Wine Tasting In Hawaii

Island Wineries Offer Hawaiian-Style Wine Tasting

Did you know there are some great wine tasting opportunities in Hawaii?  Here I will tell you about two of them, one on the Big Island and one on Maui.

Volcano Winery is located not far from Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island and offers a bit of sophistication amidst the region’s raw nature of erupting lava and steaming volcanic vents.

As the southernmost winery in the U.S., Volcano Winery specializes in tropical fruit and honey wines.  This is a true winery that grows, harvests, ferments, and bottles their own wines, and also sells them on the premises and ships them.

My personal favorite wine at Volcano Winery is the Macadamia Nut Honey Wine made from the blossoms of the Macadamia Nut tree. This is a sweet and uniquely Hawaiian wine that delights my palette.

For their dry and semi-dry white wines, Volcano Winery uses Symphony grapes they grow on their 14 acres.  The Symphony grape – a white grape that is a cross between a Grenache Gris and Muscat of Alexandria – offers a wonderful bouquet of apricot, peach, and lychee.

Volcano Winery also produces some unique Hawaiian fruit-blended wines such as their yellow guava and the exotic jaboticaba. I found these deliciously light and fruity wines to be simply bursting with flavors.

Wine tasting at Volcano Winery is offered from 10 am to 5:30 daily, 365 days a year.  This is a lovely area to visit and there are very affordable accommodations nearby.  This area is so scenic you can just get lost in the views, and I recommend checking out the nearby Maui Vacation Rentals for great deals on some of the nicest places in this region.

The second winery I want to tell you about is Tedeschi Vineyards, Maui’s only commercial winery. Tedeschi Vineyards is located on Ulupalakua Ranch in Maui’s upcountry region of Kula (you can follow these driving directions).

On the road to the vineyards you will seee beautiful ocean and mountain views including stately old trees.  The name Ulupalakua means “breadruit ripened on the back” and refers to a legend about a messenger sent to Hana to get breadfruit which ripened as he carried them back.

Ulupalakua was once a sugar plantation, and then a huge cattle ranch.  Much of the area remains a cattle ranch today.

Established in 1974, Tedeschi Vineyards released their first wine in 1977 using the juice of Maui pineapples.  They still make that local favorite, but their most popular wine today is the Maui Splash!, which has a light, fruity taste.

My favorite wine at Tedeschi, however, is the Framboise de Maui Rasberry Wine, the vineyards first specialty wine. I also loved that it came in an elegant gift box since I had purchased it as a gift for a friend.

Another unique product at Tedeschi is the dessert honey wine, made with 100 percent honey, yeast, and water (no grapes).

Wine tasting at Tedeschi Vineyards is a unique Hawaiian experience.  The Kalakaua Cottage Tasting Room features an 18-foot bar carved from a huge mango tree. The shelves are also stocked with Hawaiian-made specialty gifts that you can purchase along with the fine wines.

The tasting room is open from 10-5 daily, and they also offer a wonderful tour of the winery. These free tours leave daily at 10:30, 1:30, and 3.

Wine tasting is just one of many fun activities on Maui, and if you are looking for elegant yet affordable, clean, and comfortable accommodations, I have yet to have a less than excellent experience on all my travels when I book through Hawaiian Beach Rentals, and they have a wide range of choices on Maui.