Pennsylvania Wine Society

Board of Directors Meeting
2027-08-09 18:30 - 20:30, 2027-07-12 18:30 - 20:30, 2027-06-14 18:30 - 20:30, 2027-05-10 18:30 - 20:30, 2027-04-12 18:30 - 20:30, 2027-03-08 18:30 - 20:30, 2027-02-08 18:30 - 20:30, 2027-01-11 18:30 - 20:30 UTC and 13 more dates | Wherever YOU Connect with Zoom
Board meetings are virtual via Zoom. Active, dues paid current Members may attend as guests. Please contact an Officer if you are interested in attending a meeting.

Pinot Noir - Simply Elegant
2026-05-15 19:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Hilton Harrisburg, 1 North Second Street, Harrisburg, PA, 17101, United States
Pinot Noir, the Noble Grape. Pinot Noir, the Finicky Grape. Pinot Noir, the Versatile Grape.
A quality Pinot Noir displays all these characteristics in the glass and that’s what you’ll discover at the PWS tasting on May 15th.
Pinot Noir is one of the original six noble grapes proudly taking its place alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.
Lauded for producing high-quality wines. Pinot Noir is celebrated worldwide for producing some of the most elegant and aromatic wines. In Burgundy, its heartland, it has been cultivated for over two centuries. From there it has expanded to produce top-tier wines in Oregon (primarily the Willamette Valley) and California. But its reach is not limited to these regions. Vibrant Pinot Noirs are produced in New Zealand (Central Otago), Germany (Baden) and other noted international wine regions.
This PWS tasting event will feature high quality, high-end wines from a variety of these regions, while also, of course, including wines from the signature areas we all love—Burgundy and Oregon.
Pinot Noir is the most difficult of the noble grapes to grow, with some winegrowers calling it the “heartbreak grape.” The grape is very thin skinned and susceptible to disease. It is extremely sensitive to cold and its environment, requiring specific soil types, such as limestone-clay, to thrive. Its tight cluster structure traps moisture making the grape vulnerable to rot and mildew.
Besides its need for just the right temperature, soil, and climate, the vines produce relatively low yields and require very meticulous vineyard management. But when done right, the hard work pays off creating wines that express the terroir beautifully in the glass. As you might expect, the additional care to ensure a great harvest is reflected in the bottle price of the finished product. At the tasting in May, we’ll experience first-hand the different expressions of terroir in high-quality, well-crafted Pinot Noir.
Versatility is yet another hallmark of Pinot Noir. Beyond the red wine we think of as Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir is used in the production of high-end sparkling wines such as Champagne and Blanc de Noirs, to rosé and even white Pinot Noir. This is possible because the juice of the Pinot Noir grape is uncolored; the pigments in the thin, almost black skins make the rosé or red Pinot Noir wines.
Because of the variety of wines produced using Pinot Noir and the expressiveness of terroir, Pinot Noir is one of the most versatile food wines. It generally is light to medium bodied so it can be enjoyed with fatty fish such as salmon and the “lighter” meats such as chicken and pork.
Pinot Noir loves cheese and cheese loves Pinot Noir. Its more earthy expressions, such as from Burgundy and Oregon, stand up to rustic meals and quality Pinot Noirs are at home with elegant dinners. You’ll enjoy discovering how beautifully Pinot Noir pairs with food when the Hilton chefs create small plates to accompany the wines in May.
This event will focus on providing a variety of high-quality wines to demonstrate the many facets of Pinot Noir. We’ll be lead through this journey by a noted wine expert, wine judge and wine educator— Kevin Ostrowski.
We’re still in the difficult process of selecting just the right Pinots for our guests to taste but we’re sure you’ll not be disappointed. At the end of the night, regardless of your decided favorites and preferences, we think you’ll reach a common conclusion…simply elegant.
Some of you already blocked time on your calendar to join us on Friday, May 15th, 7 p.m. at the Hilton Harrisburg to expand your knowledge of and, hopefully, deepen your love of Pinot Noir. Reservations are now OPEN so see you there!
Reservation DEADLINE is May 12th. Make reservations on the Shoppe Page of this website.
Members—$160
Patrons—$155
Nonmembers—$180

Deadline to Register for Pinot Noir - Simply Elegant
2026-05-12 00:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Hilton Harrisburg, 1 North Second Street, Harrisburg, PA, 17101, United States
Events fill up and may sell out fast – we recommend reserving seats at your comfortable earliest opportunity.

