Pontchartrain Vineyards

This review is for the Jazz N The Vines event. The concert series is held for several dates in the Spring and Fall. Local jazz and blues artists are featured. The event is held on the grounds of the Pontchartrain Vineyards in Bush, LA. The cost is $ 10 cash a person to enter. You can purchase glasses or bottles of wine with cash or credit card. The event starts at 5pm and ends around 9pm. The event is outdoors and is picnic style. Bring your picnic, chairs, and flashlight.

This is a vineyard and winemaker on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana. This review is in relation to the «Jazz in the Vines» music series.
Food: Wines locally bottled (some of the grapes out-​sourced from other places, such as California) are average in cost and quality. Food truck service is available during the concert series. 3 stars
Service: There is a wine bar in the souvenir shop on site. Workers will cork the wine you purchase for the evening show. The line can get a little long, but moves relatively quickly. There are people directing traffic for parking in the grass. I enjoyed the live music shows well enough. 3 stars.
Facilities: A nice, single building souvenir shop and bar. Quite clean to a fault. Bathrooms are clean, and there are port-​o-​lets available for overflow. Seating is based on what one brings. 3 stars
Bonus: You are welcome to not only bring your own chairs, but tables, snacks, food, and sundry items.
Overall: A fine little experience that I will likely go to again. 3 stars

My gentleman and I went to Pontchartrain vineyards on May 1^st for my birthday. Not only was the wine fantasic, but Sarah took fabulous care of us. We actually ended up joining the wine club after this visit. I love that we have such a great vineyard so close!

This vineyard is tucked away in rural Louisiana. It’s a beautiful drive out to the vineyard through really lush hills. The tasting room is small and cute, and the staff was great. They offer a lot of different wines with two wines specifically coming from grapes they grow on property. I enjoyed some of the wines more than others, but I definitely think this is worth the trip to see a different part of Louisiana and a local winery!

I’ve been wanting to visit for years. Its early Fall and nearly the perfect time to do so since I live on the North Shore now. I took my Mom and we had a great time chatting with the mostly young professional crowd that was there. Groups of friends (reminded me of ‘Sideways’) and a couple on a date.
The gal serving our flight was really fun and knowledgeable. Now for the wine… I’m a big fan. The Roux Saint Louis was the fav. I normally don’t like ports all that much but this one was soooo good.
Looking fwd to bringing all my South Shore friends here.
Also note: The vineyard is very simple. Its clear they focus on the grapes not the glamour. Fits well for our neck of the woods.

Romantic getaway from New Orleans. Here’s what you need to pack to be super comfortable: bug spray, chairs, flash light
food (cheese board), candles/​lights, fold up table, blankets, cash, and wine glasses.
It’s quite a trek from the parking area to the winery so make sure you have on comfy shoes. You will be walking on somewhat high grass or hay… I don’t remember what it was.
They only offer plastic cups to drink out of so bring your own glass, if you care.

My Mom had been raving about the vineyards since she went to a concert there with my oldest brothers family, so I was really glad to be able to head over and take a tour. The grounds are beautiful but the signage is kind of awful AND my gps had me overshooting the driveway by a mile or more.
When you drive on to the grounds, take a right when you see the actual rows of grapes, it’s not really clear how to get to the buildings.
The tasting room was pretty and comfortable and I liked that they had outdoor tables as an option. I really enjoyed our tour and all the science-​y bits about wine production. I’m not very knowledgeable about grape varieties but I still enjoyed the level of information.
A bit of hike from the city but definitely a lovely way to spend a few hours.

How lucky are we to have this local vineyard?! And it’s right here on the Northshore! Pontchartrain Vineyards is a delightful hidden gem in Bush, Louisiana.
It’s in a really lovely area kind of out in the middle of nowhere. I really enjoyed touring the vineyards and learning about the grape growing process and how the grapes are picked, fermented and bottled. It was really entertaining as well thanks to Lincoln, the owner who lead our tour. He is a really great guy. So down to earth and comical and really has a passion for his vineyard. His enthusiasm is contagious.
The tasting room is really cozy and again, just lovely. Most of the wines I sampled were very pretty good. I highly recommend taking a tour of Pontchartrain Vineyards for something unique and fun to do all while supporting local businesses. It’s a win win situation! Enjoy!

