Same Md. bills, new year, likely same results

One day of hearings, which took place earlier this week in the Maryland legislature, was enough to convince Maryland Wine Association executive director Kevin Atticks that it might take a few more years before anything significant bills finally achieve passage. Right now, Atticks said, the wholesaler and retailer lobby remains in a total position of power . . . "and they know it. And we know it, but it doesn’t make any sense to us."

Two of the bills had to do with allowing direct shipping from wineries to the homes of Maryland residents, and the other would create a special license developing a uniformity around the rules guiding how wineries are permitted to do business. For instance, it would allow the sampling and selling of winery wines at the winery for on- or off-premise consumption, grant permission to hold events and permit it operate seven days a week, among other things.

None of the measures discussed has been vetoed as yet, at least from a quick glance at the legislature's home page. Atticks said he felt the bill for the new license would be sent to the alcohol subcommittee for further discussion and review. Still, he said, the message he heard was a familiar refrain: Leave things alone.

"With everything it’s just a matter of ‘We’re comfortable the way things are, we’re comfortable the way the law is, and thank you for keeping it that way,'" he said. "There’s all these little arguments about specifics of each bill, but they’re hollow arguments." The ultimate message, he said, is that no change is good.

Assuming nothing passes, it leaves the wineries walking in place, not necessarily a bad thing. Several new ones opened last year; more are scheduled to open this year. And, in general, business has been good, or at least the perception is that business is good.

"I think much of our industry at this point is new," Atticks said, "so they are entering the market in a down year and they’re still seeing sales. So their understanding is that business is good and I think it is for the small wineries. The larger wineries [in our state] have seen a noticeable drop through sales in retail stores and sales at the winery."

The Event Grapevine: Feb. 27-March 1

Within the posts of The Wine Classroom have been reports on winery events tied to music, eating and education. Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard adds another one to the list, scheduling some time Saturday in the tasting room after welcoming folks from The Potomac Hunt Club and the New Market-Middletown Valley Hunt Club to a midday joint hunt.

The Web site describes it as something out of the set of an old English movie, a pack of barking foxhounds will be cast into the rough to flush out their elusive and cunning quarry, while riders in their stately colours will traverse the SMV countryside giving chase. What you haven’t seen in the typical movie before are riders retiring to the tasting room for “a bit of wine and repartee.” Sounds like something that one of the wineries along the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail could copy with its location on the rim of Philly’s Main Line, but for now this idea remains uniquely Sugarloaf’s.

That winery, by the way, is celebrating its recent recognition in the 2009 Grand Harvest Awards in Santa Rosa, Calif. It received two silver medals for its 2007 Cabernet Franc and 06 Chardonnay Reserve, along with a bronze medal for our 2007 Comus. This competition is unique in that it is the only one in North America “based on terrior – a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine.” This approach to judging allows for greater consideration for “the complexities and nuances of regional wines.”

It also possesses one of the region’s newsier Web sites, including information on its vineyard. The entry explains: Our unique soil and microclimate create favorable growing conditions, or "terroir", for our carefully selected grapevines. With the expertise of world renowned viticulturist Lucie Morton, in 2002 we selected 19,000 certified French vinifera clones which were grafted on American rootstock by Caldwell Nurseries of northern California. We planted these babies in the spring of 2004, and additional vines of similar pedigree in 2007 and 2008. The care and attention provided by our vineyard manager, Carl DiManno, have produced outstanding results. We hand-pick our grapes, cold-soak them, cold-ferment all our varietals, and age them in French oak barrels (except for our Pinot Grigio, which is aged in a special tank). Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard has planted 3.5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5 acres of Pinot Grigio, 2 acres of Chardonnay, 1.5 acres of Merlot, 2 acres of Cabernet Franc, .5 acre of Petit Verdot, and .25 acre of Malbec. We plan to plant an additional 15,000 certified French Bordeaux clones in the next several years.

Sugarloaf already has its wines served at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and wouldn’t mind adding another home in D.C. to its distribution list: the White House. Hmmm. Does one drink red or white after an exhausting game of hoops? Anyone have a suggestion?

As for what’s going on elsewhere, both this weekend and beyond, take a look:

PENNSYLVANIA WINERIES

Adams County Winery, Orrtanna: Wine Appreciation class ($$), Saturday, March 21, 6 to 8:30 p.m.; Tour de Tanks, starting Saturday at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Allegro Vineyards, Brogue: Fridays’ Weekly Winedown ($$), 4 to 7 p.m.; Sweet & Spicy Saturdays ($$), 2 to 5 p.m.; Sip & Savor Sundays ($$), 2 to 5 p.m., all require reservations at 741.3072, all events at the Wine Gallery in Olde Tollgate Village EXCEPT for Tour de Tanks ($$), which starts Saturday at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Black Walnut Winery, Sadsburyville: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting Sunday and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars, New Tripoli: Sunday Blues Wine Tastings, music every Sunday ($$), 2 to 5 p.m., through April, link to winery

Chaddsford Winery, Chaddsford: Wine & Chocolate Tasting ($$), Saturday, seatings at 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m.; Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting Sunday and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries; reserve tastings ($$) begin in March, 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m. every Saturday; winemaker dinner ($$) at Caffe Gelato, Newark, Del., Sunday, March 22, 6 p.m., link to winery
Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville: Annual wine rack sale ($$), all Clover Hill locations, through March 8; March Madness ($$), passport required, a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail event; beginner tasting class ($$), Saturday, April 25, 3 p.m., link to winery

Country Creek Winery, Salford Township: Dinner at Brazzo Downtown ($$), Thursday, March 26; Liquid Fridge will perform, Saturday, March 28, 6 to 9 p.m., link to winery

Crossing Vineyards & Winery, Washington Crossing: Wine and food pairing ($$), Saturday, March 14, 7:30 p.m.; Wine Tasting for Dummies ($$), Sunday, March 15, 2 p.m.; St. Patrick’s Day celebration ($$), Tuesday, March 17, 7:30 p.m.; Wine 101, at the Wine Institute ($$), 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., topic on Friday, March 23, is An Introduction to Wine, link to winery

Cullari Vineyards & Winery, Hershey: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Saturday at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Four Springs Winery, Seven Valleys: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Saturday at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Franklin Hill Vineyards, Bangor: Free winery tour, Wednesdays at noon, link to winery

Hauser Estate Winery, Biglerville: Candle Light Friday/Happy Hour, Today, 5 to 8 p.m., warm food and live music Ray Owens will perform and Crossroads will cater; Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Saturday at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Kreutz Creek Vineyards, West Grove: Music at West Chester tasting room, 44 E. Gay St., Fridays and Saturdays, 6 to 9 p.m.; Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting Sunday and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Manatawny Creek Winery, Douglasville: Hours have changed to Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m., link to winery

Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery, Wrightsville: Music every Saturday (2 to 5 p.m.) and Sunday (2 to 5 p.m.); will close Fridays at 5 p.m. through February; Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Saturday at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Naylor Wine Cellars, Stewartstown: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Saturday at all Uncork York wineries; Forget The Taxes and red Wine Dinner, Saturday, April 18, 3 to 6 p.m., and Sunday, April 19, 2 to 5 p.m., link to winery

Nissley Vineyards & Winery Estate, Bainbridge: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Saturday at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Paradocx Vineyard, Landenberg: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting Sunday and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Penns Woods Winery, Eddystone: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting Sunday and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Pinnacle Ridge Winery, Kutztown: March Madness ($$), passport required, a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail event, link to winery

Reid’s Ochards & Winery, Ortanna: Opening March 7; Tour de Tanks ($$), at all Uncork York wineries, link to information

Rose Bank Winery, Newtown: Spring Art Fest, Friday, March 20, 5 to 8 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.;Winter Wine Concert Series, Sundays through March 29, 1 to 4 p.m., at Shady Brook Farm, link to winery

Rushland Ridge, Rushland: Closed January and February; will reopen March 5, link to winery

Seven Valleys Vineyard & Winery, Glen Rock: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Saturday at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Stargazers Vineyard & Winery, Coatesville: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting Sunday and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Tamanend Winery, Lancaster: New winery open, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m., classically styled premium wines in their bottled wine group, and premium sweeter styled wines in their Bag in Box group of wines, link to winery

Twin Brook Winery, Gap: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting Sunday and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Va La Vineyards, Avondale: Open Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; David Oleski exhibit, Saturday, www.davidoleski.com; a proud participant this year in the 2009 Avondale League of Octogenarians Spring Swimsuit Festival, link to winery

Vynecrest Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville: Mardi Gras Saturday, Feb. 28, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.; March Madness ($$), passport required, a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail event, link to winery

Waltz Vineyards, Manheim: Winery opens its new tasting room tomorrow, noon to 5 p.m., will be open every Saturday through March 28, or by appointment, link to winery

West Hanover Winery, Harrisburg: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Saturday at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery


MARYLAND WINERIES

Basignani Winery, Sparks: Pizza and herbs ($$), April 18-19, noon to 5 p.m., link to winery

Black Ankle Winery, Mt. Airy: Open for business, winner of Maryland Governor’s Cup in 2008; winter hours start Dec. 1, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., other times by appointment; wine and cheese pairing class ($$), Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m., to book your spot, visit The Wine Coach or call Barb at 410-428-6693; St. Paddy’s Day with the Bog Band, Sunday, March 15, noon to 5 p.m., link to winery

Boordy Vineyards, Hydes: Fond of You Fondue ($$), Saturdays in February, 1 to 5 p.m.; Stew in Our Juices ($$), homemade stews and wine pairing, with musical entertainment, every Sunday in March, 1 to 5 p.m., winery link

Frederick Cellars, Frederick: Happy Hour, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. every weekday, glasses are half-price; Music in the Cellar, Saturday, March 7, 7 p.m., link to winery

Fiore Winery, Pylesville: Wine tasting dinner at Liberatore’s in Bel Air ($$), Saturday, March 14, link to winery

Sugarloaf Mountain, Dickerson: Red wine sensory tasting seminar ($$), Saturday, March 7, 1 p.m.; soup will be served in the tasting room on Saturdays and Sundays throughout February; Friday Flights ($$) is every Friday from 2 to 4 p.m., which consist of 3 half glasses of SMV wine, each paired with an appropriate cheese, fruit or chocolate, reservations at 301.605.0130, link to winery

Woodhall Wine Cellars, Parkton: Annual barrel sale, futures sale and chocolate tasting ($$), extending every weekend through March 29, 2 to 4 p.m., call 410.357.8644 or send an e-mail to reserve your spots; Patricia Della Casual Fine Dining will be serving lunch and dinner from noon to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. each weekend by reservation (410.357.5078), link to winery

Other MARYLAND winery events can be found at this link, VIRGINIA events at this link and New York events at this link

PASSPORT WEEKENDS

Tour de Tanks, starting Feb. 28 and continuing every weekend in March, noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays, cost is $15 per person, pick up tickets at any participating winery or order online here, wineries include Adams County, Allegro, Cullari, Four Springs, Fox Ridge, Hauser Estate, Moondancer, Naylor, Nissley, Reid’s Orchard, Seven Valleys and West Hanover; information on Meet the Winemaker dinners here.

Barrels on the Brandywine, starting March 1 and continuing every weekend in March, noon to 5 p.m., cost is $25 per person, pick up tickets at any participating winery or order online here, wineries include Black Walnut, Chaddsford, Kreutz Creek, Paradocx, Penns Woods, Stargazers and Twin Brook.

$$ – Admission charge

Past meets present at Naylor Tour stop

Wander into Naylor Wine Cellars in Stewartstown during the Tour de Tanks event that begins Saturday and you're likely to get more than a sip of the present. You'll also receive a taste of the past.

“That’s what I'm trying to do, let them try to take something home with them besides the wine,” owner Dick Naylor said by phone on Wednesday. “Let them take some knowledge home, some history, so they get some feel of what the wine industry is all about.”

Tour de Tanks will begin its fourth year this weekend, incorporating 12 wineries that come together once a year as the Uncork York wine trail for this event. Passports cost $15 per person and entitle holders to stop in at each winery and sample some of their goods while learning a few of the basics of how the wine is produced. Each winery lays out a spread of food, some catered and others prepared in the kitchen of the adjoining home. The idea, one shared by other wine trails in the region, has mushroomed into something grander than anyone could have imagined.

“It’s great. Last year we had 1,014 [come in for Tour de Tanks],” Naylor said, noting they had around 200 the first year. “Each year it has jumped. Last year it really jumped. And the nice thing about it . . . we get people who hear about it and come in from northern Virginia, from Maryland, from Jersey, from Delaware. Some come down from New York even. The B&Bs are making out like crazy, same with the hotels. So it’s a win-win for everybody. We're really looking forward to it.”

Naylor said he'll go through around 100 bottles of wine that visitors will try as samples during the four weekends that the event runs. He'll also dole out some history lessons, maybe noting that while his winery was the first one in York County when it opened in 1975, it actually has a predecessor who was picking grapes and making wine early in the 19th century along the banks of the Susquehanna River in Wrightsville. And, if you really want to dig deeper, you can research the early work done by William Penn, who planted a vineyard of French vinifera in 1683 around Philadelphia.

