Limoncello, grappa add some spirit to diverse wine list at Fiore Winery

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Some glimpses of the Fiori landscape: clockwise from top, the bottles of grappa for sale at $25/bottle, one of Fiore's stills, and the dining room in the process of being set up for a reception.

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Paid a visit to Fiore Winery and Distillery in Pylesville, Md., on Sunday. It's one of the oldest in the region, dating back to an opening in 1986. It's around 10 miles from the Pennsylvania-Maryland line, easy accessible via several back-woods scenic roads from York and Lancaster to the north and Baltimore to the south. Probably about 20 minutes, give or take a couple, off the Shrewsbury exit of I-83.

My only disappointment was not getting to meet Mike Fiore, the owner/winemaker and someone I've talked to several times on the phone.

Tastings are $2 per person for a flight of six wines, and a vast majority of them were opened. There were a few exceptions: the Prosecco wasn't; neither was the Caronte, a special blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that's made only in years where the winemaker feels he's had an optimal season. 2007 was as good a season as it gets, and that's the vintage he's selling now for $25.99/bottle, one I brought home and will rest in the cellar for the next 5 to 10 years. Fiore began making and selling limoncello this year, that distinctive chilled Italian liquor that's magic on the tummy after a multi-course meal. He's charging $3 for a taste, partly to bring in some income to purchase a new still. I attached a photo of one of his old stills that sits in the corner of a building that also houses several of his holding tanks on another part of the property.

Fiore -- a member of the Piedmont Wine Trail -- sells more than 25 dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet and sparkling wines in addition to the limoncello and grappa, a far more potent Italian "digestive" elixir.

It grows all of the grapes for its red wines on the property, in addition to Chardonnay grapes that you can see from the driveway that leads to the tasting room. The 2007 vintage of those grapes made an award-winning batch of juice that was recognized as a gold-medal winner and best of class for white wine at the recently announced 2009 Governor's Cup competition.

That black-topped roadway that leads into the winery off Maryland Route 136 was a busy entrance during the middle part of Sunday afternoon, as the third wedding of the weekend at the winery was just wrapping up and heading into Fiore's dining area for the reception.

Lots to see, taste and smell at Logan's View

The Logan's View tasting room is loated at the far end of the farm market. It's a warm, cozy setting back there, away from the bustle in the store. At some point I'm guessing they'll put a table and a few chairs under the hanging light.

Any time of the year is worth a trip to Brown's Orchards & Farm Market in Loganville, Pa., but there's no better time than fall. Pumpkins galore. A full shelf of bagged candy corn. Every possible color you can want in a mum. And apples, loads of em, in the store and in the back, where you can get a great deal on seconds.

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Wasn't sure what to expect from the wines, but they were good. Priced right, in the $15 range. And you have to think that once they bottle their reds next year, that with 22 or more selections of dry and sweet reds and whites plus fruit wine that it will become a one-stop shopping for a lot of folks who pop in there anyway for the fabulous salads, fruits and baked goods.

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It cost $3 for a tasting of five wines. The only twist is that the mix of wines changes each week. Most wineries you can pay for a flight and get whatever you want. Here, you taste the five assigned wines that are offered on a rotation. Yesterday we sampled Traminette, Vidal Blanc, both with 2 percent residual sugar, and a wine called Scheurebe (6 percent residual alcohol) that's made out of a German grape, a cross between the Riesling and Silvaner. Lots of florals and aromas out of the Traminette; the other two provided more sensation on the tongue than the nose. Our server, by the way, was well-versed on the wines and what to pair them with, always a value when you get into a tasting setting.

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We also tried two fruit wines I've never had before: cherry and blueberry. Both were clean, lovely to look at. Not my cup of tea, so to speak, although that cherry was delicioous on top of a couple of chocolates I popped into my mouth, and I wouldn't mind pouring that blueberry wine on a bowl of premium vanilla ice cream. The orchard cherry and strawberry are selling for $12 for a .375 liter bottle, the blueberry for $14 and the wild cherry for $18.
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I'll have to revisit, which we normally do anyway, during a week when some of the drier whites -- Chardonnay, Riesling and Gewurztraminer -- are being poured. Along with selling wine made out of the Scheurebe grape, they also produce another one unique to this area, at least from what I've seen, called Kerner. Logan View's wine list refers to this German grape as a cross of the red grape Trollinger and the white grape Riesling, terming it as one with a "unique flavor and lingering finish" that will bring you back for more. It's residual sugar content is 2 percent.