On Route 100 North toward Pottstown from the Downingtown turnpike exit you will find the latest winery to hit Chester County. Stone Barn Cellars Winery, a labor of love from husband-and-wife team Ben and Suzanne Morrison, has been a dream in the making for almost 20 years.
Ben, a former photojournalist and editor, began making hobby wine two decades ago. His wife, Suzanne, a chemist by trade, joined in on the crafting of their own wines. Over the years, they spent time touring wineries, meeting with winemakers and hoping to one day build their own winery. In 2010, the dream started taking shape when they began rehabbing a 150-year-old stone barn that would house both their winery and tasting room. Over the past few years, the Morrisons have transformed the old barn into not only their place of business, but also their home. They live on the property with their four daughters in a stone house next to the barn, so they are never too far away from family or the winery.
Ben and Suzanne believe in utilizing as much of the land and natural resources as possible to keep their wine and winery local. The winery sits on 10 acres on the banks of French Creek, which provides stellar views from their front porch. Additionally, the stone barn is equipped with solar panels and the floors of the tasting room are made from ash and oak trees that lined their property. All the fruit used in their wines is strictly Pennsylvania grown, either from local producers or a few of their own vines.
Stone Barn Cellars Winery produced 2500 gallons of wine this year in 12 varieties. The varieties range from dry to semi-sweet and both whites and reds are available. I was lucky enough to taste a few of them and was duly impressed. The Chardonnay, aged in steel rather than oak, is a smooth, straightforward wine. The Bonfire, a dry red, was smoky and peppery, perfect for a BBQ. Most intriguing was the Spice of Life pumpkin wine. Although there is no actual pumpkin in the wine, it uses all the spices of a pumpkin pie, heavy on the clove. I imagine this would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving table. Ben tells me to get it early though, as they only produced a small amount of this specialty wine this year.
The tasting room has a relaxed feel to it, from the long pressed-copper bar that Ben built to the comfortable high-top tables, bar chairs and the grouping of adirondack chairs that grace their porch. Ben and Suzanne envision Stone Barn Cellars as a place to come unwind and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They host music on their front porch on Saturdays from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m., as well.
It was such a beautiful summer evening when I visited the tasting room, so Suzanne suggested that I try a signature sangria and relax on an Adirondack chair outside on the porch. I’m glad I took her up on the offer. The sangria had a beautiful red hue, filled to the brim with orange wedges and cranberries and served ice cold. It was so comforting to sit on the porch while sipping my cocktail and taking in the lush scenery. The tasting room is currently offering sangria for $5. What an inexpensive way to shake off the stress. I asked Suzanne for her recipe and she obliged.
Stone Barn Cellars Winery Red Sangria
Makes one large pitcher.
Ingredients:
- One Bottle Stone Barn Cellars DELICIOUSLY RED WINE
- 1 1/2 quarts Ocean Spray CranGrape juice
- 5 limes (juice only)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- Orange wedges to garnish
- Frozen cranberries to garnish (Writer’s note: don’t skimp on the cranberries; my glass was filled with cranberries and it adds to the taste and look of the cocktail.)
Method:
- Mix above ingredients and simply, serve on ice.
The tasting room is open daily. Hours are Sunday–Thursday, noon–6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Find Stone Barn Cellars Winery at 3050 Pottstown Pike in Spring City; (484)985-8077; stonebarncellars.com.
Photo credits: Nina Lea Photography.
