It’s the little things, really. We never thought we would be enthusiastic about mopping a floor… or ordering toilet paper… or installing soap dispensers. But here we are! Knowing that we are getting down to the nitty gritty, moving past the big things like drywall and electrical, has us really excited.
Wanna peek? Take a look at what’s happening INSIDE the Toughkenamon tasting room this week! Catch a glimpse of the tasting bar (it is over 40 feet long!) and the corner window. Now that construction is moving, it is really moving. Expect to see more frequent updates and pictures as things are changing daily.
Note: We’ll be launching a wine club for our PA patrons. Soon you’ll be able to sign up for that online. Stay tuned for more information on that.
Progress! Our building permits came through so we are excited to say that we anticipate things moving more quickly now. The floors in the tasting room are now complete. Floors are important! And work on the sidewalk and the outside of the building began this week.
Here is a teaser. Can you guess what this is or what it might be for? 
We can’t invite you inside… yet. But that isn’t stopping us from getting outside, mingling with our neighbors, and celebrating the holidays with you all! We will be participating in the 1st Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony for the village of Toughkenamon! It will be a great night filled with all the wonder, magic, and fun that the holidays bring.
The evening’s events will include:
Get you first look inside what will be the NEW Harvest Ridge Winery tasting room and event space in Pennsylvania. Demo has begun. Look at it now, continue to follow the blog for updated construction pictures as we go, and get excited for news about our opening soon!
Before the corks are popped, before toasts are made, and before the wine begins to flow, there is a LOT that has to happen to open a new tasting room. We went through much of the process when we opened the winery in Delaware. As we prepare to open a tasting room in Pennsylvania, we have to do many of the same things (e.g. fill out lots and lots of paperwork), but also do some other things because it is a tasting room vs. a winery and it is in a different state (i.e. different laws). As you continue to follow updates about the progress of the Toughkenamon tasting room, we will include updates of the exciting things like opening dates (cheers and excitement, yay!) and more mundane but necessary things like permit applications (sad trombone noise, wah-wah). That way you can be in on all of it along with us: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Here’s a list of what we have been doing so far. In no particular order:
All of these tasks are part of an ever growing checklist that we continue to tweak, revisit, and revise as we get excited to actually OPEN! We look forward to opening this new location, sharing our wine and tasting room experience with another part of our wine region, and working with the people and businesses of Chester County to become an integral part of that community.
Thanks for being part of our journey.
In theory, summer is supposed to be a relaxing time, but it is busier than ever for us at the winery!
We have a new addition to the winery grounds: A beautiful gazebo! That, added to our lovely patio with fans, allows us to provide a more complete and comfortable experience to our customers. The gazebo will be a great stage for musical guests providing entertainment at events as well as a pretty location for weddings held at the winery.
Another new addition to the winery is our video intern, Kaitlin. You may see her around the grounds behind the camera. She comes to us from Wilmington University and is helping us to establish programming that will promote the winery beyond our property as well as inform our customers while visiting the winery. For more information on Kaitlin, you can read her introductory blog post here.
We are currently at 68 wine club members. Last month Harvest Ridge owner, Chuck Nunan, promised a surprise for the first 100 people to sign up to be a wine club member. Wine club members get access to member-only events at the winery, special discounts, and first crack at tickets for winery events. If you want to be part of that group, contact the winery at 302.343.9437. We are preparing for our second pick up party on August 9 and you won’t want to miss it! (Current wine club members will be receiving their email invitations shortly. Watch your inbox!)
Mark you calendar now for the Delaware Wine and Beer Festival! DWB14 is scheduled for October 11. On October 12, there will be a brunch associated with the festival held at Harvest Ridge Winery. The brunch is sponsored by the Delaware Wineries Association and will have drinks provided by the Association members including Harvest Ridge, Fenwick Wine Cellars, and Painted Stave. For festival information, read here.
Are you ready to STOMP??!! Our biggest event yet takes place on September 27. Join Harvest Ridge Winery as we STOMP out Children’s Cancer! Proceeds of this event to go to A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital. Next month’s newsletter and blog post will have full details of this event that will be fun for the whole family. If you would like to learn more about getting involved in what will be an exciting, fun, and inspiring day, contact the winery at tastingroom@harvestridgewinery.com for sponsorship opportunities.