Every state has a few granddaddies, or original pioneers, in the winery business. In Pennsylvania, one of them is Presque Isle Wine Cellars , in operation since 1969. Being our second stop of the day, we were relieved to see they offered the tastings in glass glasses, not the dreaded plastic.
Madam Ambassador and I scanned the menu of wines and, finding a large selection of red and white dry wines, decided to each do a full tasting. And, so we did not miss out, we added a shared tasting of 6 of their premium wines. Pricing was very reasonable at $3 for 6 tastings of their regular wines and $5 for 6 tastings of their premium ones, with that tasting fee credited against the purchase of a premium bottle.
I chose 5 reds (4 dry, 1 semi-dry) and True Blue, their dessert wine made from blueberries. Madam Ambassador chose 1 dry red, 2 dry whites and 2 semi-dry whites. Since we long ago named our property Heron's Point, any mention of them guarantees we will try it so Blushing Heron was her last selection. Since the premium wine list is equally divided between dry and dessert varieties, we mixed the Pinot Noir 2016, Carmine, Cab Franc 2016 and Chardonnay Cuvee' 2016 into our regular tasting.
The original winemaker, now retired, was partial to dry reds and it shows in both their wine list and each one I tasted. My first selection was their Merlot 2013, a nice red with a berry tobacco nose that followed through with smooth cherry and tobacco notes. Next up was the Dornfelder 2016, another deep red made from a dark-skinned red grape first created in Germany in 1955. Their Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 delivered a full-mouth feel with pepper notes, which led nicely into the Pinot Noir 2016, another full bodied wine with a dark cherry nose. The Carmine is aged 30 months in American Oak and is an American grape created from Cabernet Sauvignon & Carignan. The Cab Franc 2016, aged 11 months in French Oak, had a berry/pepper nose that delivered a raspberry/coffee/pepper note while the Noiret 2016 also offered a pepper nose that also came through in the taste. Their Freeport Red blends Chambourcin, Chancellor and Dornfelder to create a nice red table wine suitable for any meal. My last 2 were the True Blue dessert wine which delivered a nice sweet, blueberry finish and their Touriga Port (one of my favorite styles) finished my tasting in style.
Madam Ambassador started with the spicy Ripper Red, a blend of Australian Shiraz and local Noiret, before moving on to Pinot Grigio 2016, Viognier 2013, Riesling 2016 and Reflections 2015, a blend of Riesling, Cayuga and Vidal. All delivered the nuances of their grapes with crisp clean finishes. The Chardonnay Cuvee 2016, aged 11 months in French Oak, kept its oaky notes but with a clean finish. Blushing Heron, a blend of Concord and Niagara, had the expected heavy grape nose and sweet grape taste. Cinnful Kisses, one of their dessert wines, had a cinnamon nose and was delightfully sweet with a cinnamon punch on the back end.
After your tasting, take the time to walk down to the production building to take in the waterfalls in the river. Better yet, grab a bottle and enjoy it down at one of the picnic tables along the banks!
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