Release Dates for 2010 Vintage

I just wanted to make everyone aware of the special dates that we have planned for the upcoming season. Cassel Vineyards of Hershey is planning to open for sales duing the month of June. The release date for our 2010 White and Fruit wines is Thursday, June 2 at the Hershey Farmer's Market from 3-6 pm. We will also be opening at our retail winery at 53 Shetland Drive on Saturday, June 4th from 1-4 pm. All Summer these and our remaining 2009 Reds will be on sale. Then, in July... We will release our 2010 Red Wines for the Taste of Hummelstown on the Square. The Taste of Hummelstown will be held on Monday, July 18th and we look forward to seeing everyone there. It is very exciting to have these events scheduled and to look forward to seeing our friends from last year return for another year of wine and fun.

Rolling out the 2010 Vintage

March 12, 2011 finds us in the winery bottling our first vintage of 2010. Here Greg Etnoyer, Craig, Kevin Reigel, Chris, and Jody show off the fruits of our year's labor. We bottled 75 gallons of Strawberry which we all agreed smelled and tasted like it was just picked from our strawberry patch yesterday.
I can't think of a more enjoyable way to preserve and enjoy the work that we have all put into our endeavor the last year. To have it all in a bottle and taste the flavors, savoring the days spent in the vineyard, the friendships shared and affirmed, and the delightful sunshine that pours out of every bottle is nothing short of a miracle.
In the next several weeks we will continue to bottle our fruit wines including the new Peach and Honey wine. At the same time we will finish up our pruning in the vineyard as we begin to bottle our white wines (Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc and Niagara) and our new Blush. Sometime later in the Summer, in time for the Taste of Hummelstown on Monday, June 18th, we will finally bottle our reds (Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc).
Our wines will be available to the public the first week of June when we begin selling from the Hershey Farmer's Market on June 2nd and from the Cassel Vineyards Winery on Sat. June 4th. We hope to see you so that you can share in the fruits of our labors.

Let the pruning begin!

With February comes hope for spring around the corner and pruning. A beautiful evening in the vines. . .

Pruning in the Vineyard

Because several people have requested that we give them a call when we begin pruning our vines. Chris and I thought that we should put a video out to prepare them for the work that they may encounter. The weather is cold and appropriate dress is necessary and the work is tedius. Watch the video before you decide to volunteer so that you know what the work is like. If working in the vineyard is not for you that's okay, we still need plenty of volunteers to drink our wine when the pruning is done and the grapes are picked. Thank-you for your interest.

PA Farm Show Wine Competition

Cassel Vineyards of Hershey is proud to present their Silver Medal award winning 2009 Blush Wine. This years Pa Farm Show Wine Competition had 244 entries from 36 Pennsylvania Wineries. We were very honored to win this award and are excited about our 2010 vintage which is predicted to be one of Pennsylvania's finest.

Thank You and Happy New Year

After a wildly successful first year, Cassel Vineyards of Hershey would like to thank all of our customers and wish everyone a Happy New Year and a prosperous 2011. The 2010 vintage is resting in its stainless steel fermentation tanks and promises to be better than ever. We are grateful to all our friends, families and customers for everything that they have contributed to our success in 2010 and look forward to seeing everyone again in the upcoming year. Please check out our web-site at casselvineyards.com for announcements about when we will be opening in the new year.

Solitary Trees surrounding Cassel Vineyards

Large solitary trees are another piece of the natural artistry in the landscape surrounding Cassel Vineyards of Hershey. These large trees are symbolic in many ways, they symbolize strength, determination, perseverance and wisdom. These natural landmarks hold so many stories and years of historical information. The four solitary trees in these photos are located on Cassel Vineyards and pastures. These trees hold the stories of our Great, Great Grandfather when he began farming this land in 1903. Every season of the year, I look forward to walking around the farm to see the changes that have taken place over the past year. Below are the pictures of these solitary trees in December, 2010.

The first tree is a large Ash tree located in the center of our vineyard, just between our Cabernet Franc and Concord vines.

The second tree has always been one of my favorite places on our farm. This large Sycamore Tree is at the end of our vineyard in what we call the South pasture.

The third tree is a large Tulip Poplar tree that my son Colton has named "The Tree of Perseverance" . This old tree is located in the front pasture just below our block of Cabernet Franc vines.

The Fourth tree is located where we would like to hold weddings and musical events in the near future. The view from this location is beautiful with the Hershey Corporate building and the Hershey Hotel in the background. This large Pin Oak Tree has been named "The Thinking Tree" by our neighbors.