Upper Shirley Vineyards

I reached out to upper Shirley Vineyards to help me with my son proposing to his girlfriend. The weather was iffy, and the staff were overly accommodating to us. They set us up outside with the ability to move inside if we needed to. They made sure all of our party was sent outside to the patio. They even came out and witnessed the event take place and followed up with a celebratory free bottle of wine! Hands down the best experience I’ve ever had with a winery.

Good food, good wine, and a pleasant atmosphere. We had a great time.

We sat on the porch and ate a burger with bacon jam, which was delicious. Then we bought a bottle of wine and sat out on the lawn and the sun, it was the perfect relaxing day!

It's a good spot, but their marketing team is so bad at updating their hours (that are usually swamped with weddings) I can't recommend coming here because it's in the middle of nowhere. Randomly closed on a Saturday at 2pm? No info on google. Seriously guys, I work in marketing adjacent industries and it's not hard to update hours for special events.

Great wines. Especially the Viognier and Petite Verdot. More formal than what is necessary for a light casual tasting. More of a restaurant than a winery.
Also had a wedding at the same time and no indication on social media or from the staff. Seating options were limited as a result. And put a damper on the day....

Went for lunch on a Saturday. Environment is pleasant and views of the James River are rather nice, but requires a long walk across a lawn. The food was barely average: fish and chips for three of us all had lukewarm fries and fish, and the fish was not at all crisp, but limp and rubbery. Drinks are a bit pricey with limited mixed drink options. ($18 for a non-alcohol Shirley Temple?). The service was poor with young and inexperienced staff who had to be asked to fill empty water glasses and to clear plates.

Our party of 7 was there for the first time. From the beginning, the hostess was very welcoming, and our server was too, but overall he was not around much after we ordered our beverages. It took about 30 minutes for someone else to finally take our food order...we had about 3 different servers throughout...so never any consistency. The service was incredibly slow and we had to ask for our water to be refilled. The salmon was great, but the fish & chips was rubbery and the fries were not very warm. The indoor dining area, although pretty with lovely views, has nothing but hard surfaces, so when things were dropped in the bar area (about 3 different times), it was extremely jarring--even more so for the older family members with hearing aids. The place would benefit from adding soft textures to absorb the sound. Hoping the next time we return, the service will be a more positive dining experience. Everyone was very friendly though, thank you. ?

The meal was outstanding. Two people in my party had the salmon, it was perfection. Hannah was our server and did a wonderful job. We had both red and white wine, both were excellent!

We had a fabulous red wine flight and lunch on the back porch at Upper Shirley vineyards. The scenery and ambiance is amazing and the wines were delightful. Lobster rolls and charcuterie board were excellent. Will definitely be back again!

I had the crap dip appetizer & the Salmon dinner. It was all perfect! John was an attentive & delightful server. It was very relaxing and we enjoyed every minute. I'm ready to return for another Apple of My Eye "adult"beverage. It was a great starter & just as good at the end of my meal. A PERFECT afternoon!

Just had a beer

We had a disappointing experience at Upper Shirley Vineyards. They were out of both wines that my husband likes. They were out of the appetizer we ordered. The lobster rolls were over-priced at $31 & they were just OK - not really flavorful like lobster. Despite the fact that only 3 or 4 tables were occupied, the noise level was kind of loud. There is nothing in the room to dampen the noise. There was a lot of natural light & that was lovely. Our server was very nice & friendly however he struggled with producing the right checks for our party of four & had to re-do them all. Given our 1.5 hour round trip, this dining experience was not worth it to us.

Wines were excellent. Nice to have choice of beers too. Apps were great. The flatbread w peach was our favorite. Enjoyed the mushrooms and the charcuterie. Salmon entree was fantastic. Skip the grilled cheese-there are better out there. Great ambience and service. Will definitely return

Nice winery for tasting or lunch. Menu has enough choices at reasonable prices. Server was very good, attentive but not overbearing. Wines were good. We sat on the front porch on a beautiful afternoon with a light breeze. My Shirley Stack sandwich, their take on a club sandwich had plenty of meat and cheese on nice bread. My wife had their. grilled cheese, bacon and roasted tomatoes. Both came with house made chips, with other substitutions available. We enjoyed the afternoon.

The only reason I gave it a 3 is because the food was horrible! I only ate a hamburger but,tasteless and it wasn't worththe high prices.It surprised me because Charles City people know how to cook!Otherwise, the venue was gorgeous, the river view was amazing, and the staff were excellent. And Trademark band was amazing.Please do
something with your menu.