3 PA Wineries That Are Producing Some Seriously Good Bottles
Yes, there is good wine made in Pennsylvania.
Anthony Vietri, owner of Va La — one of the Pennsylvania wineries to know — at his Chester County tasting room. Photograph by Jason Varney
Say hello to these three PA vintners using natural and old-school practices to produce quality — seriously! — stuff.
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Va La
Chester County
Anthony Vietri’s small farm once grew mushrooms — and you can taste that earthiness in each vintage. Founded 20 years ago, Va La is built into a hillside that’s planted with lesser-known Northern Italian varietals. Natural practices like using native yeasts, skin fermentation, and aging in barrels made from Pennsylvania oak result in some of the region’s most fascinating bottles. 8820 Gap Newport Pike, Avondale.
Vox Vineti
Lancaster County
Taking your young children on vacation to the world’s most respected wine regions is a risky venture, but that’s exactly what Ed Lazzerini’s parents did. And it panned out: Lazzerini and his wife left Manhattan 12 years ago to found Vox Vineti, which now puts out limited runs of Old World-inspired bordeaux blends, nebbiolos and sauvignon blanc. 49 Sproul Road, Christiana.
Galen Glen
Schuylkill County
Sarah Troxell and her husband Galen’s property has been in his family for six generations, going from a dairy and field-crop farm to a vineyard planted with grapes native to Germany and Austria. The pair use some sustainable practices for crisp cool-weather whites like riesling and have the second-oldest planting of grüner veltliner in the country. 255 Winter Mountain Drive, Andreas.
Published as “Makers to Know” in the April 2019 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
