Positively Pittsburgh Live!
Pittsburgh Wine Country? Area Wineries
July 23, 2012
Guests:
Ted and Janet Miller, Owners, C.T. Miller Vineyards
Alan Dodd, Winemaker, Foxburg Wine Cellars
Susan Lynn, Owner, Greendance Winery
Sharon Klay, President and Winemaker, Christian W. Klay Winery
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Sharon Klay is the president and winemaker for Christian W. Klay Winery in Chalk Hill, PA. The winery is located in Fayette City near Ohioplye, Nemacolin Woodlands and Falling Water.
Sharon and her husband moved to Pittsburgh from Manhattan, after her husband finished his residency. After her husband quietly ordered 1,000 grapevines, they started planting in 1989.
Their vineyards and winery are a fine example of agritourism: they grow the grapes, make, taste and sell the wine and offer an opportunity for the public to experience a working farm. They do weddings in the vineyard, murder mystery dinners in the restored 1880's barn, plan and execute corporate and private events, do fund raisers for four-legged friends, lobster clam bakes, and a lavender festival. They are very involved in the "Buy Local" movement participating in Farm to Table events and farmers markets.
Sharon has been on the board and remains involved with the Pennsylvania Wine Association for many years.
Their newest wine, Lavender Mist, is related to their expansion into lavender planting. The winery is offering a 10% discount to listeners who call to make a reservation to a murder mystery dinner theater event: regular price is only $38.00 plus tax and includes a wine tasting, buffet dinner and interactive murder mystery play.
Visit their website at www.cwklaywinery.com or email them at info@cwklaywinery.com for more information.***
Susan Lynn
The principals of Greendance were running parallel courses toward opening a winery and lived within miles of each other without even meeting. The Lynns, Susan and Rick, and the Schillings, Amy and Rob, produced gourmet small fruits for wholesalers, retailers, restaurants and have even supplied the White House with gooseberries, currants, and golden raspberries for two state dinners.
Gradually they began to recognize that the highest use of their small fruits was pure fruit wines, and that their expertise in cultural practices would accommodate production of quality hybrid vinifera grapes to provide a full spectrum of wines. Although the new winery was planned for six years, it was stalled by the demands of fruit growing and various regulatory issues.
During the final development, the Sand Hill Berries partners discovered Walter and Roxanne Vinoski. The Vinoski family had been making wine and growing grapes for years. Walt had carried forth that tradition with a zeal for quality using both his family experience and his analytical and technical abilities as an engineer. Because of their dedication and award-winning success as private enologists, the Vinoskis envisioned a winery to make their passion available for all to appreciate. Thus, in the late winter of 2007, Greendance - The Winery at Sand Hill was consummated and opened in September of that year. They are located in Mt. Pleasant, PA.
Visit their website at www.greendancewinery.com or email them at greendance@greendancewinery.com for more information.
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Alan Dodd
Foxburg Wine Cellars is nestled within the majestic Allegheny Mountains of Western Pennsylvania, overlooking the Allegheny River, and only minutes off Interstate 80 near the St. Petersburg or Emlenton exit.
Foxburg Wine Cellars opened their doors May 1, 2003 and specialize in low sulfated, naturally processed wines, all made and bottled in Foxburg, Pennsylvania. They feature one of the largest tasting/retail outlet stores in Pennsylvania, offering 30 varieties of wine, wine accessories, glassware, clothing, gifts, meats, cheeses, coffees and home winemaking supplies. Tour the winery any day of the week and lounge in the outdoor, grape-arbor covered patio for an experience of pure wine enjoyment.
They offer weekend musical entertainment on the patio (2 PM to 5 PM, every Saturday & Sunday through August and possibly into September weather permitting). They are the most western located winery in the Ground Hog Wine Trail (9 wineries - Foxburg to Clearfield area to the Altoona area to the Smicksburg area).
Visit their website at www.foxburgwine.com or email them at foxburgwinecellars@yahoo.com for more information.
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Raised in a traditional Italian family, the aroma of homemade wine is one of the most vivid memories from Janet’s childhood. After her father died, she wanted to keep the family’s homemade wine tradition alive. Ted agreed to make wine only if they used homeade grapes. So, in 1998 they planted 80 vines but they did not grow. The next year they planted 2,100 more vines, but a drought stunted the crops. In 2001, they planted 2,900 additional vines and nearly everything grew. The vineyard has now grown into seven acres with over 5,000 vines. During peak production, Ted and Janet can bottle 140 gallons of wine, or 700 bottles an hour!
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| Ted and Janet Miller |
This husband and wife duo’s goal is to establish vineyards, hence wines, that support wine grapes adaptable to our unique region.
They say the tending and care of vines is a 24/7 activity. Grapes need to be raised for the best sugar content. The difference between sweet and dry wine depends on fermentation process and type of grape. Bad wine can be produced from good grapes, but good wine cannot be produced from bad grapes.
Visit them online at http://www.ctmillervineyards.com or email them at ctmiller.vineyards@verizon.net for more information.
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This was reported as a reproduction of PositvelyPittsburghLive news done by Joanne Quinn-Smith. (c) Joanne Quinn-Smith and PositivelyPittsburghLive(TM) 2012 All rights reserved.
Tara Darazio is a Positively Pittsburgh Live reporter, an independent copywriter, blogger, article writer, and social media strategist. If you are in need of writing assistance, or need help with your social media efforts connect with Tara on LinkedIn here.
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