Wycombe taking signups for its spiced wine

One quick note on Wycombe Vineyards, a member of the Bucks County Wine Trail and producers of some of the prettiest and most distinctive labels I've seen on any bottles of regional wine. Haven't had a chance to try their wine yet, but just love the old-timey theme they've captured for their labels.

Located in Furlong, Pa., the winery sent out an e-letter Thursday announcing that it soon will be releasing limited quantities of its Everything Nice, a festive spiced wine. The winery says that it will feature a bouquet of warm apple pie and should be served warm, perfect for the holidays or just a chilly fall evening.

The cost is $16/bottle. You can reserve yours by calling 215.598.WINE (9463) or sending an e-mail to info@wycomevineyards.com

Galen Glen's Harvestfest to go next 2 Sundays

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Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, a member of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, has two more dates for its Harvestfest Tours, this Sunday and also on Oct. 11. Not only will you have a chance to taste some of the many wines made by this producer in Andreas, not far from the Mahoning Valley exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but they also are offering a tractor and wagon tour into the vineyards. Those tours will leave the winery at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. each of the next two Sundays.

Wanted to mention that the winery has developed relationships with several restaurants located close by and also throughout the region. Should you not be able to make it to the winery, here's a lot of eateries serving Galen Glen wines:

Locally
Flow, Jim Thorpe - click for website link
Macaluso’s at The Lantern, Jim Thorpe Area - click for website link
The Restaurant at The Station, Tamaqua - click for website link
Romano’s, Andreas - click for website link
Curious Goods at The Bake Oven Inn, Germansville - click for website link

Philadelphia Area
GG Brewers, Glenside - Phone: (215) 887-0809
The Restaurant School, Philadelphia - click for website link

Lancaster Area
Belvedere Inn, Lancaster - click for website link
General Sutter Inn, Lititz - click for website link
Gibraltar, Lancaster - coming soon
John J Jeffries, Lancaster - click for website link

Monndancer seeking volunteers for harvest

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If you live in York or Lancaster and looking for an opportunity to be part of a harvest (the closest I'll ever get to owning a vineyard), give Jim Miller a call at Moondancer Vineyards & Winery in Wrightsville, Pa. They possess one of the most scenic vineyards in the region with a mix of grapes that go into their line of wines. Unlike some vineyards that schedule pickings for a specific day and time (such as tomorrow morning at Basignani Winery in Sparks, Md., where I plan to be with clippers in hand), Moondancer works on the premise that you call and leave your contact information with the folks there. As Miller sees breaks in his schedule and the weather to get out in the vineyard and pick, he'll get in touch with the volunteers and welcome them out to join him and his crew.

There is nothing like heading into the vineyards to pick grapes -- I call it my Christmas Day, this being the fourth or fifth time I've gone down to pick at Basignani -- and the weather over the next week to 10 days looks favorable in terms of sunny days and comfortable temperatures. So, if you're interested, give Moondancer a call at 717.252.9463.

Basignani, by the way, has enough pickers for tomorrow and the other Saturday mornings this month. Volunteers, once hard to find, are far more plentiful these days as more and more folks learn about wine and local wineries.

Weekend includes Harvest Festival at Kreutz Creek, birthday party at Black Anle

Champions of last week's Kreutz Creek grape stomp.

Among the multitude of wineries holding events this weekend are Kreutz Creek Vineyards in West Grove, Pa., and Black Ankle Vineyards in Mt. Airy, Md.

It's the second weekend of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail's Harvest Festival, and as part of that celebration Kreutz Creek will be holding a grape stomping competition. Indeed, the photo attached to this post was taken at last week's stomp romp, and shows "Team Big Feet," which crushed more grapes than anyone else who challenged them.

This weekend's stomp will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Be there by 12:45 if you're interested in participating, since the competition will be limited to 10. Beyond that, there will be music by Swing Set, performing gypsy, swing and jazz. And owner Carole Kirkpatrick wil be making her world-famous pulled port sandwiches. As they noted in their e-letter, "stop by, taste wines, grab a bite, get jazzed and take a self-guided tour of the vineyard."

