Awhile back I received an email from Blagica, first asking me how I am and if I drink.  I had no idea that this random email would result in an amazingly fun opportunity for me.

I was soon put into contact with a lady named Annie who does PR for the Pennsylvania Wine Trail Association.  As a Gals Guide writer, I was given a chance to enjoy a free wine trail in Erie and could bring a friend with me as well.  Would I be interested?  Heck yes!

I received my itinerary and saw that I would be enjoying wine and touring six different wineries in the Erie area and staying at a local bed and breakfast.  Words could not express how excited I was to get away with my girlfriend Jamie to enjoy some free wine and the beautiful fall colors of Erie, PA.

Unfortunately, the day of our trip brought pretty nasty weather.  We drove in rain all the way to Erie and had to clean snow off our car the next morning. But all that aside, it was a fabulous trip!  Feel free to view this album to see how much fun we had.

The wineries were great and we ended up trying wine at six different ones.  Presque Isle Wine Cellars was beautiful and quaint -- if it hadn't been raining, I would've been tempted to sit on their deck and drink all afternoon.  We learned that a lot of their business included shipping supplies to other wineries.  The South Shore Wine Company, which also owns Mazza (another winery we visited), gave us a free lunch at the cafe, which was amazing.  My salad was to die for and Jamie was quite pleased with her sandwich.  The architechture at South Shore was very intricate and beautiful...I felt like I was in a castle.  We toured Mazza as well and learned that although owned by the same company, different wineries offer completely different wine.  This was good news for us, since we wanted to try as much as possible!

We visited Arrowhead Wine Cellars and Heritage Wine Cellars, and though only a mile or two apart, they were very different.  It was at Arrowhead that I learned what a port wine is and what iced wine is.  The tour was very informative and our guide was very friendly.  But for those of you who like to do things yourself, you'd probably enjoy Heritage.  There, you can read descriptions of the wine and pour samples yourself. 

I don't like to pick favorites, but I will say that I REALLY enjoyed Penn Shore Winery.  I had such a pleasant time on the tour and learned a lot about wine making.  I was pretty impressed with the wine as well and came home with a bottle of the Lambruscano.  Mmm. I am waiting for the perfect moment to crack that baby open and go to town!

The highlight of the trip was probably our suite at the Grape Arbor Bed and Breakfast.  Complete with unique decor, freshly baked cookies, and a four-course breakfast, the innkeepers did all they could to make us happy.  Have you ever had roasted plums smothered in vanilla sauce?  No?  Well then you better get yourself to the Grape Arbor B&B so they can hook you up!

In short, I definitely would recommend that you all go on a wine trail sometime throughout your life. It is a perfect day activity to do with your girlfriends, maybe even for a bachelorette party.  If you don't live in Pennsylvania, you'll have to do some research to find the closest wine trail in your area.  But if you do live in state, here's a link to help you get started.

And lastly, I wanted to thank everyone who made this trip possible:

Disclosure: This trip was courtesy of the Pennsylvania Wine Association. The opinions are all mine.