Honig Wines
2026-04-24 19:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Hilton Harrisburg, 1 North Second Street, Harrisburg, PA, 17101, United States
A deeper dive into the Wines of Honig April 24th
We are not just pouring Napa Valley wines. We are walking through the heart of Rutherford with Michael Honig, President of Honig Vineyard & Winery, joining us in person.
This tasting is more than a lineup. It is context, perspective, and a rare opportunity to hear directly from a winery that has built its reputation on precision, sustainability, and doing two varietals exceptionally well. Let’s talk about what will be in your glass.
Sauvignon Blanc
Honig Sauvignon Blanc 2024
This is the wine that built the house.
Honig’s Sauvignon Blanc is consistently one of Napa Valley’s benchmark expressions of the varietal. Expect bright citrus, layered tropical fruit, and that signature balance of freshness and texture that makes it wildly food friendly. It is vibrant without being sharp and expressive without being overworked.
Paired with our white cheese plate featuring lemon chive whipped chevre, grilled feta, Austrian Gruyere, basil roasted pear, spiced Marcona almonds, and blueberry jam, this wine will absolutely sing. The acidity cuts through creaminess while the fruit complements the pear and jam beautifully.
Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc
A more site-driven expression from the Rutherford AVA, this bottling adds depth and a touch more structure. Think citrus layered with subtle stone fruit and mineral tension.
Tasting this alongside the Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc becomes a masterclass in how site influences style. Same grape. Same producer. Different voice.
Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc
This is where things get especially interesting.
Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc delivers honeyed richness balanced by bright acidity. Expect notes of apricot, citrus marmalade, and floral sweetness without heaviness.
With cheese, particularly creamy and salty components, this style becomes electric. Sweet and savory is not a trend. It is a classic for a reason.
Cabernet Sauvignon: The Heart of Rutherford
Honig Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
A classic Napa expression. Structured yet polished, layered with dark cherry, cassis, and subtle oak integration. This bottle proves you can have power and elegance in the same glass.
Honig Cabernet Sauvignon Bartolucci Vineyard St. Helena Napa Valley 2021
Single-vineyard focus. More intensity. More depth. Expect darker fruit, firmer structure, and serious aging potential. This is the bottle for those who appreciate precision and pedigree.
2018 Rutherford Appellation Cabernet
Rutherford character on full display. That recognizable dusty tannin profile layered black fruit, and a finish that lingers. The 2018 vintage in Napa was beautifully balanced, and this wine showcases why that year continues to earn praise.
These Cabernets will be paired with our red cheese plate featuring 6-month farmstead Manchego, 2 year aged Black Diamond Cheddar, Gorgonzola Piccante, honeycomb, cherry jam, and dark chocolate. Bold Cabernet with aged cheddar works effortlessly.
Cabernet with blue cheese is a classic pairing.
Cabernet and dark chocolate speak for itself.
Why This Event Matters
This is not just a tasting. It is a side-by-side exploration of:

Appellation versus single vineyard
Napa Valley versus Rutherford nuance
Dry versus late harvest expression
Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon at their most intentional

And we get to experience it all with the President of the winery, Michael Honig in the room.
If you appreciate wines with clarity of purpose, environmental stewardship, and an unmistakable sense of place, April 24th promises to be one of the highlights of our spring calendar.
Seats are limited, and this lineup deserves a full room.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Please review the two cheese plate food items and contact the Treasurer for any food allergy concerns.
Reservation deadline is April 21st or when we sell out. Make reservations on the Shoppe Page of this website.
Members—$155
Patrons—$150
Nonmembers—$175

Deadline to Register for Honig Wines
2026-04-21 00:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Hilton Harrisburg, 1 North Second Street, Harrisburg, PA, 17101, United States
Events fill up and may sell out fast – we recommend reserving seats at your comfortable earliest opportunity. To reserve seats, go to the Shoppe Page of this website.

