Va La: Up on Zafferano, down on Viognier

-

Some snapshots taken outside and inside Va La Winery.

-
Brought a bottle of Zafferano from Va La Family Vineyards in Avon Grove, Pa., to dinner last night and shared it with several dining mates. Now this was outside Dallastown in York County, at an exquisite eatery called Tapenade Bistro (dinner is served there only on Friday nights). So people recognized Avon Grove ("mushroom country, yes?") but had never heard of the winery nor the unique names that make up its list of wines. Zafferano is a 100 percent cold-fermented Pinot Grigio that went beautifully with our meals; it also gave me the chance to spread the word about one of my favorite little regional wineries.

We stopped at Va La a few weeks ago on a Saturday and did the two-floor tour; several tastings on the main floor that were paired with cheeses and, in one case, chocolates from local farmers and merchants, and then a move upstairs to try several more. The place was bustling on both levels, bad news only for a tiny parking lot that requires some imagination to find a spot when the crowds fill up the place on the weekends. But between the grand bar that dominates the first level and the artwork you find heading upstairs, and the warmth and attention given by owner Anthony Vietri and his staff, and the stable of delicious wines that feature names unlike any others -- La Prima Donna, Mahogany, Cedar, Silk and Siranetta, to name most of them -- it's worth dropping by and tasting what's been squeezed out of the seven acres that the family cultivates.

One note for those who follow the business: Vietri said he's pulling out all of his Viognier and replacing it primarily with Petit Manseng. While you can't beat the Viognier for its fragrance -- just hold a glass of Va La's Fioretti under your note for a minute or two and slowly inhale a few times -- you can beat yourself up trying to nurture the grape because of its susceptiblity to diseases. Wake up one day, Vietri said, and half of what was thriving yesterday is suddenly kerplunk. So, it's time to move on, with few regrets.

Woodhall readies for busy December

The winery that first got us excited in local wines is Woodhall Wine Cellars down in Parkton, Md. We started showing up at the 25-year-old winery for everything from their barrel tasting to their soups weekend to the library tasting and sale they have for only case club members. There aren't too many wineries that "blow the dust" off their wines in the cellar and sell them, but Woodhall does. It's enjoyable tasting wines from grapes that might have been growing in the early to mid 1990s or even the early 1980s, the latter of which they put out for tating last year. Brought home one of their 1985 Cabs and opened it six months later. It had held together splendidly. So have the 1991 and 1995 Cabs I've brought back from their sales. Appropriately, that's taking place this weekend, again for those who have bought cases there in the past. I believe the times will be 1 to 4 p.m. today and tomorrow.

But what prompts me to write this entry on Woodhall isn't so much the library tasting as the bit of commentary that the lovely Debbie Morris put at the top of the winery's December e-letter. Call Morris the queen of hospitality; she's generally there when we pop in on the weekends and no one can provide a more pleasant and hospitable greeting. You can't help but sit down and relax for a bit. She noted the following:

WELL, Maryland wine did it again. We posted an 18.2% increase in sales for 2007. That marks the seventh year in a row in which the increase has been in the double digits. And the number of wineries continues to grow. We are now up to 34, with more on the horizon. Is the industry breathing easy – not on your life. We lag behind neighboring states on the number of wineries and the per capita consumption of locally produced wine. We are continually faced with new bureaucratic barriers to conducting normal business operations. And consumers keep commenting “I didn’t know that there was a wine industry in Maryland.” I guess that you’ll have to redouble your efforts to get the word out – We are.

And so am I. It's the chance to get the word out on an industry that many don't realize exists that has served as the motivation for this daily labor of love. Always fun to introduce folks to something they've never tried; I can only hope that this blog continues to grow in popularity so it can shed even more light on two states, Pennsylvania and Maryland, that are only beginning to make strides toward producing wine that can hold its own against the best nationally and, in a few specific cases, internationally.

Two other notes from the e-letter. There's this one on the cookie challenge and wine sale that starts next weekend:

December is a fun time at Woodhall. We decorate, We frost cookies with kids. We serve hot mulled wine when you come to see us. We have an expanded selection of gifts, including made-to-order baskets, quality wine gift sets, stocking stuffers and other neat gifts.


DECEMBER 13/14, 12-4 pm Kids Cookie Challenge and Wine Sale

Quite a combination, but it works. Bring the kids to frost sugar cookies. Enjoy a cup of hot mulled wine (the kids get hot chocolate) and pick out your case of holiday wine at the “first 100 days” discount price of $100. We’ll be featuring gift items from Moose Ridge Alpacas, The Pampered Chef, and jewelry by Silpada and crafts by Victor DiPace. On Sunday , from 2 to 5 pm, Christmas music will be offered by the quintet, The Dreadful Grapes.

