Pennsylvania - York County - Moon Dancer Winery

Moon Dancer Winery - (June 2014) After crossing the Susquehanna River, we weaved our way to Moon Dancer which overlooks the river downstream from Harrisburg. My wife didn't even look at a traditional white or red and went for the specialty wines. She was looking for wines that we could use fro desserts. She enjoyed Rocky's Mango, which will be used for a summer party theme, and Alexander's Blackberry, which would go great over a good vanilla ice cream. She also tried Murphy's Blueberry, but felt it needed something. Her last taste was the Blue Moon Port (we are thinking of having a port party), which paired well with the chocolate. One thing we are learning is that the wine and the chocolate, not just any chocolate, have to blend and marry in taste or it does not work well. I on the other hand started off with the pinot grigio, with its citrus aroma, I was expecting a glass of orange juice, but the hint was just right and well balanced. I tried the reisling, which also had citrus in it but was toned down with the hint of fresh peaches. I switched to red to try the shiraz. We do not see that on tastings too much and I was interested to see how it would stand up to some I've tried from larger wineries. My palette was surprised by the well balanced wine; it lingered on the tongue and I savored the flavors. I ended my taste with the Arctic Moon ice wine. Another not so common wine, but well worth the price, does require a want for a good dessert wine; on the sweet side, but I did not find it overpowering.

(Oct 2014) - We visited again with our TVCEF tasting tour. As part of the trip, we were taken to the wine cellar and saw their operations. We enjoyed our tasting, but they were out of some of the wines, which was disappointing.Several of our guests also enjoyed the pizzas and macaroni and cheese.

(January 2018) - We had visited the winery once in between the last post and this one, but I did not write about it because I was disappointed in what they offered. We were at the PA Farm Show and decided to taste what was available. Their naked Chardonnay was exactly that - naked, meaning nothing worth writing about. The Cabernet Franc was fruity, but it was lacking any finish. The port had  nice dried cherry flavor and was not overly fortified. Ayla's White was balanced with fruit and sweetness. Overall, some of the wines have improved.