Endless Mountains Vineyards Events That Turn Wine Into Connection

This episode shares how we’re creating meaningful, heart-centered experiences at Endless Mountains Vineyards, where grief, joy, and community naturally overlap. I talk through the Healing Garden series, designed as a supportive space for reflection, including pet loss. These gatherings include guided meditation, native plant gardens, pollinator pathways, and our growing memorial brick walk, where visitors can honor loved ones and read their stories through QR-linked tributes.

I also highlight what’s ahead for fall, including Harvest Fest, a celebration built around qigong, workshops, music, wine tasting, and the energy of autumn in the vineyard. Campsites and RV options help guests make a full weekend of it, and a portion of proceeds supports the Be and Let Live project, which remains at the heart of our mission.

To close, I share details about the Dog Mom Retreat, a gathering built for connection, storytelling, and time with the dogs people love like family. If you’re looking for meaningful winery events or a place where community and purpose shape every experience, this overview offers a clear look at what we’re building in the Endless Mountains.

Save the dates for: Healing Garden Events – July 12 and August 9; Harvest Fest – September 19; Dog Mom Retreat – October 3.

To learn more about Endless Mountains Vineyards visit:
https://www.EndlessMountainsVineyards.com/
Endless Mountains Vineyards 
296 Vineyard Lane  
Falls, PA 18615
267-785-3814  

Transcript

Welcome To The Vineyard Podcast

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Endless Mountains Vineyards Podcast, where the landscape slows you down, the wine invites conversation, and every visit tells a story. Join your host, Jennifer Estelle, owner and operator of Endless Mountains Vineyards. Nestled in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania's Endless Mountains, this podcast is an invitation into intimate vineyard experiences, small gatherings, meaningful events, and stories that live where people, purpose, and the land meet. Endless Mountains Vineyards, where life is grape and connection is intentional.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

From healing experiences to harvest celebrations, the vineyard has a full season ahead, and each event brings its own kind of magic to the hills. Welcome, I'm Julie Schwenzer here with Jennifer Estelle, the owner and operator of Endless Mountains Vineyards. Jennifer, it's great to be back with you.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Same. Hi, Julie.

SPEAKER_02 1:02

Hi. We're excited to hear about this beautiful lineup of events coming up, like the Healing Garden and then Harvest Fest, uh, among

The Healing Garden Origins

SPEAKER_02 1:11

others. Could we start with the Healing Garden? You said uh before we were recording that, you know, this is July and August, at least in 2026. Can you explain what this is and why it's such a signature event?

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Yeah. So um I would be happy to explain our healing garden. And there's a lot of components that go into the vineyard and the vineyard experience and everything that we're creating here. There's a lot of parts. And the healing garden is one of them. When I moved back home, I got connected with um um a local, I think we got connected through like tarot. So she's a therapist, she's not a mainstream therapist, she incorporates tarot cards, and her passion or her hobby is mushroom therapy. So she does a lot of nature walks, she incorporates nature, but she was seeing this trend with people dealing with grief and specifically pet loss. And I signed up for one of her workshops. I was the only one that signed up and she missed it. I was the only one that showed, and she was like upset that nobody came, but I reached out to her to say, like, hey, I'm here and nobody else is. So it prompted this idea of having a spot where people can come and like transmute their grief and talk about pet loss and any kind of loss in the um, you know, not just pet loss, but pet loss is something that's very like near and dear to my heart because losing Buster was rough. Yeah, she reached out to me and she was like, Hey, uh, what if we had like a little spot on your property? She helps facilitate the healing gardens. So we have volunteer hours where people come and they show up and some people will bring like plants, like if they have hostas or daisies, anything that they're weeding out of their garden, and um we can grow it here. So the idea is to have like pollinators and native plants that grow naturally. They came the first year, we cleaned out the garden. We also are incorporating a uh memorial pathway so you can buy bricks for a loved one that's lost. So when people come, they can kind of see this is the brick. And then somebody else reached out and wanted to be part of the program too, to create not only the healing garden where people can transmute grief. Um we do workshops where after the volunteer hours, you can come and you can paint a rock. We take walks in the woods and we just talk about what brought you here. Like who's the person that you lost, or who does this rock represent? And then we put it in the garden. So when people come, they can purchase wine. We're building a pathway. And then going back to what I was saying, is that somebody reached out and thought, oh, this would be really cool if we had um like kind of like a Sidori that goes with it. So you could see the brick, and then every brick or every story has like a QR code where you can scan it and you can tell the story of that specific person or that pet that you lost and how it changed you. You know, some people hold on to their grief, which is okay. But for me, when I lost Buster, I wanted to transmute that grief. And it was, it was go time. It was where I bought the vineyard, it's where I started the nonprofit. For me, I'm like, I couldn't hold on to it. I needed to share it. I needed to share that it was okay to talk about loss and that grief is linear, but we wanted a place where people can come and kind of transmute that and feel okay. And that's kind of the concept behind the healing garden. Um, so again, the volunteer hours are from uh 10 to one, and then from one to three, Danielle takes over and facilitates. She gives her talk because she is a licensed counselor, that this is a safe space and that we can talk about it, but we want to incorporate nature and everything that has to offer and how those three like nature, healing, and connection, are really important through the whole grief process.

Workshops, Walks, Wine, And Bricks

SPEAKER_00 5:13

So that was long-winded, but that's kind of the healing garden.

