Rosedale Farm and Vineyard

Came here with a group of girls when we were visiting a friend in West Hartford! We did the wine tasting (I think it was $ 10 and we got to try 5 – 6 wines). The wines were all delicious and the staff was friendly and engaging! The scenery was also beautiful. I walked away with two bottles of wine and some delicious lemon cookies. Oh– and as we were leaving people were arriving for a wedding. My friend asked about costs to rent out the space and it seemed really reasonable!

This review is of the Chef to Farm dinner on August 13, 2015, not the winery itself. The theme was «Tomato, To-​mah-​to!» First the setting was very nice. The guests we spoke with were lively and fun and the staff was wonderful. It felt, however, as though the owners were disappointed with the turnout and were just trying to get the event over with. The enthusiasm of the Max group including the beverage manager and chef was apparent but the food offerings were uninspired. Max is extremely professional and accomplished so perhaps I was expecting more, but it just didn’t seem to me as though they put their best foot forward on this event.
Upon check-​in we were told (innocently but still incorrectly) that there would be a farm tour and possibly a chance to purchase wine at the end of the event if enough people were interested. Neither was true. No tour and certainly no chance to buy wine. If there were more people for the event we were led to believe both would have happened. I think reducing the offering (but not the price) lessened the value of the product but was willing to overlook it in the expectation that the food would be the main feature of the evening.
During cocktail hour we were served fried smelt, skewered BLT’s, stuffed cherry tomatoes (the best thing I ate all night) and some raw veggies with assorted spreads. Other than the blue cheese mousse stuffed tomatoes it was all forgettable. OK, dinner would be amazing… shake it off!
Dinner started with a tomato influenced cocktail which was sweet but very good. It was followed by bread which was soggy with tomato juice (grated tomatoes, garlic and basil) but it was delicious even though soggy. (I might have strained out some of the water but I’m certainly no chef.)
From there we had a variety of items including something like a tomato soup with cheese, cucumber, etc., some squid (excellently prepared but in a dull sauce with pasta cooked in squid ink) and the main dish I suppose was a small slice of beef with tomatoes and other vegetables. There was a poor eggplant rollintini and an excellent quinoa salad to go with it. Dessert was a tomato sorbet which was very nice for a couple bites and a basil panna cotta which was, in my view, awful. A cracker thin piece of biscotti couldn’t save the dessert course, nor could the very nice dessert wine served.
Overall there wasn’t anything on the menu that I would likely order out anywhere. I might now stuff some fresh cherry tomatoes with blue cheese or gorgonzola but I came away feeling let down by the effort of both Rosedale and the Max Group to do something special. At nearly $ 300/​couple there’s a lot they could have done. I don’t think it was a skill issue or an issue with the quality of ingredients, it simply seemed as though they weren’t trying very hard because they didn’t get as many people as they hoped. For my part I may be back to Rosedale (the wine was very good) but I’m going to pass on the Chef to Farm series from now on.

Came in to get passport stamps, ended up leaving with some gorgeous sunflowers and yummy baked goods! We have done wine tastings in the past and they were decent. One year we went with a group and had a picnic in the grassy area in the back and it was lovely. Even if you don’t come prepared for a picnic, you can get everything you need inside the shop, with a good selection of cheeses, breads, fruit, etc. A nice stop on the wine trail!

Awesome setting. Max Chef to Farm dinner, corn theme. Really enjoyed it. Wines are always good

I read reviews about Rosedale but my experience is with the Chef to Farm series at the winery which I thought was great. We had a beautiful summer evening to enjoy this dinner prepared by Chef Scott Miller. On the way in I bought some veggies right before they closed then joined the appetizer round where the wine tasting happens. There was music by a duo that set the mood and a ride around the fame to see the crops and hear about the history.
The dinner was served under a tent on the grounds by the vineyard. It was brought to us course by course with the chef explaining each dish in detail. This was presented well and quite delicious. Nothing common about the courses and all made with fresh ingredients. Another good thing was the drink of the night, a Dark and Stormy, which was made with homemade ginger ale, mint, whiskey, water and lime juice over ice. Refreshing! They served Rosedale wine with each course and explained the grapes and preparation as well. Really a nice evening out! I recommend it.
(Just so you know, they have porta-​pots but they were very tidy)