Alsace Wines - SOLD OUT - Join the wait list by emailing the treasurer
2026-03-13 19:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Hilton Harrisburg, 1 North Second Street, Harrisburg, PA, 17101, United States
This event is SOLD OUT. We are taking a wait list. To join the wait list E-mail the treasurer.
Anne Krebiehl, MW makes the case for Alsace as an under-the-radar region that comprehensively caters to the demand for fresher, lighter styles of wine in a February posting on Club Oenologique. Allow her words which follow to motivate your securing seats for our unique Alsace event on Friday, March 13th.
“Whether it’s racy dry whites, fragrant reds, refreshing fizz or unique aromatic varieties, Alsace has it all. Yet this region, tucked into the north-east corner of France, is often overlooked. Why? Because its varied wine styles and grape varieties refuse to be typecast easily; offering so much to the wine lover seemingly counts against it. Given the nature of contemporary tastes in wine, however, Alsace is a region ripe for reassessment.
The varied wine styles and grape varieties of Alsace refuse to be typecast easily Crémant d’Alsace is the region’s most dynamic category. These traditional method sparkling wines went from representing just under 25% of the region’s total wine production in 2005 to 40% by 2025. Their success is not surprising and is helped by a latitude almost identical to that of Champagne.
Alsace Crémants, chiefly based on Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois, come with the kind of cool, natural freshness that’s so desirable in fizz. Most are clean, bright aperitif styles but there are artisanal, longer-aged cuvées that will impress sparkling-wine aficionados.
The rosé category also merits attention: by law, the rosés have to be made from Pinot Noir, so every single bottle of pink Crémant d’Alsace is a saignée-method rosé – only without the hefty price tag.
Lovers of Pinot Noir should also tune into Alsace. This is where things have changed most dramatically in recent years. Pinot Noir has long been the red grape of Alsace and, for the longest time, it was turned into juicy, light-bodied, pale reds that made for delicious, easy drinking but would not have impressed serious Pinot lovers – this has changed fundamentally. Climate change and ambition have wrought wonders.
When a law change in 2011 finally permitted separate rulebooks for Alsace’s 51 grands crus, rather than one general rule for all, growers in three sites applied to have Pinot Noir approved as a permitted grape in the grand crus of Kirchberg in Barr, Hengst in Wintzenheim and Vorbourg in Rouffach. The first two were finally approved for the 2022 vintage and Vorbourg, at long last, for the 2024 vintage. But even outside these sites, Pinot Noir makes exquisitely elegant wines, especially in the sites of Jurassic and Triassic limestone that crop up in the varied geological mosaic of Alsace. These wines can rightfully take their place in any line-up of fine Pinot Noirs.
In 2022, Alsace also changed the rulebook for Riesling so that all non-late harvest wines must be dry. This finally put an end to lingering associations of sweetness with those flute-shaped bottles. These expressive, often site-specific wines are perfect for moods and situations where finesse is prized over power, where fine, ripe acidity takes the lead in accentuating subtle flavours and complements rather than dominates. Their lightness of body and moderate alcohol levels dial into that same desire for lightness and transparency that defines much modern cooking.
For Riesling fans, Alsace offers beautiful combinations of bedrocks: why not compare Rieslings grown on granite, limestone and marl and find your favourite? And lovers of sweet Rieslings need not worry: beguiling Vendanges Tardives and Selections de Grains Nobles, i.e. late harvest and nobly sweet styles, are still made and are always clearly labelled.
Alsace finds itself right back on trend with wines that are fresh, light and nuanced with its Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, Alsace holds another card up its sleeve. These more aromatic varieties are still made in a spectrum of dry, off-dry and medium sweet, but the choices put them in a sweet spot for pairing with dishes that also play with gentle sweetness while staying savoury.
This happens when spice and fruit are combined, say in a Mexican pineapple salsa with chilli, in fruit- or honey-glazed hams, or in North African tagines or pastillas. Various Asian cuisines also play this game: in Thai cuisine, for instance, accents of palm sugar counter chilli-heat and citrus tanginess, while sweet-savoury hoisin sauce lends mellow depth to Cantonese favourites like char siu-style barbecues.
With these kinds of flavours, off-dry and medium-sweet wines come into their own and can pick up and resonate with these sweeter strands of the food. Often dismissed as difficult to pair, they open up possibilities where dry wines start to struggle because they are not bone-dry or decidedly sweet but somewhere in between. Once you accept this playfulness in the wines’ balance, these pairings suggest themselves. The sweetness scale, mandatory on every bottle since 2021, has ended the guessing game that once may have prevented you from opening bottles.
Away from the spotlight, it’s clear that Alsace has quietly continued in a multifaceted vein, honing almost every style, and now finds itself right back on trend with wines that are fresh, light and nuanced – and still incredible value.”
Our event host, David Killian, has similar feelings for Alsace wines and has collected some gems for us to experience. The lively acidity and fruitiness that defines Alsace wines makes them some of the best all around partners for food. David has paired these wines with three Alsace-inspired dishes prepared by Hilton Chefs. Please contact the Treasurer for any food allergy concerns.

