Two centuries after the Whiskey Rebellion, Little Washington is once again awash in wine and spirits.
A short walk from Liberty Pole Spirits is the Washington Winery at 202 S. Main St. This urban winery is a great stop for people interested in fermentation. You can buy a glass or a bottle to enjoy on site, or a wine slushy. A sampling of four wines is $2 and of six wines for $3. You can try a free sample of one of three beers on tap as part of the winery’s sister business, A&M Wine and Beer Supplies.
Owners John and Angela Burgess moved the businesses to this former Firestone auto shop about two years ago. They make their wine at another location using mostly California grapes. Their offerings include barrel-aged reds — cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, zinfandel and their “Washington Red” blend. The last is their flagship and it’s one of several wines also available in non-barrel-aged versions. They make several whites and sweet wines, including Washington’s Cherry and Rebellious Raspberry. Bottle prices range from $22 for the barrel-aged reds to $14 for reds; whites are $11 to $20; the sweet wines are $10 to $18.
The business hosts beer- and wine-making classes and other events, rents out a newly renovated events room, and does regular wine dinners with the Upper Crust Italian Bistro across the street. The winery’s hours are 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays and 10 a.m.-5 p.m Saturdays (evenings and Sundays by appointment).
The Washington Winery/A&M Wine and Beer Supplies is at 202 S. Main St., Washington (15301); call 724-222-WINE; email amwinesupply@gmail.com or visit amwinesupplies.com.
Not far way is Red Pump Spirits, the city’s first post-Prohibition distillery. It opened April 1 in a storefront at 32 N. Main St.
The name is a nod to the 1786 farmhouse in which owner and distiller Ed Belfoure grew up in the Washington County coal patch of Cokeburg. Other locals, who lived in newer company houses, called it The Farmhouse. His grandparents left it to his mom, who left it to him, and she told him if he ever sold it, to keep the outdoor red water pump.
The pump has a place of honor in the tasting room and on the logo. Mr. Belfoure, who now lives in South Strabane, started Red Pump after retiring as a chemistry instructor at the Naval Academy in Annapolis.
“I’ve been distilling for 30 years, but not for human consumption,” he says. “I finally got to distill something I can drink.”
His products include Farmhouse Whiskey, a wheat whiskey, with a rendering of the old house on the label; Rebellion Rye Whiskey; Blue Parrot Vodka; and three fruit liqueurs with local names and vintage-looking labels: Washington Cherry, Jefferson Peach and Bradford Blackberry. The whiskeys are limited in availability now because they must age in barrels (the next batch of wheat is to be available in late summer). They cost $32.95 (wheat) and $37.95 (rye); the vodka is $24.95; and the liqueurs are $28. He will also sell you a single 2-ounce glass of any of them to drink there for $5; smaller tastings are $3 for two spirits or $5 for four.
He distills them on site using a micro-sized operation in the back. He has an open room that can be rented for events and, in the front, is the tasting room with a small bar. Hanging on the wall is a reproduction of the Whiskey Rebellion flag. His wife, Judy, helps at the bar.
Mr. Belfoure just started Saturday tours and tastings, with all proceeds going to local charities. Tours run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays (with the exception of June 18) for $12 per person (adults only). The charity for June is the Washington County Food Bank. You must call or email to register.
He’s also distributing his spirits to area restaurants and bars. His own retail hours started out as 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays.
Red Pump Spirits is at 32 N. Main St., Washington (15301); email rpspirits@gmail.com or call 724-249-2721; redpumpspirits.com.
Bob Batz Jr.: bbatz@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1930 and on Twitter @bobbatzjr.
First Published: June 10, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
