Al's Locksmith Service

Where do I start? I want to write something positive but negativity reigns galore. Let's get the good points out of the way first.

PROS:
We found out about them because of the "Adopt a Highway" signage near Ricketts Glenn State Park.

They were open when we wanted to visit and stayed open until 7pm on a Saturday.

Wine tasting is free.

My husband liked the wine he tasted enough to purchase 3 bottles of different wines. For him, that says a lot but he can write his own review.

CONS:
The building reminds you of a country general store -- signage is primitive and rustic and it has a big porch filled with "stuff".

The inside reminds you of a country general store gone qwirky. There is a long bar with stools -- some with backs, some without (and quite wobbly) -- amidst a room full of "stuff" -- really weird stuff, not usually found in a winery but more like someone just collects weird "stuff' and had no place for it at home.

Wine tasting is in ittsy bitsy plastic containers reminiscent of Baptist communion containers (further reminiscent of said communion when served Concord wine in them).
Our host for the wine tasting was polite but quite non-interested in engaging in conversation or making a sale.

I did check their FB page before coming here to make sure it was open. "Yay", I thought. A recent post within a couple weeks said they intended to have live entertainment on Saturdays. Not yet, evidently, or if it was going to be outdoors, this was a rainy day.

Their FB page also indicated they had food. Ummm, hotdogs is listed on a sign above the wine tasting bar and is not really the cuisine one thinks of to pair with wine and the stale pretzels offered was lame. To be "fair", our host did refresh the stale pretzels by pouring fresh ones on top of the stale ones. Yay.

BOTTOM LINE:
The wine was nothing special in my opinion. And the ambiance? Oh good grief! I wore a dress to the winery (ok, I'm out of town and my view of any winery I've ever gone to is way different than this town's view or this winery at least) to sit on a wobbly bar stool and drink wine out of church communion cups. Perhaps the lack of ambiance or low-energy wine server got in the way of the taste of the actual wine for me. Who knows. Advice? If you're looking for something to do after your wonderful waterfall hike at Ricketts Glenn State Park? Watch tv in your hotel room or go to your hotel's bar. Seriously, this won't thrill you.

I visited the Lopez Winery recently as part of my cousin's bachelorette weekend camping trip in Dushore, PA. This place is pretty quirky - I absolutely loved it. I have never been winetasting before, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

The wine tasting was free. Wine was served in little plastic shot glasses. After we were done trying the different wines, we opted to purchase a couple bottles and drink them at the bar. The wine was pretty excellent. There were mostly sweet options. My favorite options were the Lake Jean White and the Red Rocket.

The decor is super quirky, almost roadside attraction like, but I do not mean that in a derogatory way. There are lots of interesting things to check out while you try your wine, and most of the decorations and items are for sale. I purchased a pair of antlers along with my bottle of wine as a keepsake from the weekend. Another girl in our group bought a vintage looking cigar advertisement. There are lots of cool paintings and weird masks, etc. Our hosts/bartenders, Katherine, Elizabeth, and Eric, were very accommodating, friendly and entertaining. The one downside is that there is not an indoor restroom - there's a porta potty outside. Not the worst, though, as it was very clean.

If you're more into a snooty type of wine tasting experience, maybe skip this place. But if you don't take yourself too seriously, you like good wine, and you want to have an awesome afternoon, definitely check out the Lopez Winery. I know I'll be back!

Lopez Winery is on the way to Pioneer Campground from Ricketts Glen. My group and I did not look up directions before we left and no cell service exists until you get past Lopez, so we were just guessing on how to get here. If you are coming out of Lake Rose Parking lot, turn left from the parking lot and follow the signs for "exit." Then turn right when you reach the main road. Follow it for about 15 minutes and Lopez is on your right.

The decor is ecclectic to say the least. The wine is exactly what you'd expect from a PA winery--sweet, sweet, sweet. Tastings here are free and bottles max out at around $15. The Winery is dog friendly, and on our visit, there were six-week old chihuahua puppies on the porch. A great stop on the way out of Ricketts Glen!

My favorite winery in the area - I like their wine and the friendly atmosphere! I am from Philadelphia and I stop there each time I come out to visit my friends
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It's not the prettiest actually it's quite ugly butttttt the wine is top notch, super smooth. Not pricey and worth the short ride from Ricketts Glenn.

if the PA wine industry is going to actually work to help and support our fabulous farmers and give our state the prestige it deserves for growing fabulous grapes and making great wine, Lopez will be stuck growing cow feed corn.