Hillis' Sugarbush Farm & Vineyard

I’m currently on a journey to sample as many Vermont Wine brands as possible and, as it stands, Hillis’ Sugarbush Farm is definitely the winning contender! I stopped by on a whim, unsure of what to expect, but I was NOT disappointed. Not only is their entire homegrown organic wine selection delicious, but Judy and Jim were a pleasure as well. If you’re looking for a unique, authentic Vermont wine experience and a story to tell your friends, definitely stop in! I followed the road signs to the vineyard near Niquette Bay, up the long driveway to the Sugar Shack. My car was greeted by two large friendly poodles (the dogs are apparently not usually outside to meet guests, but I guess it was my lucky day!). Judy and Jim welcomed me inside for a wine tasting; both are incredibly knowledgeable in the art of wine curation and have great stories to go along with each of their wines. After the wine tasting, Jim- who studied food science at UVM- invited me on a little tour of their vineyard and as I learned about the history of the vineyard, it became easy to see why the Hillis’ wines are a genuine labor of love. My favorite part of this entire experience was the educational component- learning about the land, grape varieties, the harvesting and fermenting process - right from the farmer’s themselves! I ultimately decided to buy the Marquette, Amelia Violet and Little Sister’s Revenge. Looking forward to sharing my vineyard adventure with my family at Thanksgiving this year!

Stop in for a wine tasting ! They offer a great selection of additive free wines. You get a discount if you buy a case of wine! 🍷

The wine is great! Very nice people, willing to spend time to explain their wines and biodynamic wine making process. Great wine, great time, great location, great people.

We visited the Hillis Farm and Vineyard during our Memorial Day vacation and it was the highlight of our trip. Judy and Jim were two of the most down-to-earth people you could ever want to meet. The wine was best we had tasted out of the five vineyards we visited. The farm is impeccably maintained. Everything is organic, absolutely no fertilizers or pesticides. If you venture to northern Vermont, their vineyard is a must to add to your trip!

My husband and friend and I went on a Lake Champlain winery and brewery tour and stopped here first. We absolutely loved the owners and their two standard poodles. They were so hospitable and their garden is just beautiful. The wine was delicious and we bought 4 bottles. I now wish I'd bought more! They also have a Maple Sugar House but sadly, for us, had sold out of their syrup. Visit this small lovely winery with two very hard working souls who love what they do!

We have enjoyed this Vineyard in the past and are excited that they are open again. Very small family Vineyard tucked away in Colchester VT.

Website specifically states: “Closed from the 1st of September to the 31st of October (Due to harvesting)” …that’s not November. Hours said it opened at 12. We drove over an hour out of our way to come while visiting the area, only to find it closed and nothing posted. VERY frustrated!!

rly good place

The wine tasting was great. I sampled most of their wines, and decided to buy two different wines. I was impressed with the Traminette. I have tasted a number of them in the Finger Lakes wineries in New York, and I told the lady who was pouring my sample, that this was better than most.I served this to company last night, and after I poured it I immediately noticed that the color was different than the wine I tasted. Every indication was that it was not the same batch. No vintage year on the bottle, so I have no idea how old it was, but it tasted syrupy and had all the indications of an old vintage starting to go bad. I was embarassed and angry.Beware! You may not get what you tasted. It is sad that people resort to these tactics.