Exceptional Wine, Memorable Surroundings and Welcoming Vibes
By: Gerald Dlubala, Staff Writer
Just six miles from State College in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery sits nestled into the side of Mount Nittany, offering exceptional wine choices with scenic valley views among peaceful, serene, and breathtaking surroundings.
“Our property is truly an added attraction for our guests,” said Linda Carroll Weaver, co-owner and general manager of Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery. “It’s such a serene and quiet setting because you won’t find us just off a highway or in or near a neighborhood. Frankly, we used to be hard to find until we paid for state signage around the area to help visitors find us.
“Our property is wooded, with fields, and a natural place to host and enjoy unique events,” she explained. “We look to host things that maybe other wineries can’t, like disc golf and 5K runs. Our property, event spaces and gathering areas are peaceful, relaxing, and serene; we think that’s a highlight of your visit. And being good neighbors, as we don’t offer live music like other wineries. We don’t want to promote that type of business in the evening and then worry about people managing the roads around here. We want our guests to enjoy a place where they can sit, put their phones away, have a glass of great wine, relax, and enjoy each other’s company.”
Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery has several unique and reservable gathering areas around the picturesque property. The winery includes a spring-fed pond and the original home of Linda’s parents, Joe and Betty Carroll. The Carrolls were the original property owners and lived in the house from 1983 to 2020. Linda and her husband, Steve, renovated the home into the Linden Lodge, a California deck-style home that is now a year-round reservable VRBO property. The home features five bedrooms and three full baths, with spectacular views across Penn’s Valley to the Tussey Mountain Range.
Another original barn structure once housed everything needed by the winery, a tasting room located upstairs with all production and winemaking taking place downstairs. Over the years, Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery experienced five different building or transformation phases that saw them adding a 1,000-gallon tank, a full on-site lab and more.
“People love our tasting room space,” said Carroll-Weaver. “It’s an open space with a 1 ½ story ceiling. There is a fireplace and large windows overlooking the pond. There are also decks covered with several types of reserved seating space. Our reservation system is popular because you can reserve both time and place. Guests can reserve the places they would like to be on our property. That may be inside, outside, under a covered deck or pavilion or even a table by the pond. One of my favorite photos I took here is a group of younger guests with their cell phones piled up on the end of a table. No one would be talking on or looking at their phones on this visit. I know it’s unusual, but that’s the type of vibe we want to promote and enable: a place to socialize and be present with friends and family.”
Ideas, Visions, and the Trip That Changed Everything
Joe and Betty Carroll purchased the property in 1983 with no intention of starting a winery. The views were notable, with only a barn and spring-fed pond on the property. Joe’s dad had a farm, but Joe himself did not grow up on a farm in the traditional sense. He was, however, a jack of all trades.
He received a degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State and was familiar with machinery. He also taught at Penn State at one point. The property on Mount Nittany had the ideal southern exposure, site elevation and drainage capabilities for grape growing. Joe had a friend who was a winemaker, so he planted a six-acre vineyard, intending to supply his friend with grapes. However, the Carrolls had the opportunity to visit a few smaller family-owned wineries during a trip to Australia to visit with their daughter Linda and her husband, Steve. It was then that their vision for the Mount Nittany property changed from growing grapes for others to becoming a winery.
Joe’s amateur winemaking skills improved as he leaned on other winemakers’ advice and knowledge. Those skills, combined with his background as a mechanical engineer, led the Carrolls to build, own and operate Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, a state with only about 30 operating wineries at the time.
Opening in 1990, the winery still operates in much the same way today, with Linda and Steve taking ownership in 2016. Linda is the general manager and oversees operations and sales. Steve is the vineyard manager, and Scott Hilliker, who interned with the winery while finalizing his education in oenology and viticulture, eventually became the full-time winemaker.
The 65-acre property retains its original six-acre vineyard and features six different grape varietals, including Itasca musca elvin, seyval blanc, cayuga, vidal blanc and riesling. The all-white varietals are used mostly for blending grapes into sweeter styles of wines, while other varietals are sourced either locally or from out west.
Along with a state-of-the-art production facility, Carroll-Weaver told The Grapevine Magazine that there are two main event spaces. The Treehouse Private Event Space was the original tasting room and is available for parties of up to 40, while the Vintner’s Loft Tasting Room has a capacity of up to 100 guests. Guests can self-cater their events or choose from a pre-approved list of caterers who are experienced and familiar with the winery. Distinct types and styles of seating are also available for reservation and tastings around the property. Each offers its own style, design, and amenities, including outdoor pondside seating, covered decking seating, indoor seating, or a private outdoor pavilion space with an adjacent firepit.
“We design and present all of our spaces to enable and promote socialization among guests”, said Carroll-Weaver. “We also provide a small kitchen for catering use. It is a limited space, and although we don’t use it ourselves to offer food, it is a good space that allows caterers to prepare fresh food for guests or for our winery events.”
“We like hosting monthly wine and food pairing events, but we also host themed or month-specific events,” she said. “They generally sell out quickly. Our wine and soup pairing and our wine and chili pairing are popular. And then we’ll do seasonal pairings like a wine and chocolate pairing in February, a wine and cupcake pairing for Mother’s Day or even free hot dogs for the fourth of July.”
Carroll-Weaver continued, “On some Friday nights that we stay open a little later, we do wine and bingo nights, and I think we’ll be getting more into wine and trivia nights. We’re always thinking of different things to do here because our hours are limited, and we don’t offer music. We like being an activity-based winery. Our guests can have a good time with friends and family instead of sitting on their devices. It’s really heartening to see guests having an enjoyable time while their phones and electronic devices are put away.”
The Goods
“We offer the whole range of wines to suit every taste that comes through our doors,” said Carroll-Weaver. “Some visitors are surprised that we have such a great selection of non-sweet wines, but guests can choose chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet and merlot through our trademarked Tailgate (Tailgate red and white) and trademarked Nittany (Nittany Mountain red, white and blush) wines to our selection of fruit and dessert wines.”
“We have 25 varieties in all, including a peach-flavored wine, a blueberry wine, a popular, locally sourced apple wine and a red raspberry sangria,” she said. “Our Tailgate red and Nittany selections are popular because they grab the attention of those looking to get something local from State College. Those are usually our best sellers, but our port sells well too, although it has limited production.”
Seek Growth Within Your Niche
“We like where we’re at as a family-owned winery and really don’t plan any major changes for the future,” said Carroll-Weaver. “This is such a competitive market right now that we want to stay in our niche, mostly a daytime winery, with quality wine and great events. We feel lucky to have relatively little or no turnover in our staff. We get compliments about them all the time. Our staff are generally either retired or in their second career, get along very well and are truly knowledgeable. Additionally, they like to serve our guests and have fun, ensuring they have a good time and experience the things and wines they like.”
Carroll-Weaver also shared, “We have a great winemaker who has been with us since his internship, and our location is unique. We do want to promote our event spaces because we see that business as a future growth area. We’re not looking to build a huge wedding venue and get into the venue business. We have hosted smaller weddings and events and are fine with that. We are more suited for bridal and baby showers, birthdays, retirement parties and those types of things. We are also listed in a tasting trail in Centre County consisting of 15 wineries, breweries, distilleries and meaderies, and we consistently hear about our quality wines served by knowledgeable and fun staff.”
“When you visit Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery, you’ll experience great wine from a professionally trained winemaker in a really picturesque and pretty environment, especially in the summer,” said Carroll-Weaver. “You can’t beat our views here in the summer.”
For information, hours, reservations, or questions, contact Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery:
Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery
300 Houser Rd.
Centre Hall, PA 16828
814-466-6373
