Blair Vineyards

Richard Blair's family had 300 acres of farmland in the foothills of southeastern Pennsylvania. He became inspired to grow Pinot Noir and in 1998 he planted 8 acres on a hillside at 1,050 feet facing south. He put in varieties appropriate for cooler Pennsylvania sites: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In 2004 he opened a small winery at his Rockland Vineyard.

His eldest daughter encourage him to expand and seek other vineyard sites. He research vineyards in Burgundy and Oregon and returned to Pennsylvania looking for appropriate sites that faced south. He bought 35 acres in 2007 that would become Greenwich Vineyard. A total of 23 acres are now planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Pinot Noir.

Challenges of winegrowing in Pennsylvania include hurricanes