North East, Pennsylvania and the Lake Erie Wine Trail offer a fun weekend getaway for wine lovers. In fact, visitors from all around the world visit every year. Additionally, the locals are very welcoming and love to meet new friends.
North East is a tiny town on the shores on Lake Erie. It offers charming shops, historic bed and breakfasts, and Lake Erie vistas. However, the wineries are the main attraction.
You can visit this area any time. Naturally, the wineries are open all year. However, autumn is the peak season. From September to November, the concord grapes ripen to their peak. The fragrance fills the air and draws you in…to the nearest winery.
Most certainly, you don’t need to far to find a winery in North East! This Lake Erie Wine Trail town is home to ten different wineries.
The Lake Erie Wine Trail stretches along the shore of Lake Erie. The trail spans from just east of Erie, PA, to North East, PA and 90 miles to Buffalo, New York. Choose from a myriad of wineries as shown below.
Each September, the wine season peaks. Thus, North East hosts their annual Wine Festival. The festival showcases local wineries, musicians, and food vendors. Thousands of people converge to celebrate the harvest of the concord grape.
For in this town, the concord grape is the king of crops. The concord grape is a cool weather grape. It flourishes in the cool summer evenings. Furthermore, the gentle breezes come in from Lake Erie keeping a constant level of humidity. Therefore, the region produces the concord grape in abundance.
For this town, all of this is great news! This means that the wineries are thriving and the tourists are happy.
Tourists flock to North East to visit these wineries. The winery employees are gracious. The vintners are knowledgeable. The atmosphere is fun.
However, most tourists agree that the views are often the best part of their visit to the Lake Erie Wine Trail.
These wineries are set on bluffs, high along the shore of Lake Erie. Of course, you get panoramic views of the vineyards. However, you often get a bonus…a majestic view of Lake Erie.
Additionally, many of the wineries have natural settings including forests and streams. Of course, you are welcome to relax on the private deck and enjoy the views while you sip your wine.
(http://www.lakeeriewinecountry.org)
On the other hand, you can enjoy the interiors of these wineries. In addition to gorgeous landscaping and scenic vistas, the interiors are rustic and charming. Often they combine an old world feel with pampered elegance.
Daily tastings and tours are available. Indeed, the tours are fun and informative. Also, the winemakers graciously answer any of your questions.
Finally, you can enjoy tastings of concord grape wine after your tour. The vintners create wine masterpieces. Literally, there is something for every taste. The wineries produce wines from dry to sweet.
(http://www.heritagewinecellars.com)
In addition, there are plentiful orchards in the area. Therefore, the wineries produce excellent peach, blackberry, and apple wines.
Also, you can pair your wines with cheese trays available for purchase at the local wineries. Naturally, the winery hosts are gracious in educating you on proper wine and cheese pairings. In fact, they love to give you advice.
In summary, if you are looking for a fun fall winery getaway…try North East, Pennsylvania and the Lake Erie Wine Trail. You’ll be glad you did!
Sounds amazing, I want to go.