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Yes, Western Pennsylvania is Wine Country

7 min read
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By Ben Moyer

Who would have thought it? Western Pennsylvania as wine country? After all, the region’s “spiritual” roots spring from the Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790s, and our burly “shot-and-a-beer” reputation, though fading, still lingers. Yet, western Pennsylvania’s wine-making history goes back nearly as far as its famed “Monongahela Rye,” to 1807 when the Harmonists, a German religious sect, grew lush vineyards on Beaver County hills, crushed the grapes and made wine for sale in a stone cellar that you can visit today in Old Economy Village near Ambridge.

Lots of western Pennsylvania families never stopped making their own table wine, carrying on traditions brought from Europe, but commercial wine-making died out in the region during Prohibition. Today, regional wine is making a comeback. Nearly 70 licensed wineries now produce high-quality wine across the state’s western third.

The winery revival began along the shores of Lake Erie, where the silty soil and cool consistent climate favor grape culture like few places on earth. After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, vintners were again free to make wine on a commercial scale, but only state liquor stores could legally sell it. In the 1960s, prominent Erie County growers got together and convinced the state legislature to pass the Limited Winery Act, which permitted Pennsylvania wine-makers to produce up to 50,000 gallons, using only Pennsylvania-grown fruit, and sell wine directly to the public, restaurants and hotels, as well as to the Liquor Control Board for re-sale in state stores. That advance paved the way for today’s winery expansion, from Lake Erie to the crest of the Allegheny Mountains. Growers started new wineries in the region slowly at first, but growth has flourished in recent years.

“We’re seeing more and more wineries opening up in western Pennsylvania,” said Jennifer Eckinger, executive director of the Pennsylvania Winery Association, based near Harrisburg. “The wine industry is expanding faster there than anywhere in the state, which is fitting in view of the region’s historic importance in commercial and family wine-making. We’re excited that vintners there are growing wonderful quality grapes, whether at smaller urban wineries or those across the rural reaches of southwestern Pennsylvania.”

Eckinger credits vintners’ passion, curiosity and willingness to experiment, combined with technical help from the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service, for the knowledge required to produce diverse wine selections, many of which have won national awards.

“The wineries have a natural inclination to share information and a wonderful network for doing so,” Eckinger said. “I’d like to think we [Pennsylvania Winery Association] provide them help and inspiration through our educational programs, and Penn State Extension now offers growers the expertise of a wine grape educator and viticultural researcher. These resources have been a real boost to both established wineries and those interested in starting new wineries.”

Wineries benefit further from their dual grounding in Pennsylvania’s two leading industries–agriculture and tourism. Statewide, according to the Winery Association, Pennsylvania is the fifth largest grape producer in the nation, only six states have more wineries, and Pennsylvania wineries wield a two-billion-dollar annual impact on the state’s economy. Economic statistics aren’t available on western Pennsylvania wineries specifically, but western wineries make up about a third of the state total so their impact here is huge.

Here in western Pennsylvania, the varied soils, cooler climates, rugged (except for the gentle Lake Erie plain) topography and native ecosystems present vintners with both advantages and challenges. For example, a Pennsylvania Winery Association guidebook to western Pennsylvania wineries states: “In the hills around Pittsburgh and the Laurel Highlands, the cooler climate and higher elevations help cold-hardy hybrids, native grapes, and some vinifera varieties to thrive in the shale-based soils. For vintners here, choosing the proper site and grape variety are keys to successful wine-making. In this region, it’s also important for wine growers to control grape diseases and keep deer from using their vineyards as a buffet.”

Touting wineries’ tourism aspect, the Winery Association reports that no place in the state is more than one hour away from at least one winery. Across western Pennsylvania, the time required to reach a winery is even less, owing to dense clusters of wineries in the Mon Valley, the Laurel Highlands, on fertile hills surrounding Greensburg and Pittsburgh, and along the I-79 corridor to Erie. Another way of looking at that pleasant fact is that, in western Pennsylvania, you can reach more than one winery in an hour.

But at a winery, who wants to hurry? Wineries are about the experience. Visiting the source of a wine, where its grown, crushed, fermented and bottled, and meeting the people who made that wine have become as important to enthusiasts as the taste of a vintage itself.

“Wineries are an approachable way to learn a lot about wine, because the owners and their staffs are so proud of what they do and so willing to engage visitors,” Eckinger said.

Eckinger observes that national trends in the way people view food and food production is also helping to fuel interest in wineries.

“There is such a growing general interest in wine today. Coupling that with the experience of going out to the land and finding a wine you like is a kind of mild but complete adventure,” Eckinger said. “It’s the kind of thing people are looking for today in their leisure time. Also, the local food movement has been immensely favorable in encouraging people to think about not only eating local but also consuming locally-made beverages, wine especially.

“But maybe more than anything else, visiting a winery is simply a great way to have fun with friends,” Eckinger reflected.

Wine trails offer an increasingly popular approach to visiting new wineries and comparing their vintages. Wine trails link several wineries in a region by convenient road access, and the owners along the trail cooperate in offering themed entertainment and events.

The Southwest Passage wine trail links eight wineries, from suburban Pittsburgh to the Laurel Highlands’ scenic ridges. Wine sojourners can combine tastings with visits to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, Ohiopyle State Park and its world-famous Youghiogheny River whitewater, the Great Allegheny Passage biking/hiking trail, and golf, dining and shopping at acclaimed resorts. According to the Winery Association guidebook, tasters should explore Southwest Passage wineries for local varieties like Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Vidal and Chambourcin.

In northwestern Pennsylvania, the Lake Country wine trail links nine tightly clustered wineries among the dozens that line the narrow Lake Erie coast. The Erie lakeshore of Pennsylvania and New York reigns as America’s most important grape-growing region outside California.

Many wine enthusiasts follow the Lake Country trail by bicycle, lured by the flat terrain and the dense concentration of wineries within easy peddling distance of one another. Between sips, visitors enjoy the panoramic views across Lake Erie, and art galleries and local museums along the route. The Winery Association recommends tasting the trail’s local variations on Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Vidal and Vignoles.

When visiting wineries by car, always recruit a designated driver, or resolve to sample the fare in moderation. It’s better to buy a couple of bottles to drink at home, than to tempt tragedy on the road.

An even more convenient (as if visiting wineries were considered inconvenient) way to sample western Pennsylvania’s locally-produced and highly acclaimed wines is to attend the Seven Springs Wine Festival Aug- 25-27 at the Somerset County resort. Thirty regional wineries will be there offering sample sips. The festival features complimentary tasting, seminars, crafts and musical entertainment. Tickets are $25.00.

Western Pennsylvania is now, or once again, wine country. For the visitor, it’s wineries are diverse, mildly adventurous, and award-winning. Sip local.

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