That's W, as in whoopee, for pending Md. law

Wanna learn how to hurdle? Just try and open a winery, at least according to what many proprietors in both states have told me. Lots of stipulations to meet, enough red tape to completely wrap a vineyard, plenty of requests to jump over. And there can be as many difficulties even after opening because of a variety of laws that change at the borders of townships and counties.

So it was with a lot of interest that I read a story sent earlier today by Maryland Wineries Association executive director Kevin Atticks detailing a special winery classification that the state legislature is considering. According to the story in the Hagerstown Herald-Mail, this new Class W license would provide more uniformity in the rules that regulate Maryland wineries.

The story, published Saturday, said the new license would "allow the sampling and selling of winery wines at the winery for on- or off-premise consumption, allow the business to hold events and allow the winery to operate seven days a week, among other things."

Home winemaker Patone about to take plunge

If you haven’t heard of Mario Patone and you’re at all into regional wineries, you will soon. Off the conversation with Roger Morris last week I got ahold of Patone, a longtime home winemaker, late last week. With his roots in the Abruzzo region of Italy, Patone followed in the footsteps of a number of family members. Only now he has some grander ideas.

By fall, he hopes to have his winery operating in Chester County, no more than a comfortable walk on a pretty day between the Kreutz Creek and Paradocx wineries that will bookend his operation. So close, I joked with him, that visitors attending that Brandywine Valley Wine Trail’s Barrels on the Brandywine could walk to the three wineries rather than drive. “I’m in the middle of them by a mile each,” he said. “They could walk between them; they’d probably burn off a little wine during the walk.”

At the same time, he’ll look to build a combo boutique winery and house on Route 841 in Lancaster County, capping off these past few years in which he decided to become more serious about what has been a hobby up until now.

“I always wanted to be in an entrepreneurial business, “said Patone, a CPA, “and food and wine are an absolute passion of mine. I’ve been with big firms, traveled all over. At this point [I] turned 40 last year, and we’re just trying to head for something a little more simplistic, a little more back to basics. So we decided to try to take the plunge and try to head that way with the food and the wine.”

For now, Patone will continue to source grapes from wineries such as Paradocz, Penns Woods and Waltz Vineyards in Manheim, Lancaster County, until he can begin pulling them out of his own vineyards. He sees the glass half full in terms of whether this is a good time to open a new business.

“Quite honesty, we’re in some interesting economic times and I’m not sure what the recovery is going to b,e but I think regardless there’s going to be a stronger focus on local economies and local tourism,” he said. “I think people will kind of look a little more inward and enjoy the region where they live." And taste a quality of wine that will continue to improve.

"I belong to the [Brandywine Valley] wine trail and I spend time with all the other winemakers. Everybody is very, very motivated to really improve the quality, to really hit the books, so to speak, and crack down and really trying to study and understand what’s going on and really trying to make the region come alive," he said. "As we both know, California was laughed at when it came on line, Washington was laughed at, and people 10 years ago said, ‘Wine from Pennsylvania, you’re nuts.’ But I think that, I know Penns Woods is doing a real nice job and Va La is doing a nice job . . . and they’re making some wines that are starting to turn people’s heads, and they saying ‘Wow, they’re coming from Pennsylvania.’”

Afternoon spent tasting Manatawny's best

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Saturday afternoon with Mary and Wayne at Manatawny Creek.
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We headed northeast to Boyertown, Pa., on Saturday to see our friends Mary and Wayne, figuring after lunch we'd depart and -- since we wanted to head to Lancaster -- then make a stop at Tamanend Winery off rotues 72 and 741 en route to the Park City Center. Only we never quite got to that winery in time, all because we noticed on the map that Manatawny Creek Winery was only about 5 miles away.

I don't think I had even heard of the winery until a couple of weeks ago, when I found the list of excellence winners from the Pennsylvania Wine Society and it included Manatawny Creek's Meritage, a blend of 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot grapes. Manatawny, a little more than 10 years old, is one of eight members of the Berks County Wine Trail, all of which have something in common besides the fact that they're located on either side of I-78: They don't charge for tastings.

From my experience, that's the exception rather than the rule among wineries in the eastern half of the state. Generally, wineries charge from a couple bucks up to $7 per person to taste around six to eight wines. Some send you home with a glass; some don't. In Maryland, wineries are permitted to serve six, one-ounce samples of wine free of charge. Any other iteration requires a charge.

Anyway, Manatawny goes a step further than most. Not only aren't you charged for the tastings, but you can try everything in the winery's line; that's almost 25 wines that span that wide bridge from dry to sweet to fruit and white to red. Crackers also are out on the 30-some foot Corian bar, along with sharp cheese from Redner's Markets and chocolates from Reppert's that accompany the port. Talk about spoiling our friends, who hadn't been to a winery to taste before. This is all they know. It was an afternoon of fun, amid a crowd of people that kept the family behind the bar hopping our entire time there. We were lucky enough to draw the wit and hospitality (and full attention) of Mary, the mom of winermaker and owner Joanne Levengood. She was part educational and part comedienne and part historian, answering all questions about the wines and anything related to them. We all gave a thumbs up to the Blanc de Blancs, essentially their champagne, the "naked" Chardonnay (thy call it C.O.W. Chardonnay Off Wood), the Chambourcin and port, made with Cabernet Franc grapes. A dry red fan, I couldn't get enough of the Pinor Noir, Cab Franc, Merlot and Meritage. And did you know you have to pay to call your wine Meritage (pronounced like heritage)? It's a registered trademark that requires joining The Meritage Association.

By the time we and our friends had purchased four bottles apiece and headed out the door, more than an hour and a half had passed. By the time we hit Lancaster, it was after 5. No Tamanend this week. Hey, one to try another weekend en route to Philly or to the Lancaster outlets.