Paradise Hills Vineyard & Winery

This is by far my favorite vineyard in Connecticut. I love all of the wine here, and the staff is fabulous. You can see Rich smoking a cigar and riding the mower, or Natalie behind the bar. No matter how many times you do a tasting it is always different and better each time. Grab a bottle with a bucket of ice and sit outside to enjoy the ambiance and quaint environment. This vineyard is a must see. Dog friendly and there are chickens!!! Can’t beat this place!

This vineyard is in an awkward location. It’s at the end of a dead end and as you’re driving through you wonder if you are in someone’s driveway. They don’t have as much seating as other vineyards. Their wine tasting is $ 10 which is a little cheaper than other vineyards because you get to sample 6 wines, but you don’t get to keep the glass here like you do at other vineyards. I thought the wine bottles were overpriced, some costing $ 30. You can bring food and board games here.

Modest, Family run, and non-​pretentious, Paradise Hills Vineyard & Winery walks the line between quaintness and elegance. Arriving first at the end of a cul-​de-​sac, you will find the vineyards tasting room tucked away at the end of a long driveway. The inside is bright and open, but you can here to relax, so lean up to the copper plated tasting bar for a sample of the multiple wines that they have to offer. Likely it will be one of the family members serving you, and they all know the product so feel free to ask questions. Unlike other Vineyards in the area, I find the wines at Paradise Hills to be crafted with the real wine drinker in mind. The wines all hit the desired mark with the table wine being simple and drinkable, to the more complex and lingering finishes that the bolder offerings provide. When available I am partial to the Trio and the Riomonte, but I enjoy most of the menu here. I’ve found many of the other wines at CT vineyards to be overly sweet, or fall flat on flavor. There are wines that should be sweet, but I don’t want my cabernet to taste like candy syrup, no worries here. The tasting room is filled with tables, providing a place to retreat with a glass or bottle in the company of friends and relax. In the wintertime the wood-​burning stove is a nice touch, and the rest of the year you can enjoy the covered patio and the many tables outside on the grounds. A place you can pack a meal and relax for the day. Go and enjoy!

We tend to come here when in the area as it is a relaxing place to enjoy wine. Some of the wine is not my cup of tea, but I ALWAYS find something I enjoy here. Sometimes the staff seems disinterested or almost like they are doing you a favor by being there. But over all it is a nice place to bring some snacks and enjoy a glass with friends.

Love the fact that CT has great vineyards tucked all over the state and not a loser in the bunch (for the half dozen or so I’ve visited. probably not saying much there but it seems possible there is something for everyone). At any rate, Paradise Hills was another gem with great home-​grown whites and blended reds. Settled in on the outside patio for a session with the Rose and brought home an amazing red (President’s Choice) after a tasting 6 varieties.

I came to Paradise Hills in search of a bottle of wine for a present. The location is pretty cool, because it’s at the end of a cul-​de-​sac and even though there is a sign and Open flag, there’s a brief moment where you wonder if it’s really a winery or whether you’re about to pull into someone’s driveway.
The tasting room itself is in the back — the foreboding house on your left when you pull in is probably someone’s house, just keep going and there’s a small wooden sign for the winery at the tree line. Follow the road to the left until you reach the cars. The tasting room itself has outdoor seating, which must be nice when you’re buying a bottle on a warm day and want to sit and look over the land. The interior has a very high ceiling, which creates a terrible echo effect. There were people meeting for birthdays or just because, and for the life of me I don’t know how they could hear anyone besides the person immediately next to them. It’s also a relatively small space, so you feel a bit packed in.
There were two people running tastings and a full bar of people waiting. The employees seemed to have a bit of trouble balancing their attention between everyone at various stages in the tasting process, although it might have gone a little better if the younger man hadn’t kept stopping to talk to/​flirt with the two younger women who came in without boyfriends at the hip. Since I was there solo, and literally in a corner, I felt really overlooked and it took a long time to get to the next tasting. I did eventually finish though, and found something the gift recipient will (hopefully) like.
I don’t think the bottles were overpriced for the area, they averaged at about 20 a bottle, with the lowest at 14 and the highest at 30. The tasting I thought was overpriced, almost 10 without the souvenir glass. I also didn’t find the wines very distinct or memorable. The Casa Bianco was sweet with a bite, the Washington Trail White tasted a bit watered down, and the Washington Trail Rose I have in my notes as «eh». The Casa Rosso was the one I picked for the gift, because it did have a very floral nose and I could see it going well with steaks or hamburgers.

