Wilhelm Winery... is awesome. First of all, it's a pretty decent drive from the Burgh- about an hour and a half. It's basically a straight shot, but a long drive none the less.
The building is adorable. It's an old barn and the signage is minimal outside. They have a beautiful patio where they often host events. Their biggest ones being for Labor day and Memorial day each year. Inside, they have gift baskets, tons of wine accessories, some mixes for dips, etc... but most importantly, their wine. They have a decent selection of wines, ranging from dry to very sweet. Since I am not a fan of dry wines, I never really sampled any. The driest wine I tried was their Riesling, which I found to be super delicious. Their Fredonia is incredible- my favorite red wine. The Deer Creek White is a MUST try- it's like drinking adult grape juice. Pink Catawba is also a favorite, as well as their Cranberry Splash. The Cranberry is very tart- but I found that it mixes very well with ginger ale or sprite and is awesome to drink for the holidays. Their fruity wines are also delicious- blueberry, peach and blackberry were all very good. They also sell some of their wines in boxes. The upstairs is decorated in a "homey" manner, making it even more cozy and cute than it already is. On Sundays they have a special on their glass of red wine- $3 a glass all day. They also have happy hour each day, featuring a different wine each day.
I had been to Wilhelm many times before with my family. The most recent time, the woman working was extremely patient while I sampled multiple wines and gave us some suggestions as well. The one thing I did notice is that they chill their wines quite a bit- making the wine much colder than it would be in a typical refrigerator. The ice cold wine can have an effect on your taste buds (as I have learned through many years of serving alcohol). If the wine doesn't taste the same as it did at the winery, I would recommend to chill it more than an hour or two in the fridge.
Because the drive is kind of lengthy to only purchase wine, I would recommend purchasing online or waiting until an event and spend your whole day there! OR you could do what I have been doing for many years- visit Vacationland campground right down the road, and then visit =]. read more