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9 Wine Tasting Etiquette Tips For First Timers

Are you preparing for your first-ever wine tasting? How exciting! Let’s make the most of your inaugural PA winery tour with some common-sense (and not-so-common-sense) dos and don’ts. Whether you fancy yourself a wine connoisseur or you’re just beginning to learn about great wines, the following tips will lift the ambiance for everyone involved. Going to Your First PA Winery Tour? Here are Some Great Wine Tasting Etiquette Tips 1. Relax Here’s the cardinal rule: RELAX! Wine tasting can be intimidating, but it really shouldn’t be! You’re simply out to get away for awhile and have fun. So is everyone …

May 8, 2018 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, Entertainment, General, Holidays, PA Getaways, Pennsylvania Wine, Vinotype, Wine , , ,

How to DIY a Wine Tasting Party Like a Pro

You love wine — and your friends do too! Chances are, you’ve been to a couple tastings at your local winery, and you’re feeling ready to host a tasting of your own. After all, what’s better than drinking wine among friends in the comfort of your own home? Follow our tips below to throw the best DIY wine tasting party that will give you the fun and feel of a winery. Gather the Wine Tasting Supplies In order to have a successful party, you need the right tool kit! This list is a good place to start: One large wine …

April 26, 2018 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, General, Pennsylvania Wine, Vinotype, Wine

Wine Spotlight: Introducing Black Berry Bling, A Marriage of 2 Great Wines

This uniquely delicious wine is a delightful combination of two Deer Creek favorites — Backwoods Blackberry and Fryburg White! This wine is perfect as the weather is getting warmer, which is why it is in the spotlight at Deer Creek right now! Why We Love Black Berry Bling: Our Backwoods Blackberry and Fryburg White wines are so delicious, we tried a blend of them and we were wow-ed from the very first taste!  We let our team try our new creation (one of the many perks of working at our Shippenville Main location) and they loved it too!  We wanted …

April 23, 2018 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, General, Vinotype, Wine, Wine Spotlight

Wine Spotlight: Deer Creek Raspberry

For our first spotlight wine — we wanted to highlight the first wine we ever sold. Afterall, we opened our doors in September, 2009, offering only this one wine!  We had a couple acres of raspberries on our land and then decided to start a winery using those raspberries grown right here! It was quite laborious to get all of them picked at just the right time, but it was ever so rewarding when people came and loved our Deer Creek Raspberry wine!  It has been on our wine list ever since and will continue to be! It is 100% …

April 3, 2018 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, General, Pennsylvania Wine, Recipes, Sorbet, Vinotype, Wine, Wine Spotlight

Country Mead – Deer Creek Winery’s Honey Wine

Our first Country Mead hit the shelves the spring of 2014.  Mead is derived from fermenting the sugar from honey rather than the sugar of fruits. Some also refer to mead as “honey-wine”. History of Mead Mead is thought to be the oldest alcoholic beverage. It is also called Ambrosia or Nectar. And some even refer to it as the “nectar of the gods” which was thought to have been deposited as dew from heaven and then the bees would gather it.  Honey was more available for those early alcoholic drinks where fruits to make traditional wines was not always …

March 6, 2018 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, Vinotype, Wine

Backwoods Blackberry – Deer Creek Winery’s Blackberry Wine

This was named by our niece when she worked for us the first year Deer Creek Winery was open: in the summer of 2010.  She said it reminded her of the blackberries grown on Rhonda’s maternal grandfather’s family farm.   “Backwoods” recognizes the humble country setting of our area where our wines are produced and bottled in the foothills of the Allegheny Forest, hence, Backwoods Blackberry seemed to be the perfect name! What Does Backwoods Blackberry Taste Like? Our 100% Blackberry wine is loved by many!  Just take a sip and you will recognize that familiar blackberry taste like the …

March 2, 2018 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, Vinotype, Wine

Dry vs. Sweet Wine: How Are They Made Differently?

Dry vs. sweet wines – that sparks a debate among many people and even wine-loving friends! It is quite a simple explanation, but people will debate the issue time and time again! Let’s break down how dry and sweet wines are made. Dry vs. Sweet Wine: The Wine-Making Process Simply put, all wines pretty much start out as a dry wine. Wine begins as a vat of juice from a food source. It has natural sugars that yeast will eat, which causes fermentation as it’s digested. Sugar can also be added to the juice to make the process even faster; more …

February 9, 2018 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, General, Pennsylvania Wine, Vinotype, Wine , , ,

How Much Wine to Buy for Your Wedding

And Other Great Things You Can Do with Wine at the Reception Who doesn’t love wine at a wedding reception? With that in mind, how much wine do you need to purchase and what kinds? How much to buy is probably the easier question to answer than what kind. Once you know how many wine lovers will be there, you’ll be able to determine how much to purchase. Make sure the wine glasses, or disposable cups, are a 5 oz serving size. People usually fill the glasses half full so it would be an 8-10 oz wine glass. Typically guests …

January 9, 2018 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, General, Pennsylvania Wine, Venue Rentals, Vinotype, Wine , , , ,

7+ Wine Gifts for the Wine Lovers on Your List

Find the perfect gift for the wine lover in your life at Deer Creek Winery this holiday! Visit us at one of our five outlet locations or stop at our main winery in beautiful Shippenville, PA, where you can enjoy our on-site cafe, catch some of our amazing live music, or even stay overnight in one of our gorgeous guest rooms! Here are 7+ Gifts to Cover Everyone on Your Holiday Shopping List: 1. Wine Glasses We’ve got a great selection of hand-painted wine glasses from local artists – great ideas for friends who appreciate handmade artistry and supporting local …

December 13, 2017 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, General, Holidays, Inn, Pennsylvania Wine, Vinotype, Wine

Wine Gifts: How to Know What Type to Give

It’s getting harder and harder to buy gifts for people.  We live in a culture of abundance. Everyone has everything they need and, often time,s want. What are you going to get them that they will use? You don’t want to give another tie or pair of earrings?  What about a gift certificate?  It fits, but it might seem a little impersonal.   Consumable gifts are nice, and they don’t sit around collecting dust!  A bottle of wine is a very traditional, appreciated gift. But what kind should you get? Is the label important? Somewhat, but it’s not like they’re …

September 22, 2017 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, General, Pennsylvania Wine, Vinotype, Wine , , ,

Wine Term Glossary & How to Describe Wine Using It

Wine can be scary, yet delicious! You enjoy having a glass or a bottle, whichever it may be and with how many friends! People talk about wine and may ask you about the wine you’re drinking and somehow just saying “I like it” doesn’t feel like enough words to describe the wine in your glass. That’s when it becomes scary. What do you say?  Will it sound funny? Here is a basic list of wine terms so you have a baseline of what to say or to understand other wine lingo! Balance: The level of harmony between fruit, acidity, tannins, …

September 1, 2017 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, General, Pennsylvania Wine, Vinotype, Wine ,

What Wines Should You Be Drinking? Try Vinotyping

Use Vinotyping to Learn the Wines You’ll Love Not everyone loves wine, but if you do, drink the wines you LOVE. Or maybe you don’t like wine…YET!  Maybe there’s a wine out there that you would like, but haven’t been introduced to. There’s a simple test some wineries are using now to help people decide what kind of wines they like. It involves some simple questions about your everyday life. At the end, you have a range of wines that we bet you will LOVE!  It is based on years of personality research by Tim Hanni called Vinotyping. He has …

August 25, 2017 No Comments Rhonda Brooks Blog, General, Vinotype, Wine ,
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