Enter the Keystone State

Flickerwood Wine Cellars
Location: Kane, Pennsylvania
Owners: Ron & Sue Zampogna

This weekend my friend Libby and I found ourselves outside Flickerwood Cellars on a crisp fall morning in western Pennsylvania. On a road trip through the rolling hills of western NY and PA, we made a small detour to check out some of the local wine offerings. Shortly after arriving, we were met and warmly welcomed into the wood-sided winery by owners Ron and Sue Zampogna, along with a few grandkids and pups.


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The winery itself is a beautiful building with many windows and high open ceilings and was completely constructed by the Zampognas and their family. Wine tastings, $3 for six samples and a souvenier glass, are handled at a small bar within the large gift shop. Shelves behind the bar display the numerous awards and accolades that Flickerwood has earned for their wide range of wines. Not only is there a sense of pride in the wines produced here, but also an immense sense of pride and love for their family.

Of twenty-four wines ranging from dry to sweet, as well as three fruit wines, it was a chore to decide on just six. Luckily, a promise to "swish and spit" - and certainly a dash of charm - was all I needed in order to taste through a larger selection. Sue was delighted to have us at the bar, telling us all about the family, the businesses history, and plans for the future. Following is a brief synopsis of the wines I sampled.

• Oaked Chardonnay - buttery with yellow apple and mellow acidity
  
• Un-oaked Chardonnay - fruit forward, crisp and lively acidity, fresh apple
  
• Pinot Grigio - light oak, pear, lemon and grapefruit
  
• Riesling - apricot, peach, and apple
  
• Gewürtztraminer - honeyed nose, peach and apple with spice and citrus on finish
  
• Syrah - soft oak, smoke and sweet tobacco, dark fruit with a smooth finish
  
• De Chaunac - smoky aromas, with raspberry and bacon flavors
  
• Rose Bud Red - blend of Merlot & Cab Sauvignon, medium dry with red fruit including cherry and red raspberry
  
• Semi-dry Marechal Foch - fresh grapes and blackberry, with light tannin
  
• Semi-sweet Marechal Foch - fresh grapes but with more lively sweet berry
• Whitetail Country White - Vignoles, tropical fruit including banana and pineapple
  
• Sweet Angel Red - blend of Concord and Baco Noir, sweet grapes with tart raspberry
  
• Sleepy Hollow Red - blend of Concord and Niagara, a light bodied marriage of sweet and tart fruit
  
• Ruby Z - the "original" blush, Concord, Niagara, and Catawba, fruity and approachable
  
• Geisenberry - raspberry on the nose, lemon and rhubarb
  
• Flickerberry Dew - raspberry dessert wine, jammy and stewed fruit
  Flickerwood's complete wine list
  

Okay, so I actually tasted through more than two-thirds of the wine list, but it offered a good sense of what Ron, who has been making wines for 30+ years, has worked so hard to achieve with the wide range of styles and choices available to Flickerwood patrons. Both Libby and I singled out the recently bottled 2006 Syrah as our favorite, which as it turns out is also Ron's wine of choice.

After our tasting we took a short tour of the wine cellar to see a number of large stainless steel vats, eight oak barrels, and the bottling line. Ron and six other workers who help in the cellar bottle everything by hand, filling six bottles at a time and then corking, capping, and labeling each one. He said they could get through about 100 gallons in an hour. Their production is average for a winery in Pennsylvania - apologies for failing to remember the exact amount - and the business is soon to expand to a wine tasting room and retail shop just outside of Philadelphia, which will be run by two of their daughters.

I can't speak highly enough of the Zampogna's hospitality and eagerness to share their passion for wine. I would highly recommend making a stop to visit them if you find yourself in the area, as their extensive selection is certain to have wines for every taste - red, white, dry, sweet, light, and full.

Cheers!

To see more photos of our trip visit my Web Album.