Sand Castle Winery, nestled on the banks of the Delaware River in historic Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is the purveyor of world class wines with a long and noble heritage. Sand Castle’s founders, Joseph and Paul Maxian, were born and raised in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, a region renowned for wine making before even the Romans ruled the world. The Maxians came to the "land of opportunity" and claimed their birthright- a centuries old wine making art- and are proud to introduce in America superior quality, classic wines descended from the finest European wine making traditions. Immigrating to America in 1969, Joseph and Paul were drawn to Pennsylvania. They knew that centuries earlier William Penn realized that this region held great promise for wine making, and even established his own vineyard on the banks of the Schuylkill River. The tree and vine are still components of the seal of Bucks County. The Central Delaware Valley is now recognized by the Federal Government as its own special viticulture district. This area is one of the few places in the world that viticulturalists can grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling grapes on the same vineyard.

The original property was purchased in 1974; an additional purchase in 1987 gave Sand Castle a 72 acre estate. The first vines were planted in 1985, and the first vintage sold to the public in 1988.

The vines are exclusively Vitis Vinifera – special seedlings cloned from European stock and chosen by master winemakers. 56,000 of these young plants were painstakingly hand planted, one by one. Until 1990, all of the vines were pruned and buried in the winter, then uncovered by hand each spring to ensure survival during the cold Pennsylvania winters. Varieties of grapes included Chardonnay, Johannisberg Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. All vines were selected from the Mosel Valley of Germany and the Burgundy and Bordeaux regions in France.

The first vintage was produced in 1987 and yielded roughly 2,000 cases of Chardonnay and Riesling. In 1988, the first bottle of Sand Castle wine was sold. Sand Castle relies entirely on its own harvest to produce its world class wines, one of the few wineries exclusively growing European vines on the East Coast.

Both stainless steel and French Oak barrels are used for aging of the wines. Stainless steel  maintains the intensity of the fruit, while French Oak adds complexity. All vinification is done on the estate in Sand Castle’s 7,000 square foot wine cellar, blasted 30 feet deep into the hillside, to ensure a consistently cool, undisturbed environment. Wine masters are flown in from the Old Country, and combine the great potential of Pennsylvania with the tradition of Europe. The result? While this painstaking attention to quality limits the winery’s production, the wines are unlike anything you have tasted!

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Come join us and enjoy the unique history and flavor of Sand Castle wine. We are located approximately 12 miles North of New Hope on River Road (Route #32). Visitors are always welcome!