Penns Woods Winery won two Gold Medals at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for their Rosé 2021 and Pinot Noir Reserve 2020.
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Chadds Ford, PA. For the past twenty-two years, family owned and operated winery, Penns Woods Winery has been cultivating and making wine from 100% Pennsylvania grown grapes from their 40+ year old vineyard in the beautiful Brandywine Valley in Chadds Ford. Their scenic vineyard sits on The First State National Historical Park, a 1,110 acres area of protected rolling hills, agricultural land and vital watersheds that straddles the Pennsylvania-Delaware border. 

In 2013, proprietor Gino Razzi began planting Sandy Hill Vineyard, a 22-acre secondary site in Parkesburg. This unique vineyard site sits on a sunny, gentle slope at a higher elevation with temps that stay slightly lower than their Chadds Ford site, making it a perfect place to grow the cool climate varietal, Pinot Noir. The 2020 Reserve is a blend of their clones 115,777, 667, 114 & Pommard, harvested late in September, fermented with native yeasts & aged for twelve months in French oak. This wine has an enchanting nose of red cherries, plums and earthy florals with fresh red fruits on the palate. The elegant acidity is complemented by well structured tannins and a long finish of baking spices; although it is drinking quite well at present, you can tell this wine will age with abundant grace.  

In years past, Penns Wood’s signature dry Rosé has been a blend of their Chadds Ford and Sandy Hill sites but, the 2021 vintage is their first single vineyard blend of varietals exclusively from Sandy Hill. The blend is composed of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and a touch of Malbec, harvested mid September then given a slow, direct pressing to leave enough skin contact to impart a gorgeous Provence-esque hue. The wine has a delightful burst of white florals and stone fruit with a refreshing, saline driven acidity. Winemaker Davide Creato says “This Rose is a delicious, crisp,  food driven wine. It’s one of my favorite wines to make and to drink. We harvest the fruit just before they fully ripen to guarantee that vibrant acidity, fresh fruit flavors and aromas. The resulting wine is a great example of how working with the vineyard gives exceptional results.”  
 
Founded in 1980, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is the largest competition of North American Wines. This year, over 5,500 wines from over 1,000 wineries across the U.S. were submitted to a prestigious panel of judges including wine critics, top sommeliers across the industry, wine buyers, educators and winemakers. "Walking away with Gold Medals in Rosé, let alone Pinot Noir, at a competition of this scale is eye opening for the too often unrecognized potential of Pennsylvanian grown wine." says Co-Owner Carley Razzi.    

You can purchase bottles of this award winning wine at the Penns Woods Winery Tasting Room in Chadds Ford or online. The winery also directly ships throughout the state as well as New Jersey, New York and Florida. Look for Penns Woods Winery Rosé by the glass at all White Dog Cafe locations, Greystone Oyster Bar as well as other local restaurants and breweries in and around the Philadelphia area. 
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The Penns Woods Tasting Room is open daily for wine tastings with special pairing events and workshops throughout the year. Their signature event, Derby at the Vineyard is held bi-annually featuring a live hunter derby horse show where you can sip wine, take in the views while enjoying live music, food trucks, local vendors and more. Reservations are always required on the weekends. You can book online at www.pennswoodswinery.com. Follow @pennswoodswine on social media for the latest on what's happening in the vineyard, upcoming events, specials and more.



Raechel Kuehn - Penns Woods Winery Sales Manager, Wine Education & Marketing

Trick or treating is just a few days away & we have some ideas for those late night dives into the kiddos Halloween haul!

Blanc de Blanc & Gummy Bears
Sparkling wine is perfect for gummys! The bubbles & zesty acidity of the Blanc lifts & lightens the sugary sweetness. The fun fruity bears highlight the bright green apple, orange, grapefruit notes making them pop for a party on your palate.  

Chardonnay & Salted Caramel Twix
A more specialty candy, but well worth the Halloween bucket dive is Salted Caramel Twix. The smooth chocolate builds the body of the wine while the crunch ensures wine doesn't get weighed down. Caramel complements our lightly oaked undertones & the salt not only enhances the flavors of the wine but keeps the acidity lively amidst all the sugar. Chardonnay also pairs incredibly well with Candy Corn, the vanilla buttery sweetness of the candy give our French style Chardonnay give a more rounded mouthfeel & bring to the forefront the more subtle oak aged flavors.

