Flickerwood Wine Cellars
McKean County – 309 Flickerwood Road, Kane, PA
814-837-7566 – www.Flickerwood.com
The most wonderful thing about Flickerwood Wine Cellars is that it is an entirely family built and operated business, with all members of Ron and Sue Zampogna’s immediate family playing major roles.
After retiring from the U.S. Forest Service in 1998, with thirty-six years of service, Ron has begun a second career as winemaker and manager at Flickerwood Wine Cellars. Ron has been an amateur winemaker for over thirty years, perfecting several blends of wine from Native American and French hybrid grapes. He feels winemaking is part of his Italian heritage that should be continued and passed along to future Zampogna generations. The natural skill and knowledge that he possesses is very evident to everyone who has sampled his wine.
Located on property that fronts the home of Rick and Sharon Zampogna, construction started on the winery at the end of October 1999. Ron and Sue’s two sons, Rick and Tim, both first-class carpenters, spent the winter building the winery. The wine cellar is twelve feet high and holds a variety of tank sizes that ferment and store the wine until it is ready for bottling. As soon as they could close in the wine cellar and pass all the inspections, the first vintage of juice was put into the tanks. While the winemaking process was taking place all winter, the rest of the facility was built around the wine cellar.
Located in a beautiful country setting, the winery gift shop and wine tasting area are warm, welcoming, and inviting to those who enter the front door, including the physically challenged. Decorated with knotty pine walls, cathedral ceilings, a grape motif, and using burgundy and forest green to accent the areas, the Zampognas want everyone to feel at ease and at home. The beautiful handcrafted wine tasting bar will make the experience of tasting wine an enjoyable one. After opening the winery with four varieties of wine, the winery now offers over thirty award winning wines, including sweet, semi-sweet, semi-dry and dry table wines, in reds, whites, and blushes. Flickerberry Dew, a wonderful blackberry and red raspberry blend, won the Best of Show Wine in the 2004 PA Wine Association Wine Competition, and Flickerwood’s Grandview White Niagara won the inaugural Keystone Wine Cup (Best of Show Wine) in the 2006 competition.
Daughter, Julie Zampogna Wehner, designs all the labels that are being used on the wine bottles. One label design features a view from Jake’s Rocks Road overlooking the Allegheny Reservoir. This label celebrates Ron’s career with the Forest Service. Another label features the logo for Flickerwood Wine Cellars, while the Sweet Angel Red label is an adorable depiction of Sue and Ron’s thirteen grandchildren as darling Victorian Angels.
Flickerwood’s beautiful gift shop offers many unique items including handcrafted wrought iron and black cherry hardwood wine racks, crystal, pottery goblets, ice buckets, decanters and pitchers, gel and wax candles, grape motif linens, jewelry and novelty items, gourmet wine baskets and boxes, a variety of wine-serving accessories, Flickerwood Wine Cellars hats, sweatshirts, t-shirts, golf shirts and wine glasses, as well as personalized items including wine bottle labels and black cherry wine boxes. Gift certificates are also available.
After six years in business and to keep up with demand for FWC wine, the winery’s owners began construction of a two-story addition to the winery in the fall of 2006. It includes an additional wine cellar and a beautiful Wine Lounge and was completed in March 2007. The décor is cozy and relaxing with authentic wine barrel tables, wine press ceiling fans, grapevine bar lights and sconces, and all electrical plates are covered with FWC Wine labels. The stone fireplace creates a warm, inviting atmosphere to all who visit to enjoy a glass/bottle of award winning FWC wine. The entire back wall is all windows, custom designed, to give openness to the lounge with a terrific view of the picnic grounds of the winery.
The artistic creation of the Wine Lounge was formed by all of the winery’s family with love for each other, the winery, and the legacy it will leave them. Customers are welcome to enjoy a glass/bottle of award-winning wine and choose a delicious appetizer from the hors d’oeuvres list to enjoy with their wine. The lounge is also available for rent for any type of event. Party platters are available for groups and caterers are available for dinner parties if requested.
The newest adventure for the Zampogna Family is the opening of a satellite store at 116 West State Street in Kennett Square, PA. Ron and Sue’s two daughters, Tammy Liberato and Julie Wehner, live in that area and will be opening Flickerwood Wine Cellars Tasting Room hopefully by October 2008, just in time for the holidays.
Hours of Operation:
Open seven days a week
Monday-Thursday – 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday – 10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sunday – 12:00 noon-6:00 p.m.
Extended Hours available upon request
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