Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery Review
Address: 1282 Klines Run Rd. Wrightsville,Pennsylvania 17368.
Phone Number: 717-252-9463
Tasting Hours: Wed & Thurs 12:00 5:00, Fri 12:00-9:00, Sat 11:00-6:00, Sun 11:00-5:00
Region: Pennsylvania
Reviewer: Joanne Dunne
Review Date: 10/31/2015
Reviewer: Joanne Dunne
Rating: 4
The Review
“The Long and Winding Road”, one of the Beatles most memorable songs, was the agreed upon tune for our trip to Moon Dancer Winery in Wrightsville, PA. It is a bit “out of the way”, and visitors must literally make their way across a bridge, make several turns, and travel up a long and winding road until they reach the top of the hill, where Moon Dancer quietly awaits their reaction to the picturesque chateau that overlooks the Susquehanna River…and it IS breathtaking, even on a cloudy, autumn day. We had a feeling that we were in for one of the better wine tasting experiences around.
On a brisk Saturday afternoon, we entered through the great, wood front doors into a room filled with small tables where guests were enjoying live acoustic music. Passing through to find the tasting area, I definitely felt a sense of interrupting a gathering, as everyone was so quiet in this particular room while the music played. We found the tasting counter which was not terribly busy. While waiting for our pourer, we were able to take in the ambiance through the wide-windowed doors that lead out to the large patio area. Brick oven pizzas can be ordered in addition to the typical cheese and cracker assortments.
The wait was not long to do a tasting, and our pourer was friendly enough, but he definitely had his hands full with other guests and showing another attendant how the register system works. Smiling, he poured our first choice of Wild Naked Chard, an unoaked chardonnay, and quickly moved on to help other guests, leaving us to form our own opinions. Upon his return, a quick description of the wine we just had, another pour of our next choice, and he was off again.
While the setting appears to have come out of a book or rural lands in Europe, the wines themselves were middle of the road though definitely a more extensive offering than at some other Pennsylvania wineries . Prices start at $16.00 and continue reasonably to the $32.00 specialty bottles of Port and Ice Wines. Also available is a line of reasonably priced sweet wines (the trend these days) called Moon Dog Cellars, which are $12.00 to $14.00. On our day of tasting, we were happy to been able to try the Susquehanna Spice, a wine that’s wonderful when warmed. It’s very sweet and begs to be drizzled on a slice of apple pie. Overall, Moon Dancer provides a nice selection for the casual wine drinker.
After we finished our tasting, we went to explore the surroundings. Inside, there are several rooms that seem to call for exploration, just small little alcoves for gathering – though on this day, it seemed a bit library-like and we ventured outside. The view is absolutely stunning, and one does feel far away from the hustle and bustle. It’s no wonder this venue is a big wedding event site. You could make plenty of noise here without disturbing the neighbors. The brick oven was being tended to, there was plenty of patio seating – as well as some Adirondack chairs on the grounds – to sit and enjoy a glass of wine and light food. The building and property alone make the visit worthwhile.