That's well before Naylor was scouting York County for a place to grow grapes, lured by the adage that wherever peaches grow, grapes can grow. Others have followed; indeed the 14 wineries in York County, Naylor said, is the most in any one county in the state.

“It's because we have a fantastic area to grow grapes,” he said. “Our high plateau . . . we're at 1,000-foot elevation here, we have everything going for us. Good air and drainage, just enough breeze to keep the vines dried off. The soil is such that the grapes don’t have wet feet, they call it, because it drains so well. We’ve been growing grapes for 34 years and we've never had frost damage on a bud in the springtime nor in the fall while we had fruit in the vine. Hardly any place in the United States can make that statement. So we’ve been blessed [here].”

Tour de Tanks, in essence, becomes a chance for Naylor and the other 11 winery proprietors to share their stories of a fraternity, he said, that's worldwide. “My wife and I have had the good fortune of traveling all over Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and wherever we go we bring our wine along and brochures," he said. "And we’ll see some people out in the vineyards in Italy or Germany working and we’ll go up and try to converse with them. And once we let them know that we’re a winery owner in America, you’re like a brother that's come home. We have a couple of German families that we wouldn’t dare go over there unless we stayed a couple nights at their home. I think all of agriculture has a little of that, but I think wine, because Mother Nature is a little tougher to work with than when growing corn or wheat, so we’re at it 12 months a year. That’s the way the wine business is.”

Sale of Tour passes way ahead of 2008

With Tour de Tanks along the Uncork York trail set to begin Saturday, here's an update form Alison Smith of the York County Convention and Visitors Bureau:

"To date the York County CVB has sold 452 tickets online for the '09 Tour de Tanks Event," she wrote earlier today. "Through this date last year we had sold 177 '08 Tour de Tanks tickets. That equates to an increase of 155 percent from 08-09 in online pre-event tickets purchased online.

"Tickets are also on sale at area wineries (those numbers are not reflected in the above totals) and will continue to be available at the wineries and online throughout the month of March.

"Lodging properties have also indicated that packages are booking well this year, won't have hard numbers until end of event. Ticket sales for the NEW winemaker dinners are going well and we expect that to continue as people travel the trail, meet the winemakers and remain thirsty for more!"

Owner at peace with her wine lineup

It was an observation, not a criticism, that a majority of the wines that Peace Valley Winery in Chalfont, Pa., sells run from semi-dry to sweet. And while Susan Gross, the owner of the 25-year-old winery who first planted grapes there in 1968 admitted that she prefers very dry reds, many of her customers prefer the sweet wines.

And there’s nothing at all wrong with that, she said.

“My business partner [Robert Kolmus] likes the Merlot. I prefer the Excalibur [described on her Web site as full bodied, very dry, dark red wne, aged with a complex flavor and excellent with heavy meat dishes, all which sells for $14.49/bottle] and the wine of choice to take out to a BYOB/Italian restaurant is our New Britiain Red, and so it does well for us.

“But we are not snobbish about [carrying the semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet wines]. When people come in and shyly say they love sweet wines, I say GREAT! Because we do, too, and [we tell them] don’t be intimidated. That’s our philosophy here.

“Dry wines sell very well, but my sweet wines sell very well, also. And we work hard at making very good sweet wines. We’re proud of our wines, and I think too many wineries don’t bother with the sweet wines, just buying cheap juice form brokers and throwing sugar in it and putting it in a bottle. We work hard at making at very good product and it sells well because of that.”

Gross said she originally developed the vineyard as a way to sell grapes to home winemakers. Meanwhile, she was working at a full-time job and, as she said, very happy with the way things were working. When her company moved out of the region in the early 1980s, that vineyard became something else: a lifeline.

“I had a huge vineyard of many different varieties,” she said. “I had enough time to prepare for this changeover, which gave me the opportunity to revamp my vineyard. There were a lot of varieties out there that I like very much that I wanted to keep, and I knew would work well in my selection of wines. Now, I’m a farmer. I wasn’t a wealthy doctor, lawyer, dilettante of some sort who was a wine connoisseur. I was trying to make a living and it means recognizing the fact that most of the people out there like sweet wines. and we make a very fine product.. I drink very dry reds, and some of my reds get a lot of attention, but it’s just part of my lineup as a business person.”

That business continues to thrive despite the recession. “We’ve had the best February we’ve had in along time,” she said. “The economy has never affected us one way or another except last December a year ago, 2007, when they first stated talking about bad news, and we were affected last December and so were a lot of other wineries. But since then people are rolling with the punches and we don’t have a problem.”

Peace Valley is one of eight members of the Bucks County Wine Trail, which will celebrate a Spring Fling on March 14-15. While not ostentatious, the winery’s Web site certainly is informative with a few touches of home that lend some insight into the person who has run this winery for so many years. Note this entry in the newsletter section:

"For newcomers: Moe is our winery cat. He is the sole survivor of a litter of 4 that was born on the back porch in March 2001. The mother cat is feral but stays close to keep an eye on Moe and to share his food. She is addicted to Pounce catnip treats and shows up every day begging for treats. Moe is a fair weather cat and is eager to come in during bad weather. We are hoping that his Mommie Dearest will follow him in some night and stay warm. Maybe I should leave a trail of catnip.”

And the note on the schedule that lists the Christmas Eve hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Don’t even think of coming in after 4 P.M.!” it says, capped by the exclamation point.

Gross was asked how much of the everyday work was still fun. Dealing with her longtime customers and those strolling through her winery doors for the first time . . . yes, that’s fun. Watching the vineyard blossom and produce its annual yield. There’s plenty of satisfaction there. The rest? “I just finished all the government paperwork,” she said, pausing. “It’s old hat. I want to retire." Anytime soon, she was asked? "As soon as I can get out, although not with the way the economy is now.”

At Elkton shop, 25 Md. wines and counting

Greg Birney said he was 7 when his family opened Cherry Hill Liquors in Elkton, Md. He learned all aspects of the business, from stocking shelves to sweeping the floors. And by the time he graduated high school and took over the shop in 2002, he had a pretty good idea of what he needed to set his store apart. Something unique. A niche product. And carrying Maryland wines turned out to be that element of his inventory that other stores didn't have; today he carries around 150 of them.

I had visited a lot of liquor stores in the area and really nothing to me set them apart,” he said by phone last week. “I'd find the same product sets at each liquor store. So my thinking was, 'What am I going to find, what am I going to do, what kind of services or products can I offer my customers to draw form a larger customer base? Because otherwise it was just going to be a neighborhood shop; not that there was anything wrong with that, but I wanted something more. And that's when I stumbled into [Maryland wines], in early 2003, that's when I started rolling with them. And at that point there were only 12 Maryland wineries, and it was easy. Now there are into the 20s that actually selling to retailers; I believe we're around 25, 26, and I just made contact with another one today [Bordeleau] that I'll probably be picking up later in the week.”