I just don’t like this winery. It’s close to my house and when it first opened, I think I liked it for the novelty factor. But the wines are overpriced given their quality. The only one that I remotely like is $ 30 a bottle, which is CRAZY pricing for CT wine. For $ 30 a bottle, I can get a really fantastic bottle of wine at the liquor store.
The outdoor area is nice, but it is always crowded. They used to have live music, but then the town stepped in and squashed that, so there is really no draw to sitting there for any extended period of time. It’s pretty, but not nearly as scenic as Gouveia, which is less than 5 minutes away.
I always feel like I’m inconveniencing the staff. Just getting them to look at you is nearly impossible, and then they seem mad if you’re not doing a tasting. If I buy a $ 30 bottle of wine, I don’t want attitude along with it! Do yourself a favor and stop here for a stamp, but skip the bad attitude, poor service, and subpar wine.

Very quaint and nice. Went on a cloudy November Sunday afternoon, it was pretty busy. Was with 3 girlfriends, we wine tasted and then got a bottle of the Cayuga White. Wine was very light and delicious! All in all a nice, relaxing day!

I am from southern California so a good winery is something I love. I have come to Paradise Hills several times since moving to CT and always love how welcoming they are. It’s family run and they treat you as such. You can bring food and sit out on the back patio or inside by the fire on chilly days. Occasionally they even have local musicians come and play. I would definitely stop by if you are in the area.

Winery located at the end of a road in a residential community. Waited over 30 minutes to do a wine tasting. Then was told they had too many people at the bar (10 – 15) and couldn’t serve us just then. Finally got a spot at the bar, and no one acknowledged us for another ten minutes. Only one staff member doing tastings, the other one left to sit with some of his friends who came in. We were never served, left after 40 minutes of waiting. First and last time i would ever visit here.

I came here on a pretty sunny Sunday. The best part of this visit was being able to sit in the sun, which lots of other vineyard-​goers were doing.
However, I have to say I really did not like any of the wines. They all tasted over produced and sugar-​y.
With Gouveia in my mind and right down the street, the fact that Paradise had nowhere near of as nice of a view was very obvious. Though it is nice to sit right by the vines and in comfy chairs — if you can get a seat. Otherwise, you feel like you’re hanging in a housing complex.
The people who work here were kind and clearly have a familial bond, which was a plus, but I’m not likely to return.

Came here after visiting Gouveia Vineyards for a glass of wine and had the weirdest experience, ever. I went up to the bar and bought a bottle of red wine. The man serving me acted super skeptical and strange. I am almost 30 years old but look young so I expected him to card me immediately. However, even after he did that, he acted like I was doing something wrong. I just felt super unwelcomed. It was one of the strangest experiences of my life. It was almost like he didn’t want to serve me — no clue why, I was polite and sober.

Making my way through the CT wine trail to Paradise Hills. It’s at the end of an upscale cul de sac, which adds to the charm of this hidden paradise.
The owner is warm and the tasting room is cool and inviting on a warm summer day. We enjoyed the laid back atmosphere on the patio over looking the vineyard, sipping the delicious wine.
A wonderful hidden gem!

I wouldn’t recommend this winery. The wine is okay, but you go to a winery for the experience, and this place is severely lacking in «service». It’s family run, but not in the good sense. There was only one guy behind the bar, and 10 people waited while he made small talk with some friends. He then scolded a customer who interrupted to ask for a bottle of wine… Talk about awkward.
He finally yelled outside to his brother to come in and help, but the brother was too busy smoking a cigar. Maybe it was an off-​day, but I won’t be back to find out.
If you want to sit in a beautiful setting and receive wine within 15 minutes of arriving, head to Gouveia Vineyards down the street. It’s bigger, has a better view, and they actually have staff that know how to provide customer service. This place has decent wine, but the service sucks.

