WHAT IS THERE TO DO OR SEE AT THE WINERY?
CAN WE HAVE A MEETING AT THE WINERY?
DO YOU HAVE WEDDINGS AT THE WINERY?
DO YOU DO WINE TASTING FOR PARTIES OUTSIDE THE WINERY?
CAN WE BRING OUR OWN FOOD TO THE WINERY?
CAN WE BRING OUR PET TO THE WINERY?
WHAT KIND OF GRAPES DO YOU GROW?
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO SHIP A BOTTLE OF WINE?
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET WHERE IT IS GOING?
CAN I FIND YOUR WINE AT MY LOCAL BOTTLE SHOP/GROCERY STORE?
DO YOU HAVE PERSONALIZED LABELS?
I HEARD YOU MAKE A HONEY WINE, IS THAT TRUE?
DO YOU HAVE A B&B AT THE WINERY?
DO YOU HAVE A RESTAURANT AT THE WINERY?
HOW DO WE GET TO THE WINERY? OR HOW FAR ARE FROM LINCOLN?
I DIDN’T KNOW THERE WERE VINEYARDS IN NEBRASKA?
WHAT IS THERE TO DO OR SEE AT THE WINERY?
James Arthur Vineyards is open:
Mon-Thurs 10-6
Fri & Sat 12-9
Sunday 12-6
(April 1 thru October 31)
Mon-Fri 10-5
Sat 12-9
Sun 12-6
(November 1 thru March 31)
During our open hours you can do a wine tasting, which consists of either a six tasting or a four tasting. The six tasting consists of sampling six wines off of JAV’s tasting card for $5.00, while the four tasting consists of four samples for $4.00. Each sample is one ounce. With either option you get to keep your wine glass with JAV’s logo on it.
The winery also offers a variety of Nebraska foods. You can choose off the menu a la carte, or you may purchase one of our custom baskets. The baskets are designed to easily feed two people. We have three basket options. Our Wine and Cheese Lovers Basket includes sausage from Shusters Sausage, a block of cheese made at the UNL Dairy Store, a French loaf bread from Rotella’s and chocolate from Baker’s Chocolate all for $7.99. Our Ultimate Gourmet Basket includes the French loaf, chocolate as well as salmon, which is smoked locally at Super Saver and Feta Cheese from Greenglade Farms for $11.99. The final basket option is the Cheese Lovers, which includes your choice of any four blocks of cheese from the Dairy Store, the French loaf and chocolates also for $11.99. During the spring/summer/fall we also offer Foccacia Bread made at Hy-Vee for $4.00 or you can replace the French loaf in any of the baskets with the Foccacia for an extra $2.00. We also offer a number of snack items to enjoy during your visit.
We also sell wine by the bottle, which is a popular option for many of our visitors. We are allowed to open the wine to be consumed on site.
During the colder months, we have indoor seating and often the fire place is stoked up and roaring. During warmer days, we have plenty of outdoor seating with a large covered porch as well as three covered gazebos. There’s nothing better than sipping on a bottle of JAV wine, while snacking on a wonderful food basket and watching the world go by in one of the most peaceful and tranquil settings you’ll find in Nebraska.
If you are interested in a special event, please see our special event options on this web site. If you need to know if a specific day is available for your event, please contact us directly through our web site or by calling 402-783-5255.
If you are part of a group that has scheduled a special event through the winery, then a tour is likely part of that. Please see our special occasions section of our web site for the different options on special events or for more details.
If you are planning a visit to the winery, we do not have official tours at any time during our winter hours or during weekdays throughout the year. We do have an observation deck that looks into our production area which is open at all times. Depending upon the weather, we run official tours through the vineyard on the weekends only, usually beginning after May 1. There are also a number of trails that lead through the vineyards, and you are more than welcome to take a walk through the grounds.
CAN WE HAVE A MEETING AT THE WINERY?
Yes, we have our St. Croix Room available for meetings. The cost is $75/half day or $140 for the whole day. Catered lunches and wine tastings are also an option that is available. Please check our special occasions section for more details.
DO YOU HAVE WEDDINGS AT THE WINERY?
Yes, the winery makes a beautiful setting for a wedding. All of our weddings are held on Saturday mornings (or when not open to the public) and include a wine tasting. All weddings are held outside, unless weather permitting, therefore we can only accommodate 70 people or less. The cost is $500.00, and open days fill up fast. Please see our web site or call the winery for more details.
DO YOU DO WINE TASTING FOR PARTIES OUTSIDE THE WINERY?
Yes, depending upon our schedule at the winery, we will do tastings for individuals or companies outside the winery. Individual would have to purchase a liquor permit from the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission. There would then be a cost for the wine and a $15/per hour per person fee for providing someone from James Arthur Vineyards to pour.
CAN WE BRING OUR OWN FOOD TO THE WINERY?
We don’t encourage..but we don’t discourage bringing your picnic style food to the winery. The only strict policy we have is, that if you do bring food, because of health department rules, you not allowed to bring that food inside the building. Again, we have food available at the winery for purchase. For a special event, the food has to be catered by a licensed and insured caterer.
THERE IS NO SMOKING ALLOWED IN OR OUTSIDE THE WINERY OR IN THE VINEYARDS.
CAN WE BRING OUR PET TO THE WINERY?
You are more than welcome to bring your pet out to the winery as long as it is on a leash and you pick up after it. However, no pets will be allowed inside the winery. If your pet is causing a disturbance for other customers, you will be asked to leave.
