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Wine festivals to go to in May, June


Raise a glass, because wine festivals are coming to Harrisburg, York, Mechanicsburg, Baltimore and Lancaster. Here are few to attend in May and June.

Harrisburg Wine Festival - Friday, May 6 at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North St., Harrisburg

Website: harrisburgwinefest.com

Billed as a “premier luxury wine event,” the Harrisburg Wine Festival partners with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to host a tasting of wines around the state and around the world. 450 wines will represent over 140 vintners, and wine will be available for purchase. A portion of all ticket sales will benefit the Patient- and Family-Centered Care Program at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. VIP Tasting: 5 to 6:30 p.m. Grand Tasting: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Lancaster's Celebrating "Mom" Day WineFest  - 11:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday, May 7, Lancaster County Convention Center, 25 Queen St., Lancaster

Website www.localwineevents.com/events/detail/612898#details-section

Treat Mom to a day of wine and shopping with a ticket to the “Mom” Day WineFest in Lancaster. 15 wineries and a long list of local vendors all add up to a great day out. Better yet, buy yourself the designated driver ticket, and you can be Mom’s number one kid and number one chauffeur.

Sweet Sensations of Spring - noon-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, May 7-22 in various locations

Website: www.hersheyharrisburgwinecountry.com/signature-events/spring-sensations-of-may

One ticket, three weekends of wine—explore local wineries while traveling through the beautiful Central Pennsylvania landscape. Your ticket is admission to wine and food pairings at each winery, along with 10% off purchases. Don’t forget your designated driver or book a custom tour with Premiere #1 Limousine.

15th Annual Art Walk & Wine Tasting - May 14 in Mechanicsburg

May and June are prime time for exploring regional wine festivals. From art-filled walks through town to tours through Central Pennsylvania’s wine country, this spring offers myriad opportunities to discover your next favorite glass.

Website: www.eventbrite.com/e/arts-and-wine-walk-tickets-24308419136

Mechanicsburg hosts a town-wide festival with local businesses offering their own choices of wine tastings, as well as other unique offerings, including Lavender Wine Elixir or sweet samples at The Rosemary House, chocolate wine sauce at Eckels Ice Cream Fountain and Pretzelmania Brittle on ice cream at Brittle Bark.

Chariperson Vonny Getz says the idea for an art and wine walk originated with Jeff Van Boskirk, owner of 2nd Floor Gallery on Market Street in Mechanicsburg. “Jeff formed a committee to encourage shopping downtown, and that committee morphed into the present day Foot Traffic Committee of the Downtown Mechanicsburg Partnership. Over the years, Van Boskirk’s idea for combining art, wine, and shop exploration has become one of the major events for downtown Mechanicsburg, drawing hundreds to view modern, traditional, and edgy art and to interact with artists in the act of creating.  Oh, of course then, there is the sampling of unusual wines.” Getz says that this year for the first time, the Art Walk & Wine Tasting will include a meadery — Larsen Meadworks at 35 W. Main St.

Wine glasses have been hand painted by artists from The Art Center in a plethora of designs to choose from for $12 in advance or $15 beginning at 12:30 p.m. on May 14 (while supply lasts).

Taste of Pennsylvania, noon – 6 p.m. May 14 and 15 at the York Fairgrounds, 334 Carlisle Ave, York

Website: www.yorkwinefest.com

Drink wine, help others—your ticket to the Taste of Pennsylvania wine and music festival in York will do just that. Organized as a fundraising event by the Sons of the American Legion post 403 in Glen Rock, the event features over 250 Pennsylvania wines, as well as local food, unique vendors and live music.

Matthew Davis, co-founder of CrocodileDog Marketing and self-described “Supreme Director of Logistical Stuff and Maps and Beer,” said “my uncle and I were actually officers of the Sons of the American Legion in Glen Rock. Our modus operandi up to that point was to sell pit beef at car shows and weird little foods to raise money. My late grandfather, my uncle, and I had been making wine for a while and had been talking about a winery. We had also talked about a wine festival, so we approached the SAL to do it as a fundraiser than to just do it.” Davis said that one of the Sons of the American Legion’s members put up all the seed money for that first year.

Last year, the Sons of the American Legion post 403 donated over $10,000  to local fire companies, scouting groups, libraries and children’s welfare organizations. If you need a good reason to drink wine (above and beyond “I love wine”), the Taste of Pennsylvania festival is at your service.

For beer lovers, Brew Kids on the Block celebrates new Pennsylvania breweries in a separate event from 6 – 9 p.m. on Saturday.

General admission is free. Daily wine or beer passes start at $25 (advance purchase at $18). Designated driver passes are $10 and include all-day free water or homemade sodas and a limited edition T-shirt. The festival is volunteer run and Davis said sports are still available.

Baltimore Wine and Food Festival - May 14, Rash Field – Inner Harbor, Waterfront in Baltimore, Maryland

Website: www.bmorewine.com

The inaugural celebration of the Baltimore Wine and Food Festival hosts over 150 international wines along with food from local restaurants and food trucks. If you’re worried about extra calories, get your day of wine and food off to a running start and join the Charm City Wine Run 5K, held immediately before the wine festival. VIP admission is noon – 6 p.m. General admission on the waterfront at National Harbor is 1 – 6 p.m.

Dauphin County Food & Wine Festival -  3 – 9 p.m. June 11 and 12, Fort Hunter, 5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg

Website www.dauphincounty.org

Live music, food, craft vendors and wine all come together at Fort Hunter’s scenic park along the Susquehanna River. Bring your lawn chairs and pack a picnic dinner for a relaxing “it’s almost summer” evening.  Doors open at 2 p.m.

2nd Annual Baltimore Wine Fest - Noon - 7 p.m. June 18 in Baltimore, Md.

Website: www.baltimorewinefest.com

This year’s Baltimore Wine Fest offers tastings of over 140 international wines along with seminars, gourmet food and chef demonstrations. Live music, arts and crafts vendors and a “family zone” make this a great day out for everyone.

Wildcat Ridge Wine & Music Festival - 1-6 p.m. June 18, Gratz Fairgrounds, 601 E. Market St. (Rte. 25), Gratz

Website: http://www.wildcatridgefestival.net/

Enjoy Pennsylvania wines, local food and live music amidst the gorgeous mountain-valley countryside. Proceeds benefit scholarship programs and help promote local agriculture.