Dates in the States Wine Trail – Northcentral PA

Over the summer I was in a bridal party and we all decided to take the bride out on a wine tour for her Bachelorette party. The maid of honor found 50 different wineries we could choose from and as we drove, we chose ones along the way that interested us. At the end of the day, we made it to ten wineries overall which ended up being the perfect winery tour!

This list discusses all 10 wineries and distilleries we visited. Please note, it is a trek through North-Central PA, so we do suggest having a designated driver. Those roads can be tricky! Please be careful when touring this trail and be sure to have fun and take in the sights Central PA has to offer. When stopping at the wineries, be sure to tell them you are taking the “Dates in the States Wine Trail”.

Be sure to click the link below and print out our Wine Trail map and Scavenger Hunt for your excursion on the Dates in the States Wine Trail through NorthCentral PA!

 Click here for your FREE Wine Trail Map & Scavenger Hunt Printable Download

1. ) Winding Creek Shops (Elk Mountain Winery Outlet)

My mom works at this winery outlet/floral shop, so of course this was our first stop! We actually did a plant and sip party in the morning here before heading out to the other wineries. Winding Creek Shops has many events like this and you can rent out their space for similar parties. Winding Creek Shops is an outlet for Elk Mountain Wines and they’ve always carried a large selection. I’ve been a fan of their wines for some time now, especially their fruit sweet wines that change with the seasons. Each wine has some sort of perverted or clever name such as Jack Ass Red or Horn E. Elk which can be highly entertaining.

Update: Elk Mountain Wines has recently closed. Winding Creek Shops will be carrying a new brand of wine in their outlet store to be announced shortly. 

2.) Colonel Ricketts Hard Cider Winery

No matter where I visit, I must always try ciders. Shane always goes for the beer tastings, I always go for the cider tastings – so this is the place for me. Colonel Ricketts offers a unique pairing of ciders that combine different Pennsylvania grown apples ranging from dry and tart to semi sweet. It’s a local family owned business and their recipes have been passed down for generations and generations. Their Spring/Summer location is located in a big beautiful old barn called Green Acres Barn, where they also carry local items from different vendors if you are looking for gifts. In the Fall/Winter they close up the barn and are primarily located at their Cider Shack & Barrel Room on the other side of town.

3.) Purple Cow Winery

Walking into Purple Cow Winery left me in shock. They are literally located in the middle of nowhere in a field, yet the place looked so unique, fun, and inviting. I loved their decorations such as the chandelier above the bar and their branding of the “purple cow” name. Many of their wines have fun cow related names such as Crazy Heifer. They had games inside and outside, so you could just grab a bottle of wine and hang out for hours. They’re one of the newer wineries in North-Central PA and I believe they are going to become the place to be! They’ve been offering many different events throughout the year including Yoga. During the summer they offer wine pops and their recipe combinations are always changing. The day we went, I grabbed a chocolate strawberry wine pop and it was perfect for a hot day. I want more!

4.) Pickering Winery

One of the older, more established wineries in the area is Pickering Winery. This is a popular favorite for the locals because of their famous wine slushies. They are constantly offering new combinations of their wine slushies and typically have two different batches made up each week for people to try. Peppermint Patty Wine Slushies anyone?! Pickering Winery is in the same building as 487 Rustics at The Shops at Forever Green. After you grab some wine, be sure to stop in there. They have amazing local crafts and seasonal items.

5.) Three Dogs Vino

Three Dogs Vino is a small winery on a large open property with a beautiful pond. While tasting their wines, you get to visit with their dogs that hang around the bar all day. They were so friendly, I couldn’t get enough of them! Up above on the ceilings, they had poster boards filled with signatures of past visitors. We made sure to sign one. Try and find my name and take a picture to show me!

6.) Red Shale Ridge Vineyards (outlet)

In downtown Danville is one of Red Shale Ridge Vineyards’ outlet locations. The location of the actual vineyard is based in Hegins, PA. They have a number of locations around Pennsylvania, this one just so happened to be the closet one to us. My favorite wine was the Spiced Apple Wine. I even bought a bottle to take home with me. The girls that work there mentioned it tastes not only great by itself, but to mix a little Fireball in it to give it some kick! So of course I tried that when I got home. Not too bad!

7.) Shade Mountain Winery

A few years ago I attended Hershey’s Wine & Music Festival. The only bottle of wine I bought when I was there was Mint Iced Tea Wine. Years later, I couldn’t remember the name of who made it and I haven’t found it since. We just so happened to walk in to Shade Mountain Winery, and there it was on the menu – Granny Z’s Mint Iced Tea Wine! I was thrilled. However, I went home with a different wine called Mint Mojito which in my opinion was even better than the Iced Tea Wine! It was amazing and I can’t wait til I can go back to grab more.

8.) Fero Vineyards & Winery

You may remember a previous post of mine, An Adult Easter Egg Hunt. That adventurous day was with the bride as well. We had a blast at Fero, so of course since we were near the area, we had to make a point to go back and grab some more of their wines. It is probably one of my most favorite wineries. The ladies that work there are always so fun and friendly – and their wines are amazing! They have such a great selection. My favorites that I buy each time is their Chocolate Wine and Concord Wine. Their Chocolate Wine has notes of tobacco and coffee making it a unique and sweet combination. Their Concord Wine is another sweet wine made with local Pennsylvania Concord Apples. They have many events at this winery, so be sure to take a look at their events calendar before you plan a trip so you might be able to join in on the fun!

9.) Spyglass Ridge Winery

Spyglass Ridge Winery is another winery that really surprised me once we got out there. It, too was in the middle of nowhere with wide open land. Apparently, they have huge performances from artists such as ZZ Top as well as large events and weddings. I never knew something like this resided outside of Selinsgrove. Inside, the winery has vaulted ceilings and beautiful wood furnishings. They love cats (as do I), so I had some cuddle time while I was there.  Their Concord and Niagara wines were great as well as their Sour Cherry.

10.) Whispering Oaks Vineyard

When we arrived at Whispering Oaks Vineyard, there was a beautiful wedding happening inside the venue. Underneath in what one might call the Basement, is the tasting room for the winery. There’s a door on either side of the big building for you to enter the tasting room. Sadly, we didn’t get to see what it looked like upstairs, but the tasting room had a speakeasy feel to it. Their awards were displayed on the bar for their winning wines. With this being the last winery, we were a bit tired, but I pushed myself to try just a few more. Their Catawba wine was one of my favorites which was their sweet Rose’. Their Niagara and Vignoles were a few others we enjoyed.

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