Let's take a trip down memory lane (well, memory lane for me anyways).
Grovedale, Grovedale, how I did adore thee, Grovedale! There's is nothing like enjoying an afternoon wine tasting with your hubby and in-laws (if you have cool in-laws), Mostly, I am just gleeful if I am drinking wine between M-F 8-5 whilst on vacation!
After tasting at Nimble Hill, we mozied on over to Grovedale Winery to further explore Pennsylvania wineries [The Husband was our DD while my mother in law and I were very toasty in the back seat].
Grovedale does not necessarily arrange the tasting from Whites to Reds, but rather Drys to Sweets. We started with a Chardonnay which was dry, with subtle fruit notes. It wasn't too dry,and had a crisp clean finish.
From there we all ventured to try the Seyval/Chardonnay (in the semi-dry) category. This wine had a very pleasant mouth feel and slight apple taste. We ended up buying a bottle and sharing it after the tasting, a lush and velvety wine experience.
I took the lone road and tried the Fontenac Gris. And oh-em-gee I die. I die of happiness. I die of candy in a bottle. This wine, to my utter surprise and befuddlement on the tasting notes, was the wine embodiment of COTTON CANDY! Intoxicating? Yes. It was very soft, and sweet, but still a semi-dry wine and no where near the sweet wine category.
The dry Merlot was a true Merlot; dry and rich in tannins with blackberries, berries, blueberries, with a hint of chocolate at the throat.
I quickly embraced the semi sweet and sweet reds; Grovedale Red and the Susquehanna Sunset. The Grovedale was remarkably balanced with it's sweetness, very raspberry/cherry jammy in taste almost like a jammy Shiraz (but not quite like my beloved favorite Jam Jar!). This was a smooth wine and it must be a crowd-pleaser because they turned it into a wine slushie! The Susquehanna was a true sweet wine, very easy to drink. It was much like the "Hot tub wine" - Harvest Moon, from Nimble Hill.
We finished the tasting with the Grovedale Red slushie and some neon green margarita thing that I did not embrace (it just tasted like margarita mix. Boo!) and shared a bottle out on the lovely patio.
I wanted to taste their Cab Franc (big time Cab Franc fan here), and their Sweet wine blend "Optimism" (tasting notes read: A sweet, red blend with lots of strawberry and cherry notes), however both were sold out and unavailable for tasting. I think that is a sign that speaks volumes.
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