Women, Wine, & Connection: What Makes Wine Camp Special

What if the thing you really needed wasn’t another productivity hack… but a few days away with women who simply get you?

In this solo episode, I’m sharing the story behind Wine Camp and why this experience has become one of the most meaningful parts of my work. Yes, there’s incredible wine. Yes, there’s beautiful scenery. But what happens at Wine Camp goes far beyond tastings and vineyard tours.

It’s about connection.

It’s about friendship.

It’s about women giving themselves permission to slow down, laugh, reconnect, and remember who they are outside of their daily responsibilities.

I’m also sharing:

•  How Wine Camp first began 
•  Why these friendships form so quickly 
•  What makes the Finger Lakes wine region so special 
•  The wines I’m most excited to share this year 
•  What women really leave with after the experience ends 

Whether you’re already joining us, Wine Camp curious, or simply craving more joy and connection in your life, this episode will give you a feel for what Wine Camp is truly about.

Wine Camp 2026:
 📍 Finger Lakes, New York
 📅 July 30 – August 2, 2026

Learn more: pennyforyourshots.com/winecamp

Key Topics:

•  Women reconnecting with themselves in midlife 
•  Why friendship matters more than we realize 
•  The power of shared experiences for women 
•  Finger Lakes wine country and Riesling wines 
•  Saying yes to yourself again 
•  Creating meaningful connection through travel and community 

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Wine Camp 2026: Join the list or save your spot:
https://www.pennyforyourshots.com/winecamp

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https://www.pennyforyourshots.com/sip

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Or on Facebook: Penny (Kuhlers) Fitzgerald

Transcript

Women, Wine, & Connection: What Makes Wine Camp Special

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[00:00:00] Penny Fitzgerald: Hello, my friend. Today's episode's going to feel a little different because we're talking about something that's really close to my heart, Wine Camp. And yes, there is wine, but you know what? It actually feels about so much more than that. 

And before we dive in, I do want to share something important—because if you’re listening and thinking, “Wait… when is this happening?”—Wine Camp 2026 is happening July 30 through August 2 in the Finger Lakes region of New York… and it is going to be absolutely magical.

So whether you’re already coming, you’re thinking about it, or you’re just a little Wine Camp curious… this episode is going to give you a feel for what it’s really all about.

What is Wine Camp? Well, it's a retreat for ladies. It's a fun way for women to get together and share an experience, to try some new wines, maybe experience a new region.

Wine Camp started, um, this, this goes way back. So back in the day when I was doing wine tastings and had a team who were doing these wine tastings across the country, our company would hold these annual conventions, and we called it Wine Camp. And it was really fun.

We got, got together, shared ideas, grew our businesses, and tasted a lot of wine. So it was super fun, and of course it is 'cause it's called Wine Camp. Um, but our company ended [00:01:00] And we wanted to keep it going. So one of my team members and I had both started our podcasts at about the same time, and I really wasn't sure where my business was gonna go.

I knew I loved the podcast. I knew I loved telling the stories of amazing women. I knew I loved and missed lifting women up and sharing a fun experience over wine, but I wasn't really sure what to do for a business. And my team member, Robin, and I were chatting, and she said, "Penny, why don't we keep going with Wine Camp?

Why don't we do our own version of it?" And it just sounded like a fabulous idea. So it kind of started as a collaboration with her, and we together led the first and second Wine Camps, um, to different wine regions. We started in Texas Hill Country. The second year, we went to Virginia wine country.

And this year, um, Robin is moving on to doing her own thingShe's been a, a personal trainer for many, many years [00:02:00] and really wants to serve women in that way, to help women, be more healthy.

Um, I wanted to keep going with Wine Camp. So what is Wine Camp? To me, it's a way to introduce women to the- these amazing wine regions, to bring women together, and that's the way it kind of started, as a way to bring women together and lift us all up and have a fun experience around wine. when women sign up, you know, you hear about Wine Camp and you think, "Oh, it's gonna be all about wine, so what if I don't like wine?"

Well, you will by the end of it, for one thing. But the other thing is, we sign up for wine, but it becomes so much more. I can't believe the, the level of friendships that have developed over it. So women come together. Um, they expect, "Okay, we're gonna learn a little bit about the region. We're gonna learn about the wine.

We're gonna taste a lot of wine, and we're probably going to meet some new friends." Yes, all of this is true, but I don't think we-- any of us really realized [00:03:00] how quickly those friendships would form, and how we would come to really bond over the experience.

Once you're there, you really get to know people. You might be together over a glass of wine at night after the activities for the day have ended, and we're all sitting arou- well, this year we'll probably be sitting around a campfire and just chatting, um, with some more wine or a cocktail or a glass of water.

We're not here to judge. But we get together, we share what, what's important, and it just really, um, is-- it's just a bonding experience like I can't explain. 

When you put women together in that kind of environment where you don't have the distractions of everyday life, where you don't have that responsibility of putting one foot in front of the other, you don't have to make dinner for anyone, you don't have to throw in a load of laundry real quick, you don't have to do those day-to-day tasks, and you're all there just enjoying each other, enjoying the moments, and [00:04:00] sharing about your lives together, that's really magical.

And we just don't take the time to do those things because we are busy putting our families first and our businesses first and our homes first. So, um, this girlfriend time is really, um, allowing that space to recapture what makes you you. A favorite moment from Wine Camp that stands out to me. So, there are so many.

I love when women come back together after having not seen each other for a while. So, like, from the, the first year to the second year, some of those women had kept in touch over, Instagram or Facebook, and when they got back together, it was just really cool watching them just reconnect in- instantly.

It's like the no time had passed. That was really fun. 

