Central Pa. natives launch boutique winery in New York’s Finger Lakes

Two Central Pennsylvania natives are making their mark in one of America’s premier wine regions.

York County native Stephen Jeremias and his wife Brenda, along with fellow York native and Etters resident Rob Lane, have founded Valkyrie Crafted Libations, a boutique winery overlooking Seneca Lake in New York‘s Finger Lakes region.

The focal point of the winery’s portfolio is Geistwein, a style of fortified wine. Geistwein combines premium wine and custom-distilled brandy, along with selected honey that is lightly integrated into the blend and uses proprietary blending techniques developed over years of experimentation. Unlike many traditional fortified wines that are often served solely as dessert wines, Geistwein was created to stand on its own as a premium wine capable of pairing with a wide variety of foods.

“Too often, fortified wines are either too alcohol forward or too sweet,” Lane said in a statement. “We set out to change that perception by purposely crafting our custom libations to be elegantly smooth and deliciously expressive. We know of nothing else on the market like our Geistwein.”

In addition to fortified wines, Valkyrie Crafted Libations produces premium estate-grown Riesling and Saperavi wines from their own on-site vineyards, showcasing the growing conditions of the Finger Lakes while emphasizing balance, structure, and varietal character.

According to a release, their journey at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House. While attending Richard Wagner’s opera Die Walküre, which includes the Ride of the Valkyries anthem, Jeremias became fascinated by the opera’s depiction of the mythical Valkyrie’s serving a sacred libation to fallen warriors entering the legendary Halls of Valhalla. After the show, Jeremias phoned Lane, at the time, owner and winemaker at a winery in Central Pa. Their conversation became the foundation for Valkyrie Crafted Libations.

The team researched ancient traditions, historical fortified wines, and modern winemaking techniques, and developed proprietary recipes designed to create an entirely new style of premium fortified wine that they named Geistwein, meaning “Spirit Wine” in German. Jeremias and Lane wrote and published a book on the history of fortified wine and their journey to establish Valkyrie Crafted Libations.

After researching and analyzing over 45 properties in the Finger Lakes region, Stephen and Brenda Jeremias purchased property on Seneca Lake and established a boutique vineyard and tasting lodge, where guests experience private, appointment-only tasting sessions overlooking Seneca Lake.