Thanks to its beautiful scenery, fantastic seafood, and burgeoning viticulture, Maine is slowly becoming a more popular tourist destination. While it may never become as popular as California when it comes to wine, there are plenty of excellent winery options in Maine that you should check out if you plan on visiting any time soon.
Popular Wines from Maine
Maine is not necessarily widely known for its wines but has quickly become a surprisingly popular destination for New England visitors.
In fact, it’s fair to say it’s the central hub for all wine-growing in the area! Most Maine wine is relatively fruity, with blueberry, apple, and cranberry varieties. Some will make grape-based wines, including imported or homegrown grapes, though.
That said, you can expect some reasonably rich blueberry wines, as this hardy fruit is one of the most popular in the state. If you’ve never had a blueberry wine before, your trip to Maine is the perfect time to try one!
Related: Find more great wineries in New England by checking out Connecticut wineries.
10 of the Best Wineries in Maine
Without further ado, let’s just dive into the top 10 best wineries in Maine!
There’s a lot more to this state than Stephen King’s spooky tales of horror, after all! Each of these wineries will provide you with some unique advantages that make them more than worth your consideration.
When you book ahead for a reservation at Cellardoor Winery, you get access to one of the finest wineries in Maine.
Its reservation-based booking system might seem initially frustrating, but it helps improve your experience by ensuring a fun and private wine experience.
Like with other Maine wineries on this list, Cellardoor operates on an old farm, one that has been repurposed for creating and serving fantastic wine.
You can purchase 3-4 pre-set flights or even a bottle of wine and enjoy some delicious cheese plates and other snacks while you visit.
Depending on the season, you may also explore the winery, checking out its beautiful five-and-a-half acres.
Understand that this relatively smaller growing acreage does produce limited wine options. However, the wines they do make are some of the best and tastiest in Maine.
If you want the best wines from this vineyard, the Pinot Noir Blanc is fantastic and is more than worth the purchase price. However, there’s also an excellent Aurora that is probably the best in the state by far.
Savage Oakes operates on a 200-year-old farm with a beautiful view that shows Maine’s fantastic nature.
Their short-growing season produces a surprising array of different wine options, including sweet, reds, whites, and even dessert wines made from quickly grown but sugar-dense grapes.
People who want to enjoy a great outdoor environment may find Savage Oakes meets their needs with ease.
They have beautiful and expansive grounds you can explore and have multiple tasting rooms that you can visit to catch your breath or meet some new people.
Savage Oakes is not only renowned for its limited-batch wine production of options like dessert wines but is also a blueberry and beef farm!
Like with their grapes, everything here is done with maximum sufficiency to ensure that food is safe and has a low environmental impact.
Please note: Savage Oakes is open to the public during the summer and closed during the winter. Maine winters are no joke and, as this winery is 100% solar-powered, it’s hard to keep it open during the coldest months.
Wiggly Bridge was founded by David Woods, both junior and senior, as a father-and-son team focused on high-quality liquor.
They use a unique constant-diligence process that includes regular quality checks on their drinks that ensure you get the best possible drinks for your money.
The name “Wiggly Bridge” is in honor of a unique historical site near the winery.
This structure was built in 1930 and remained the smallest suspension bridge in America. The “wiggly” name comes from the slight shaking that people experience while walking across the bridge.
Though this distillery is relatively new (founded in 2013), it has already won multiple awards and accolades: including national awards just about every year.
The amazing thing is that David and David still work with all aspects of winemaking, creating one of the most intimate experiences.
Though primarily a whiskey distillery, they do provide options with a reasonably fruity flavor that tastes a lot like wine.
Their liquor has a wine-like taste that makes them an excellent opportunity for people who love wine but want to try something different.
Amenities include:
Fun on-site events, including concerts and tasting events
Several tours include a private founder’s tour for up to six people
Curbside pickup for people who are in a bit of a hurry
Gift card options that will work well for your favorite almost-wine fan
Many Maine wineries are small and family-operated destinations, and Tree Spirits is no different.
Founded by Bruce Olson and Karen Heck in 2010 (after a decade of making wine for friends), Tree Spirit has remained a popular and friendly winery with a welcoming atmosphere.
Tree Spirits focuses heavily on locally grown products, preferring to work around Maine’s winter season instead of importing outside grapes.
Their philosophy is simple: Maine-grown grapes create a unique taste and flavor specific to this state and nowhere else.
This approach has worked for them, as Tree Spirits remains a fun and appealing option that many throughout the nation visit.
They are primarily known for wines like Apple Picnic, Pear Picnic, Maple Picnic, and sparkling wines that produce a unique Maine-style flavor.
Visitors can try out multiple flights in their indoor tasting room or enjoy an outside drinking experience in a beautiful Maine summer. Bruce and Karen still make wine and serve it directly to the public, as they love meeting wine fans.
Other amenities to consider when visiting here include:
Other spirits and liquor options, such as pear brandy and maple liquor
Delicious and potent absinthe, a particular favorite for Bruce
The subLime sparkling wines that work well for many tastes
An attractive outdoor seating area not far from Oakland
Here’s another relatively new winery that’s already making a significant impact on the wine-producing scene in Maine.
After over 15 years, this winery focuses heavily on self-grown and imported fruit that helps them produce various wines with various tastes.
For example, they grow some fruits and grapes on their 100-acre winery and import German-grown grapes.
These German grapes are reasonably similar to the types grown in Maine, which helps produce a relatively consistent array of wines that should work for many tastes.
Apart from the wide variety of wines, visitors to Bar Harbor can enjoy freshly baked pizza at the Sweet Pea Café.
