The Vineyard at Grandview Opens!

The tasting room at The Vineyard at Grandview has opened, marking a milestone for the Mount Joy winery that planted its first vines in 2009 and expects to begin making its wine on site later this year.

As construction continues on the building that will eventually house winemaking operations at 1489 Grandview Road, the tasting room opened last week to the public.

“It is a real milestone,” said Larry Kennel, who founded The Vineyard at Grandview with his wife, Marilyn. Their two daughters and sons-in-law are partners in the venture.

From the tasting room, The Vineyard at Grandview sells its six wine varieties, including four dry wines, one sweet wine and one semi-sweet wine. They include: Chardonnay, Rose of Pinot Noir, Crimson Quartette, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sun-Kissed and Sapphire White. All but the Sapphire White are made from grapes grown at the vineyard.

Prices for bottles range from $15 to $28. The tasting room also offers wine, cheese and chocolate tastings. The roughly 1,100-square-foot space has table seating for 24 as well as the tasting bar.

The seating arrangements can be varied for special events.

A rear brick wall of the tasting room is lined with bottles, and large windows look out onto the rows of vines and rolling countryside north of Route 283 between Mount Joy and Elizabethtown. An 80-foot-long deck also will be constructed.

Until the on-site winery is completed, the Vineyard at Grandview has its grapes made into wine by Allegro Winery in York County.

Kennel declined to give the cost for the project.

For now, the tasting room keeps regular hours only on weekends, opening from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.

Kennel expects some of those hours to be expanded, while adding that the tasting room will be open regularly for various special events or dinners. 653-4825, www.thevineyardatgrandview.com