Pennsylvania Wine in the North East

I am just back from a camping trip and winery tour in Erie with my girl , and I totally recommend doing just that for a mini-get-away whether before the end of October or next September/October. I guess in theory you could do that any time, but you'll miss out on the smell of fresh grapes in the air... everywhere. Like when you walk to the grocery store, come out of the store, the grape scent is powerful and pervasive. All along the highway, you don't smell livestock, you smell grapes.

Heritage has perhaps the largest selection of wines, predominantly semi-sweet to sweet wines like their ice wine, Penn Shore has a smooth white called vignole, and Mazza wineries have a top drawer Chambourcin and Nebbiolo.

Roughly 75% of the grapes raised around the area are concord grapes, which is a sweeter grape often used in making jelly. We learned that a number of grape farmers are losing business because Welch's buys less from Erie Co. than it used to do, and thus many wineries are struggling a little, as are grape farmers. As if this isn't perhaps why there are som many vacant storefronts and what-not in the region, the Pennsylvania government is proving thier disregard for the region (and the state) by barring direct shipment of wine to customers. Show your worth, Ed Rendell, and help undo the damage.