I have a long list of places that I love to visit in Maui’s upcountry, but I think Maui Wine in Ulupalakua is my #1.

The drive out to the winery is one of the best on Maui
The property is incredibly beautiful and historic
The aloha hospitality is alive and well
There are snacks. And drinks.

Do you need any more reasons to go? I don’t think so, but here’s everything you need to know before you go:

Maui Wine

Maui Wine is situated on the slopes of Haleakala above Wailea and Makena, but you’ll have to take the long way around to get there and that’s part of the charm. From Wailea/Kihei, it’s about an hour back up towards the middle of the island and then up Haleakala Highway through the upcountry.

But it’s about the last 20 minutes or so that is INCREDIBLY SCENIC. From Keokeo onwards, plan to slow down and spend a little extra time at some of the pullouts to take in the views down below.

You can show up, poke around the property, and check out the gift shop anytime you want, but if you want to do a tasting, you should definitely make a reservation in advance. They try to accommodate walk-ins, but there’s pretty limited seating so if this is something you’re serious about experiencing (it should be!), plan ahead.

Reservations (make them here) get you a table for 90 minutes (this isn’t the kind of place where they’re standing over you with a stopwatch) and you can order anything you want from the menu including flights, wine by the glass, cocktails, and small bites.

I can’t really comment on the quality of the actual wine here (it’s not something I’m really into or knowledgeable about), but the experience is great.

My favorite is always the Lokelani, but this time we did the pineapple tasting and rose ranch tasting, plus a brie tray and had an overall fantastic time sitting out on the lanai sampling and taking in the views.

And the views are GREAT. Besides looking out and being able to see the ocean, the winery is located on a beautiful tree filled estate with historic buildings and beautifully landscaped grounds.

They aren’t currently offering tours, but you can do a self guided tour around the grounds plus there’s a room where you can read a lot about the area’s history.

The tasting room is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11AM to 5 PM.

***Want to save major $$$ on your trip to Hawaii? I get asked ALL the time how I’m able to travel so often to Hawaii and stay at really nice resorts. Well, my favorite travel hack is cashing in points to score free airfare and free nights at some of Hawaii’s most high end resorts. Read my full guide on the exact system I use to max out credit card rewards here. Seriously, it’s going to save you soooo much money.

Ulupalakua Ranch

While you’re out at the winery, you’re definitely going to want to stop in at the Ulupalakua Ranch Store across the street. Not only do they have great souvenirs that represent this part of the island, but it’s a great place to get lunch.

The grill on the porch is open from 11AM to 4PM and they serve up local grass fed burgers (beef, elk, venison, lamb) straight from the ranch. They also have fresh made sides and fixin’s and the perfect place for a little picnic.

Another great option if you want a more substantial meal than what they offer at Maui Wine is Grandma’s in Keokea. Their breakfast is my favorite but they’ve got an amazing dessert case (plus they’re famous for the banana bread) that you can stop in for all day long.

P.S. One of the reasons I’m able to travel to Hawaii so often is by using credit card points. And right now my go to travel card has a GREAT limited time sign up offer.

If you sign up for this Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll get 100K bonus points to use on travel.

These are my favorite kind of travel points because they’re so flexible. You could…

Transfer them to Southwest or United to book round trip tickets to Hawaii.

Transfer them to Hyatt to book a stay at the Andaz Maui (such a great luxury resort!)

Transfer them to Marriott for a stay at one of my favorites like the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Royal Hawaiian, or Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay.

Or book a hotel through the Chase travel portal with a cash value of $1250.
The 100K bonus point offer is just for a limited time, so if you’re looking for the best travel card, sign up >> here.

P.P.S. Here’s one more really important thing you need to know before your Hawaii trip…

You’ve got your airfare, hotel, rental car and your big activities booked, so you should be good to go, right? Wrong!

Travel is BOOMING in Hawaii and a lot of state and national parks have instituted reservation systems at some of the island’s most popular spots to help manage the crowds and make things a little more sustainable.

That means that there are now over half a dozen sites (beaches, trailheads, etc.) that require advance reservations. And some sell out well before you arrive on the island so you really need to have some sort of a plan.

I recently saw somebody in a Hawaii travel group post in a panic that they didn’t know they had to make reservations for things in advance…they thought they could just show up and “go with the flow.” I was tempted to say, well, “as long as the flow doesn’t take you somewhere that requires reservations, you can!” ; )

But I don’t want YOU to be that person, so I’ve pulled together a list of all the places you need to reserve entry in advance (plus all the details on booking windows, price, links, etc.) and a handful of popular tourist hotspots that book out really far in advance too.
Get that info >> HERE