Washington County is home to five wineries, and another, J&D Cellars of Eighty Four, is awaiting licensing to begin operations. In addition, Trax Farms’ Wine Shop in Finleyville showcases awardwinning wines made by Arrowhead Wine Cellars of Lake Erie.
“It’s really quite exciting to have that new industry in the area,” said Jennifer Eckinger, executive director of the Pennsylvania Winery Association. “The increased interest in wine, in general, has encouraged winemakers with a passion for winemaking to take that next step to open a winery,” Eckinger said.
In fact, Pennsylvania has experienced a boom in the past 10 years, doubling its number of wineries to 140 of varying sizes.
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Nowadays, Pennsylvania ranks seventh in the nation in the number of wineries and fifth in the amount of wine produced, according to the winery association.
“And the wineries make a variety of wines. If you don’t like a particular dry wine that one winery makes, someone will have maybe a sweeter version that you like.”
J&D Cellars is the most recent winery set to join newer wineries, including Walnut Ridge Vineyards, alongside established businesses like CT Miller, Plum Run Winery in Brownsville and Paterini Winery in Ellsworth.
John Husk and Dot Harvison, owners of J&D Cellars, said they decided to make their own wine several years ago after they spent about $500 on wine during a trip to Finger Lakes wine country.
“We figured there had to be a cheaper way to drink wine,” said Husk, who, along with Harvison, established the Washington County Winemakers Association.
They started out making about 200 gallons of wine for family and friends as a hobby, but great reviews from wine drinkers encouraged the couple to crush and press their grapes for profit.
Husk and Harvison grow 12 varieties of grapes on their 16 1⁄2-acre farmand buy the rest from regions including California and South America.
Husk renovated the couple’s log home, adding a tasting room and a patio for wine events.
Another winery, Walnut Ridge Vineyards in Avella, is fast becoming a destinationfor wine lovers in the region. Owned by George Zimmerman, owner and CEO of Sertec Corp. (famous for the “How’s My Driving?” campaign), Walnut Ridge wines are available at The Grand Concourse restaurant at Station Square, where it is a popular selection, and at Giant Eagle stores and other shops throughout Ohio.
Zimmerman compares Walnut Ridge’swhite, red and dessert wines to good French wine.
“I don’t know anything about making wine, so I hired the best winemaker I could find, the best agronomist around. I bought the best oak barrels, bought the best grapes, and I have a great guy who manages the vineyard,” said Zimmerman.
On board at Walnut Ridge are wine expert Bob Green, who designed the wines, and vice president Denny Lugaila, who oversees operations. Zimmerman plans to add 5,000 grapevines to the more than 10,000 existing ones.
“Our wine is by far one of the best in the Northeast,” said Lugaila. “The quality of our wine is exceptional. I came from Southern California, the mecca of the wine industry, and our wine will stand side by side with any wine in California,” he said.
With wineries popping up throughout the county, owners are considering putting together a wine trail to boost agri-tourism.
“There’s tremendous value in working with each other,” said Green. “If you build a winery and someone builds one across the street from you, you’re going to get more business. Wine trails are extremely popular.”
Although wine lovers can buy wine at a store or restaurant, it’s not as enjoyable or memorable as tasting the wines and meeting the winemaker, who has intimate knowledge of the bottles he sells.
“Wine tasting gives you an opportunity to try different wines and then buy the wines you like. Otherwise, sometimes you’ll buy a bottle of wine you’ve never tried, and you might end up spending $20 on a wine you might not even like,” said Husk.
Ask most of the local winery owners, and they’ll admit that selling homegrown wines can be a tough business.
Said Zimmerman, “I’m not in it to make money. I’m in it to make good wine.”
But winemakers press on because they love making wine.
Joseph Skocik, owner of Plum Run Winery, has been in business since 2000, and makes more than 50 kinds of wines, including mead, tomato wine, ice wine and berry wines. He handles every facet of operations, from planting, harvesting, producing, bottling, corking, labeling, marketing and selling.
“When you handle all of it over 12 years, sometimes it becomes an insurmountable task. During production season, I get three to five hours of sleep. But I love it. You never get bored; it’s never the same job,” said Skocik. “At 70, I’m enjoying life more than at any time I ever have.”
