Pennsylvania's Oldest Operational Winery Is A Picturesque Escape With Award-Winning Drinks And Rustic Charm

For a trip into Pennsylvania's wine history that blends recognized libations with rustic charm, you might look to Presque Isle Wine Cellars in "America's Grape Country" in the town of North East, Pennsylvania, part of the Lake Erie Wine Region. It is the state's oldest winery, founded in 1964 by Douglas P. Moorhead, who got his start in the industry supplying winemakers with tools. Moorhead was a key member of a group of grape growers who pushed for legislation to begin a wine industry in the Keystone State. Their advocacy resulted in the Limited Winery Act in 1968, a turning point because it allowed wineries to produce and sell grapes grown inside the state after being restricted during Prohibition. In 1969, Presque Isle Wine Cellars received one of the first two winery licenses issued in Pennsylvania.

The winery property is a part of Lake Erie Wine Country, a charming haven of lakefront beauty with walkable trails and quirky art between Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, and Silver Creek, New York. The main building at Presque Isle Wine Cellars is a restored Civil War-era farmhouse known as The Isle House. This is where you'll find the tasting room and event areas coupled with a view of vineyards and the natural beauty of Twelve-Mile Creek.

The wine has also fared quite well in prestigious competitions. If you try the Freeport Red (a semi-dry red blend), for example, you'll be sipping on a Platinum Award winner from the 2025 Monterey International Wine Competition, whereas the Dornfelder red was a Double Gold medal winner in the 2019 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. In addition, the winery's Cabernet Franc was named one of the state's best vintage wines.

The menu at Presque Isle Wine Cellars features a plethora of drinks and some tasty bites, too. The wine list has European-style dry wines, semi-dry and semi-sweet choices, and sweet wines made from American-grown grapes. If you're a fan of drier red wines, you'll find choices like Cabernet Franc, Dornfelder, Lemberger, and Pinot Noir. If white wine is more your jam, you can choose a Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Riesling. The winery also makes several semi-dry and semi-sweet wines. For example, Falling Waters is a slightly sweet sparkling wine with animated, fruity aromas that was inspired by waterfalls on the winery property. There are also traditional sweet wines like Creekside Concord, the cause-infused Creekside Pink Catawba Breast Cancer Awareness Blush, and vintages made from Niagara grapes.

Another wine category to tickle your fancy is the "Kisses" line of ice-style dessert wines. For these wines, the makers let Vidal Blanc grapes (a white hybrid grape) freeze on the vine, a process that concentrates the sugars before the grapes are pressed into production. Eskimo Kisses is the original; flavored versions include Hot Kisses, made with Thai chili pepper for spicy notes, and Cinnful Kisses, with highlights of warming cinnamon. You can also stop into the Isle House Cafe to enjoy snacks on the large deck or in the picnic area. The cafe also serves lunch every day and breakfast on Saturdays.

The winery's ambiance comes from the area's natural beauty as well as from the historic and rustic buildings. The winery's main building, The Isle House, is a farmhouse whose warm and inviting interior is perfect for wine tasting. The exterior of the building opens up to a patio and a beautifully manicured property with vineyards and lush trees, overlooking Twelve Mile Creek, a picturesque, cascaded Lake Erie tributary that's a popular spot for fishing. The outdoor area is a quiet place where you can enjoy a glass of wine, and you're welcome to walk around the property to find your own spot for a picnic. 

Winery activities include daily tastings, of course, but there are also regular wine-themed events, like "Bottles & Boards," which pairs wine tasting with instruction on how to design your own charcuterie board. The dining room and second-floor rooms of The Isle House can be rented for private events like dinners and parties.

Those planning an overnight trip should know that Presque Isle Wine Cellars does not offer overnight stays for guests unless you're in an RV — the winery participates in what's known as the Harvest Hosts program, where members provide RV campers with a place to park and sleep. For those in search of traditional accommodations, though, the nearby towns of North East (about three miles away) and Erie (a 23-minute drive) both offer a variety of hotels, bed and breakfasts, and inns. Beyond the winery and its nearby towns, be sure to explore more of Lake Erie's best-kept secrets, like the town of Freeport Beach.