When our friends, Nick and Marcy, invited us to a dinner party/box wine tasting earlier this week, I was skeptical. I pictured cardboard boxes with liters of chardonnay and sangria. Because that’s the extent of my experience with box wine. But I should have known better. Nick is quite a connoisseur, after all. (Other Nick, [...]
I volunteered to work on Sunday. And by work I mean I helped to plate food and pour wine for WPSU’s Wine Celebration. This was the second annual wine festival to benefit my station, and I was happy to be part of the planning committee this year. I was even happier to help Marnie Old [...]
Several months ago, Nick and I were invited to explore the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail. We visited seven wineries situated in reconstructed red barns, rustic cabins, and quaint chateaus. And I regret to admit that I never recapped the final stop on our tour: Hunters Valley Winery in Liverpool. (My apologies to the very sweet [...]
The wineries along the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail are remote, but none more so than Benigna’s Creek Winery in Klingerstown. After visiting Spyglass Ridge Winery, we drove south along the Susquehanna River before veering east onto a winding country road. We passed horses pulling buggies driven by bearded Amish men with young …
We were back on the road by 10:00 on Sunday morning en route to Spyglass Ridge Winery in Sunbury. The sky was not the brilliant blue it was the previous day, but the air was still warm enough for a quick stroll through the vineyards when we arrived. Proprietor Tom Webb explained to …
(previously in the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail series) The Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail features seven unique wineries spread across central Pennsylvania. And, in order to engage in all seven experiences in a single weekend, one must stick to a strict schedule. It’s a challenge we were more than willing to take! On …
Karl and Carolyn Zimmerman will not experience an empty nest as long as they have a vineyard in their backyard. The couple converted their Snyder County corn and soybean farm into a vineyard in 1989, and their four adult children have since returned home to join the family business. Carolyn jokes they likely would not [...]
Joe Paterno isn’t the only Joe in town who helps to put the “happy” in Happy Valley. Joe Carroll and his wife, Betty, have been providing thirsty Penn State alumni with classic vino blends like Tailgate Red and Mount Nittany White for over 20 years. Joe (Carroll, that is) produced his first batch of wine [...]
Seven Mountains Wine Cellars is the newest addition to the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail. The vineyard is tucked away in the serene wilderness between Big Valley and Happy Valley. It’s easy to miss the road sign on Rt. 322, but it’s worth the mile-long drive through the woods. Scott and Mary Ann Bubb built the [...]
Brookmere Winery is located in Belleville in the heart of Big Valley, which is home to close to 1,000 farms. Amish families work fields adjacent to English farmers here in the foothills of Seven Mountains, and it is common to see both horse-drawn wagons and large diesel tractors cultivating the land. The winery sits on [...]