Armstrong Valley Vineyard and Winery
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Armstrong Valley Winery in Central Pennsylvania is a winery destination site. Visitors will discover a tasting room in a renovated 18th century barn, and can take a walking tour to several historic buildings. It is the only large event center in the area.
The tasting room is located in the barn where the walls are still the original stone. The mix of old stone and history mix well with stainless steel tanks, barrels and wine.
Visitors to Armstrong Valley Winery in Halifax, Pennsylvania are treated to a special winery and history experience. The winery and vineyards are located in Armstrong Valley on property where Robert Armstrong lived at one time. Armstrong had purchased the property from William Penn and in 1769 established Gobatsburg Farm.
The buildings on the property date from the late 1700’s. The current owners purchased the house and barn in 2005. In 2007 they were able to purchase more acreage. It took three years of hard work to clean up the property and restore several buildings. Thermal heating was added to the barn/winery. They wanted the property to be put to use but knew they did not want to own a dairy farm.
While renovating the property, owners Jake Gruver and Dean Miller explored the Pennsylvania region and visited some of the area wineries. After seeing some wineries were in renovated barns, they started researching wineries. They wanted to put the former Armstrong property back in use. Before long they decided to plant vineyards and build a winery using the historic barn for a tasting room and winery.
The current property occupies 100 acres and 10 acres are planted with grapevines including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Niagara and Chambourcin.
The owners want people to come and experience the old buildings and taste wines. Armstrong Valley Winery offers an informal, nice environment, patio and history. Visitors can walk to the ice house, garden shed and summer kitchen.
White Wines
Riesling 2011 was a light yellow with an aroma of peaches. The taste offered peach notes with a hint of citrus. The crisp finish had an aftertaste of peach. Chardonnay 2011 was a straw color with an apple aroma. The wine was slightly sweet with apple notes.
Red Wines
Cabernet Franc 2011, a light red wine, was produced with estate fruit. The aroma and taste offered notes of pepper and dark fruit. The taste also had hints of licorice and tobacco. The finish had tannins with fruit yielding to licorice and tobacco. Pinot Noir 2011, produced from estate fruit was a ruby color. The aroma and taste offered red berry and plum notes. The finish was fruity with mild tannins.
Fruit Wines
Cranberry wine is the number one selling fruit wine. The wine offered cranberry notes from the aroma to the finish. A sweetness from the fruit ended as the wine dried on the finish. Blackberry was a reddish color with an intense blackberry aroma. The taste had blackberry notes and blackberry lingered on the finish. Other fruit wines to taste include: strawberry, blueberry, red raspberry, cherry and apple.
Events
A large event room is available for weddings. An additional aspect for the wedding couple is the use of the guesthouse. Live music is available on Friday evenings. The winery does not sell food but visitors are welcome to bring snacks and picnic baskets to enjoy with a glass or bottle of Armstrong Valley wine.
Enjoy a visit to Armstrong Valley Winery, where you can enjoy tasting wines and walking a short history trail.
Armstrong Valley Vineyard and Winery
212 Rutter Road
Halifax, Pennsylvania 17032
GPS: N40º 28.819’ W76º 53.468’
Article written October 2012
