Travel4Thyme
Frankly, we were almost shocked that Pennsylvania wines could be so well developed and multi-dimensional. The winemaker is paving new ground as Winemaker of the Year 2014 and she does a great job. We have been twice to Galen Glen and will return . . . we purchased a mixed case this last trip and are savoring the vintages. The little jellies from the shop make a nice addition to a gift basket. In season, you can pack a picnic and on some summer Saturdays a food truck is on-site - we have missed that but have friended Galen Glen on facebook to get updates.Wine tasting has a modest charge that is waived with purchase - we joined the Case Club and taste for freeWe have Galen Glen programmed into the GPS now and look forward to a nice winding country ride through farms, forests and rising elevation to where the vines meet the sun and dew on hillsides near Hawk Mountain. Cheers!
pillow4me
A perfect day trip. Galen Glen is truly a hidden gem, that is a must "do" for anyone who loves wine, nice drives, natural beauty, breathtaking scenery. I have toured many wineries in NY and California. None compare to the beauty of Galen Glen. Finding the location can be a little tricky, but, adds more "awe" factor when you actually discover it. The staff are friendly/helpful. The wines are reasonably priced, especially after deducting the $5 tasting cost from your purchases.
AnnaMargaret
Even if the wines weren't great, a trip up the hill to Galen Glen would be worth it for the view. This is a lovely little winery, with friendly unpretentious staff eager to share. The tasting includes six wines and the fee is deducted from purchase. Galen Glen is known for their German inspired whites and they are crisp and lush. Some fruity chambourcins, Lehigh Valley thrivers, round out the reds. Try the raspberry, not too sweet, to polish off your tasting, It wish I would have skipped lunch to sample one or two of their paired cheese plate offerings.
1naturegirl
This was my first visit to Galen Glen Winery. When I read Sarah Troxell had won the title of Best Woman Winemaker in an international competition in the Morning Call newspaper, I just had to come and taste her wine. I am so glad I did. It was near closing time on a Friday night, there was only one other customer in the winery; so, I got a lot of undivided attention from Sarah. Sarah and her husband are very welcoming and helpful in education you on wine making. I was curious about the Ice Wine and she educated me on how it is made. What is incredible is if they don't get the right outside temperature at the right time, they loose that crop of 'Ice Wine' grapes.So, all the hard work on this product is for nothing when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate. I tasted the Ice Wine and it is very good, but very sweet. It would be a great wine to serve with dessert. So, I guess when these grapes freeze on the vine, it must concentrate the sugars. They have to also pick this grape at night so it doesn't thaw at all. Very interesting to hear how this Ice Wine is made. Their Vidal Blanc Ice Wine 2013, won Gold Medal & Best of Show IWWC.One of my favorite wines is Riesling, so I tasted theirs of course. The two Riesling I tasted were excellent, but my favorite was the Riesling 2013, Stone Cellar Dry White, it also won Gold Medal RIWC. A bottle of this went home with me. I also enjoyed the Winter Mountain White 2013, Erin's Auslese 2013 Semi-Sweet White and Galah 2013 Sweet Blush. All of these wines went home, also. The drive to the winery is lovely, although much better signage needs to be put up where there are forks in the road. We eventually found the winery after a few wrong turns. The day we were at the winery was absolutely gorgeous and the scenery is breathtaking. You could almost think you are in Italy. The only down thing was the loud bird of prey screeches being played throughout the vineyard to keep the other birds from eating the profit. Well, if it saves the grapes that create this lovely wine, I guess it worth the noise.This vineyard is definitely worth a visit!
BUBrat2
The winery is breathtaking. Just a simple building with fields and fields of crops. The signage going to the place could have been better. It's on the top of a huge hill on back roads and we weren't sure if we were on the right path through the woods. All the advertisements said tasting and tours, but come to find out, its just a tasting. We spend maybe 10 minutes here. You taste, you look, you move on. We bought a few bottles of wine, so we will see after we drink them if it was worth the drive to go there.
272johnz
After sampling wines all around the US and Italy, Galen Glen remains as one of our favorites anywhere. They have some German-inspired whites that are as good as anywhere, including Reislings and the rarer Gewurtztraminers and Gruner Veltliners. The setting is gorgeous on top of a hill overlooking the vines, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the co-owner, Sarah, recently won the coveted Best Female Winemaker. We would recommend Galen Glen to everyone.
barroske
Galen Glen Wines is in the rolling country side of Pennsylvania. The view is beautiful as you look out over the vineyards to see the rolling hills. Bring a camera.The wine sampling is $5/person for 6 wines. They apply the $5 to a bottle of wine if you purchase one. They wines are good, especially the dessert wines. The staff is great and very friendly.I recommend stopping here if you're in the area.
Garett_Travel
The setting for this winery is beautiful. There are plenty of areas to relax around the main building and take in the views, and a delicious food truck was actually present the day we were there, which helped as we were hungry when we first arrived (they do also have cheese and crackers inside for purchase). After some sandwiches, we went inside and had a great experience with knowledgeable staff who took us through the various wines (tasting is $5 per person and can be applied towards purchases). It was a fun and educational experience. There are also wine infused jams and other wine related items for purchase. We chose this winery because it had the best reviews for being a pleasurable outing, and we were not disappointed. A great way to start our weekend trip to the mountains.
