Galena Cellars Winery

Bradley Hull

We had 2 different experiences over the course of our weekend which varied drastically. Our first experience was on a Friday and the bartender was both friendly and knowledgeable. He answered any question we had and helped us select our wines for tasting and we couldn't of been happier. We ended up having a few additional glasses and even bought some bottles before we left. We enjoyed our time so much we returned the next day with 2 additional couples and let's just say our experience then was at the least less than expected. We stood at the bar for over 20 minutes watching one of the 3 bartenders cater to just 1 couple and never paying attention to anyone else. The older bartender kept ignoring all calls for help and managed to try and look too busy to help by carrying varius bottles here and there. The youngest bartender was pretentious as all can be and was so busy trying to prove his wine knowledge superiority to all that he rubbed numerous patrons the wrong way and had many leaving due to poor service. We waited for an additional 10 minutes and proceeded to watch him serve people who just walked up to the bar as opposed to those of us that had been waiting for ever. When my friend finally got upset enough and called him out about his behavior, he became extremely agitated and started puffing his chest about his right to do as he saw fit. We ended up leaving without purchasing the case we intended to buy and noticed many others as well follow us out. It just goes to show how important it is with whom you choose to have as the face of your business.

Raychel Ronnei

I had an amazing experience at the Galena Cellars Winery ❤️ I did the wine tasting and walked away with a few bottles! The lady working was super sweet and knowledgeable. I wouldn't go to Galena without stopping back! Highly recommend.

Christian Peregrine

Always loved the wines at this place and enjoyed going, but the lack of food was a problem for sure. I admit, I'm from Oregon, and in the state of Oregon, if you serve alcohol you are required by law to have a full menu, and it still throws me for a loop how few bars/wineries in Illinois don't have any food at all or only have very limited options. So I was overjoyed when Galena Cellars added a small plates menu! It's still a pretty small menu, but it's real food, it's beautiful, and it's delicious. I really enjoy the pumpkin soup (it's gluten free if you give your naan bites to a friend!) with the pumpkin seeds right on top. It has a subtle curry kick and a very nice, hearty consistency. The pumpkin cheesecake bites are also excellent--little chocolate cups (no flour, only chocolate) with pumpkin cheesecake filling and whipped cream, served on a drizzle of caramel and sea salt. The spiced apple wine served warm was a good accompaniment for a cold day, but I could see drinking something drier with the soup as well as it has enough umami and richness to balance a dry wine. Looking forward to seeing what the small plates menu has to offer as the seasons change--maybe some bigger plates as well!?

JL Beltran

Very friendly staff and clear menu tasting suggestions. You can pick your own, but for the novice they make it easy to try different wines in groups based off of different profiles. The fruit selections are very sweet if that is your liking and the reds were very good as well. We meant to go back to grab a bottle of the sangria but it slipped our mind. We will definitely stop again next time.