Elkins Park Vintners at Mitchell & Mitchell Wines Get Juiced Up over Offshore Grapes

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man seated on a bench
Image via Michael Persico at Philadelphia Magazine.
Frank Mitchell.

Husband-and-wife team Frank and Kenya Mitchell — a former restaurant manager and pastry chef, respectively — started making wine ten years ago after realizing the selections at Pa. state stores were lacking. But that hobby has fermented into something deeper and richer. Kristen Schott crushed the assignment of bringing their story to Philadelphia Magazine.

Since changing career paths, the Elkins Park couple’s hobby has become both formalized, as Mitchell & Mitchell Wines, and successful.

While the pair have no formal wine education, they drew from their culinary backgrounds to tweak each recipe and put their own spin on it.

“We’re selling every drop, so we didn’t want to take classes or be influenced by what other people are doing,” said Frank.

The pair differs from a lot of local wineries by importing grapes from famed regions such as the Italian Alps, Tuscany, and South Africa. Not using local grapes has been frowned upon by some, but these vintners are determined to make great wine sourced globally.

“We’ve been told we’re not local enough,” said Frank. “But we simply want to appeal to people who want good wine.”

The winery currently delivers 10,000 gallons per year. But the owners hope to expand to a larger space that would double or triple production.

Read more about these local vintners in Philadelphia Magazine.

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