Jazzing in the vines. Fun times, definitely something to check out if you are in the GNO area and looking to get away for a few hours.

Pontchartrain Vineyards is a place with heart. It might not be big and boastful, and most people aren’t aware of this little vineyard nestled in the rolling green hills (yes, hills!) of Bush, Louisiana.
I’ve worked with their staff, but I don’t think that makes me biased. They’re good people and there are no two ways around it. Lincoln runs the show out there, and he does an amazing job creating wines, maintaining the grounds and entertaining guests.
Once you make it down their gravel road shadowed by the trees, it opens up onto the vineyard lush with green vines (during growing season) with a backdrop of tall trees. Travel further and you’ll happen upon the cozy tasting room and patio with a green space in front where they’ll host their Jazz’n The Vines series. Inside the tasting room, Lincoln or the tasting room assistant will greet you with a smile or a glass of wine if you’re lucky.
If you have the opportunity, learn about the distillery and taste their wines. Ask them about their labels, the history behind each bottle, and you’ll find that out in the middle of Bush, Louisiana there is a rich story to be told.
I think it’s always great to support local as well, so I’d suggest picking up a bottle of the Roux St. Louis or a Zydeco Rosato for your next Christmas party.

Interesting little winery. We came across it using the Unilocal App while looking for someplace to kill time before the Abita Brewery tour. The wines are different and to agree with one of the other reviewers, Napa it ain’t. But Louisiana it is! Super friendly and excited about their offerings. The tastings were inexpensive. The wines themselves tended to be a little sweet for my palate but I bought a few to bring back home to Texas and share.

I like the wine here. The vineyard is a bit off the beaten path, but you can see that they have a lot of vines and the staff is very helpful. This is a smaller more intimate winery.

You’ll never mistake Pontchartrain Vineyards’ tasting room for one of the distination wineries in Napa Valley. The building reminded me more of what I would encounter in northern Sonoma, to the west of Healdsburg, or further south in the Paso Robles region. The tasting room is a decent size, although as I was the only visitor at the time, it seemed quite large. Quite a different experience from trying to enter on a Saturday night of a Jazz’n in the Vines concert. There is a patio terrace next to the building which overlooks the vineyard. Since it was a blazing hot June afternoon, I stayed inside rather than sit on the patio.
There were seven wines to taste for a modest $ 5 fee. Four were from sourced grapes (California), two were American/​French hybrids grown on the estate and the final was from a native American cultivar, also grown on the estate. All vintages were between 2005 & 2007, except for the recently released Syrah/​Cabernet blend which is a 2009. I liked the Roux Saint Louis (a white wine based on the Blanc du Bois grape) as a nice summer wine. The Rouge Militaire is based on the American Cynthiana/​Norton (a native red grape). It’s a heavier red wine, and still needs a little time to open up. John Seago, the winemaker is often behind the bar, in the tasting room, but was out working the fields on this trip.

Jazz ‘n the Vines is so lovely! This is a review of the Jazz picnics, not the wine. Just sayin’. Their wines beat a kick in the pants, but I don’t think they’ll be on the wine spectator top 100 list or anything.
Every other week from April through October, you can pack a picnic, bring a blanket or some canvas chairs — or even create a more elaborate picnic setup, as some do — and enjoy an evening of jazz on a lovely grassy area between the vineyards and the forest. They sell food there, too, if you don’t feel like schlepping your own. But they forbid bringing in your own tasty beverages.
It’s a bit of a drive for us to get out there, but it’s worth it at least a couple of times a year. The bands are great, and the atmosphere can’t be beat. It’s just a lovely way to spend a Saturday evening.
Bring a flashlight. You won’t notice you need it until you’re trying to find your way back to your car.