Member Spotlight: Valerie Oehler

​“Myself and a few friends finally became members about a year or 2 ago and we are so happy we did. There is a core group of ladies that love to spend  a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, just sitting outside wtih a picnic, sipping on Penns Woods wines and listening to live music.”

Valerie has been coming to the winery since the early 2000s. She says it is a “luxury” to be only 5 minutes away from one of her favorite spots! Valerie has recruited most of her friends and family to join her for events at the winery and many have become members themselves! Valerie is always on the move, her outogoing nature makes her a fixture at nearly every exciting event from pairings to wine education classes- even during the harvest you'll see her out in the vineyard with clippers in hand! Her favorite event to enjoy with friends is our biannual Run the Vineyards. She has participated in the 5K for the past 5 years at the winery on Mother’s Day weekend and has won 1st place in her age group 3 times! 
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In addition to the Mother’s Day run, Valerie enjoys staying active by taking our “Yoga in the Vineyard” classes whenever she can. Her favorite part about the classes is how relaxing the scenery is and that she gets to reward herself afterwards with wine, of course! Valerie also enjoys learning through our Wine Education Series with her best friend, Patty. Valerie says “I can’t wait for them to start up again- we love drinking Penns Woods wines and learning all about it!”. 
If you thought Valerie wasn’t active enough, she also has a passion for horseback riding and would love to plan a ride and taste around the vineyard. (hint, hint management team)

“The staff at the winery could not be nicer and more welcoming- I feel like family when I am there. Everyone seems so happy to work there and they enjoy making people happy! I look forward to just hanging out when the winery re-opens... I feel like I really “get away” when I’m there. I am able to decompress that I sometimes forget I am not actually on vacation somewhere! It is such an inviting, laid-back atmosphere that keeps us coming back and recruiting new friends to join us! In the meantime, you can find me sipping on my favorite, Sauvignon Blanc, to get me through quarantine until I have my favorite spot back!”
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We are so fortunate to have met Valerie and to have her a part of our Penns Woods family. Valerie lights up the room with her smile and infectious positive energy. She may love attending our events, but we are the ones who love having her at each and every one of them! She inspires us to do more and create more and we look forward to being able to have her and all of her friends back enjoying the Vineyard to its full capacity. Until then, we salute a life lived where the glass is always half full (of Sauvignon Blanc, of course!).