Birney's name came by way of Morris Zwick, owner of nearby Terrapin Station Winery. What prompted the call was a question about how difficult he found it to sell Zwick's wines in a box, a concept foreign to regional wineries but not so much any more nationally or internationally. The winter edition of Pennsyvania Wine & Spirits devoted a story to the subject. Writer Anne Taulane noted that in Pennsylvania over the past 52 weeks, sales of alternative wine boxes (three-liter, one-liter, and 500-milliliter wines) were up 35.9 percent. Zwick packages his product in 1 ½-liter boxes, the equivalent of two bottles of wine.

Boxed wines, Birney said, have kind of a negative connotation in the industry, especially on the retail side of things. “But Morris and Janet [Zwick] have really worked to put quality wines into their final product. One of his goals, and this is something I have to explain to consumers or potential customers of his [is that this] is one of his personal goals, one of their goals at the winery, is to have a lower carbon footprint. So they want to be as environmentally responsible as possible. To answer your question, it's one customer at a time, explaining that concept. Being the closest liquor store to their winery, it's been a lot easier doing that. I don't know how other stores have fared, say 10 or 20 miles from here, because they're not next door. But a lot of people have seen the winery, seen the grapes go in and wanna try it, and they're very curious, and generally speaking there are a lot of repeat customers on it.”

He charges $22 per box for the wines, explaining that it's in line with other wineries “when you break it down because you have two bottles in each box. When you break it down,” Birney said, “and explain to a consumer that, hey, there's a liter and a half of wine in there, that means it's comparable pricewise to $11 or $12 a bottle. And when you explain that, they're more agreeable to it.”

The two questions most often posed? Birney said one is why Terrapin Station has decided to package their wines in a box. And the second has to do with the names of the wines -- Vidal Blanc, Traminette, Cecil Red, Cecil White. It's a similar situation, though not quite as extreme, to the names that Anthony Vietri uses for his Va La Vineyards wines in Avon Grove, Pa. “They don't recognize Vidal Blanc; they recognize Chardonnay,” Birney said. “It's explaining to a customer what Vidal Blanc is, explaining how it tastes, that's kind of a secondary questions is what is this grape.”

It's that willingness to answer questions and sell the product that ranks Birney's liquor shop high on Zwick's list of favorites from among the more than 40 outlets that carry his product. For now, that's the only way you can buy Terrapin Station Wines, although Zwick said last week that they are planning to erect a tent by the winery for a couple of months this summer and, besides selling it, allow customers to taste some of them. While that happens, he said, he'll evaluate what shops his wines are going into now and how they're doing.

“We’re probably going to have to ruminate on the mix of stores that we have,” Zwick said. “Some do pretty well in terms of moving product and others don’t. It's just a matter if you’re a small winery producing local product, you’re generally going to be attracting people interested in wine to begin with beyond getting bulk 1 ½ liters bottles of wine from California or something. So some stores, they just don't push much premium wine and, of course, right now, in particular. And so when we're placed in a store where they're moving a lot of lower-priced, lower-value wines and beers, that's just not a successful place for us to be. So we'll keep evaluating our mix of stores.”

Stargazers adding warmth to the old pad

When the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail begins welcoming guests for the 2009 Barrels on the Brandywine next Sunday, Stargazers Vineyard will be one of two new members pouring wines. As noted on the Web site, the winery is located just north of Unionville, Chester County, not far from the "Stargazers Stone," which marks the location of the observatory Mason and Dixon used in surveying the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland. According to the site, they were known as "the stargazers" because they used celestial navigation to correct their measurements over the ground.

It’s a vineyard and winery that has been owned and operated for years by Alice and John Weygandt, who are just beginning a succession plan that will turn over full operation to Jennifer and Brian Dickerson.

Reached by phone the other day, Brian said this phasing in of the new owners could take three to five years. “We want it to be [that length of time] so I can get as much knowledge with them around as possible instead of just saying, ‘Here ya go, have fun.’ We want it to be a smooth transition, not just for the entities involved but for the business itself, the winemaking and the wingrowing.”

Brian said they should soon complete work on enclosing a patio overlooking the Brandywine River and valley that to this point has had a roof over it but was open on three sides and connected to the winery on the fourth. Not that it will change what Brian called “probably the best view in Chester County as far as the wineries go,” but it will turn that spot into a 12-month-a-year site that can be heated during the winter and open for breezes during the summer. “We’ve framed it in and put in very large glass overhead doors so when we have inclement weather, like in March, they’re going to be closed and [it will be] warm and toasty,” he said.

They plan to be pouring eight wines during Barrels: two of their sparkling wines, their oaked and unoaked Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Dornfelder. Care to taste? They provide two wines from the barrel: their 2008 Chardonnay and their 2007 Cabernet Reserve.

Blog roll please: Adding McDuff's to list

A newspaper lifer, I've gotten used to touting my section and my writers over whoever the competition might be. But it's different in the blog world, where those who share an interest enjoy sharing that interest so much that they provide links to others writing about the same thing. My humble list includes about a dozen favorite site, including McDuff's Food & Wine Trail, which I just added to my blog roll on Friday.

Check out the list of favorites on his almost two-year-old blog and it includes a who's who of Philadelphia area aficionados of wines and/or food. Now that's what I call a service, introducing readers of one blog to so many others who cover various aspects of the same geographical region. In addition, his list adds a dash on national and a pinch of musical. Overall, it's another one you're worth acquainting yourself with, especially if you live somewhere around Philly.

David, sorry it has taken two years to get acquainted. Still, welcome aboard.

Crossing going green on 3,000-sq.-foot addition

Click on the attachment at right for a peek at Crossing Vineyards' calendar of events.


Christine Carroll, the director of marketing and public relations at Crossing Vineyards and Winery in Washington Crossing, Pa., has among the four most extensive events calendars in the region and lots of other initiatives in motion at their expanding operation. Few wineries market and publicize what they do as well as this place.

Indeed, they tout on their home page they the winery was listed No. 3 on a top 10 list of up-and-coming wine producers that appeared in the 2009 edition of Tom Stevenson's Annual Wine Report, an international guide to the wines of the world. Crossing held the No. 5 spot in that publication in 2008.

Carroll wrote in an e-mail she sent yesterday that the winery continues its green initative with the construction of an energy-efficient, 3,000-square-foot addition there.

