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Hummingbird Ridge Winery up for sale


After seven years running the business, owner Tom Day is looking forward to spending more time hunting and fishing.

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Winemaking is a passion for Tom Day.

In the seven years since he opened Hummingbird Ridge Winery in Newberry Township, Day has produced countless bottles.

His wines, which include Concord grape, Niagara grape and other sweet wines, have won many fans. His award-winning wines include a Moonlight White that captured a silver medal at the 2011 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.

But running a winery also takes a lot of time, something that's in short supply when you're also juggling a full-time job as a service technician.

So Day, 51, has put the winery, which includes a tasting room and warehouse, up for sale. He's hoping to spend time hunting and fishing, something he hasn't had a chance to do much in recent years.

Day said he plans to close the winery as of Oct. 1, if  he doesn't find a buyer by then.

Hummingbird Ridge's website advertises a "final blowout" yard sale and concert on Sept. 17 and 18.

"Everything must go!" the post says.

Day said he's already gotten interest from a number of potential buyers. He declined to say how much he's asking.

"I'm hoping somebody continues the venture," he said.

Jennifer Eckinger, executive director of the Pennsylvania Winery Association, said it is "relatively uncommon" for a winery to change hands. The association gets calls from time to time from people who want to buy an existing business.

"I don't see wineries going up for sale very often," she said.

Interest in operating a winery is growing, however.

The number of wineries in Pennsylvania has more than tripled in recent years. It rose from 64 in 2000 to 221 in 2014, according to a report from the Pennsylvania Winery Association, which used data from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

But Eckinger acknowledges the time commitment required to run a winery is "intense."

For Day, that has meant Hummingbird Ridge has to always come first.

"It was a lot a pride and fun, but it will be a relief, also," he said. "You don't really make the wine. The wine makes you."