lawton ridge winery

As an aspiring somnelier I am always traveling to different wineries in different states in the pursuit of training and educating my palette. On August 30th my goal was to make the two and a half hour trek from Chicago to Kalamazoo in search of an enjoyable experience doing blind tasting for my reviews. If it wasn't for the wonderful experience at Cody Kresta in Mattawan it would have been a tragic waste of gas and time not to mention my disappointed palette. The wine itself was not bad however not double gold worthy either. Wine tasting is an experience involving all of the senses. The moment I walked in I had wished for the absence of my sense of smell because the smell of sulfur was overbearing. The room only had about 15 patrons including my group of 4. According to the book that I had read about michigan wineries the man and woman that were working were one of the owners and his wife. When I requested a blind tasting of 3 whites and 3 reds the wife not only did not know what a blind tasting was but after only one white with two to go before the reds the owner slash " winemaker" switched me to the reds and said he'd go back to the whites afterward... He obviously ignored my blatant expression of wonderment and disgust at this tragic move. Service was excruciatingly slow and what should have taken 20 minutes for tastings took a painful 45 minutes. The usual protocol for customers both tasting and purchasing usually goes in the order of the owners keeping a tab. In our quest to leave and be put out of our misery we each purchased a bottle of wine. The owner ran the card and we were off only to be called back in and treated like petty criminals when he said that we had not paid for the tastings.... Shame on you Lawton Ridge for your poor perception of hospitality and business sense and shame on me for my waste of my own time.

What a wonderful experience! We had a variety of ages 24 to 64. Great tour, very fun and knowledge owners. The variety of wine will accommodate every palette. Gift shop area addictive as well as the wine. Education along with entertainment, what more could you ask for!

Loved this little tasting room! The wines were highly varied and anyone could something they liked. The staff were incredibly friendly & knowledgeable, the merchandise available for purchase was fun & unique, and my friends & I had a great time there! Easy to find location, although a bit off the main highway; it's worth the trip though.

Very comfortable and inviting atmosphere. The hosts were very hospitable and knowledgeable. We were greeted as if we were old friends. Nice selection of product and very relaxing presentation.

We like to visit Lawton Ridge when we're in the Kalamazoo area. We are always greeted with a smile and friendly hosts who are knowledgeable as well as hospitable. They have a nice variety of excellent tasting wine. The tasting room is inviting and it's a nice place to take friends or just go in to browse and have a glass of wine. They also offer a nice quantity discount. I highly recommend it!

Wonderful tour and atmosphere. Very informative and well presented introduction to operation and delicious product. Nice display of items and wines to purchase.

we have been visiting Lawton Ridge Winery since its first year of operation from their present location, LRW has become one of our favorites as we travel the Wine Trail from southern Berrien County, north to Fennville and east to Kazoo. LRW vintages have improved year after year. LRW remains a well kept secret among we wine lovers in the Kazoo area. Give them a try.