The holidays are over, but winter is still going strong in and around Berks County, PA. Looking for a great way to enjoy the latter half of the cold season while keeping toasty and gathering with loved ones? Plan to visit the beautiful, fully stocked, and award-winning breweries and vineyards in our region. Depending on your style of comfort, you can easily order a glass of wine or two over a delicious dinner, or simply enjoy a whole bottle at home for cozy toasts with friends and family. To learn more about the great breweries and vineyards near Reading, let’s take a closer look at what just a few have to offer!
Folino Estate Vineyard & Winery
The Folio Estate Vineyard, winery, and restaurant offers a signature rustic charm paired with European-style wines that are as enticing as the estate’s renowned Italian food. Featuring a massive stone villa surrounded by acres of vineyards, Folino Estate is built to offer relaxing and casual immersion, although weekends can be packed with a high-energy vibe. You can easily get a glass of wine and just sit on our piazza, or bring the whole family for a great dinner on the patio. The estate’s traditional, drier-style European wines are great additions to all their food options. And wit house-made fresh pastas, wood-fired pizzas, and signature Italian entrées vying for attention, you’ll always have an incredible meal. For old-world comforts with modern dishes, Folino Estate offers luscious baked layers of ricotta and mozzarella, homemade tomato sauce flavored with ground beef and ham, and perfected broad noodles for truly decadent dining.
Deerfoot Vineyard & Winery
Located in Shoemakersville, Deerfoot Vineyards and Winery is a small-batch refined winery tucked into the beautiful hills of Berks County, PA. When the Winery’s first 1,200 grape vines were planted in 2010, there was no plan to start a winery, but after a decade later the tasting room is available and all customers are welcome! The winery offers over a dozen wines, all which are made available in their dedicated tasting room and on a more limited basis as their supplies last. Deerfoot’s luxurious tasting room itself was converted from a summer kitchen and boasts over two dozen national and international awards. Deerfoot is also the only winery in PA to win a medal at the 2019 Los Angeles Wine Competition.
Clover Hill
In the early 1970s, an engineer and a school teacher began planting grapes as a hobby at their home in Pennsylvania's Americana region. Impressed with the quality of the grapes, they decided to establish a vineyard and winery business, opening Clover Hill in 1985. Today, after studying winemaking in California and Australia, both of their children returned home to devote their careers to Clover Hill, which now produces more than 75,000 gallons of wine annually and has generated 10 new vintages in the past decade. The family is proud to say, Clover Hill Winery started as a dream and became a family tradition.
Visit Berks County Wine Trail to learn more about regional wines and seasonal events in Reading and Berks County.
Saucony Creek Craft Brewery & Gastropub
Saucony Creek Brewing Company in Kutztown strives to explore the limits of brewing craft beer while preparing unique and flavorful cuisine at its two Berks County locations. This PA Preferred Brewery creates specialty batches of beer using locally produced malt, hops, and fruit. It costs more, but it is key to Saucony’s belief in supporting and being part of the local economy. In addition to pilsners, IPAs, and other tasty beers, it also makes its own hard seltzer. Sample Saucony’s adventurous flavors while dining with friends or chilling to live music at its Kutztown Brewery and Pub, or in Downtown Reading at the Franklin Street Station Brewpub.
Chatty Monks Brewing Company
Chatty Monks Brewing became a family affair when the Jagdesan family purchased the establishment in 2021. Already owners of food businesses, the family combined their food expertise and love of beer with a commitment to the community for the ultimate in-tap takeovers. What will you find “on tap” at Chattys? The brewery serves a variety of lagers, pale ales, pilsners, and märzen beers that feature diverse flavors like Split Face, made with pretzels. Try Chattys’ craft brews with traditional pub staples or partner them with tasty Indian/American fusion offerings.
The next time you are in Historic Boyertown, be sure to stop and sample the handmade beers and straight from the orchard ciders at The Other Farm & Forge. In addition to wonderful house-brewed libations, The Other Farm is known for its made-from-scratch menu featuring locally sourced meats, cheese, and produce. What’s more, the location is a gathering spot for the community with live music events and open jams.
Follow Reading & Berks County's BrewHaHa Trail and quench your thirst at taprooms across the region. The BrewHaHa Trail Passport offers directions to and information about popular watering holes in Pennsylvania’s Americana Region. On your travels, get your passport stamped at the four participating breweries for a chance to win prizes in monthly drawings.