at Sand Castle Winery during my visit. None of the wines impressed me much, though the commentary and explanation of each wine from the jovial staff member in the tasting area made the experience somewhat more enjoyable.
A fan of Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay, I can't say that my taste buds particularly enjoyed either of these at Sand Castle. The overall consensus of my group was that the wines had unappealing aftertastes, and many of us poured out what remained in our glasses after the first sip. The saving grace of the wine tasting was the Alpine Spice, a blend of Chardonnay and Riesling with a secret concoction of herbs and spices. We tried this both warm and cold, and enjoyed both. Had I bought a bottle of wine from Sand Castle, the Alpine Spice would have been my first, and only, choice.
Insider's Tip: If you find an offer on a site like Groupon or LivingSocial for this winery, you'll not only save some money on the tasting, but the offers normally include both a tasting and a cheese and meat plate which makes the trip to Erwinna worth it.
