Wine tasting is not the first thing most people associate with Philadelphia, but the countryside around the city has more wineries than almost anyone expects. To the west, the rolling Brandywine Valley of Chester County pairs tasting rooms with some of the best gardens and museums on the East Coast. North, Bucks County adds historic estates and river towns, and across the Delaware, New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley round out the map.
This guide is about the day trip, not a single region. It gathers the wineries we would send a first-timer to across all of those areas, where to eat between tastings, and where to stay if a day turns into a weekend. For the statewide picture, follow our Pennsylvania wine tasting guide at the end.
Getting There From Philadelphia
The Brandywine Valley is the headline destination and the easiest drive: take Route 1 or Route 202 south-west and you are in Chadds Ford in about 40 minutes and Kennett Square in 45. The wineries cluster around Longwood Gardens, the Brandywine River Museum and the historic estates, so it is natural to build a whole day around one of them. Stone Barn Cellars sits further north in Chester County, about an hour from the city.
Bucks County is north of the city, roughly an hour up Interstate 95 or Route 611, with Wycombe near Doylestown and Crossing near Washington Crossing, and it pairs well with lunch in New Hope or Doylestown. Unionville, in Ringoes, New Jersey, is about an hour north-east; the Lehigh Valley wineries near Breinigsville are an hour and a quarter north on the Northeast Extension of the Turnpike.
Two practical points. Pick one direction per day, west, north or east, rather than trying to combine them. And because tastings involve alcohol, arrange a designated driver or a car service; three wineries and a long lunch make a full day, and most of these welcome walk-ins on weekdays but fill on weekends, so book the ones you care about most.
If you would rather leave the driving to someone else, guided Brandywine Valley and wine-tasting tours from the city come and go with the season, so check the current wine experiences from Philadelphia on Viator before you book a car service.
Our Recommended Wineries Near Philadelphia
These are the tastings we would point a first-timer to, grouped by direction so you can build a single-area day: the Brandywine Valley and Chester County to the west, Bucks County to the north, then New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley. Each links through to our full winery guide, and the map plots them all so you can see what sits close together.
Wineries within day-trip range of Philadelphia · tap a pin for the winery guide. Map data © OpenStreetMap.
Penns Woods Winery
Why Guests Love It: Scenic Vineyard Tastings, Event Pavilion, Warm and Knowledgeable Staff
Penns Woods makes its wines entirely from Pennsylvania-grown grapes and pours them in a Chadds Ford tasting room just off Route 202, about 35 minutes from Center City. The lineup is broad, from Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio to Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and the covered pavilion and lawn make it the easiest Brandywine stop for a group. Visitors who claim not to like dry wines tend to leave with a case.
Read our full Penns Woods Winery guide →Chaddsford Winery
Why Guests Love It: Pennsylvania Pioneer Since 1982, Flights and Small Plates, Lively Event Calendar
Established in 1982, Chaddsford is one of the oldest and largest wineries in Pennsylvania, producing around 30,000 cases a year, and it did much of the work of proving the state could make wine at all. The Brandywine Valley setting is lovely, the flights come with small plates and cheese boards, and the calendar runs from Friday quiz nights to seasonal food fairs and live music, so it doubles as a night out.
Read our full Chaddsford Winery guide →Galer Estate Vineyard & Winery
Why Guests Love It: Boutique Whites and Rosé, Indoor and Outdoor Seating, Steps From Longwood Gardens
Galer Estate sits just behind Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, which makes it the natural pairing for a day at one of the great gardens of America. It is small, only a couple of thousand cases from mostly estate fruit in West Chester and Kennett Square, and the strength is dry white wine, with Albarino and Gruner Veltliner alongside Chardonnay, plus a crisp rosé. Sit outside among the vines if the weather allows.
Read our full Galer Estate Vineyard & Winery guide →Stone Barn Cellars Winery
Why Guests Love It: Restored Stone Barn, Sunset Views, Relaxed Local Hangout
Stone Barn Cellars is exactly what it sounds like, a beautifully restored Chester County stone barn near Spring City with seating inside and out and a wide western view that draws people for sunset. It is more hangout than showpiece, with an easygoing wine list, snacks and the owners often pouring, and it is a good northern anchor for a Chester County loop.
Read our full Stone Barn Cellars Winery guide →Wycombe Vineyards
Why Guests Love It: Family-Run Welcome, Outdoor Flights on the Deck, Great-Value Tastings
Wycombe is a ten-acre family vineyard in Bucks County, north of the city, where the grapes are picked by hand and pressed within the hour to keep the wines fresh. The family pours the tastings themselves, the deck is the place to be on a weekend, and you can order food in to eat with a flight. The Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Franc are the ones to try.
Read our full Wycombe Vineyards guide →Crossing Vineyards and Winery
Why Guests Love It: Historic Estate Grounds, Charcuterie and Snacks, Summer Concerts
Crossing Vineyards occupies a 200-year-old estate in historic Bucks County, not far from where Washington crossed the Delaware, and the grounds are as much the draw as the wine. There are cocktails and beer alongside the estate wines, good charcuterie boards, and a summer concert series; it is a place to settle in for an afternoon rather than taste and run.
Read our full Crossing Vineyards and Winery guide →Unionville Vineyards
Why Guests Love It: Preserved-Farmland Setting, Story-Rich Tastings, Cozy Tasting Room
Across the river in Ringoes, New Jersey, Unionville is a collection of four farms and more than 300 acres of preserved farmland, and it is one of the most quietly serious wineries in the region, with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Rhone varieties alongside the hybrids. The tasting room is small and welcoming, the staff tell the winery’s story (and some Revolutionary War history) well, and it makes a fine afternoon on the Jersey side.