Another moment from Wine Camp that really stands out is

Oh, gosh, I remember the first Wine Camp back in Texas Hill Country, [00:05:00] uh, when we were watching Pistol Packin Paula do her routine on twirling pistols and doing a shootout. It was really cute, really fun to watch that, and watching the other ladies, um, just enjoy that moment was really fun.

We had our hoedown in the old west town. That was really fun. 

This year, I'm really looking forward to our Saturday evening event, which is going to be a sunset dinner cruise on Seneca Lake with entertainment. I cannot wait to see the ladies enjoy that. Oh, gosh, it's gonna be so beautiful out there on the lake And of course, we'll make it back to the resort and be able to capture all of the moments together, talking about what was your favorite time?

What did you en- enjoy the best? What was your favorite wine to taste this year? Oh my gosh, um Solidifying those friendships and exchanging information to keep in touch with each other throughout the year, that'll be really fun. And I just so enjoy [00:06:00] watching the connection that occurs to these women from across the country and, new and old friendships being solidified.

Okay, yes, there is wine. What makes the wine experience special? Well, most of us have not been to the Finger Lakes region of New York, which is where we're going this year. Each yearI like to take people to a new region that they haven't experienced, and I think, um, Finger Lakes is really key because it's so, fundamental to the American wine industry.

Dr. Constantine Frank was a founder of the industry here for us, where he developed a way to take vinifera vines and graft them onto hardier rootstock that can overwinter here in the United States, and especially in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Um, another key, um, difference or differentiator of the Finger Lakes region is those lakes. So they were carved out of, from glaciers, and they're super deep. [00:07:00] Um, Seneca Lake is, uh, over 600 feet deep, which really contributes to the climate of the region. 

it's more temperate there. The climate is more temperate with the lake effect, and so the winters are maybe a little less harsh, and the summers are a little less hot. So it really helps those vines, um, grow. And up the banks of those lakes, it really is conducive to especially Riesling, which I'm really looking forward to trying with everyone.

Um, Rieslings from dry to sweet, and we also have, um, ice wines from the region and, uh, Botrytis Rieslings, which-- Oh my gosh. Okay, so Riesling, um, you probably know this already, but Riesling is a very acidic grape. So when it is, um, made into an ice wine, that sweetness needs some acid to stand up to it so it balances it 

Otherwise, it'll be too syrupy and just cloyingly sweet. [00:08:00] So if you're not a fan of sweet wines, I would really encourage you to try a Riesling that might be sweet because it, they tend to be more balanced. They have, um, some of the acidity to balance them out, and they're really food-friendly. So think, uh, pairing it with something a little bit pungent like a blue cheese.

Yes. Very yummy. So it ends up being a little bit like a cheesecake effect. So you have your, um, you know, that little pungent bite of cheese with the sweetness of the wine. So it's super, super yummy. Um, we're gonna try some of that stuff, and I cannot wait to share that with the ladies. And of course, a dry Riesling, there's really nothing like it.

It's got so many different layers of flavors. There are a lot of, um, nuances to it. So they have the minerality that it picks up from the soil the acidity, the fruit flavors that come with it. You might pick up some almond, some nuttiness to it.

a little bit of, [00:09:00] um, of apricot you might pick up in a, in a Riesling. So the, the layers of flavor when you really, um, experience it and really taste it, um- And notice what you're tasting. it's a wonderful experience.

Who is Wine Camp really for? What kind of woman lights up in this environment? Well, can you picture yourself lighting up in this environment, meeting a new friend, bringing your girlfriends and, and bonding even greater over this kind of experience? Of course you can. This sounds like something I need, right?

Of course. Well, what do women leave with? When they go home, they are different. They have met their people. They have met women who support them. They've met women who love to have a good time, who love to share [00:10:00] experiences. 

Experiences that will last a lifetime, stories that will light them up well after, um, the buzz has gone. Um, new friends from across the country, uh, and an experience they can share month after month through a Zoom with me if they choose to. So that is just something I'm-- I've really enjoyed watching these women continue their friendships well after the event is over.

I think you can tell why Wine Camp is so important to me, why it's so special. I love providing the atmosphere, the environment, the experience of it all. I love introducing you to new wine country. I love introducing you to new friends. I love seeing your friendships blossom, and I love more than anything watching you laugh and just relax and be yourself and share that experience with other like-minded women.

I just love Wine Camp [00:11:00] so much, and I'm so grateful for you. Uh, for those of you coming, for those of you thinking about it, for those of you who are going to join us at some point, I can't wait for you to be there. Um, if you're hearing this and thinking, "I want to be there," or, "I really want to, but I just don't know," well- No worries.

Come join us for our monthly Zoom where we get to know each other a little bit before we go, and it's a great way to ask questions, to, um, to learn a little bit more about it, to see who's going, to see if you really fit in. P.S. you do. So come join us on the third Monday of every month up until Wine Camp, and we're gonna keep this going.

you can find the information at pennyforyourshots.com/winecamp. Um, scroll all the way down to the bottom and you'll see a, a form to fill out to stay in the know. Um, you'll get the Zoom links for every happy hour that we have, and you'll also [00:12:00] get the info on Wine Camp there as well.

So just feel free to come join us, um, and see what it's all about. Meet the other ladies. Um, if you have any questions, you can reach out to me at any time on social media or here through, through the links, um, on my website, pennyforyourshots.com. You'll see all kinds of links there to get in touch with me.

So remember, you're not meant to do life or business or anything alone, and sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is say yes to yourself and to a few really good girlfriends. Invite your friends to come join us. I'm inviting you to come join us, and let's say a toast together in wine country.

Cheers.