Pennsylvania - Chester Coounty - Taste (Sand Castle Winery)

Sand Castle Winery (aka Taste)  - (Mar 2015) - My wife and I enjoyed a food pairing at their tasting room Taste in Phoenixville awhile back and when a colleague was leaving our group, since they enjoy wine, we decided to go back to Taste for a tasting (also close to work).  I only tried one red on their menu, the Santo Rouge (a dry red house blend) since the whites seemed more appealing. I compared the private reserve and classic Chardonnay; the classic was better and I'd have to say it was the oak that did it (the private reserve is fermented in stainless steel). I also compared the dry and the semi-sweet Reislings. I enjoyed the dry better, but as an added treat, I also got to try the late harvest Reisling. Although more like a dessert wine, out of the three, this one was the best overall.

Pennsylvania - Chester County - Harvest Seasonal Grill

Harvest Seasonal Grill  - (Jan 2015) We stopped here for lunch while we were on our tasting trip to the lower Chester County area. While we enjoyed our meals, we each had a flight of wine. We got to choose three wines they serve by the glass. Funny thing was one had all red, one all while, one two reds and a white and the other two whites and a red - lots of glasses on the table.

Pennsylvania - Chester County - Va La Vineyards

Va La Vineyards - (Jan 2015) When we were on our way to Paradocx, we saw the sign for Va La and thought maybe we could squeeze it in. We did on the way to Ten Gallon Hat. Their tasting comes with cheese pairings and two in our party are not really into dry wines. All their wines are blends and estate grown and bottled. While we were there, I asked what they meant by tenth vintage - it means that this is the tenth leaf (year). We purchased Silk and La Prima Donna to do our own tasting.

Pennsylvania - Chester County - Penns Woods Winery

Penns Woods Winery - (Jan 2015) We had been here about three years ago and have talked about going back. This was the reason for our recent tasting trip with two good friends who have been learning to love wine with us. They have two tastings available; their regular wines and their reserves. We did two of each. Our group enjoyed the following: Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Pennsylvania - Chester County - Stone Barn Cellars

Stone Barn Cellars - (Dec 2014) My wife attended one of their "Ladies Night Out" where they served a buffet-style dinner while patrons can purchase glasses or bottles to drink with the food selections. I decided to go check it out to see if it could be a potential stop on one of our upcoming TVCEF tasting tours. I started with the pinot grigio; it has a clean, crisp finish. Their Night Owl, a catawba vidal blanc blend, surprised me; I was expecting more sweet and I enjoyed the dryness with hint of sweet. I finished the whites with their Niagara (so I'd at least have something for my wife); no as sweet as typical Niagaras. For the reds, I started with the Wild Man Red, made from Lemberger, which I had not heard of until today. It has a hint of oak; not heavy and enjoyable. Their Hat Trick is a blend of Corot Noir, Baco Noir and Noiret; two more grapes I learned a bit about today. This one has a bite to it - very enjoyable. I finished off my tasting with the Bonfire - 100% Noiret. We'll definitely be back!!!

Pennsylvania - Lancaster County - Mount Hope Estate and Winery

Mount Hope Estate and Winery - (April 2014) In preparation for an upcoming TVCEF tasting tour, we visited the winery in Manheim to look at logistics. There wines are based on series (dry to sweet) and each has at least one read and one white. My wife enjoyed the Gewurztraminer while I enjoyed the merlot from their Royal Series. I tried the Knight's Reward (a grape blend) while my wife tried the Moonlight Encounter from their Fantasy Series. The Moonlight Encounter is well worth the name. My wife tried the vignoles from the Euro Hybrid Series while I tried the Harvest Red.from the Intercourse Series. My wife liked the Harvest Red better. We both finished our tasting with the cream sherry - brought back memories of grandparents.

(Oct 2014) - We returned as part of the TVCEF tasting tour and was greeted by a gypsy. She led us to our tasting and as we tasted, we were entertained by our host. Although we could taste all on the menu, we limited ourselves. We ending up buying a case with our friends.

Pennsylvania - Lancaster County - Tamanend Winery

Tamanend Winery - The tasting room has been closed and was purchased by Mount Hope Estate and Winery.


Oct 2014 - We returned as part of the TVCEF tasting tour and I stayed with the reds while my wife did the sweets. We talked about the lime margarita so much that we asked everyone to try it. Most of our group enjoyed it.


June 2014 - Named after a Native American Indian chief, this is not your typical winery; it is more like a science laboratory for wine (see the website). There are a few vines on the property, but the majority of their grapes are grown elsewhere. Their dry wines are named after roses and the sweets after PA wildflowers. My wife immediately skipped the dry wines and went to the Ladyslipper, a semi-sweet blush followed by the Bleeding Heart, the sweeter of the blush wines. She enjoyed the Ladyslipper better as the sweetness was more balanced. After that, my wife went to the Shooting Star, their concord grape wine, which could replace any boring Church wine. She then took a turn to two of their specialty wines, the Lime Margarita, which is definitely a margarita in a bottle, and the Patroit, a blend of raspberry, white kiwi and blueberries. The Patriot would go great over vanilla ice cream (which we suggested since they also have a tasting room in Strasburg, PA right next to an ice cream parlor). I on the other hand had to try the Irresistible, their riesling. I chose this over the chardonnay because I'm looking for something different. This medium dry wine was well-balanced. I then chose from their reds. I started with the Red Bouquet to try one of their blends (merlot and chambourcin) followed by American Beauty, made from cabernet franc. Ever since going to Sand Castle's tasting room, I am embracing this grape more than ever. I think we'll need to buy a bottle of this one. I ended my tasting with their Honeysuckle, a niagara and apple blend. I could sit out on a hot day and use this to cool off. Our tasting host this day was very informative and explained to us the purpose of Tamanend; who knew you could "fix" wine.