C24—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 19,1981
Earl Fuhrman, of the Bainbridge Fire Company, prepares
barrels of grape stomping at Nissley Vineyards.
Wine Fest next Saturday
BAINBRIDGE The Bain
bridge-Maytown Rotary Club and
the Haldeman Mansion Preser
vation Society will hold a fun
packed September Wine Fest at
the winery of Nissley Vineyards,
El Bainbridge, next Saturday.
One highlight of the festivities
will be the hot air balloon rides and
an ascension by balloonist Dick
Hess over the rolling hills of
western Lancaster County to
provide an aerial view of the
vineyards planted by Dick Nissley
in 1974.
The Do-Pas-So Club of Lancaster
will delight the on-ground audience
in a square dancing exhibition with
George A. Vamey Jr. as caller.
Then the mood will switch to
“preservation hall” style music by
A 1 Bethel’s Creole Kings Dixieland
Jazz Band. You may settle back
and just listen or get into the swing
on the open air patio.
To keep tiny folks occupied,
Bainbridge’s most popular clown
and her wee assistant clown will be
on hand. There is plenty of space
for children to romp and frolic.
Also there will be specially
prepared beef stew plus cheese
plates, french rolls and dessert for
those who want dinner or just a
snack.
Wine is the beverage of the
evening with 20 or more Nissley
vintage wines from which to
choose such as Aurora, Keystone
Kiss, and Naughty Marietta.
Although the September Wine
Fest is a new project for each of
the benefit groups, they have had
previous experience in coor
dinating fund raising events. In the
fall of 1979 and again in 1980, they
jointly organized the Bainbridge-
Maytown Candlelight Tour of
Homes ' which drew over 1500
people to the two small towns.
Nissley Vineyards had par
ticipated as one of the tour spots en
route from Bainbridge to
Maytown.
This time, Nissley Vineyards
will be the site for the festival. To
be assured a comfortable seat on
the lawn, please bring a chair or
blanket. The festivities will be held
from 4-8 p.m. and there will be a $1
admission charge. Proceeds from
the festival will be shared by the
Haldeman Society for continuing
mansion renovations and by the
Rotary Club for its civic projects.
To reach the winery, turn off
Route 441 at Wickersham Road
(halfway between Columbia and
Middletown) and follow the signs.
The rain date is Sunday, Sep
tember 27.
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Visit our showroom in York and see the many wood
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Pennsylvania wines are
HARRISBURG - Penn
sylvania’s 300-year wine history
has been as varied as today’s fine
Pennsylvania wines. Beginning in
' when William Penn brought
French and Spanish grape vines to
Philadelphia, the state’s wine
industry has branched across the
state, dwindled under Prohibition,
and now is undergoing a
renaissance.
Penn attempted to establish
Pennsylvania’s first wine industry.
He predicted the consequences of
his imported vines “will be as good
as any European countries of the
same latitude.’’
But Penn’s vines fell prey to
disease and pests. A few years
later, the colony’s interpreter,
Conrad Weiser, was more suc
cessful, and during the 1750’s the
governor of Virginia regularly
sipped the fruits of Weiser’-s
Riesling vines.
Shortly before the American
Revolution, this country’s first
domestic wine grape, the
Alexander, was found growing on
the banks of the Schuylkill River
near Philadelphia. Named for
Lieutenant Governor John Penn’s
gardener, John Alexander, this
hardy variety, along with imported
Catawbas, was planted in Penn’s
garden.
In 1793, a Frenchman named
Peter Legaux founded a company
to cultivate grapes at Spring Mill
on the Schuylkill River near
Philadelphia. The venture
flourished for a time, but soon fell
prey to the cold winters and vine
pests. Only the Alexander sur
vived.
Thomas Eichelberger, using the
hardy Alexander, became
America’s first commercial
vintner in 1818. The York, area
German immigrant was the center
of grape culture for many years.
Six years later, the Harmony
Society, a religious sect,
established vineyards, a winery
and distillery at. Economy near
Pittsburgh, the first successful
vineyard operation west of the
Alleghenies. The Economy Wine
Vaults led the state in production
of wine for over 75 years, before
falling victim to its own virtue. The
Harmonists practiced celibacy,
and the society dissolved, with
shops and wine vaults preserved
by the commonwealth as historical
landmarks.
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At 11A.M.
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Phone 7X7-354-4341
Lloyd H. Kreider,
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The South Shore Wjne Company
brought the vintner’s art to the
northwest corner of the state in
1863. The area around North East
saw Concord grapes replacing the
wine varieties within 30 years. Dr.
Charles Welch had introduced
grape juice at the Chicago World’s
Fair; demand led the' Welch
Company to expand grape acreage
and establish the world’s biggest
grape juice plant at North East.
Grapes have been Erie County’s
chief farm crop ever since.
The onset of Prohibition closed
the doors of Pennsylvania’s
commercial wineries and the art
became a neighborhood cottage
industry. The state emerged from
Prohibition with a tightly con
trolled distribution system for
alcoholic beverages including
wines.
, Pennsylvania had been the
birthplace of U.S. commercial
wine production, but the industry
lay dormant for thirty years until
the bonding of the Conestoga
Vineyard in 1963. A year later, this
small vineyard was distributing
wine through the Pennsylvania
Liquor Control Board. Soon many
of the state’s leading restauran
teurs learned of the Pennsylvania
wine and placed orders. Conestoga
wines were soon added to the wine
lists _of these three-star
establishments. With'this success
in hand, it wasn’t long until-steps
were taken to encourage wine
grape growers to build and bond
new wineries.
The Limited Winery Act, passed
in 1968, enabled wineries to sell
directly to the public, the Liquor
Control Board and hotel
restaurants. Under the Act,
wineries could' produce up to
100,000 gallons of wine each year
using only Pennsylvania-grown
grapes.
Today, Pennsylvania boasts 27
limited wineries, which produce
over 250,000 gallons each year.
This output places the state high on
the list in national wine production.
While some wineries are using
apples, cherries, strawberries "and
other fruits for wines, the bulk of
Pennsylvania wines are still made
from the 9,500 tons of wme grapes
grown annually in the Com
monwealth. Pennsylvania grown
French hybrids provide a hardy
vine and full bodied wines;
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winners
Lambrusca and Vmifera grapes
are also in common use. -
Each year the wineries and
wines of Pennsylvania are growing
better, gaining attention and
recognition far beyond the state’s
borders. At the 1980 Wineries
Unlimited Convention, Penn
sylvania winescaptured 27 awards
including three gold medals.
If you haven’t yet sampled
Pennsylvania wines, you’ll find
they’re exceptional. Ranging from
dry wines to sweet fruity wines,
they are reasonably priced
between s3.4o.and $5 per bottle.
If you live anywhere in Penn
sylvania or if you’re coming in
for a vacation you’re close to a
winery. The Pennsylvania Wine
Association has prepared a guide
to help you plan a visit, a long
weekend or a day trip.
Pennsylvania wineries range
from the modem to the charming
and quaint. Whichever winery you
visit, you’ll find a friend. Stroll
through the vineyards and learn
how our wine is made. Taste the
many award-winning Penn
sylvania wines. Wnte for a free
brochure and enjoy Pennsylvania
wine country!
(The address for the Penn
sylvania Wine Association is 11815
Cast Lake Road, North East, PA
16428, or call 814-72M695.)
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ROI, Box 252 A
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17963