My family recently traveled to State College, Pennsylvania, for yet another softball-filled weekend. We didn’t think we’d have much free time to explore, but thanks to some storms that rolled in, we had a rain delay, giving us some time to drive around. But where to go? One of my favorite things to do in such a situation is Google “wineries near me.” We found there were three in the State College area: Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery, Seven Mountains Wine Cellars and Happy Valley Vineyard and Winery. We only had time to visit one, so we picked Happy Valley Vineyard and Winery because it would give us the opportunity to drive through the Penn State campus on the way. No time for the ever-popular photo with the Nittany Lion statue, though — we had wine to taste.

Once we got around the sprawling campus, we drove through a residential development and wondered if there could even be a winery down the road. But as we rounded a corner, the grape vines became visible, and we knew we were in the right place. The tasting room was in a quaint little red building with a patio overlooking the vineyard and plenty of seating outside to enjoy a glass of wine with friends.

Our friendly and knowledgeable wine server, Amber Lockwood, presented us with the tasting menu that had a nice mix of dry to sweet wines to choose from. We are not into sweet wines but know many people who are, so the selection of sweet and fruit wines would be sure to please those with a sweet tooth! After tasting a selection of five wines, we ended up buying a bottle of Happy Valley White, an interesting off-dry blend of estate-grown grapes, and a Traminette, a bit sweeter and fruitier than the Traminettes we’re used to in the Finger Lakes region but perfect for sipping ice cold on a patio on a hot summer day!

So the next time you’re in State College for a Penn State football game and find yourself with free time, hit up a local winery.

— Tracey Cullen, art director