Chicken Liver Mousse on Garlic Crostini with Pickled Cipollini
Choucroute – Sauerkraut and Potatoes with Pork and Grilled Bratwurst
Caramel Apple Galette with Brown Butter Streusel and Smoked Pecans

This is a wine lovers’ event not to be missed! We will be at the Hilton Harrisburg Friday March 13th at 7 p.m.
Reservation deadline is Tuesday, March 10th. Please contact the Treasurer for any food allergy concerns.
To make reservations, go to the Shoppe Page of this website.
Members—$140
Patrons—$135
Nonmembers—$160

Deadline to Register for Alsace Wines
2026-03-10 00:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Hilton Harrisburg, 1 North Second Street, Harrisburg, PA, 17101, United States

Merlot: The Velvet Charmer of the Wine World -- Event is SOLD OUT
2026-02-20 19:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Hilton Harrisburg, 1 North Second Street, Harrisburg, PA, 17101, United States
This event is sold out. Plan now to join us for future events – Alsace Wines with David Killian in March, Honig Wines from Napa CA with Michael Honig in April and Pinot Noir with Kevin Ostrowski in May!

Merlot is one of the most expressive and site sensitive grape varieties and how it can translate soil, climate and winemaking tradition into dramatically different styles.
Therefore, I selected wines for you to taste from the best New and Old-World Merlot regions and hopefully you can pick-up the nuisances of the terroir in these wines.
The following is a listing of the wines we will be tasting:
Montes Alpha Merlot 2020 from the Colchagua Valley in Chile. This wine was rated 92 points by James Suckling.
Oyster Bay Merlot 2023 from Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. This 2023 vintage was awarded 90 points by James Suckling and Decanter World Wine Awards in the UK and named a Best Buy by Wine Enthusiast in 2025.
Abeja Merlot 2020, Walla Walla Valley, Washington State. This wine is 99% Merlot with 1% Cabernet Sauvignon and has received numerous ratings ranging from 91 to 94 points. Wine Enthusiast awarded it 93 points and named it an “Editors’ Choice”.
Whitehall Lane Merlot 2021, Napa Valley, California. The 2021 vintage is a blend of 82% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc and has been rated 92 points by Wine Spectator, James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast.
Trefethen Merlot 2021 from Napa Valley, California. It was rated 92 points by James Suckling and 94 points by Decanter.
Saintayme Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2022. This wine is from the Saint Emilion AOC in the Bordeaux region of France. This wine was awarded 94 points by James Suckling, 91 points by Wine Spectator and 90 points by Wine Advocate.
Chateau Gazin Pomerol 2021. This wine is 100% Merlot and received 93 points from James Suckling, 95 from Vinous and 92 from Decanter.
Pomerol is a small but prestigious wine-growing region in Bordeaux, France, known primarily for its red wines made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It is recognized for its exceptional terror and produces some of the most sought-after wines in the world.
Bell ‘Aja Bolgheri Superiore 2021 from Bolgheri DOC, Tuscany, Italy. This wine is almost entirely Merlot. This vintage was given 95 points by Wine Spectator and 93 by James Suckling.
Tolaini Picconero Tenuta Montebello 2019 from Tuscany, Italy. This wine is 100% Merlot and is our highest rated wine of the evening. It received 96 points from James Suckling, 95 from Robert Parker and Wine Advocate, and 92 points from Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast.
The wines will be accompanied by three small plates. Below is the menu for the small plates. If you have food allergies please email the Treasurer.
Course 1 – Toasted Sourdough, Seared Duck Breast, Cherry Jam, Black Pepper Ricotta
Course 2 – Braised Short Ribs, Potato Gnocchi, Pine Nut Gremolata
Course 3 – Dark Chocolate Entremet, Roasted Fig, Honey, Marcona Almond
Reservation deadline is Tuesday, February 17th. However—THE BEST TIME TO REGISTER FOR THE MERLOT EVENT IS RIGHT NOW!! To make reservations, go to the Shoppe Page of this website.
Members—$135
Patrons—$130
Nonmembers—$155

Deadline to Register for Merlot
2026-02-17 00:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | PA

NO Events in January - Join us February 20 for Merlot!
2026-01-01 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | PA
