Courtesy of Nina Kelly, the director of communications for the Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau, here's a first-day summation of the Brandywine Valley Wine Camp. We plan to continue these posts throughout the weekend for the filled-to-capacity event, which runs through Sunday:
The Brandywine Valley Wine Camp got off to a rousing start this Friday evening (more details to follow). What is this wine camp, you ask? It is the brain-child of Greg Edevane, director of sales and marketing at the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau. The three-day, two-night weekend "camp" is dedicated to fun, food, wine and winemaking in the Brandywine Valley area of PA. The schedule is as follows: Friday starts at the Chaddsford Winery with a "Barrel Tasting in the Cellar" followed by a picnic dinner and concert under the stars. Overnights are at guests choice of cozy Bed & Breakfasts in the area. Saturday starts with a great breakfast at said B&B's - then to Kreutz Creek Vineyard in West Grove for "A Walk through the Vineyards" - off to lunch and a wine paring at Paradocz Vineyard, then "Vines to Wines the Crush" at Twin Brook Winery. Dinner Saturday evening is at the wonderful Brandywine Prime in Chadds Ford. Sunday starts off with another hearty breakfast and off to learn about "The Chemistry of Winemaking" at Stargazers Vineyard in Coastesville. Guests are then free to explore area treasures such as Longwood Gardens, Brandywine River Museum, QVC Studios and much more with the Brandywine Sampler coupon books that are included in their welcome package. But I digress - back to the beginning and how much fun Friday night was . . .
Campers arrived at Chaddsford Winery at about 4:30 p.m. The Chaddsford Winery is a magical place where a 17th century Colonial barn has been transformed into one of Pennsylvania's premier wineries. Here they were greeted with at refreshing glass of Spring Wine, a light delightful light wine that has become a favorite at Chaddsford during the warm weather season. After a welcome reception (name tags included) the group was escorted by Jim Osborne, the Cellar Master at Chaddsford for a very entertaining tour through the barrel aging process. Types of oak barrels used at Chaddsford are American, French and Hungarian, according to Jim and each add a subtle difference to the wine. Some wines which are not aged in barrels are known as "unoaked" and one such wine at Chaddsford is their famous "Naked Chardonnay". Campers compared oak-aged Chardonnay to the "Naked" version as well as several red wines in various stages of the aging process. After the cellar tour the group enjoyed adelicious picnic dinner of chilled salmon, steak and grilled vegetables with their favorite Chaddsford Wines. Pastries and fresh fruits followed as the air was filled with the sounds of the City Rhythm Orchestra, a fabulous band that played big band favorites while guests danced under the stars. It was truly a glorious night and a great kickoff to this inaugural (but destined to be annual) event. Look for an update on the rest of the "Camp" and don't miss the "Summer Nights Under the Stars" concerts at Chaddsford Winery Friday nights during the summer.
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