Wildflower White & Starburst
Cheerful, bright & fruity describes both this special off dry white blend & the Starburst too! The rainbow of flavors captures pleasantly fragrant fruits & florals. The touch of residual sugar keeps the wine from becoming unbalanced by the candy while the zippy acidity & dry finish prevents the pairing from becoming overwhelmingly sweet. 

Moscato Rose & Sour Patch Kids
Sour, mouth puckering Sour Patch Kids call for a juicy, fruit forward wine like Moscato! This pairing is one that balances each other perfectly with the candy cutting the wine's sugar while the wine goes to work on taming those tart, sour notes of the candy . 

Naked Chambourcin & Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Like a grown up PB&J! Playful fruit punch flavors become more jammy once the chocolate hits the wine & the peanut butter gives the body a luxurious, velvety mouthfeel.

Pinot Noir & M&Ms
Creamy milk chocolate pairs well with lighter bodied red wines with subtle tannins. Pinot's bold fruit make these candy coated chocolates taste more little mini chocolate dipped cherries with the earthy element of the wine adds complexity to the candy's simple flavor. Pinot also pairs well with red fruit dominated candies such as Strawberry Bon Bons & Twizzlers.

Merlot Reserve & Raisinets
The dark, lush fruit of this wine is complemented by smooth & creamy milk chocolate. Raisiny flavors meld well with our Merlot's hints of dried floral & leather. The combination gives this whole pairing a satisfying, lingering finish.   

Lacrima Dolce & Hershey's Special Dark
This special dessert wine has beautiful flavors of cherries, fig, prune & cinnamon that long for a chocolaty partner. A dark, bitter chocolate perfectly balances the smooth sweetness of the wine, bringing in drying, tannin texture while the wine softens the bite of a bar with higher concentrations of cacao.  

Our beautiful bottle of bubbly Blanc de Noir pairs so perfectly with the Italian sweet bread Panettone! We whipped up this special Bread Pudding with a local Ginger Turmeric Honey from Taste Artisanal Market. We will be giving away two boxes of real Italian Panettone with every purchase of Blanc de Noir so you can whip up this delightful pairing at home.

**Panettone is limited- get them while supplies last** 

We are over-the-moon to have such a ray of sunshine a part of our Penns Woods Family! Sabrina is not only incredibly hard-working, but adds a positive energy to every moment. Find out more about Sabrina below!

Tell us about yourself!

Hi, I’m Sabrina! I moved back home to Pennsylvania last year, after living in LA for 7 years. I’m in school right now, studying political science and French. When I’m not at Penns Woods or studying, I love to take my dog on hikes and go for runs with my sister. 

What interests you about wine/How did you get into wine?

Before I started working at Penns Woods, I really didn’t know too much about wine (other than the fact that I liked to drink it). I’ve really enjoyed being able to learn about all aspects of it-from how it’s grown to flavor profiles. It’s all been so fascinating!

What hobbies have you picked up while having more time for yourself?

I ran my first marathon last year, but running got put on the back burner a bit this year, so I’ve had a fun time picking that back up. I also played DnD for the first time (virtually, with friends spread across the world) and that was a really fun new hobby! Mostly, I really just took the extra time to get back into reading as much as I could! 

What is your favorite wine?

I constantly have a different favorite wine but I’ve been really into a nice Rosé lately! Our 2019 is one of my favorites. And I’m obsessed with the Goat Rodeo Wild Rosemary cheese that we sell here.

What is one positive message you want to share with our beloved customers?

Thank you for making work during these crazy and constantly changing times so enjoyable and exciting. Everyone has been nothing but kind and friendly and it’s the best atmosphere I’ve ever worked in!

What do you enjoy most about Penns Woods?

Hands down, the people. I count myself so lucky to be able to work with such great people, selling the best wine around, in one of the most picturesque places I’ve ever seen.