Italian-style winery exudes in eclectic opulence in northern Mercer County

By REBECCA SLOAN

news@vindy.com

JAMESTOWN, Pa.

At first glance, it’s a sunny scene from the Tuscan countryside.

A stone villa with a tiled roof sits high atop a grassy hill, fronted by a mini vineyard and flanked by a tranquil, turquoise swimming pool.

At the bottom of the hill is a spacious barn brimming with live music, merry revelers and, most important, wine. Bottles and bottles of free-flowing wine. Sweet wines, red wines, white wines – the cups runneth over, and the mood is jovial.

But wait a minute. This isn’t Tuscany.

This is Jamestown, Pa. in rural Mercer County, and that stately, red-roofed villa is really a renovated farmhouse built back in 1802 by a traveling Presbyterian preacher.

Furthermore, that beautifully remodeled barn packed with wine-sipping patrons wasn’t always a part of the property.

It was originally an exhibition building at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

While things at Lago Winery may not be exactly what they first seem, the eclectic pieces fit together to create a surprising mix of country charm and Italian opulence.

Read the full story Monday with photos of the winery in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.