Read our full Unionville Vineyards guide →Clover Hill Winery
Why Guests Love It: Orchard Views, Live Music and Food Trucks, Affordable Tastings
Clover Hill is a family-owned Lehigh Valley winery near Breinigsville that has grown over three decades into one of the bigger names in the state, bottling more than 75,000 gallons a year across a long list that runs from dry Chardonnay and Merlot to sweeter styles. Weekends bring live music, food trucks and yoga in the vines, and the tastings are among the best value on this list.
Read our full Clover Hill Winery guide →Vynecrest Winery
Why Guests Love It: Historic Tasting Room, Cellar Experience Room, Countryside Views
Minutes from Clover Hill, Vynecrest pours more than twenty wines in a historic Lehigh Valley tasting room, from Riesling and Traminette to Blaufrankisch and Chambourcin, and the countryside views over the vines are the reason to linger. The cellar experience room can be booked for groups, and the staff are good at walking newcomers through pairings.
Read our full Vynecrest Winery guide →Where to Eat
The Brandywine Valley towns are the natural lunch stop between tastings, and Kennett Square in particular punches well above its size. These are the standouts, all well loved by the travellers who review them.
1906 at Longwood Gardens (Kennett Square)
The restaurant inside Longwood Gardens, named for the year Pierre du Pont bought the estate, serves seasonal, garden-driven cooking in a dining room that looks over the grounds. Garden admission is required, which makes it the obvious centrepiece of a Longwood-plus-wineries day; book ahead.
Trattoria La Tavola (Kennett Square)
A family-run Italian trattoria on State Street with handmade pasta and a warm, unhurried room; the most consistently praised dinner in town and a short drive from Galer, Penns Woods and Chaddsford.
Hank's Place (Chadds Ford)
A Brandywine institution: a roadside diner at the crossroads in Chadds Ford where locals, and once the Wyeth family, have eaten breakfast and lunch for decades. Expect a queue at weekends and generous plates, and go before the tastings rather than after.
Terrain Cafe (Glen Mills)
Set inside the Terrain garden centre on Baltimore Pike, this greenhouse cafe serves farm-to-table lunches and brunches among the plants, and it is the prettiest stop on the way back toward the city from Chadds Ford.
Where to Stay
Philadelphia itself is an easy base for a single day trip, but if you want to make a weekend of the Brandywine Valley, stay out near Kennett Square and Chadds Ford so that Longwood Gardens, the museums and the wineries are all minutes away.
Hilton Garden Inn Kennett Square
A comfortable, well-run hotel on Baltimore Pike with an indoor pool and a restaurant, a few minutes from Longwood Gardens and the Kennett Square wineries. The practical choice for a two-night Brandywine weekend.
Check availability on Booking.comHampton Inn & Suites Chadds Ford
Right by the Chadds Ford crossroads, with free breakfast, an indoor pool and easy parking, and a short drive to Penns Woods, Chaddsford Winery and the Brandywine River Museum. Consistently well reviewed for its staff.
Check availability on Booking.comThe Inn at Whitewing Farm (West Chester)
For a countryside stay, this adults-only bed and breakfast on a former estate near Longwood Gardens has garden and lake views, a pool and a cooked breakfast. Guests love the setting; check the current reviews for room condition before you book.
Check availability on Booking.comWhat to Pack
The Brandywine Valley is at its best from late spring to the fall, and the wineries here are outdoor places: pack comfortable shoes for vineyard lawns and garden paths, sun protection for summer afternoons on the decks, and a layer for the evenings, which cool off quickly even in July.
Bring water for between tastings, a cooler or insulated bag in the car for the bottles you buy, and, if Longwood Gardens is on the plan, book those tickets before you leave the city. Most of these wineries take cards, but a little cash helps at the food trucks.
Why Philadelphia Is a Wine Lover's City
Philadelphia has a longer wine history than its reputation suggests: the first commercial vineyard in the United States was chartered just outside the city in the 1790s, and the modern Pennsylvania industry that Chaddsford helped launch in the 1980s has grown into hundreds of wineries statewide. What makes the city special for a wine traveller is the company the wineries keep. In the Brandywine Valley you taste between Longwood Gardens and the Wyeth paintings; in Bucks County between colonial estates and the Delaware River towns.
Pick a direction, book the one or two tastings you care about most, and let the rest of the day unfold over a long lunch. That is the whole art of wine tasting from Philadelphia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can you go wine tasting near Philadelphia?
The two main directions are the Brandywine Valley of Chester County, Pennsylvania, to the west of the city, and the vineyards of Bucks County to the north, with New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley a little further out. All are within about an hour and make good day trips.
How far are wineries from Philadelphia?
Many wineries in the Brandywine Valley are within a 40- to 60-minute drive of Philadelphia, with Bucks County, New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley about an hour to an hour and a quarter away.
What wine is made near Philadelphia?
The wineries around Philadelphia produce a wide range, including cool-climate whites such as Chardonnay, Riesling and Albarino, hybrids like Chambourcin and Traminette, and increasingly serious Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir.
Are there wineries in the Brandywine Valley?
Yes. The Brandywine Valley in Chester County has a cluster of wineries set among its historic estates and gardens, including Penns Woods, Chaddsford and Galer Estate, all within easy reach of Philadelphia and Longwood Gardens.
Do you need reservations for wineries near Philadelphia?
Many welcome walk-ins, but reservations are recommended on weekends and at smaller producers. It is always worth checking ahead for the places you most want to visit.
Sources and further reading
- Pennsylvania Wines, the Pennsylvania Winery Association
- Garden State Wine Growers Association, on New Jersey wine