Tasting Room & Vineyard
Our tasting room is now open to the public year-round! See hours below.
Wines may be purchased by the glass or by the bottle to be enjoyed on our patio, pavilion, or picnic tables overlooking the vineyard (excluding dessert wines and brandy – these you must take home to enjoy). We have locally produced cheeses and other snacks to enjoy during your visit, but guests are always welcome to bring their own food. If you’re looking to pick up some prepared foods for your picnic, we recommend Sweet Evalina’s Stand, Coriander Cafe, and Jessica Tuesday’s, to name a few.
Guests are invited to enjoy our small communal pavilion. Tables are not be be moved, but additional chairs may be added to your table. Sharing tables and seating is often necessary, and sometimes required. All guests must leave the pavilion and grounds 1 hour past posted closing times, unless otherwise indicated. Due to space limitations, groups of 12 or more are not permitted on the pavilion. No other alcohol other than TBW wine may be consumed on the property. All bottles must be opened by a staff member per CT Law.
2 Samples
5 Samples
10 Samples
Brandy
*Logo glasses are not included in the price of the tasting and are for sale at an additional cost of $3 plus sales tax.
2019 BUSINESS HOURS
Open Year Round
THURSDAY: APRIL 4-DECEMBER: 2PM-6PM
Friday: Open 11am-6pm
Saturday: OPEN 11am – 5pm
Sunday: OPEN 11am – 5pm
*Open select Monday holidays (see special hours for details)
2019 Special Hours
OPEN: Labor Day, Monday, September 2: 11am – 5pm
OPEN: Columbus Day, Monday, October 14: 11am – 5pm
OPEN: Wednesday, November 20: 11am-6pm
CLOSED: Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 21
Things to Know Before You Visit
Group Tastings of 8-12 People
Tastings for groups of 8-12 are conducted in the main winery. Groups of this size can choose tasting options from our regular menu which are as follows: 2 tastes for free, 5 tastes for $6 and 10 tastes for $11. Please fill out the inquiry form and you will be contacted to confirm your reservation.
Group Tastings of 13-25 People
Groups of 13-25 may book a sit down tasting conducted on our pavilion. These tastings can be scheduled only at 11am. Tasting fees include a logo glass to keep. Every person in the group must choose one of the following tasting options: 10 tastes for $20, 5 tastes for $10, non-tasters $6. Non-tasters also get the logo glass to keep and may choose from a selection of our Hosmer sodas or bottled water. Please be aware that groups larger than 12 are not permitted on our covered pavilion and so options for remaining on site after the tasting are limited.
Group Tastings of 26-50 People
Groups of this size who want to do a tasting on Friday, Saturday or Sunday require a partial buyout of our pavilion. If interested in more details please fill out inquiry form.
Private Events
Are you looking to host a small event in a unique and private setting?
The covered pavilion at Taylor Brooke Winery offers sweeping views of our vineyard as well as a close up view of our manufacturing area. Groups of 20-50 people can celebrate their special event after hours and enjoy our wine from a private service bar right in our tank room. Bring your own food, or have your event catered.
If you are interested in learning more about events, please fill out our inquiry form.
Tours
Guided tour with tasting available on Thursdays for groups of 10 or more. Reservations required.
Take a tour through our vineyard with a staff member. Learn about the history of the land, our journey with the vineyard, and get the current harvest report. Next, start your tasting in our warehouse as you get a behind the scenes look at our production area. Returning to our pavilion, continue your tasting and upon completion, enjoy our unique gift shop, take a relaxing stroll through the grounds, or relax on site with your favorite picnic lunch. $30 per person. Includes 10 tastes and our logo glass to keep. If interested, fill out the form below and we will contact you to book your reservation.
Pet Policy
When we first opened many years ago, we invited visitors to bring their pets on the property. But in recent years we’ve had numerous issues with that open invitation. We wish it hadn’t come to it, but unfortunately we cannot allow pets (other than our own) at Taylor Brooke. We hope you can respect this policy. If you bring a pet with you, we ask that you leave them in the car with the windows open–or your best bet is to leave your pets at home while you visit us.
Thank you for your understanding!
Bringing Children?
When you visit the vineyard, it is a great opportunity to show your children the grapes (please don’t eat them, we need them for the wine!) and talk about where our food (and in this case, drink) come from.