DECEMBER 20/21, 12-4 pm. More Cookies and Wine Sale

If the kids liked the cookies, bring them back. If you were busy on the 13th and 14th, here’s another chance for the kids to get their fingers messy with frosting, and you to get a case of wine for the holidays at the “first 100 days” sale price. No music though.

And, finally, this one on some wine and food pairing suggestions for holiday food.

Here are Woodhall’s holiday wine recommendations:


Roast or Smoked Turkey/Duck/Goose and Salmon
Jubilee Reserve Barbera Cabernet Franc
Pinot Noir Sangiovese
Chambourcin Vignoles


Roast Chicken/ Cornish Game Hen/Rabbit
Golden Run Reserve Vidal Blanc Rose’ of Sangiovese
Seyval Pinot Noir
Chardonnay Any of the Sweeter Wines
Gunpowder Falls White


Roast Beef/Veal/Lamb
Copernica Reserve Cabernet Sauv. Chambourcin
Parkton Prestige Cabernet Franc
Jubilee Reserve Barbera Cabernet Sauvignon
Jubilee Reserve Merlot Angler Red
Gunpowder Falls Red Party Garnet


Stuffed Ham Maryland Style
Chardonnay Sangiovese
Seyval Angler Red
Chambourcin Party Garnet


Ham with Pineapple, Cloves and Brown Sugar
Patricia’s White Pinot Noir
Rose’ of Sangiovese Any of the Sweeter Wines

As a generalization, match the character, not color, of the wine with the character, not color, of the food. If the food is slightly sweet, consider an off-dry wine. If the food is a bit acidic, (e.g. fish in a lemon sauce), choose a slightly acidic wine. Slightly bitter foods (red meats, green vegetables) call for wines with tannin. Salty foods go best with off-dry or sweeter wines.

Remember, however, that a food/wine match is greatly influenced by the seasoning used in the preparation of the food. For example, spicy preparations match well with off-dry, floral wines – the hotter the spice, the sweeter the wine. And heavy sauces and grilling can change the classification of fish and fowl from light foods to heavy foods.

Blue Mountain to open in 2 Giant stores

-
Noted in a post just a couple of hours ago that you could expect to see more wineries opening up shop inside grocery stores.

Well, Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars announced today that it will be opening stores in two Giant Food Stores, with the anticipation that they will be ready for business by the middle of this month. One will be in Hummelstown, near Hershey, at 277 Hershey Road, and the other will be in the Philadelphia suburb of Willow Grove (315 York Road).

Allegro Vineyards, located 15 miles south of York, Pa., opened a shop in a Giant Food Store in Enola one month ago and has reported brisk sales. It is manned completely by Allegro employees.

The Event Grapevine: Dec. 5-7

Pennsylvania winery Kreutz Creek, in West Grove, Pa., has several events and special planned that revolve around the holiday. Through the month of December, the winery will take 10 percent off the sales of six bottles of wine and 20 percent off any case sales.

In addition, the winery will hold a Christmas Open House tomorrow and Sunday. Harpist Maureena Spadaro will be playing Christmas music from 2 to 5 p.m. tomorrow. There also will be chocolate fondue with special treats for dipping as well as Christmas cookies and holiday wassail. Proprietor Carole Kirkpatrick said she made the wassail with “red wine and used a recipe from Germany that a friend gave me. It's delicious with lots of cinnamon and clove spices. It's a perfect wine for this time of year and throughout the winter season.”

Finally, the winery has scheduled a pairing of wines with a five-course dinner at Amici’s Fine Dining & Spirits, in Landenberg, Pa. That’s scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Call 610.255.5777 for reservations.
Otherwise, here’s what’s happening this weekend and beyond.

PENNSYLVANIA WINERIES

Allegro Vineyards, The Brogue: Holiday open house, at its Wine Gallery in Olde Tollgate Village, 2459 S. Queen St., York, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2 to 5 p.m., complimentary tasting, noshes, gift ideas, wine specials, and featuring jazz guitarist John Link, http://www.allegrowines.com/

Blue Mountain Vineyards, New Tripoli: Christmas Wine Tasting ($$), Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m, http://www.bluemountainwine.com

Buckingham Valley Vineyards, Buckingham: Bucks County Wine Trail Holiday Festival, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-14, http://www.pawine.com

Chaddsford Winery, Chaddsford: Holiday Open House, Dec. 6-7 and 13-14, noon to 6 p.m., includes free wine tastings; Dessert Wines for the Holidays ($$), Thursday, Dec. 11, 7 to 9 p.m., http://www.chaddsford.com

Cherry Valley Vineyards, Saylorsburg: Holiday party, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., http://www.cherryvalleyvineyards.com/