LetsGoWithStyle
Happened to visit Galen Glen Winery on the day they offered their annual spring tour. We arrived early and spent some time taking in the gorgeous scenery, then treated ourselves to tastings of Grüner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer, Auslese, Chambourcin - varieties I had never known. This is the most personal and personable winery. Although there appears to be a number of staff members, the owners were on-hand and most friendly. Sarah discussed wine choices in the lovely tasting room while Galen led the tour of the vineyards, answering questions of vines and varieties while discussing the challenges of growing seasons.Did I mention the wines are wonderful? We will be back for another case.
ScottD531
Galen Glen is a winery that is worth going out of your way to enjoy. The view from the tasting house of the surrounding vineyard, farms and forest is breathtaking. Besides a small number of intimate tables inside Galen Glen has an outside pavilion with picnic tables and a lower patio area with a number of umbrella tables allowing the winery to cater to almost any size gathering. The wines I have tasted here match the wonderful view and the friendly staff makes tasting and drinking a fun and relaxing occasion. If it's available, I recommend the ice wine as it has been one of the best ice wines I have tasted (and I go looking for ice wine).If you are looking for gifts, the winery offers a variety of hand painted wine glasses. For a more edible purchase, a variety of jams made from the local grapes are also tasty.Be sure to check the happenings tab on their web page. We planned out trip to be there when a gourmet hot dog truck was there. One wouldn't think dogs and wine would go together but the Kimchee Sausage and Duck Jalepano Provolone were delicious and went will with our drinks.Be sure to say hello to the friendly kitty who greeted us when we arrived.PS. Wine tasting was $5 for 6 samples which could be applied to a purchase of a bottle.
ScoobaDoo96
We had first visited Galen Glen a few years ago during the Fall when they were operating a hayride through the vineyard - I was impressed it was a family-oriented outing that seemed to be enjoyed by those who participated. Of course, I also impressed by the wines and I looked forward to visiting again during a recent trip to Jim Thorpe PA. On this visit, we arrived soon after the Winery had opened for the day so it wasn't busy, but by the time we finished our wine-tasting and made our purchase it was fairly crowded - however, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, customers and employees alike. We chose several wines - my favorites are the Winter Mountain Red and the Galah, and my husband likes the Winter Mountain White. We also splurged on the Raspberry dessert wine - very sweet, but flavorful and perfect to finish a special occasion dinner.Outside, it was beautiful weather and there were families at the tables or on blankets soaking in the sun or having a picnic lunch. Although there doesn't seem to be a lot of signage to advertise and the location is definitely a bit off the beaten path, Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery is popular and has its dedicated customers - I know I'll visit again next time I'm in the area!
PAfamily07
This is a small family vineyard with a strong German/Austrian influence. On our post-holiday visit, the roads were twisting and snow-covered (the road it is one is called winter mountain and two of their wines bear this moniker) and while there were some small signs, it would be easy to get lost. This is because it is not placed for the convenience of those visiting but is on part of a farm that has been in the family for 200 years (according to staff), which I view as another reason to support their efforts. They are updating the attractive tasting room with a new slate counter and actual samples of the rock layers under the specific varieties of the vines in displays on the wall. This is a nice building for a winter visit. They have a handful of cafe tables in a side room with a nice view. I would love to return to sit under the lovely covered pavilion that overlooks the vineyards on a warmer day. They had 9 whites, 1 blush, 6 reds, and a dessert wine. Bottles range from $9 - $17. $5 for tastes of up to 6 wines will be applied to your purchase. 10% discount on cases of 12 bottles or more. I am not a big wine drinker so I cannot vouch for specifics but they had won a number of awards and I enjoyed the wine I had. The staff when we visited was very friendly and happy to share info about the wines as well as the history of the operation (almost 20 years). Nice side excursion from Jim Thorpe or stop in the afternoon before heading to Penn's Peak. Open until 5pm on weekends.
patd674
We stopped to have some wine tasting. The views all around are spectacular. The staff very friendly and informative. Wonderful wines and some nice gifts to purchase. Lovely seating inside and out. Definitely will be going back
GuillaumeS127
Definitely a place to check out if you are in the area. The ground have superb views on the surroundings, staff is really friendly and laid back, wine testing is very fun for 5$ you can try 6 wines. You can even buy a bottle and drink on site but we didn't got the chance to do at as we arrived to late. Very good experience!!
VacationingBoricua
I am not going to lie, it is far (1.5 hours from conshy). You will go deep into Lehigh valley. Then you go up the hill with farms on both sides. You enter the gravel driveway and see the vineyards on both sides and you take in the beautiful view. They have a gazebo with several picnic tables, some terraces over looking the vineyards from up high. Simply lovely. Their wine tasting is $5 for six wines. They currently have a selection of 9 whites, 6 reds and 3 dessert wines. They were many favorites but my personal were the Riesling, Erin's auslese, galah, and the crooked stick. We went and brought our goodies to picnic and enjoyed the views while drinking our wine. Hands down I would take this trip again!