Bird Song Winery & Vineyards
Sullivan County – Map Location: G-5 – 570-928-7170 – www.BirdSongWinery.com
Founded in 1995 by John Crane, Bird Song Winery is situated on 52 acres of picturesque Sullivan County countryside just outside the charming town of Dushore.
“We believe in the quality of our wine, and in the ‘down home’ atmosphere of our family winery,†notes John. “All of our wines are produced from Pennsylvania grapes. Since we started more than a dozen years ago, we have been working to develop a wine-growing region in the unique micro-climate of the Endless Mountains using varieties that are adaptable to a short, cold growing season. Some of our grapevines could withstand up to 25 degrees below zero.”
The Crane family steeps itself in vintner tradition and culture extending back 5,000 years, particularly the concept of ‘Terroir.’ (Terroir basically means that a wine’s style, taste, and flavor reflect the climate and minerals in the soil in which the grapes were grown. All wines’ flavors are unique to the grape varieties used and to the specific place.)
Although vintners have farmed in much the same way as John’s family since before recorded history, some of the monitoring techniques used at Bird Song are indeed cutting-edge technology. For example, John installed a weather station on the property that downloads temperature highs and lows and changes in humidity, and tracks both disease and insect pressures on his vineyards. “It’s state-of-the-art,†he says. “It takes readings every half hour all through the growing season, and we download periodically to study trends.”
Perched atop the mountains of Pennsylvania’s beautiful Sullivan County — between Ricketts Glen and Worlds End State Parks — Bird Song is proud to specialize in growing specific types of cold hardy grape varieties developed in the US and Canada but not typically seen in Pennsylvania. John sums it up this way: “We’re carving out an identity separate from other nearby wine regions. We carefully tend our vineyards, respecting Mother Earth by practicing low-impact farming, and we look forward to sharing the fruits of our labors with your family!
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