Starr Hill Winery, CCAAA Unveil 'Persuasion'

CURWENSVILLE - Take one local award winning winery, add a charity auction, and you get “Persuasion” - a new white wine just being released by Starr Hill Winery of Curwensville. The hope is that Persuasion will be every bit as exciting as last years red wine called “Hummingbird Red.”

The partnership and the process that produced these two local wines is a unique one.

Annually, the Friends of the Area Agency on Aging Auxiliary hold the Anne Thacik Charity Auction to benefit the programs and services of the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging, Inc.

Two years ago, Starr Hill Winery donated an interesting item to the auction; to the highest bidder would go the opportunity to work with vintners Ken Starr and Joe Kendrick of Starr Hill to select, blend and name a unique wine. After the wine was bottled, Starr Hill would market and sell it and a portion of each sale would be donated back to the auxiliary.

The winning bidders in 2006 were Tim and Geremy Kephart, of Kephart Trucking, and in 2007, Starr Hill Winery released their new red wine, Hummingbird Red.

According to Ken Starr, it was an immediate hit and quickly sold out.

“We were pleased with the huge response and this year we will present to the Friends of the Area Agency on Aging a substantial amount from the sales,” he said.

At the 2007 Anne Thacik Charity Auction, Starr Hill again donated the opportunity to select, blend and name a wine. This time the bidding was even more lively, and when auctioneer Pat Errigo finally shouted “Sold!”, the winning bidders were John and Sue Kordish from Curwensville.

“Actually, Sue was in charge of the bidding,” John said. “She went into the auction with the intent of winning the wine blending so I knew we were taking it home!”
Early this year, John and Sue met with Ken Starr and Joe Kendrick to make plans for their wine selection. They wanted a white wine since the previous year’s blend was a red. But before they went further, Ken and Joe led them on a “discovery tour” of the winery and the wine making process.

“The Starr family is not only generous; they are also passionate about their craft,” stated Sue. “It is easy to see why their wines have won awards.”

Over the next months, several meetings took place at the winery to narrow down the selection of the grape flavors, and the sugar and acid levels. John and Sue were assigned between meetings to come up with a name for the wine and to offer design ideas for the label.

“Joe and Ken did the hands-on measuring and blending, of course, but they really brought us into the whole behind-the-scenes process,” said John.

By late June, everything was about ready. The blend of Cayuga and Traminette grapes had been selected and sugar levels determined. Bottles were ordered and delivered, and labels were printed. After one final tasting session on a Friday night, John and Sue gave the final go-ahead on the flavor and degree of sweetness they wanted - no more, no less - and Persuasion was born.

That weekend, the Kordishes, along with a team of workers at Starr Hill Winery, bottled and labeled 41 cases of the semi-sweet white wine. Joe Kendrick saw to it that the couple participated at every station in the bottling process, from rinsing the bottles, to filling and corking them, and then labeling and packing them in their cases. Persuasion officially takes its place in the racks at the winery, ready to delight the palates of buyers as they sip and savor various choices prior to making a purchase.

If you would like to blend and name next year’s unique wine, be sure to come to the Anne S. Thacik Charity auction on October 9 at the Knights of Columbus in Clearfield.

Be the highest bidder, and the experience is yours!