Clover Hill, Breinigsville: Wine Country Style Holiday Open House, Saturday and Sunday, Breinigsville and Robesonia, noon to 5 p.m., with music from 1 to 5 p.m., www.cloverhillwinery.com

Clover Mill Farm Vineyards & Winery, Chester Springs: Open again, Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m., through December, http://www.clovermillfarm.com/

Crossing Vineyards & Winery, Washington Crossing: Candlelight holiday concert ($$), Thursday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m., includes dessert and champagne; Wine Tasting for Dummies ($$), Sunday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m.; Bucks County Wine Trail Holiday Festival, Dec. 13-14; Riedel Crystal Wine-Tasting workshop ($$), Sunday, Dec. 28, 2 p.m., http://www.crossingvineyards.com

Hauser Estate Winery, Biglerville: New winery open, Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; Candle Light Friday/Happy Hour, the last Friday of every month, 5 to 8 p.m.; satellite shop opened at 17 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, http://www.hauserestate.com/

Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas: Dickens Holiday open house, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., http://www.galenglen.com

Kreutz Creek Vineyards, West Grove: Music at West Chester tasting room, 44 E. Gay St., Fridays and Saturdays, 6 to 9 p.m.; Holiday Open House, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m., includes wassail, chocolate fondue and Christmas cookies; Winter Wine Dinner ($$), Wednesday, Dec. 10, 6:30 p.m., at Amici’s Fine Dining and Spirits, Landenberg, http://www.kreutzcreekvineyards.com/

Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery, Wrightsville: Music every Friday (6 to 9 p.m.), Saturday (2 to 5 p.m.) and Sunday (2 to 5 p.m.), http://www.moondancerwinery.com

Naylor Winery, Stewartstown: December Weekends, Fridays and Saturdays (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and Sundays (noon to 5 p.m.); cookies, cheeses, fruits and hot spiced wine, www.naylorwine.com

North Wales Winery and Tasting Room, Montgomeryville: Open noon to 9 p.m. Fridays, although open through much of the weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year’s, http://www.cardinalhollowwinery.com/

Paradocx Vineyard, Landenberg: Paradocx at Chadds Ford Christmas Candleight Tour ($$), Saturday, Dec. 6, 1 to 6 p.m., Pennsbury Township; Candlelight Christmas at the winery, Saturday, Dec. 6, noon to 8 p.m., http://www.paradocx.com/index.php

Peace Valley Winery, Chalfont: Bucks County Wine Trail Holiday Festival, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-14, www.peacevalleywinery.com

Penns Woods Winery, Chadds Ford: Tasting room hours, Wednesdays-Fridays, noon until dark, Saturdays, 11 a.m. until dark, Sundays, noon until dark, http://www.pennswoodswinery.com/

Pinnacle Ridge Winery, Kutztown: Customer Appreciation Weekend, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., try a slice of Brad’s pizza, www.pinridge.com

Rose Bank Winery, Newtown: Third annual Toys for Tots Christmas Party, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. to midnight, includes food, live music, dancing and open bar, semi-formal attire is required, bring an unwrapped toy to give to Toys for Tots, tickets must be purchased in advance at Rose Bank Winery, The Lion & The Unicorn, The Temperance House, Pro-Shop of Newtown; Bucks County Wine Trail Holiday Festival, Dec. 13-14, http://www.rosebankwinery.com/

Sand Castle Winery, Erwinna: Country Holiday, Saturday and Sunday, wine and food pairings, horse and carriage rides; Bucks County Wine Trail Holiday Festival, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-14, will include lighting of the Christmas tree, www.sandcastlewinery.com

Twin Brook Winery, Gap: The 16th stop on 24th annual Christmas Tour, Saturday, http://www.twinbrookwinery.com/

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: Christmas open house, Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 14, www.vynecrest.com

Wycombe Vineyards, Furlong: Bucks County Wine Trail Holiday Festival, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-14; tasting and sales rooms will be open Fridays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m., through Dec. 21, http://www.wycombevineyards.com

MARYLAND WINERIES

Basignani Winery, Sparks: Christmas Open House ($$), Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7 and Dec. 13-14, noon to 5 p.m., http://www.basignani.com/

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; festive afternoon in the vineyard, Saturday, Dec. 6, 3 to 5 p.m., information on winery at this link

Boordy Vineyards, Hydes: End of Prohibition 75th year anniversary dinner and party ($$), Friday, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.; Celtic Christmas Weekends ($$), every weekend in December, http://www.boordy.com/

Frederick Cellars, Frederick: Holiday Recipe Tour, Saturday, noon to 9 p.m.; Winery Holiday Open House, Satursday, noon to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 6 p.m., for grownups, enjoy mulled wine ($$) and our signature ‘wine wigglies’ ($$); complementary cider and holiday cookies for kids. Hearty soups ($$) are available if the weather is nippy, winery link

