In a market where small wineries constantly struggle to break through, Pray Tell is one of the few that seem to have it all figured out. Founded by Tom Caruso in 2017, the Oregon-based winery rapidly gained a following for its elegant, low-intervention wines. The labels, each a unique design hand-cut by Caruso himself, drew many curious consumers to try the winery’s earthy Pinot Noir, juicy Gamay, or even its bright-fuschia skin-contact Pinot Gris.
Pray Tell quickly grew from a small, 120-case outfit to a well-recognized brand making over 2,000 cases each vintage, sourcing thoughtfully farmed grapes from across the Willamette Valley. Though still relatively limited, the wine is undeniably popular among natural wine enthusiasts, continuously gaining steam across the country. That’s why it came as somewhat of a shock when Caruso announced earlier this year that he planned to uproot the Oregon operation and move Pray Tell to… Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania isn’t necessarily a revered wine region in the U.S. — the state is primarily associated with local tourism and bulk wine rather than quality. While California hung its hat on Cabernet Sauvignon, New York broke through with its zippy, acidic Rieslings, and Oregon established itself on great Pinot Noir, Pennsylvania has struggled to find an identity. (Pennsylvania did, however, officially surpass Oregon this year, becoming the fourth-largest wine-producing state by volume.) And although it has a prized food scene, the city of Philadelphia has never been known as a wine destination.
To onlookers, Philadelphia might seem like an odd choice for Pray Tell’s future, but after a conversation with Caruso, the winery’s big move to the East Coast doesn’t seem so random after all. It might even signal that a larger change in Philadelphia’s wine culture is finally on the horizon.
Family Ties
For Caruso, the move east is a homecoming. The winemaker grew up in South Philadelphia in a big Italian family, and recalls making wine on the sidewalk with his grandfather and other kids in the neighborhood every fall.
Caruso didn’t immediately consider winemaking as a career path, though, rather just an interesting family tradition. But years later, while working for a publishing company in New York, surrounded by the city’s dynamic dining scene, he found himself drawn to wine once again. He took every opportunity to learn about it, and living near the original Brooklyn Winery location in Williamsburg, he started working the night shift, sorting grapes and assisting with pump overs.
“I remember saying to my family ‘I think we can do this in Philadelphia,’ but I knew I needed to go to California and learn more about winemaking,” Caruso says. So he decided to put his talents to the test out West, working with a string of thoughtful producers, from Bedrock Wine Co. in Sonoma to Antica Terra in the Willamette Valley.
When Caruso arrived in Oregon in 2014, he recalls it “felt like the Wild West.” A nascent wine region, the Willamette Valley was just finding its footing, which Caruso found exhilarating. “It seemed like things were happening, the way people describe the early days of Napa or Sonoma in the ‘70s. Very grassroots, with no barriers to the production side of things,” he says. “The opportunity to learn and taste wines at that time was unparalleled.” He worked for several producers across the area’s various sub-AVAs, before starting his own label in 2017.
The fact that Pennsylvania isn’t widely associated with just one grape feels like an opportunity rather than an obstacle for Caruso, who’s eager to start working with grapes from the state’s five distinct AVAs.
With 10 years of winemaking in the Willamette Valley and seven vintages of Pray Tell under his belt, Caruso felt he was ready to bring the project home to Philly, as he always intended. The new location, which opened in August in the city’s industrial-chic Fishtown neighborhood, is filled with tokens of the winemaker’s past. The winery itself is located in a renovated warehouse Caruso’s family has long run a food business out of, and the tasting area is equipped with a vintage table that was the center of his grandparents’ dining room for 50 years.
New Beginnings
Though reconnecting with his East Coast roots is much of what brought Caruso back to Pennsylvania, he also sees a lot of potential for the winery there. Similar to his early days in Oregon, he feels the exciting energy of an up-and-coming wine region in the Pennsylvania air.
“When I tell people about the history of the Willamette Valley as a relatively young wine region, I say it seemed like throwing pasta at the wall and seeing what sticks,” he says. The fact that Pennsylvania isn’t widely associated with just one grape feels like an opportunity rather than an obstacle for Caruso, who’s eager to start working with grapes from the state’s five distinct AVAs.
As Caruso enters his first harvest in the state, he plans to bring in Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cab Franc, and Merlot from Pennsylvania vineyards, looking to imprint his own personal style on the wines. He will also continue to source some grapes from the Willamette Valley, making a small batch of wine on location there, and trucking the remainder over to Philadelphia to produce in the new facility.
Though “serious” wine drinkers might turn their noses at a bottle from Pennsylvania, Caruso hopes that the trust he’s built with consumers through Pray Tell’s Oregon releases will make them more inclined to try a PA-made wine. While it seems like quite a leap from the Willamette Valley to Philadelphia, it wouldn’t be the first time that a well-known winemaker brought some credibility to a burgeoning region.
Renowned California producer Paul Hobbs generates buzz each time he starts a new project — whether in Mendoza, the Finger Lakes, or even Armenia. And after his Santa Barbara Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays reached cult status, Rajat Parr moved to the relatively unknown Cambria region on California’s Central Coast, bringing the attention of wine lovers with him.
“In the past few years there has been a major growth in the importers and distributors available in Philadelphia. Having distributors like Cloche Wine Co. and Le Bouchon bringing in more and more incredible small producers has made the entire wine scene here that much more exciting.”
As for the decision behind the city-centric location, Caruso was particularly drawn to the idea of an urban winery that harkened back to his Brooklyn days.
“I think there’s a really strong upside to bringing the operation to a major city,” he says. In a vibrant area like Fishtown, the winery can capitalize on a lot of foot traffic and create a community of locals. After interacting with customers primarily over email and social media over the past several years, Caruso was eager to share wines directly with drinkers in person.
“In Oregon most of your tourism is dependent on people taking a plane and deliberately planning to see you every four to five years when they visit the region,” he says. “Here, we already have regulars that come in wanting to try another wine, share what food pairing they tried with a bottle they bought, or just hang out.”
Right Place at the Right Time
While Philly has cheesesteaks and craft breweries abound, wine-focused spots are typically few and far between, partly because of Pennsylvania’s notoriously strict laws around the sale and distribution of alcohol.
As one of the country’s “control states,” what’s available for purchase is determined by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), which historically favors bottles from big brands and sells them at higher-than-average prices, making any wine-related business an uphill battle.
A few key openings over the past few years offer proof that a new wave of wine professionals is willing to put in the extra work to design an impressive wine program. With spots like My Loup, Her Place Supper Club, Solar Myth, Superfolie, and the newly opened Picnic, Philly is undoubtedly developing a strong wine culture.
Additionally, some loosened restrictions and increased resources seem to finally be easing the load on Philly wine professionals. The city saw an influx of thoughtful bottle shops after then-Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 39 into law in 2016, which expanded retail wine sales outside the state-store system.
“In the past few years there has been a major growth in the importers and distributors available in Philadelphia,” Nicole Sullivan, beverage director at Her Place Supper Club, says. “Having distributors like Cloche Wine Co. and Le Bouchon bringing in more and more incredible small producers has made the entire wine scene here that much more exciting.”
With a blossoming wine culture, it seems the timing is right for Pray Tell’s relocation. “If I were to have opened a winery in Philly in 2014, I don’t think it would have resonated with people,” Caruso admits. “Philly is increasingly coming into its own with the ambitious level of dining, and you can’t help but find that wine is moving along with that.”