She continued: "Crossing Vineyards broke ground in December, 2008, for the construction of a 3000 square foot addition to its winery. In keeping with the company's "green focus," the new building is designed to accommodate the future installation of solar panels and will feature a high-efficiency geothermal heating and cooling system. It will also include a water recharging well that collects and recyles groundwater instead of allowing erosive runoff.

"The new building will allow Crossing to serve customers better, while conserving natural resources, protecting the environment and reducing the company's carbon footprint.

"We also have a great spring schedule of classes, workshops, music and food events. One of the offerings I am most proud of is our Wine 101 class. It is a six-week course that goes from how wine is made to food and wine pairing. It is offered on Monday nights at 6:30 p.m. beginning on March 23.

"We have also had a great response to the Pairing Wine and Cheese class. This is not an uncomplicated subject and not many people know enough about it to offer classes. We have gotten a lot more knowledgeable since the opening of our Wine and Cheese Shop at The Mohegan Sun Casino; so we are in a position to offer a quality class."

Terrapin posts tasting schedule for next 5 weeks

Cecil County, Md.'s Terrapin Station Winery punched out an e-letter early last evening that contained a list of scheduled tasting "off-site" and a plea for readers to support the shipping bill now in discussion in the Maryland legislature.

First, the tasting schedule:

Fri, Feb 27, 4-7: Finksburg Liquors, Finksburg
Sat, Feb. 28, 1-5: Johnston's Liquors, Rising Sun
Sat, Mar 14, 3-6: Hillcrest Liquors, Frederick
Fri, Mar 20, 4-7: Crossroads Liquors, Westminster
Fri, Mar 27, 4-7: Mt. Airy Liquors, Mt. Airy
Sat, Mar 28, 12-3: Love Point Deli, Stevensville
Fri, Apr 3, 4:30-7:30: Upcounty Fine Wine, Clarksburg
Sat, Apr 4, 1-5: House of Liquors, Westminster

And the note on the direct shipping bills:

As many of you know, the wine direct shipping bills are once again being debated in Annapolis this session. House Bill 1262 and Senate Bill 338 are based on the standard language used in 34 other states that enable direct shipment of wine. Opposition from the wholesale lobby is extremely strong, and their voice is loud. But their claims that it promotes underage drinking, promotes tax avoidance, and will lead to all manner of calamities in our state are alarmist and unfounded by evidence in the 34 states that have experienced no difficulties. While Maryland wineries would marginally benefit (we have excellent retailers, but we can't get to every corner of the state), this is NOT a winery bill. This is a consumer bill.

Unfortunately, these bills are discussed before their respective subcommittees during weekdays in Annapolis, when most consumers are busy working their day jobs. We will NEVER be able to get enough consumers in the room to offset the opposition. Your legislators, however, want to hear from you! Over 50% of the house has signed up as co-sponsors and a significant number of senators have as well. We need YOU to tell them how you feel about this legislation. And the best part is that it is VERY easy to do.

Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws and Free The Grapes have set up an automated site that, once you identify where in the state you live, will automatically generate a fax that will be sent to your delegation. It takes less that 5 minutes, but it could make a huge difference in getting this sensible legislation passed.

Just click on this link, and you will be taken to the site.There is so much exciting happening in Maryland wine! Let's see if we can add to the excitement by getting this bill passed. Thanks for your help!

Next up: Port in a box and a 'roadside' tent

Sometimes the longer the interview the longer it takes to post. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it, for why part of this Presidents Day chat with Morris Zwick of (yeah, we can call them funky) Terrapin Station Winery that's located just north of Elkton, Md., in Cecil County has taken so long to transcribe and give it some eyes beyond mine.

The word “fun” jumps out at you on his site, and that sense of humor shines through in any interview with this second-generation Italian who notes on his Web site that he was a rare bird among his peers at the University of Maryland, where wine was his drink of choice. Starting with kits, his move toward winemaking now includes a product that is the only one in the Pennsylvania/Maryland region that packages it in a bag and box. It's sold in more than 40 stores, including now in Beltway Fine Wine & Spirits in Towson. “That's actually a big deal for us,” he said. “It's a large store, they move a lot of volume, and there's a lot of people go there to shop.”

As of now there's nowhere to buy his wines on his property, but Zwick said that will change soon. He figures to put up a festival tent by the wine building and open on weekends and maybe a couple of weekdays from June through mid-August. There they can allow visitors to taste and purchase the wines. “It's just to get people to stop by, see the place and sell some retail. We have some longer-term plans to put up some permanent structures, but those are on hold until several things happen “ he said, stopping to laugh, “including the improvement of the economy.”

Not only would the weather prohibit them from doing that now, but so would the inventory. Zwick said they're down to two Vidals and the Syrah, but that they plan to package five in the next few weeks. “We're just waiting for the guy who makes our cardboard to finish, and once he’s done with that we’ll start getting em knocked out one by one.”

Those include a Cecil Red, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Shiraz, their reserve Traminette, Vidal, Cayuga and what he called Five Rivers Rose. “And then, when those five wines are done, we have last year’s reds in the tank. We also have a Port we’re playing with and, with the port, we’ve come to an agreement to do a little marketing with it that people should find entertaining and useful. So we’ll see how that works out. I think it will be the world’s first Port in a box. We’ll see. It’s a matter of convenience for us. You know, we’ve got our form factory, we might as well keep it.”

He can only hope all of these sell with the same zest as his Traminette, which has been overwhelmingly popular.

“Last year we sold it out in five weeks. Now, we didn’t have a huge amount, but I was actually pleasantly surprised and I think part of it is. We don't don't it horribly sweet, but it does have some residual sugar. And its parent Gewurtztraminer is definitely a love or hate wine because [it] has definitely a very, strong, unique characteristics, a spiciness to it. Some people like it, some people hate it. The Traminette, being a cross of it, it has those characterictics but it’s not so overwhelming and I actually think it makes a more pleasant wine to drink. So I think part of it is that Traminette such an approachable white wine and it’s unique. It’s not just another Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc or something like this. And it was really popular, so we're hoping to keep with it.”

He said they handled the approach on this current vintage a little differently; for instance, doing an extended cold soak on it for 48 hours. “We definitely got something even more flavorful than last year, so we’re pretty excited about it. One thing you should always talk to a winemaker about, I think, is what kind of wines are you drinking. Because if you’re only drinking your own wines, drinking the same things all the time, then you’re not learning. And we definitely started to, and it’s hard to find, it’s not like every store [sells] a Traminette. But we definitely have been going around trying Traminettes and getting ideas from people and I think that will be reflected in what comes out here.”