Please remember that wineries are an adult destination. Our tasting room is full of gift items (many made of glass) and bottles of wine and we ask that children not be allowed to run inside for their safety. If your children are crying or yelling loudly, please be considerate of our other guests and bring them outside until they calm down.
What We Make
White Wines
Red Wines
Fruit Infused Wines
Dessert Wines & Brandy
A Little Bit About Us
The Founders
Richard (Dick) A. Auger, Winemaker/Owner (March 19, 1955 – March 3, 2017)
Dick was a co-founder and owner of Taylor Brooke Winery. 25 years ago Dick found himself working for a biotech start up filled with engineers, chemists, and biologists who tinkered in their home labs brewing beer. Never a fan of beer, Dick participated by making wine, drawing on the knowledge of his colleagues to work out the kinks in the wine making process. That tinkering was the inspiration that eventually led to the development of Taylor Brooke Winery 10 years later.
Due to his inability to sit still and and relax, Dick felt compelled to build this winery while working his very full time job as a Global Director of Facilities Management for top firms in the U.S. He traveled often for work, returning inspired from local cuisine and beverage. Dick’s passion in the kitchen translated quite easily to passion for developing new wines.
Dick’s recent passing was a devastating loss to all he touched over the last 12 years of being in business. We his family intend to honor his vision of inclusion and expansion, of education and community, by moving forward as he would have wanted.
Linda Auger, Tasting Room Manager/Owner
Linda is a co-founder and owner of Taylor Brooke Winery. You could say Linda started it all when she purchased a wine kit for Dick as a Christmas gift 22 years ago. Linda’s primary focus is as Tasting Room manager. She runs a highly curated retail shop of locally sourced goods. On the weekends, she spends most of her time in the tasting room managing staff and assisting guests. She is also in charge of all things HR, marketing, and social media, and is our business manager. Linda represents Taylor Brooke winery on countless boards and committees, focusing on promoting and preserving small businesses and local agriculture.
The Winemaker
Nikki Auger, Winemaker/Owner
Nikki is an owner and the Winemaker at Taylor Brooke Winery. She began making wine in the kitchen with Dick when she was 16, and joined him as his assistant making wine and directing operations of the vineyard and winery in August 2016. She has spent over 15 years in the food and beverage industry working at top restaurants in Boston, as well as wineries in Northern California. During the week she can be found in the cellar tasting, testing, strategizing with the vineyard team, and overseeing winery operations. On the weekends, her focus is on assisting Linda with the management of the tasting room. She is also in charge of events.
The Vineyard Manager
Paul Crowley, Vineyard Manager
Paul has been in his position at the winery for over 6 years now. He started his second career in wine by studying viticulture and enology at a local institution. He works with Nikki to oversee vineyard as well as cellar operations. Paul helps to assess and maintain the health of the grapes in the vineyard identifying and anticipating pests and problems. In the cellar, Paul keeps us on schedule guiding grapes from harvest to bottle.
Wine Dogs
When you visit Taylor Brooke Winery for the first time, you will probably notice the column of dog portraits on the wall of the main tasting room stone bar. They were painted by a former employee, Jessica Machnicki Daigle. The “top dog” was Zima, who died at 12 years old in March 2012. We rescued Zima at the age of 1 ½ from the Worcester Animal Rescue League (WARL). You will also notice one of our most popular wines is named in her memory; Wine Dog 1 and we donate $1 per bottle sold to the WARL.
Zima was an “only child” dog until we rescued Georgia in 2006 from a rescue located in the state of Georgia. Georgia had obviously been abused and was extremely shy and skittish with people, but loved Zima. After Zima figured out that people could love more than one dog at a time, they became friends and loved hanging out on the couch together.
After Zima passed away, we rescued Addison (April 2012) at age of 2ish from The Good Dog Rescue in TN. Addison is our social butterfly that hasn’t met a person she doesn’t love (she especially loves belly rubs), but is territorial with dogs other than Georgia. Addison has a special relationship with one of our resident hawks, Taylor, and can be heard barking at it while out on walks. When Addison joined the family, she seems to have given Georgia the security and confidence to come out of her shell and not be as frightened of people as she was for much of her life.
When you do come in for a visit, Addison may be in the tasting room, so we ask that you do not let her out, since she is a runner who is hard to catch! Go ahead and click on the pictures below to learn more about our wine dogs.
Addison
Georgia
Zima
