New Users Start Here

PAWineTalk is a resource for wine consumers in Pennsylvania. We gather and post information, and provide a forum for you to share your own opinions and experiences so that everyone can make informed purchasing decisions.

At PAWineTalk you can:

• Read and post wine ratings
• Read articles about wines that are available in the state-run Wine & Spirits shops
• View consolidated lists of wines in the state's popular Chairman's Selection^TM, Premium Power Purchase and Power Purchase programs, including links to descriptions and relevant articles, ratings from other PAWineTalk users, and view inventory at a specific store or the eCommerce site pawineandspirits.com
• Read and contribute to the Forum on a wide variety of topics, the most recent of which are shown in the yellow box on the right
• Set up automatic notifications of new wines being offered or availability of a specific wine
• Use our interactive map to plot availability of a particular wine offered by the PLCB, or to locate a Wine & Spirits store and get directions

PAWineTalk is independent and totally free. Please take a look around and stop by often!

2009 Pittsburgh Wine Festival

Posted May 1, 2009

The consensus among those who have experienced the Wine Festivals in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Hershey, and Philadelphia is that the Pittsburgh event stands alone. They point out that it has been held in the open and airy Heinz Field concourses – with great views across the river – since inception, and has always had a positive turnout.  Read more

New Chairman's Selection^TM Offerings Show Variety

Posted April 22, 2009

The PLCB has been having a rough time lately. A consulting contract for training has sparked inquiries from state lawmakers and the Governor's office into how it was awarded; a plan for a potential name change for retail stores was leaked to the press and reportedly pooh-poohed by the Governor; several different bills have been introduced in the legislature to allow out of state wineries to sidestep the PLCB and ship directly to consumers; and there's been yet another call for privatization of the whole system.  Read more

Chairman's Selection^TM Improvements Continue

Updated December 4, 2008

For all the negative press and hard knocks on the PLCB, they really seem to be trying to lift their game when it comes to Premium Collection wines in general and the Chairman's Selection program in particular.  Read more

2008 Wine Festival

Updated June 12, 2008

Pennsylvania Wine Week 2008 has come and gone, the hangovers have receded, and now we look up and think…um, what DO we think?

In some ways it was better than previous years, in some ways not as good. As in the past, there were numerous public tasting events at various restaurants, in addition to invitation-only private affairs. Highlighting the week once again were the three Wine Festivals.  Read more

Chairman's Selection^TM V2.0

Updated April 8, 2008

In the 15 months since Jonathan Newman (aka "The Chairman") resigned from the PLCB, the namesake marketing program he left behind has languished. Grumblings about reduced quality, a lack of exciting finds, and excessive repeat purchases have dogged the program.  Read more

Power Purchases

Posted February 21, 2008

The LCB introduced "Power Purchases" last summer, meant to offer one-time deals for under $10 (read more here). We are now tracking the Power Purchase wine offerings here at PAWineTalk with a new page dedicated to them. As with the Chairman's Selection page, it will be kept up to date with the latest offerings in this program, provide an opportunity for you to rate each one, and show ratings entered by others.  Read more

New Rating Functionality

Updated February 11, 2008

We've updated our rating scale here at PAWineTalk. We're still using a 1-5 scale, but now there is a "+" and "-" available for each rating, effectively tripling the number of ratings you can assign to any wine. The "+" and "-" are not factored in to the average ratings, so if one person rates a wine "3-" and someone else rates it "4" the average rating will still be "3.5," however when looking at individual ratings any "+" or "-" will be shown.  Read more

Sparkling Wine

Updated January 2, 2008

There’s nothing quite like world trade disputes. Italians don’t like seeing the word "Parma" on hams from other countries. Portuguese don’t like seeing wine labeled "Madeira" which didn’t originate on their island. So too, the French get upset when sparkling wines produced outside the Champagne region of France are labeled "Champagne."  Read more

Thanksgiving Wine

Updated November 16, 2007

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and a common question is what kind of wine to serve.  Read more

Top rated wines (currently available)

Wine	Average Rating	Price
Louis Latour Aloxe-Corton Les Chaillots 2005	(1 rating)	34.99
Louis Latour Chateau Corton Grancey 2002	(1 rating)	62.99
Fess Parker Syrah ATR 2005	(1 rating)	19.99
Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany 2003	(5 ratings)	39.99
Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages 2004	(2 ratings)	41.99