Wine Tastings

Mclaughlin Vineyards is available for wine tastings during normal business hours. Wine tasting fee is $8.00 plus tax. Includes complimentary tasting glass. No reservations are necessary unless you have a party of ten or more. If you have a group of 10 or more (weekend or weekday) a reservation is required and an additional $3 per person fee applies.

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Hiking Trails

Our proximity to the Housatonic River (a few hundred yards behind the winery) and the surrounding properties of the Upper Paugguasett State Forest, The Nature Conservancy, The Newtown Forest Association, and Northeast Utilities allow for hours of hiking and exploring. Most of the trails are marked and are well-maintained. Partial mapping is available and directions are given at the winery. There is no charge to access the trails. No motorized vehicles are allowed. For more information on hiking visit www.alstrail.org.

Please note that a portion of McLaughlin trails are closed between December 15 and March 15 due to bald eagles visiting. For more information on viewing the bald eagles see below.

We began making maple syrup just for fun and just for our family about 30 years ago. In 1998 we built our “Sugar Shack” and have been offering maple syrup demonstrations to the public every since. We are the only operation in Fairfield county that offers a truly “hands-on” maple sugaring experience. You can learn to tap the maple trees, take a tractor ride to collect the sap-filled buckets, and watch the sap boil into pure syrup. Every outing ends with a hot chocolate and cookie reception. The season begins early February and finishes around the end of March. Reservations are required and pricing varies upon the group size. We have maple syrup for sale year-round in the Country Store.

Maple Syrup is produced from sap collected from sugar maple trees during late winter. The season in Connecticut ranges from early February through the third week in March with weather the determining factor. Ideal sugaring weather is 40 degree days and freezing nights. The sap is taken to the sugar house where it is boiled down to maple syrup. Pure maple syrup has nothing added! All of our syrup is bottled at our sugar house.

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Bald Eagle Viewing

The McLaughlin property of 160 acres also includes a 50 acre wildlife and bald eagle sanctuary. Beginning in mid-December, bald eagles begin to migrate south from Canada and Maine along the Housatonic River. Many of these birds reach their desired winter home at the Shepaug Dam and stay through the end of March. Our close proximity (a short hike through the woods) to the Shepaug Dam allows many visitors to experience these birds soaring above the vineyards and the large white pines along the Housatonic River. We have teamed up with First Light to provide visitors an educational and eagle friendly experience. We combine eagle viewing at the Shepaug Dam in Southbury, wine tasting at the winery, and lunch during the eagle season. Call for reservations and more information. Go to www.shepaugeagles.info or call 800.368.8954 to make reservations.

Country Store

Besides our tasting room, we have a specialty food area with Connecticut made products. Our own maple syrup is available year-round as well as baking and pancake mixes, infused olive oils, crackers, jams, and more. Every weekend a selection of these products is available for sampling. During the fall and holiday months we have a large selection of gift baskets and boxes with and without wine for delivery.

Our wines are exclusively available directly from the winery and through our website. We ship wine only where permitable to adults over the age of 21. Proof of age is necessary at time of delivery. Please include a day and evening telephone number for confirmation.

Wine List

Cross-Country Skiing

When there is enough snow, our location is a wonderful place to spend the afternoon cross-country skiing through the woods and around the vineyards. Explore the “pipeline” that stretches for miles and is flat and wide (perfect for the novice). We don’t charge, don’t offer ski rentals, and can’t guarantee that there will be tracks but we do promise a quiet, scenic experience. Remember that the winery is open for hot cider and a glass of wine.