Perhaps one other significant change at the winery will be some new packaging to differentiate their product line. Zwick said the higher-end wines will have a variation on the existing box and the newer wines will have a slightly different box style. It's one of our goals to be able to have somebody to look at the wines,” and recognize the gradations of value and price points. “Everything right now is priced the same. Our quote-unquote suggested retail is 20 bucks; that’s what we sell at festivals and stuff. When we’re done this little phase we’ll probably be anywhere from $18 to $30. The Traminette will probably be around 30 bucks . Now part of this is the mission work of explaining to people before they take a step back and say 'Wow, that’s a lot of money,' is remember the boxes containing the equivalent of two bottles of wine in it.”

Chien offer view of other coast's assets

I've been lucky enough to make acquaintance with Mark Chien, Pennsylvania's wine grape educator, and receive his monthly updates. This month's, as usual, had a variety of information that would make more sense to people in the industry. Still, there's always something in his e-mails that's worth sharing with everyone, and that's the case this month, too.

Chien wrote that "in the East, wine growers are often so busy battling the elements that they do not have time to be serious viticulture innovators. I have always found it helpful to go to other wine regions, in particular Europe and California, to find information and practices that might help us to be better wine growers. These areas simply have the critical mass to support research and innovation that we lack. I recently traveled to California to attend the Unified Symposium, a National Grape and Wine Initiative board meeting and visit vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Barbara County. The trip was enlightening for me and I’ll share some of the highlights."

Those highlights include this edited assessment of growing grapes in Santa Barbara County:

"After visiting Santa Barbara County (SBC) and its vineyards it is necessary to wonder why anyone who wants to grow wine would do it anywhere else. This is as close to wine paradise as I have experienced. The region has just emerged during the past decade and one of its greatest proponents is Jeff Newton. I have known Jeff since we were grad students studying viticulture at UC-Davis. We followed different career paths – he went on to become one of the best viticulturists in California, well, most of you know what happened to me. I am not being frivolous with this accolade. In the preface of his most recent wine tome, Robert Parker, Jr. mentioned just two viticulturists in his broad view of the wine world, David Abreu and Jeff. His name is now popping up everywhere.

Jeff started Coastal Vineyard Care (CVCA) as a one-man consulting business 25 years ago and now it is a multi-million dollar company managing over 2500 acres in Santa Barbara County. The business itself is remarkable to behold, a lean and mean planting and management machine that farms medium to ultra-premium wine grapes that have achieved 95+ Parker scores. I have to keep reminding myself that this is the guy who used to grow broccoli in the central valley.

Jeff no longer works alone. He has three partners in the business who help to oversee the 30 or so ranches they farm. Below them is an incredibly integrated and efficient hierarchy of managers and foremen who monitor every last minute detail of work. They manage 2500 acres as well as any five acre vineyard in Pennsylvania. The company has its own accounting department, pest control advisor, and farm safety officer. CVCA draws talent from the excellent program at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and many of those working at CVCA have diverse and very accomplished backgrounds in other fields. There are viticulturists to look after the detail work such a irrigation scheduling. CVCA also relies on expert consultants to help them do a better job of farming, including Tom Prentice of Crop Care. It is truly a team approach to wine growing.

I got to ride shotgun with Jeff for two days as he made the rounds around his ranches. It was an amazing experience. First of all… the weather. It was perfect. The temperature in Lancaster hasn’t crept much out of the 30s all winter and here we were, 60 degrees, blue sky, shimmering sunlight. Amazing. Maybe too amazing as a drought lingers and an early bud break brings the threat of frost.

Vineyard development: Clients usually approach CVCA with a property and ask them to evaluate it. It then goes through the suite of testing, primarily soil and water testing. Soils can be very high in magnesium which affects structure and nutrient availability. Salinity in the water can be a major problem. The initial walk over is important to determine the quality of the site and how vineyard blocks, varieties and rootstocks will be assigned. The soil work and determination of total available water will guide decisions, particularly rootstocks.
Depending on the AVA location relative to the ocean, varieties are selected. In the cool Santa Rita AVA it is mostly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Further east into the Los Alamos AVA Syrah, Sangiovese, Grenache excel. The furthest east region is Happy Canyon where Cabernet Sauvignon has taken hold. Jeff has a good sense in each area what varieties will do best. The topography is highly variable, from some flat land on the valley floors to Mosel-steep hillsides but almost always with rolling hills defining the vineyards and adding complex slope, aspect and elevation qualities to the wines.

The vibrating winged plow has been used to rip in soil preparation. This is a wing on the end of a shank that glides through the ground at a depth of 2-3’ and lifts the soil and gently lays it back down. They rip on each vine row adding uniformity to the soil structure. There is an applicator that can drill soil amendments deep directly behind the winged plow shank. Gypsum is often used to help improve soil structure and to neutralize active aluminum. Gypsum is much more soluble than lime so it can move deeper into the soil.

Row direction in warmer areas is established more by terrain contour than a strict N-S or NE-SW preference, although they try to achieve optimal orientation. In cooler Santa Rita, N-S becomes more important.

Development costs can be high, upwards of $40,000 an acre for the ultra-premium, high density vineyards. Farming costs can also be steep, pushing $10,000 per acre for the best vineyards but most are in the $6-8K range and as low as $3500. Labor is the major expense.

Soils: Mostly clay loams with some sandy soils. They care about soils but not to the extent that Europeans value the soil for wine quality. Here soil is a medium to irrigate and hold water long enough to get the vine to the next irrigation set. But one premium vineyard was on very sandy soils and the expectation may have been for lighter, fruitier wines but the strength of viticulture applied to the vineyard allows it to produce big, juicy Parker wines. It demonstrates the Thunevin method of taking a medium site and raising it to a top site through maniacal viticulture."

Waltz to open winery next Saturday

You've read much about the grapes from Waltz Vineyards in Manheim, Pa., on this blog. Those who had contracted to buy Kim and Jan's grapes through the years have raved about the quality of the fruit. Starting next Saturday, Feb. 28, you'll get a chance to see for yourself what all the fuss is about. The couple has put the finishing touches on its tasting room and will swing open its doors for business from noon to 5 p.m next Saturday.

Kim said the couple plan, are least through the end of March, to be open on Saturdays only, and also by appointment. Those hours that the winery will be open for visitors figure to increase as the weather warms.

Shipping debate resumes in Maryland

All of what has appeared on this blog regarding the legislation in Maryland to create a shipping bill that got under way Wednesday in Annapolis has been from the side of the state's wineries. While the wineries association hasn't introduced the measure, it certainly supports it.

Maryland wineries are not allowed to ship wines directly to consumer; rather, there's a three-tier system set up that forces the delivered goods to be sent through a wholesaler and retailer, where the consumer would then pick up their wine.

