Harvest Moon Winery to launch own wine label at annual PumpkinFest
Harvest Moon Winery & Farms is getting ready to roll out the orange carpet for its third annual PumpkinFest, running from Friday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Sept. 13. Beyond the fall traditions, this year’s festival marks a major milestone, the official launch of the winery’s very own in-house wine labels.
The destination rests on land with deep local roots. CEO and owner Billy Williams grew up on the Gosport property, which was originally purchased by his grandfather, Col. Gene Williams, in 1947. Inspired by visiting a farm winery in 2009, Williams envisioned turning his portion of the family land into a community gathering place. Drawing on his background in construction, he milled timber salvaged directly from the property to hand-build the site’s signature barn in 2015, incorporating personal historic touches like the front door from his childhood home and an antique windmill turned chandelier. Today, the working farm features vineyards, orchards, live entertainment, and seasonal attractions alongside its rustic tasting space.
Williams revealed that six inaugural wine varieties will be available for the new label, covering both sweet and dry profiles. The initial lineup includes Brianna, La Crescent, Marquette, Marquette Rosé, Twister Red Blend—named in honor of a tornado that passed directly in front of the farm earlier this year—and Willow Dog White, a dry white blend named after the farm’s longtime hound.
While the official grand opening and Owen County Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting are scheduled for Friday, Sept. 11 at noon, visitors to the farm on Saturday, Aug. 29th were treated to an unexpected sneak peek.
“We actually soft-launched six of them on Saturday night,” Williams said. “I was held up waiting for labels to come in, and all of a sudden they just appeared Saturday night. So, we hurried up and labeled two cases of each and took them back out to the barn and almost sold out.”
In addition to the new wine launch, PumpkinFest will feature a robust lineup of free, family-friendly attractions. Visitors can expect hayrides, a corn pit, food trucks, and a U-pick pumpkin field right at the entrance of the property.
“It was a great event last year. We ran about 1,000 people through there that weekend, and I’m looking for quite a few more than that this year,” Williams said. “We’re trying to make everything a community event, a family-friendly event, and make it to where families can afford to come out and have fun.”
Harvest Moon Winery & Farms is located at 3925 Williams Rd., Gosport. For additional details regarding event schedules, activity ticketing, and winery hours, visit the farm’s website, www.visitharvestmoon.com, or its official Facebook page ahead of the festival weekend.