VERY LOUD inside when it’s busy. Went with a friend and it was tough to hear even eachother. I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the wines, just didn’t suit my taste. Main reason for my rating was an inappropriate comment made by the gentleman serving us which made me very uncomfortable. He assumed my friend and I were a couple from the get-​go, forgot about us while serving another party their tastings, and while swirling my sample in my glass to aerate it, said «we only give the ladies special treatment, but I’m sure you do plenty of that for her in your night cap at home» which was entirely out of line and rude. I will not return to Paradise Hills and will take my business to a much friendlier location.

Great winery right near the popular Gouveia winery. Great tasting, Connecticut grown and made wines. Knowledgeable staff. They are also one of four wineries participating in the CT coast and country winter wine trail.

Driving up I could tell that it was a bit lower class than other wineries I’ve visited. There was a bunch of stuff lying around the building and on the road. The building were cute.
We went in to get a couple glasses of wine. The owner was serving us. He wasn’t too pleasant. Clearly he didn’t care if we had a good time. After that lovely encounter, we were finally able to try the wine. It was pretty good. Overall we were very pleased with the wine.
Unfortunately, we left wondering if we would ever come back because of the service and the other people in the establishment. There was a group that came in that clearly already had too much to drink and were screaming and cussing. Very trashy. The staff kept serving them alcohol. If I was the owner, those folks would be removed immediately. I left with wine in my glass because of how disgusted I was.

I have never been to a winery before and didn’t know quite what to expect. We were looking for a nice setting and a little wine tasting. Well I tell ya this place was JUST the ticket!
My boyfriend and I love to dine out and experience new things! We were greeted by Brenda, an employee of the vineyard and she was adorable, friendly, warm and welcoming! This woman is an asset! I’m not sure if she’s is an owner or a manager but she surely an asset.
She directed us to the outside bar where we met «rich» who greeted us with «welcome to paradise» well what a greeting and he was right!
We had our tasting without a wait. The atmosphere was calming, with nice live music… a lil James Taylor, lil jazz, and everything in between!
We didn’t know they didn’t serve food so we know for next time to bring our own! Our tasting was $ 10 per person and the Boyle we picked was $ 20! We can’t wait to go back next weekend with some chz and crackers! Love this place and can’t wait to return!

A beautiful autumn day to be out driving and wine tasting. 6 wines for $ 9 so very reasonable. The wines were good and our wine tour guide told interesting and informative stories. At the end he also let us sample their finer wines. Smart man. We all bought the better one. The vineyard looks like southwest in style and right now has lovely seasonal decorations.
The only addition I might make is some crackers or cheese with the tasting would have been nice.

This was the second winery that hubby and I went to during the first leg of our attempt to complete the Connecticut Wine Trail.
Located in a residential area and a bit hard to find — we did not know that they were also celebrating their first anniversary on the same day we went. The vineyard was packed but we found a spot and headed up to the tasting room to see what they had to offer.
Now my experience might be tainted by the fact that they were celebrating their first anniversary but I was not impressed both in the wine and the service we were received.
For $ 9 we tried a sampling of 6 wines and immediately noticed that the pours were a bit smaller then at other CT Wineries we have been to. After squeezing our way into the «bar» We were hastily taken through the tasting. Many of their wines were a mixture of grapes (a common trend for CT Wineries) but I was disappointed that they «shipped» in some of their grapes in from CA. The Cayuga White (all CT Grapes) and Sauvignon Blanc were refreshing and had a nice balance of flavor, but our favorites (if we had to chose) were the Washington Trail Red (which was smooth from start to finish) and the Travola Rosso (which had a nice balance that was not over powering). The other wines we sampled were nothing special and in the end we decided to save our money and not purchase any bottles.
I do love the story of the vineyard (family owned and operated) and that Paradise Hills is modeled after an Italian Vineyard, but I was just underwhelmed.