There are also plenty of other farm-fresh entrees to go with your choice of wine. You will also find a variety of chocolates, jams, and a variety of gift items.
Popular wines include Rieslings and Maine Blueberry. These showcase just what Bar Harbor offers: a unique range of fruity wines designed for more specialty tastes.
Other reasons you may want to visit or work with this winery include the following exceptional amenities:
Online ordering that delivers wine directly to your door
A Chocolate Room dedicated to Maine-made chocolates
Outdoor tasting options with snacks and bocce ball
Address: 161 Chicken Mill Pond Rd, Gouldsboro, ME 04607
Phone Number: 207-546-2408
When visiting this winery’s website, you will be struck by its Spartan and straightforward style.
Don’t mistake this look for simplicity, however.
Instead, it’s simply a reflection of this winery’s innate elegance and beauty and its wines, some of the most discerning and authentic in the state, particularly the blueberry wine options.
You can visit this winery during the peak season from June to October or book the tasting room by appointment outside this season.
That’s one nice thing about this winery: while many Maine vineyards are closed to the public during the winter, you can get a private experience by booking with this winery.
Shalom Orchard Organic Farm and Winery is known for its organic wines grown without artificial fertilizer or any chemical pesticide.
Instead, they focus heavily on making their wines environmentally safe and ensuring that they don’t affect your health.
Shalom is not just a winery, either, as they grow most of their ingredients on a farm with a history dating back to 1840.
They produce a variety of fruits and vegetables here, including blueberries, winter squash, and much more. You can even buy cider here for your kids!
And if you’re interested in learning more about farming, they always welcome volunteers who can join in on the day-to-day activities of growing crops and making wines.
You can pick which activities you want to participate in during your visit and stop whenever you’ve had enough.
As for their wines, you can choose from mostly organic fruit wines, including Apple, Blueberry, and Cranberry wines. Depending on the season and how well Maine produced grapes that year, there are some limited grape wines.
Other amenities you may experience when visiting here include:
Multiple seasonal events, like concerts and tasting events
A private apartment where you can stay while you visit
Chances to work on the farm itself to get a hands-on experience
Sheep and other animals that provide a family-friendly atmosphere
This family-owned winery produces fruit wines primarily, using apples, cherries, cranberries, and blueberries.
While their grape options are limited, their fruity and often rather sweet wines can be surprisingly good and, in some cases, even relatively dry and elegant.
One specialty of this winery is the Maine Blueberry Sangria, a unique option that blends well with cranberries and apples to create a broad array of tastes.
So if you want fruit wine (and in Maine, it’s the most popular option), this is one winery you should visit when you get a chance.
And like many wineries and spirits companies in Maine, they use only estate-grown ingredients, meaning that you can get a surprisingly rich array of tastes that remain consistent.
While there are advantages to importing components, homegrown often produce the most authentic flavors.
Some of the most popular wines here include Apple, Blueberry, and sparkling wines that should fit into many tastes. Depending on your preference, you may also enjoy options like Three Crow Rum and Cranberry Gin.
If you’re taking a trip to Maine in the winter and are disappointed that there aren’t any wineries open, you are in luck!
Winterport Winery is open year-round, befitting its name, making it one of the best places to visit when the weather gets cold and you need a break from the world.
However, Winterport also has an outdoor tasting area that you can visit during the warmer months, allowing you to enjoy the fun and engaging atmosphere typical in this region.
Just as importantly, you can enjoy some fantastic views of beautiful and natural Maine wilderness areas.
What if you visit this winery with someone who doesn’t like wines? Are they doomed to drinking water and soda all night? Thankfully no, because this winery offers hard and soft ciders that work well in various situations, including when on picnics or when relaxing at the end of the day.
Their best wines include a Sparkling Pear wine (Applause), an Apple wine, Berry Chocolate, Dry Blueberry, and Cranberry.
These wines showcase the unique taste and texture of Maine wines, particularly their fruit options.
Amenities you may experience when visiting here include:
Attractive and award-winning art from local artists
Fruit wines that also include grapes in limited quantities
Multiple event options that should entertain most people
Various gift items, including certificates and much more
Last but not least is one of the older vineyards in the state: Maine Coast Vineyard.
This company started in 1997 when they began growing grapes in the Hurricane Valley. This unique valley was created after a devastating hurricane in the 1600s caused a huge depression in the ground.
This small and family-owned business produces a surprising array of different wine options, including various fruity wines and even some relatively hardy grapes that do well in Maine’s tougher climate.
Each fruit is picked by hand to ensure its quality is as high as possible.
Like many other Maine wineries, this company uses organic growing methods and focuses on using safe and effective pest control methods.
As a result, their fruit and their wines have a better taste and typically lack the kind of chemical residue you get from non-organic wines.
Maine Coast also focuses primarily on Maine-grown fruits, producing all their crops right on their acreage.
That option lets them create some fairly consistent and high-quality wines, as well as pass down some savings by minimizing import costs.
Just a few amenities you may experience include:
A small and friendly atmosphere when visiting
Beautiful views that are hard to top
Handpicked techniques that ensure great quality
Multiple food pairings that go well with their great wines
Overall Best Winery in Maine
Though I think the winery options here are pretty close in quality, I give Bar Harbor a slight edge because they serve a delicious pizza, have a lovely tasting room, and use a vast array of grape types.
That said, you can’t go wrong with any of these wineries, so try them out whenever you get to Maine again or if you live in the state and have never tried them.
Hi, my name is Emma Miller, and I am a wine enthusiast, and self-proclaimed oenophile from Ohio, in the United States. There is nothing better than tasting new types of wine, and over the years I have become somewhat of a wine connoisseur.