Kevin Atticks, executive director of the winery association, said by phone last week that the current setup is broken. "There’s never been an example of that actually working," he said of the three-tier system. "If somebody wants a hard-to-come by wine, we found that wholesalers and retailers who have to agree to that system don’t, so the wine never actually makes it anyway. That was set up as a compromise years ago . . ."

Still, while the bill to change the system comes back up for discussion every year, it remains enforced. "That’s a bill that’s vehemently opposed by the liquor interests and, my god, if we even see them on the street they start yelling at us about it," Atticks said. "It’s not our legislation. I mean we support it but we’re not behind it. It’s a consumer group, but the liquor interests are so upset about it and that can only tell me that it’s getting closer to passage. Usually, they don’t even respond to it, but now they’l really upset about it and it’s the same bill that has been in for 20 years . . . so the only thing that's diferent is it's chances."

So how does the Wholesale, Retails Associations of Maryland articulate it's resistence to the legislation, called State Bill 338 and House Bill 1262? Click on this above letter sent Monday to the Honorable Thomas V. Mike Miller, president of the state Senate.

The Event Grapevine: Feb. 19-22

We’re in tweener mode for a couple of weeks, between a hectic Valentine’s weekend where just about every winery was putting out chocolates and wine and the start of passport season on a couple of trails. As unique as anything this weekend is a Presidential Food and Wine Pairing at Galen Glen Winery on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, the winery will match up its wines with our new president’s favorite food: pizza. Only these pies will be tossed and baked in Pottsville, Pa., rather than Chicago.

As for what’s going on elsewhere, both this weekend and beyond, take a look:

PENNSYLVANIA WINERIES

Adams County Winery, Orrtanna: Wine Appreciation class ($$), Saturday, 6 to 8:30 p.m.; home wine-making ($$), Sunday, 1 to 3 p.m.; Tour de Tanks, starting Feb. 28 at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Allegro Vineyards, Brogue: Fridays’ Weekly Winedown ($$), 4 to 7 p.m.; Sweet & Spicy Saturdays ($$), 2 to 5 p.m.; Sip & Savor Sundays ($$), 2 to 5 p.m., all require reservations at 741.3072, all events at the Wine Gallery in Olde Tollgate Village EXCEPT for Tour de Tanks ($$), which starts Feb. 28 at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Black Walnut Winery, Sadsburyville: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting March 1 and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars, New Tripoli: Sunday Blues Wine Tastings, music every Sunday ($$), 2 to 5 p.m., through April, link to winery

Chaddsford Winery, Chaddsford: Wine and Chocolate Reserve Tastings ($$), every weekend in February, sitting at 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m.; Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting March 1 and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries; reserve tastings ($$) begin in March, 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m. every Saturday; winemaker dinner ($$) at Caffe Gelato, Newark, Del., Sunday, March 22, 6 p.m., link to winery

Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville: Beginner tasting class ($$), Saturday, 3 p.m., annual wine rack sale ($$), all Clover Hill locations, Feb. 19 through March 8; March Madness ($$), passport required, a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail event, link to winery

Country Creek Winery, Salford Township: Mike Greer and Friends, Saturday, March 21, 6 to 9 p.m.; wine dinner at Brazzo Downtown ($$), Thursday, March 26, link to winery

Crossing Vineyards & Winery, Washington Crossing: Wine Tasting for Singles ($$), Friday, 7 p.m.; wine and food pairing ($$), Saturday, March 14, 7:30 p.m.; Wine Tasting for Dummies ($$), Sunday, March 15, 2 p.m.; St. Patrick’s Day celebration ($$), Tuesday, March 17, 7:30 p.m., link to winery

Cullari Vineyards & Winery, Hershey: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Feb. 28 at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Four Springs Winery, Seven Valleys: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Feb. 28 at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Franklin Hill Vineyards, Bangor: Free winery tour, Wednesdays at noon, link to winery

Galen Glen Winery, Andreas: President Day Weekend, Feb. 21-22, pizza and wine pairing, link to winery

Hauser Estate Winery, Biglerville: Candle Light Friday/Happy Hour, Friday, Feb.27, 5 to 8 p.m., warm food and live music Ray Owens will perform and Crossroads will cater; Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Feb. 28 at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Kreutz Creek Vineyards, West Grove: Music at West Chester tasting room, 44 E. Gay St., Fridays and Saturdays, 6 to 9 p.m.; Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting March 1 and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Manatawny Creek Winery, Douglasville: Hours have changed to Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m., link to winery

Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery, Wrightsville: Music every Saturday (2 to 5 p.m.) and Sunday (2 to 5 p.m.); will close Fridays at 5 p.m. through February; vineyard hike and mulled wine ($$), Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Feb. 28 at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Naylor Wine Cellars, Stewartstown: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Feb. 28 at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Nissley Vineyards & Winery Estate, Bainbridge: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Feb. 28 at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Paradocx Vineyard, Landenberg: Wine, chocolate and cheese tasting ($$), Saturday, 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m., extended from last weekend, e-mail kellie@paradocx.com or call 610.505.1511 to make your advance reservation; Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting March 1 and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Penns Woods Winery, Eddystone: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting March 1 and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Pinnacle Ridge Winery, Kutztown: March Madness ($$), passport required, a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail event, link to winery

Reid’s Ochards & Winery, Ortanna: Opening March 7; Tour de Tanks ($$), at all Uncork York wineries, link to information

Rose Bank Winery, Newtown: Winter Wine Concert Series, Sundays through March 29, 1 to 4 p.m., at Shady Brook Farm; spring art fest, March 20-22, link to winery

Rushland Ridge, Rushland: Closed January and February; will reopen March 5, link to winery

Sand Castle Winery, Erwinna: Gourmet wine dinner ($$) at Villa Capri Ristorante, Doylestown, Thursday, featuring Sand Castle Johannisberg Dry Riesling, link to winery

Seven Valleys Vineyard & Winery, Glen Rock: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Feb. 28 at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Tamanend Winery, Lancaster: New winery open, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m., classically styled premium wines in their bottled wine group, and premium sweeter styled wines in their Bag in Box group of wines, link to winery

Twin Brook Winery, Gap: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting March 1 and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Va La Vineyards, Avondale: New holiday hours starting Dec. 1, weekdays, 12:01 to 5:27 p.m., Saturday and Sundays, 12:02 to 5:48 p.m., http://www.valavineyards.com/

Vynecrest Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville: Album release party, Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.; Mardi Gras Saturday, Feb. 28, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.; March Madness ($$), passport required, a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail event, link to winery

West Hanover Winery, Harrisburg: Tour de Tanks ($$), starting Feb. 28 at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery


