Sip on Dammit Annie! and other tasty wines at Hanover Winery’s annual festival

Festivalgoers will enjoy wine, food and live music on the farm during the two-day Hanover Winery Wine Festival on Friday, Aug. 17, and Saturday, Aug. 18.

Hanover Winery Owners Eddie and Elizabeth McDonald started the annual festival in 2010 as an anniversary celebration and a customer appreciation event. Every year since, they have continued the tradition during the summer, and the festival has grown in popularity each year.

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“This is an event to show our appreciation to all the people, who have shown their appreciation for us,” said Eddie McDonald.

“Hanover Winery is just far enough to feel like you’ve gone somewhere. We are a destination,” he said.

Hanover Winery affords a park-like setting with a pond, mature trees and beautiful sunsets. Guests can enjoy wine by the glass or purchase a bottle to drink during the festival. Wine frappes will also be available. There will be live entertainment and food vendors on site. (This year, there will be no wine tastings during the event.)

“This started out as a ‘thank you’ to all of our loyal customers, and we’ve continued to do it every year to express our appreciation. It’s a good opportunity for everyone to get together and have a good time,” said Elizabeth McDonald.

On Friday, Thunderbay will perform from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Saturday, Mister Man and Mojo Band will take the stage from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and The White Brother’s will be in concert from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. (The White Brothers features Jared White from American Idol.) Catherine Bodak from FOX19 will serve as the event’s celebrity sommelier on Saturday.

Best Thing Smokin’, J. Damon’s Wood Fired Pizza, Food Fellas Food Truck and Wyoming Meat Market will be available on Friday. On Saturday, food vendors will include Best Thing Smokin’, J. Damon’s Wood Fired Pizza, Chloe’s Eatery and Wyoming Meat Market. Chesapeake Popcorn will also be on site.

“Hanover Township is a beautiful township. We have a lot to offer here, and like we’ve said, it’s our appreciation weekend for people to come out and enjoy great friends, great music and great wine,” Eddie McDonald said.

Situated on a 15-acre property, the family-owned-and-operated winery opened in 2009. It offers more than 25 wines from dry to sweet dessert wines, including many wines that have earned International wine-competition Double Gold, Gold and Silver Medals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Sweet Lizzy, Malbec and Tempranillo, among others.

“Dammit Annie!” is one of Hanover Winery’s most popular wines. The wine is a blend of Blackberries and Haskap Berries, sweet enough for dessert. The wine was named after The McDonald’s youngest Labrador Retriever, Annie. (Johnson Family Farm, a local farm in Oxford, grows the Haskap Berries.)

Another new off-dry, white wine is Schutzen Apfel, which is predominately a Riesling with a little apple blended in.

The award-winning Hanover Winery wines are also featured in area retail locations, including Kroger’s, Jungle Jim’s International Market, Noonan’s and many more. A list of retailers is available at www.hanoverwinery.com/our-wines/retail-locator.


HOW TO GO

What: Hanover Winery Wine Festival

Where: Hanover Winery, 2165 Morman Road, Hanover Twp.

When: Friday, August 17, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday, August 18, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Cost: $5 entry, or a $15, which includes entry, a commemorative wine glass and guest's choice of a glass of wine.

More info: www.hanoverwinery.com or email info@hanoverwinery.com. 21 and older event. Guests may bring a lawn chair or a blanket. Rain or shine. (No wine tastings during the festival.) No outside beverages. Plenty of parking is available on site.

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