WHAT KIND OF GRAPES DO YOU GROW?
Most of what we grow at JAV are either French-American Hybrids or American Varietals. This means everything we have planted are very winter hardy and meant to be grown in areas with shorter growing seasons. Some of these grapes include, Edelweiss, LaCrosse. St. Croix and Vignoles just to mention a few. The difference between these and vinifera grapes, i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, etc., is that everything we have planted will survive our winter temperatures (down to 20-30 below 0) and have shorter growing seasons.
We currently have 18 acres on site at the JAV estate. That’s close to 10,000 grape vines. We also have 23 growers under contract here in Nebraska that we buy grapes from. So, everything that is produced by James Arthur Vineyards is 100% Nebraska.
Yes, we do ship wine, but only to states where we can legally do so. Please check our web store for a listing of the states. We also have a shopping cart in our web site that makes ordering over the internet easy and quick.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO SHIP A BOTTLE OF WINE?
We currently ship all of our wine via Federal Express. The cost varies upon weight and where the wine is being shipped to. Rule of thumb is that 1 bottle will usually cost anywhere from $12-15 per bottling for shipping and handling. A case (12 bottles) would usually start around $35 for shipping and handling and work it’s way up depending upon the destination .Of course, the more weight you ship is the cheaper per unit the cost.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET WHERE IT IS GOING?
Again, this depends upon the final destination. Most packages shipped to the Midwest will take 1-2 days, while those going to the east or west coast may take 4-5 days. Everything in between should arrive between 3-4 days.
Yes, we give a 10% case discount, and that can be all the same wine or a mixed case.
Yes, we have premade gift baskets available at the winery. However, we pride ourselves in creating unique and personalized gift baskets for any occasion. Just give us your budget, and we can create a gift basket perfect for that special someone.
CAN I FIND YOUR WINE AT MY LOCAL BOTTLE SHOP/GROCERY STORE?
We currently have 350 different locations around the state that carry our wines. We can’t guarantee that each store will carry all of the wines we have available for wholesale, because that is the individual store’s choice. However, our most popular wines such as Edelweiss, Heartland White and Edyn’s Blush are usually for sale. Also, there are a couple of wines that we do not wholesale such as Vignoles simply because right now our production is not high enough. If a store doesn’t carry JAV wines, please let us know, or give the store our phone #, and we will try to remedy that. Check our retailer list for more details.
DO YOU HAVE PERSONALIZED LABELS?
Yes, we do personalized labels in any quantity (from 1 bottle on up). The cost is the price of the wine plus $5 per label. If you send a picture via the e-mail, please save it as a jpeg or bitmap. Please include all details (remember we only have so much room to work with) that you want on the label and when you need it. Please allow 48 hours for personalized labels.
I HEARD YOU MAKE A HONEY WINE, IS THAT TRUE?
Yes, we do make a honey wine..also known as mead. This is made from 100% Nebraska honey. We make this wine seasonally, and is usually available by May 1, just in time for our annual Renaissance Festival. The label of our honey wine, which we call Cherie, depicts the story of where the word “honeymoon” originated.
DO YOU HAVE A B&B AT THE WINERY?
Currently we do not have a Bed and Breakfast on location. There are a number of wonderful hotels and B&B’s in Lincoln. We also have wonderful neighbors near Valparaiso who have a B&B called Pinecrest Farms. There phone # is 402.784.6461.
DO YOU HAVE A RESTAURANT AT THE WINERY?
Currently we do not have a restaurant on site. We do offer food baskets and snacks at the winery, but not a full menu.
Currently, because of all the goofy shipping laws, we do not have a wine club per se, meaning that we send our wine to members on a monthly basis. However, we do have a Winerighters group, in which there is a membership fee. However, Winerighters get a number of privileges and benefits not offered to other customers. If you would like more information about the Winerighters, please contact Laura at the winery.
HOW DO WE GET TO THE WINERY? OR HOW FAR ARE FROM LINCOLN?
We are about 10 miles from downtown Lincoln and about 30 minutes from West Omaha. If you are coming from Lincoln, go to 14th and Superior. Go straight north on 14th street until you get to Raymond Road. Take a left (west) on Raymond Road for 2.5 miles. We are located on the left (south) side of the road.
If coming from Omaha, take the 27th Street exit off of I-80 just outside of Lincoln. Go north on 27th street about ½ mile to Arbor Road. At Arbor, take a left (west) and go to 14th Street. At 14th Street, take a right (north) and go until you get to Raymond Road. Take a left (west) on Raymond Road for 2.5 miles. We are located on the left (south) side of the road.
If you are coming from the west on the interstate, take the NW 48th Street Exit just outside of Lincoln. Go north on NW 48th street (it will curve around some to the east) until you come to Highway 34. At Highway 34 take a left (west) and go to Highway 79, about 2 miles (the sign says to Raymond and Valparaiso). At Highway 79 take a right (north) and go until you hit Raymond Road. At Raymond, take a right (east) and we’re 2.5 miles on the right side (south) of the road.
I DIDN’T KNOW THERE WERE VINEYARDS IN NEBRASKA?
There are currently 17 wineries in production and close to 300 vineyards across the state. James Arthur Vineyards was the 2nd winery in the state and is currently the largest. The industry has taken off in the last few years, and it is our goal to grow the highest quality of grapes and to produce the finest wines in the state.