MARYLAND WINERIES

Black Ankle Winery, Mt. Airy: Open for business, winner of Maryland Governor’s Cup in 2008; winter hours start Dec. 1, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., other times by appointment; wine and cheese pairing class ($$), Sunday, March 1, 2 to 4 p.m., to book your spot, visit The Wine Coach or call Barb at 410-428-6693, link to winery

Boordy Vineyards, Hydes: Fond of You Fondue ($$), Saturdays in February, 1 to 5 p.m.; Stew in Our Juices ($$), homemade stews and wine pairing, with musical entertainment, every Sunday in March, 1 to 5 p.m., winery link

Frederick Cellars, Frederick: Happy Hour, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. every weekday, glasses are half-price; Mardi Grad party, Saturday, 7 p.m.; music in the Cellar, Saturday, March 7, 7 p.m., link to winery

Linganore Winecellars at Berrywine Plantations, Mt. Airy: Cask to Kisses ($$), wine and chocolates pairing, every day in February; Southern Rock performer Dean Crawford concert ($$), Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m., all natural soups from Chesapeake Gourmet available for sale, http://www.linganorewines.com

Sugarloaf Mountain, Dickerson: Barrel tasting ($$/nonmembers), Saturday, 1 p.m.; red wine sensory tasting seminar ($$), Saturday, March 7, 1 p.m.; soup will be served in the tasting room on Saturdays and Sundays throughout February; Friday Flights ($$) is every Friday from 2 to 4 p.m., which consist of 3 half glasses of SMV wine, each paired with an appropriate cheese, fruit or chocolate, reservations at 301.605.0130, link to winery

Woodhall Wine Cellars, Parkton: Annual barrel sale, futures sale and chocolate tasting ($$), extending every weekend through March 29, 2 to 4 p.m., call 410.357.8644 or send an e-mail to reserve your spots; Patricia Della Casual Fine Dining will be serving lunch and dinner from noon to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. each weekend by reservation (410.357.5078), link to winery

Other MARYLAND winery events can be found at this link, VIRGINIA events at this link and New York events at this link

PASSPORT WEEKENDS

Tour de Tanks, starting Feb. 28 and continuing every weekend in March, noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays, cost is $15 per person, pick up tickets at any participating winery or order online here, wineries include Adams County, Allegro, Cullari, Four Springs, Fox Ridge, Hauser Estate, Moondancer, Naylor, Nissley, Reid’s Orchard, Seven Valleys and West Hanover; information on Meet the Winemaker dinners here.

Barrels on the Brandywine, starting March 1 and continuing every weekend in March, noon to 5 p.m., cost is $25 per person, pick up tickets at any participating winery or order online here, wineries include Black Walnut, Chaddsford, Kreutz Creek, Paradocx, Penns Woods, Stargazers and Twin Brook.

$$ – Admission charge

Next Md. winery could open in Hampstead

The next winery to open in Maryland? Even wineries association executive director Kevin Atticks wasn't completely sure. Too many obstacles in the process can delay scheduled openings for months. That's not a Maryland phenomenon; obviously proprietors planning wineries across the border in Pennsylvania have found there's always another surprise waiting around the corner as they do all the things necessary to open a winery's doors.

Atticks would only conjecture that it could be Galloping Goose, perhaps about a 15-minute to 20-minute drive from Woodhall Wine Cellars, one of our favorite wineries located in Parkton, Md. Located in Hampstead, it will be run by Diane Hale. "She's a wonderful lady who had a horse name goose and is opening Galloping Goose Vineyards, and she is one of the state's largest grape growers and plans to still have that be her primary business," Atticks said. "But she's going to make two wines a year from her best grapes. So she's going to cherry-pick her fruit, whatever she thinks is best that year and the rest she's going to continue to sell. And even her quote-unquote not best fruit is still wonderful fruit. Woodhall buys some, a couple of wineries buy it. But she's going to cherry-pick very small amounts; she's looking at maybe 30, 40 cases of each wine. No more than two wines per year. She's literally going to be picking clusters and figuring out which ones are the best."

Atticks said Hale's business is fully licensed as a winery and there's wine in the barrel. "The game has been trying to figure out when she's opening," he said. Indeed, a story in the Community Times ways back in November 2005 suggested the the winery would be open by the following year. But that just shows how much time can pass sometimes before the plans become a reality. Atticks said that now might be just a matter of weeks or several months. "There's still work to be done," he said, "but she's pretty close."

3RD Idea gives Hauser Web site a fresh look

Received an e-mail yesterday from Mak McKeehan of 3RD idea, an agency in Gettysburg, Pa., that has become the primary marketing voice for Hauser Estate Winery. The winery opened late last July on a site that offers a sweeping panorama of the surrounding countryside and parts of the Gettysburg battlefield; it opened a shop in downtown Gettysburg a few months later. Run by the Hauser family (Jonathon Patrono is the company president), it features the winemaking skills of Seattle-bred and Cornell-educated Michelle Oakes. Looking forward to trying her wines next week when I'm out that way for a conference.

McKeehan and his staff have given the Hauser Estate Web site a new look, which launched last Friday, featuring multiple layers that include info and prices on the wines, a new photo gallery (of which I swiped one of the view from the tasting room to add to this post), a tasting room blog, company history and the chance for people to sign up for the newly created “Cork Club.” That's a monthly e-mail newsletter from the winery about events, wine news, tips and sneak previews.

In addition, Hauser Estate has started a Facebook page and are looking for fans. The page can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=35103779&ref=frmf#/pages/Biglerville-PA/Hauser-Estate-Winery/50884969935?sid=9e56123ebcc4259d83509d1299c03e20&ref=s

McKeenhan noted in his note that starting in June and due to the huge success of the Candlelight Fridays, Hauser Estate will be hosting Live Music and Food twice a month. You'll be able to find a complete schedule on the Web site and, of course, amid the weekly listings that are part of this blog under the heading The Event Grapevine.

Hauser Estate is part of what is for now a singular event wine trail. Tour de Tanks will take place starting Feb. 28 and every weekend in March at the 12 wineries that make up Uncork York. In addition to being able to sample wines at each of the participating wineries and share in whatever goodies they also put out, all for the cost of a $15 passport, the York County Convention & Tourism Bureau has announced a series of Friday night winemaker dinners at five York restaurants. Space is limited and advance reservations are required for these events. An all-inclusive ticket includes a full-course meal and selected wines, as well as tax and gratuity.

Wine writer and blogger Roger Morris tackled the Uncork York trail at some point last fall and wrote about his visit in a piece that appears in the Winter 2009 edition of the Wine & Spirits Quarterly. In that story Morris quotes Ralph Papalia, a state store employee in York who for my money provides more insight on his product than anyone else I've encountered in the biz. Want the lowdown on those dazzling bargains hidden on the shelves? Just track down Ralph.