SPEAKER_02 5:18

And and also, do do people ever take the opportunity when and sample the wine or kind of raise a glass and tears to that level? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

So the again, the volunteer hours are in the morning, and then the second half we have the workshop. Danielle does the meditation, and then we do a walk. But we also at that time, if anybody wants to do a vineyard tour, we can do a vineyard tour, and then we offer wine tasting at the second half of the healing garden event.

SPEAKER_02 5:46

Oh, that's great. And uh this is an annual event.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

Yeah, so this is our second year. We did three. So we had a healing garden series last year, and this year we have the healing garden series July 12th, which is this Sunday, is our second one for this season. And then August 9th will be our healing garden and our brick late and ceremony. So eventually we'll have enough bricks to kind of wrap around the whole property where people can walk the walkway and then check out people's bricks for people or pets that have passed. That fundraiser goes on until the end of July, I think like the third week, because then we have to close the orders and then they have to ship the bricks, and we'll do the brick-laying ceremony on August 9th.

SPEAKER_02 6:30

Oh, yeah. Well, that sounds like such a beautiful event.

Harvest Fest Plans And Traditions

SPEAKER_02 6:34

Um, and then we have Harvest Vest appropriately in September. Can you uh explain what this is and what a vibrant time, right? For the vineyard, it must be beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

Oh, it really is beautiful. So, this is our fourth annual. Every year it's gotten a little bit bigger and a little bit more organized. So we have workshops. We always kick off with Qigong with Rosalie, and that just kind of sets the tone and the energy for the day. Um, this year we have a food truck. We are still working on vendors and the workshop lineup. That's September 19th. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Be and Let Live project, the whole reason the vineyard exists. But it's just a uh kind of like it's topping off the end of the season. We're gonna start harvesting anywhere from late August until early November. So, again, it's an opportunity for people to come up here and see what we're creating at the vineyard and get to have the whole vineyard experience. So we have the wine tasting. Every year it's a little bit different because you know, we're evolving as we go. We have our campsites and the RV will be available for any renters. I don't know. We might bring the grape stomping back back this year. We have a nice stage set up. So when the band plays, um, everything is out in the vineyard. So it's gonna be a little bit different this year as it is every year. But Harvest Fest is like our main event that we like to focus on.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

And of course, I couldn't wait till you said grape stomping because we all have that image. I always think of The Simpsons.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

Or um, I love Lucy.

SPEAKER_02 8:13

I love yes, such fun, such fun cultural um symbols. Um, but so and then I know you also have the dog mom retreat coming up that definitely resonates with you and

Dog Mom Retreat And Community

SPEAKER_02 8:26

I. So what about this one? This has got to be the sweetest gathering.

SPEAKER_00 8:30

Yeah, it really is because it's all dog moms, and you know, we're a certain group of people. So people can bring their dogs with them. Um, we have people that bring their uh RVs or they rent their RVs from uh Vantravan, which is one of our partners. They could rent the tent or the RV. It's just one day. So sometimes people come Friday and they check out Sunday, but the main event is Saturday. We usually have a workshop. Last year we had um my friend Erin, who is a pilot, but she's very heavily involved in rescue and writing. She writes books. So we had a little workshop where we were able to sit down and kind of just put together a quick story of your dog and then share it and talk about it. We did a dinner and then we also did a filming of Saving Jones, which is a documentary that the Stand-Up for Pitts Foundation has created. So we were able to show that documentary. Um, this year we're working on the lineup uh to see how we're gonna do it and what we're gonna offer, but it'll probably be around the same concept, just bringing dog moms together and providing resources and education and talking about how we can network and collaborate.

SPEAKER_02 9:47

Oh, it sounds amazing. Again, dog moms and wine. I mean, and and I wonder, I wonder if there's a do you guys put a maximum amount of pictures that dog moms are allowed to share on their phone of their dogs? No, no, it's limitless. Well, um, these events seem amazing and it really shows how Endless Mountains Vineyards brings people together in like different meaningful ways.

Why The Vineyard Exists

SPEAKER_02 10:14

So we're excited to keep talking to you about all the like great endeavors that you are tackling over there. It's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Thank you. Yeah, it's all coming together. Like I said, there's a lot of moving pieces, and people are like, We have a healing garden and you save dogs and you have wine. Like, how does this all work? And I'm like, I don't know. I just kind of took a leap of faith, and you know, the whole motto, build it and they will come, is falling together. I just wanted a place where people can come and holistically heal and you know, sprinkle little rescue dogs here and there. And it just happens to be on a vineyard where we're learning how to make wine and helping Pennsylvania grow. It's crazy how it all came together. I didn't have a blueprint. I just trusted that this process was gonna come together because there's a need and people are hungry for it. So I appreciate everyone that has been like along for the ride and just has taken uh the go with the flow um mentality and running with it. I can't explain how that has been so helpful.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

Yeah, it sounds magical. I think Buster is very proud. Yeah, yeah. Well, well, thank you for this. And we we're so looking forward to the next episode with you and learning more about the direction of Endless Mountains Vineyards as well as the rescue. So thank you so much, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 11:40

Thank you for spending time with us on the Endless Mountains Vineyards podcast. Whether you're discovering Pennsylvania wines, exploring the beauty of the Endless Mountains region, or simply looking for experiences that feel personal and grounded. Endless Mountains Vineyards offers something a little different. This is a place where wine brings people together with purpose. We'd love to welcome you to the vineyard, share a glass, and invite you into the experience. You can call or text 267 785 3814 or visit Endless Mountains Vineyards.com to learn more about upcoming events and vineyard experiences. Endless Mountains Vineyards, where life is great, and every visit gives back.