Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), the Department of Agriculture, and the Pennsylvania Winery Association (PWA) invite Pennsylvania wine lovers to celebrate October as Pennsylvania Wine Month and explore the wide range of products produced in the commonwealth.
All Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection stores will feature Pennsylvania wines at their regularly scheduled in-store wine tastings the weekend of Oct. 5 through Oct. 7. Additionally, wine specialists at Premium Collection stores will add Pennsylvania wines to other regularly scheduled tastings throughout October.
Select Fine Wine & Good Spirits wine specialists will offer their expertise by contributing blog posts, tips, and recommendations at pawinemonth.com. Topics will include how to select Pennsylvania wines and how to “buy local” at Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores. Wine specialists will also be featured in video interviews at pennsylvaniawine.com in coming weeks and months.
In fiscal year 2017-18, Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores stocked 241 different Pennsylvania wines, generating nearly $8.7 million in sales, a 9 percent increase over the prior fiscal year. These figures do not account for Pennsylvania wine sold at local wineries, at festivals, or at restaurants and other licensees that buy directly from the wineries.
The Pennsylvania Winery Association, a nonprofit trade association representing more than 130 wineries and advocating on behalf of the state’s growing multi-billion-dollar wine industry, provided, at select Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores, an updated touring guide featuring an extensive list of Pennsylvania wineries and a map. With some of the most fertile grape-growing land on the East Coast, Pennsylvania ranks fifth nationally in grape production, seventh in wine production, and seventh in the number of licensed wineries.
Dozens of events celebrating Pennsylvania wines and wineries will be held at wineries across the commonwealth in October, including farm vineyard tours and celebrations of the fall harvest, as well as tasting and food pairing opportunities. PA Wine Month specials will also be happening at Pittsburgh and Philadelphia area restaurants. More information is available at pawinemonth.com.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture encourages, protects and promotes agriculture and related industries throughout Pennsylvania. The agency leads the PA Preferred program, partnering with thousands of food and beverage producers, stores and restaurants to expand markets, and promote Pennsylvania products. In 2013, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board launched the PA Preferred Wine Program to further support Pennsylvania wineries and give consumers more options to “buy local” in Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores.
The Department of Agriculture also administers the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Program, which works with Pennsylvania’s wine and grape industry to realize its vision as a premium East Coast wine region. The program promotes an increase in the quality, profitability, and consumer awareness of Pennsylvania wines through educational programs, research, and marketing.
For more ways to get involved with Pennsylvania Wine Month, find Pennsylvania Wines on Facebook, follow @PAWines on Twitter and Instagram, visit pawinemonth.com. When seeking and sharing updates, follow and use the hashtag #PAWineMonth.
The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits – totaling $16.5 billion since the agency’s inception – are returned to Pennsylvania’s General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania’s schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit www.lcb.pa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACT: Shawn M. Kelly, 717.783.8864
Department of Agriculture: Shannon Powers, 717.783.2628
PA Wines: Jennifer Eckinger, jeckinger@pennsylvaniawine.com, 717.234.1844
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