Linganore Winecellars/Berrywine Plantation, Mt. Airy: Simmering Holiday Wines / Food Pairing, daily through December ($$), sample simmering, spiced grape and apple wines, along with inspired holiday food pairings, Mondays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m., winery link

Woodhall Wine Cellars, Parkton: Kids Cookie Challenge and Wine Sale, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-14, noon to 4 p.m., with live music: More Cookies and Wine Sale, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20-21, noon to 4 p.m., winery link

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

$$ – Admission charge

Allegro 'well-received' at new location

This note came just a bit earlier this afternoon courtesy of Carl Helrich of Allegro Vineyards,who recently opened a satellite shop within the Giant Food Store in Enola, Pa. His becomes the first state winery to open in a grocery store, but there are rumblings that a couple more will follow in the next month or two. Asked how the store was doing exactly 30 days since it opened, Helrich replied:

The new store up in Enola has been extremely well-received by customers. The vast majority of them are not our current customers, yet our wines seem to have found a good audience with them. I think they appreciate the range of styles we do. We're selling a larger percentage of premium drier wines to the customers in the Giant than we would in say a mall location or a shopping center. I attribute it some to the surrounding demographic, but also to the fact that these folks would have just been shopping for dinner staples and are in a "dinner" frame of mind.

The first week or so, we would have people walk in and watch their jaws drop. They couldn't quite figure it out, how we were able to sell wine in a grocery store. (Technically, it's on the Allegro winery license, and Giant is simply leasing the space to us.) Having a winery out in the Brogue is wonderful for raising grapes and kids. But the wine sales have always lacked something (volume.) We've always known that people liked our product when they encountered it, be it at a tasting or a festival. The new store in Giant allows more people to come in contact with Allegro than we ever had down in the Brogue.

Chaddsford earns four merit honors

Mentioned the Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition in the last post and wanted to point out that Chaddsford Winery won Certificates of American Merit for all four wines it sent out to Kansas. Those include the 2006 Pinot Noir, the ’06 Merlot, the ’06 Cabernet and the ’04 Merican.

Click here to see a complete list of Chaddsford 2008 awards and click here to see all the wines honored in what was the ninth year of the competition.

Pinnacle Ridge ready to lavish customers

So how many pizzas will owner and winemaker Brad Knapp have to make if all of his customers show up for Appreciation Weekend at Pinnacle Ridge Winery in Kutztown, Pa.? Oh, he better have had started tossing the dough a week ago Wednesday.

“We’re probably selling around 10,000 gallons annually,” he said by phone the other day, “so that’s about 50,000 bottles. And I figure a typical transaction is four bottles. So that tells us we have like 12,500 sales in a year, most of those would represent a couple. Obviously some of those are returns. So I think we probably get 15,000 to 20,000 through our door a year, something like that.”

Knapp noted that the winery’s e-newsletter list is up to around 5,000. “So when we send one out, it’s significant. We get some who drop off, but we get a lot more who pick it up, so it’s growing.”

A portion of that number figures to take advantage of Knapp’s hospitality and stop by this weekend for what Knapp says they’ve been doing annually for years. The hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 on Sunday. “It’s basically along the line of an open house kind of thing,” he said. “We put out a spread of food as a way of thanking people for being customers of Pinnacle Ridge. I make pizzas actually. . . . We typically go over to Wegmans and get a nice selection of cheeses and have some other things there as well, and we’ll be pairing the wines. I’m not sure exactly what we’ll be pairing yet, but we’ll have to figure that out. Should be a nice time.”

That pairing with the tomato pies probably will include what we can call the distinguished 2007 Chambourcin, which was recently released. That wine earned an American Example of Greatness award at the invitation-only Jefferson Cup competition in Kansas. Doug Frost, one of only three humans in the world to hold the titles of Master Sommelier and Master of Wine, directs the contest.

Around 400 wineries were invited, with Chaddsford being the only other one from Pennsylvania. In addition to the award for its Chambourcin, Pinnacle Ridge netted a Certificate of American Merit, essentially a bronze medal, for its 2007 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc.

“What’s a little odd about this particular competition is that because they choose the wineries that enter, it’s truly a U.S. competition,” Knapp said, calling the list of judges one of the best he has ever seen. “There’s lots of wineries from the Midwest, from New York It’s not as heavily dominated by the West Coast.”

All in all, it has been another year of recognition for the 15-year-old winery: six awards at the Pennsylvania Farm show and a double gold for its Brut Rose among the eight honors it took away from the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. And more could be reaped from what was recently released – the 2008 Naked Chardonnay and the 2006 Reserve Chambourcin – and what’s yet to be bottled – the 2008 Riesling and ’08 Vidal. “We expect those to be out late December, early January,” Knapp said.