Posted on July - 21 - 2010
Word of winery festival spreads through the grapevine
AMITY — Much like a fine wine, the Anniversary Festival at Manatawny Creek Winery has developed through the years.
Read more about local wines and wineries on The Grapevine
“It’s been hard work, but we’ve done it every year and we’re not going to discontinue it,” said Darvin Levengood, who started the winery with his family in the 1990s. This Saturday marks 12 years since the winery opened to the public on July 25, 1998.
Levengood said that while this Saturday is sure to be the “hottest day of the summer” it should be a good time at the winery, too. He said most people who attend the Anniversary Festival will have heard about it through the grapevine.
“We have an e-mail mailing list of 5,000 or 6,000 people, and those people have friends,” Levengood said. “So basically, it’s a lot of word-of-mouth.”
With many of these people passionate about wine possibly up, “generally it’s a mob scene,” Levengood said with a chuckle.
The festival will include two acts of musical entertainment, with Little Sister playing from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Bob Sica playing from 3 to 6 p.m.
There will be a complimentary wine and food pairing, including a grilled corn and black bean salsa with tortilla chips paired with merlot sangria. Tarbos BBQ will offer sandwiches available for purchase, and plates of cheese and bread that can be paired with wine will also be available for purchase.
Levengood will be giving tours of the winery at noon and 3 p.m., and, as usual, complimentary wine tasting will be available.
Additionally, a number of craftspeople will have their wares for sale, including jewelry, wood crafts and stone art.
Levengood said everyone is welcome to come to the festival, and noted that no outside alcohol is permitted.
Levengood explained that the winery came about from an amateur winemaking hobby of his.
“The property is an old family farm … and we planted some grapes around 1991,” Levengood said. “There had been a plan to create a winery with myself, my brothers-in-law and other members of my family” although that idea didn’t come to fruition immediately.
In the late-1980s, Levengood said, his daughter Joanne Levengood knew of the plan to one day start a winery and said, “‘Hey Dad, if you’re really serious about this winery idea, here’s a proposal,’” Levengood recalled. “‘I will get a winemaking degree from the University of California at Davis … and you … will commit to retiring’” and working at the winery.
Levengood said it was Joanne who gave the idea to start a winery legs, and the rest is history.
Asked about the following Manatawny Creek Winery and its wines have, Levengood credits his daughter.
“My daughter, the winemaker Joanne, she’s a professional winemaker,” Levengood said. “When I made wine as an amateur, I thought I was making pretty good wine, but when she came back, she started making really good wine.”
Levengood said there are a number of festivals and other events at the winery each year, and the Anniversary Festival is just as good as any to get to know the winery, or perhaps get to know it a bit better.
“There’s no charges for anybody, we’re just hoping you’ll come, have fun and maybe buy some wine,” Levengood said.
For more information on Manatawny Creek Winery, visit www.manatawnycreekwinery.com or head out to the winery at 227 Levengood Road in Amity.
If you cannot make it to the festival, the winery’s Tasting Room hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
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