The Place
Just down a country lane bordered by tended vines and sun-dappled meadows, our stone-arch winery is set near an 18th-century mill and a winding creek. Nissley Vineyards, and it’s companion Winery Estate, are located on 300 acres within the fertile Lancaster Valley viticultural area of western Lancaster County — an area renowned for its rich, well-drained limestone-based soils.
The Vineyards
On 30 acres of carefully tended vines, we grow 14 varieties of grapes. If you visit early in June, you will catch the luscious fragrance of the grape blossoms, with the tender young grape leaves unfurling. Through the spring and summer, the vineyard staff is busy tying the expanding vines onto their arbors and removing unneeded clusters. With Mother Nature’s cooperation, the first plump juicy grapes are ready for harvest by early September. The juice that ultimately becomes Nissley estate-bottled wine is pressed from grapes brought into the winery fresh from the vineyards. To complement our own harvest, we purchase select fruits, grapes and juice from other growers in Pennsylvania.
The Tradition
Today, we continue our tradition of producing distinctive wines since 1977, and many bear the “Estate Bottled” designation. We are dedicated to making quality wines, which have won numerous awards over the years in state and international competitions.
The Wines
To satisfy the wide variety of taste preferences in our region, we produce 30 different Nissley wines. They range from dry to very sweet and are made from Vinifera, French-hybrid and Labrusca (Native American) grapes, as well as cherries, apples and raspberries. For more details and a list of wines with descriptions and food matches, please go to the About Our Wines page. For information about such topics as Aging and Storage of Nissley Wines, go to the Wine Tips page. If you would like to place on order, please see the To Order page.
The Wine Shops
The full selection of our wines and wine serving accessories can be found in the Wine Shop at the Winery and at our three extension wine shops in the Lancaster and Harrisburg areas. Please see Shops & Hours.
The Visitor’s Experience
Visitors come from near and far to enjoy a self-guided tour of the winery production area and the opportunity to taste our wines. The grounds include a large lawn, shaded patios and a winding creek for enjoying a bottle of chilled Nissley wine with a carry-in picnic. Please see Visiting the Winery.
Special Events
We hold special events throughout the year, and they are designed for having fun. They include our signature lawn concert series Music in the Vineyards as well as other events that we host alone or with other wineries in our wine trail.
The Family
Except for the summer concerts, visitors rarely see all members of the Nissley family in the same place at the same time. We have each been handling various aspects of day to day activities since the winery opened for visitors in 1978. Please see Our History.