SANGRIA — Watermelon, strawberry basil and white wine. Sound interesting? Stone Villa Wine Cellars Inc., east of Kecksburg in Mt. Pleasant Township, offers recipes for these invit-ing Stone Villa periodically offers live entertainment on its spacious patio. Bring a lunch and purchase a bottle of wine while you take in the ambiance its 150-acre site near the base of the Laurel Highlands. If you’re into a different taste, check out Laurel Highlands Meadery in Irwin, where owner Matt Falenski recently opened a tasting room for his honey wines and traditional offerings, as well. You may also like a sampling of the few other traditional wineries in the county, including Green-dance (The Winery at Sandhill) at the edge of Mt. Pleasant Borough. Or how about a trip to the Greenhouse Winery in North Huntingdon, just outside the community of Rillton? Traditionally here, hot, summer days are followed by warm nights. A perfect setting with wine. Discover Westmoreland 2016 | 11 DISTILLERY * * * * * Following a decision to legalize distilling in Pennsylvania in 2012, the long-inactive stills at West Overton Distillery, part of the historic West Overton Village and Museum in southwestern West-moreland County, were expected to be up and running some time this summer. This will be a re-enactment of old Whiskey Rebellion days — without the sometimes-violent tax objections from farmers who were out to make a living by doing so. “We’ve been around for a long time,” said museum director Jes-sica Kadie-Barclay. “Now we want to rebrand ourselves.” Originally known as Abraham Overholt Distillery, West Overton was a hot spot for a hot subject during a day when there were no automobiles, airplanes or color TV, no internet, no electricity. But there was whiskey, and lots of it. West Overton’s plans include whiskey tasting sessions open to the public, though there was no immediate timetable for start up. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board recently granted West Overton Distilling Co. LLC a limited-production license, permitting the facil-ity to distill 100,000 bottles of whiskey annually. “Our goal is to be a regional destination center within the Lau-rel Highlands, and not just for the distillery,” Kadie-Barclay said. “We’ve got a lot to offer here.” There also are shops among the museum’s buildings and historic decor. “But the distillery is a big pitch in what can be a myriad of experi-ences,” she said. * * * * * Whiskey remained a popular spirit. When things settled down, a decade after the end of the Whiskey Rebellion, West Overton Distillery shifted into full operation, thanks in part to Abraham Overholt, who first distilled rye whiskey in 1803 in the heart of “Whiskey Rebellion Country.” West Overton Distillery’s expected re-opening at an adjacent barn on museum property would offer the chance to relive some of those old times and get a little taste of the rye by visiting West Overton Village and Museum, near Scottdale. It is, by most accounts, the oldest and only legalized distillery in the county. There are others close by — in Allegheny, Fayette and Indiana counties, to reference a few — but none in Westmoreland. If you go to West Overton Distillery, you’ll be able to witness what is slated to become only the second historical site in America that produces whiskey. The other is Mt. Vernon, Washington’s es-tate, in Virginia. drinks. For more information on the distillery opening, West Overton events or museum tours: WINE TIME WESTMORELAND COUNTY WINERIES Walnut Hill Winery 638 Turner Dr., Blairsville, PA 15717; 724-459-0132; WalnutHillWinery.com Greendance – The Winery at SandHill 306 Deer Field Road, Mt. Pleasant, PA 15666; 724-547- 6500; GreendanceWinery.com Greenhouse Winery – Main Winery in Irwin 2155 Gracin Lane Irwin, Irwin, PA 15642; 724-446-5000; GreenhouseWinery.com Greenhouse Winery – North Huntingdon 10650 Route 30 North Huntingdon, PA 15642; 724-864- 5002; GreenhouseWinery.com Laurel Highlands Meadery Herminie, PA 15601; 724-249-6323; LaurelHighlandsMeadery.com Royal Welsh Winery 125 W. Main Street, Ligonier, PA 15658; 724-610-3035; RoyalWelshWinery.com BREWERIES All Saints Brewing Company Route 119 and Roseytown Road, Greensburg, PA 15601; 724-289- 1202; Allsaintscraftbrewing.com Four Seasons Brewing Company & Pub 745 Lloyd Ave., Ext. Latrobe, PA 15650; 724-520-4111; Fsbrewing. com City Brewing Latrobe 119 Jefferson St., Latrobe, PA 15650; 724-537-5545; Citybrewery.com Helltown Brewing 13 Henry C. Frick St., Mt. Pleasant, PA 15666; 724-542- 4339; Helltownbrewing.com Bloom Brew 100 Riverside Dr., West Newton, PA 15089; 724-322-4494; Bloombrew.com Rivertowne Brewing Company 5578 Old William Penn Hwy. Export, PA 15632; 724-519-2145; Myrivertowne.com West Overton Village 109 W. Overton Rd., Scottdale, PA 15683; 724-887-7910; westovertonvillage.org Jessica Kadie-Barclay, Managing Director at West Overton Village & Museums
SSM_X001XXC07312016_Discover Westmoreland
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