Carole and Jim Kirkpatrick are in their 20th year of making wine. Their list of 14 wines runs from Chardonnay and Niagara to Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc, along with several blends. Had the pleasure of sitting with them at last year's vintner's dinner and enjoyed their company immeasureably. They will be open for business from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, pretty similar times to what the rest of the trail's wineries will be serving.

Meanwhile, Black Ankle Vineyards will hold a special celebration for friends and case club members on Friday night, then invite the public Saturday (noon to 6 p.m.) and Sunday (noon to 5 p.m.) for a first birthday party. There will be music, hors d'oeuvres and an opportunity to taste the wines from a producer that has won first place in the state's Governor Cup competition two straight years.

Talked to co-owner Ed Boyce by phone on Wednesday and will post some of his thoughts about one of the most successful debuts that any business could have. Plan to get that up online by Friday morning.

Patone, the 8th member of Brandywine Valley trail, to pour at Harvest Festival's second weekend

Patone Cellars will be open for visitors during this second weekend of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail's Harvest Festival. The official opening is probably a good six months off. Patone said by phone on Tuesday that various obstacles have pushed back the opening of the winery to next spring. But doing what they can to participate with their partners as one of the newest members of the eight-winery trail, they will be pouring a few samples out of what amounts to a garage where the winery and tasting room will be built at 646 S. Guernsey Road in West Grove, Pa.

That room was a bit too cramped for any business last weekend, but the grapes that occupied that space have been moved out and the boutique winery will be open during the afternoon of both days to serve visitors. "We're going to pour some of the '08 stuff we made last year," Patone said, noting that includes some Merlot out of the barrel and a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier. The latter is a white, he said, that has been "real nice, real clean, real crisp . . . it's been a real big hit so far."

Patone said they made around 1,000 gallons of wine last year and expect to make a little more than that this year. Maybe the winery isn't open, but he's plenty busy between making wine out of the grapes he's importing, focusing on the plans for the building project that's just about ready to grow, and, oh yeah, working his regular job.

I forgot about that part of his life he had to juggle, I told him.

He began to laugh. "Unfortunately, I don't," he said.

Frederick Cellars adds bistro to downtown facility

Frederick (Md.) Cellars has just opened a bistro with a casual dining menu that allows for a chance to try one of its wines with a salad, wrap, melt or gourmet pizza. They'll serve that wine as a tasting, by the glass or as a group in a flight. You can purchase lunch or dinner, and expect either live jazz or blues if you stop by on a Friday or Saturday night. Check out the menu at this link.

Even if you've never been to the area, the winery shouldn't be difficult for you to find, located on one of the main streets at 221 N. East St. It's among a handful of wineries in the region located in the downtown district. As for the wines, they're a mix of red and white, a few getting merit from state Governor's Cup competitions in 2008 and 2009. We wound up taking home a bottle of City Lights, a semi-dry, something that normally doesn't appeal to me as much as the dry reds and whites. But that one did. And the line goes drier and sweeter than that one. They've been lauded the most for their Merlot and Riesling, but give them all a try and see what you think.

Ahead for Sugarloaf: stomp, wine and food dinner, and release of newest Bordeaux blend

First met partner Jim McKenna and the folks at Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards in Comus, Md., which sits on the border of Frederick and Montgomery counties, by phone sometime last year. This summer we traveled down to the scenic spot where Sugarloaf Mountain serves as the backdrop. Pretty tasting room, comfy patio, good eats, plus a line of wines that appeals to all tastes.

They are one of the few wineries (but the number is starting to grow) that holds an actual grape stomp, this one schedule for the weekend of Oct. 17-18. There will be tours and music and food and, yes, prizes for those who stomp the most juice. Online advance tickets are $12, and tickets at the door are $15 for ages 21 and over. Those under 21 are free. You'll need you ID. You can find out more at the winery's Web site.

Several Sugarloaf wines are served at the Kennedy Center Roof Terrace Restaurant in Washington, D.C., site of a food/wine pairing dinner starting at 7 on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Sugarloaf's wines to be poured will be its 2008 Pinot Grigio, 2007 Cabernet Franc and 2007 Comus. Mike McGarry, an owner of Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, and Carl DiManno, SMV’s winemaker, will discuss winemaking and wines. No offense guys, but I'd go just to meet Lucie Morton, an internationally renowned viticulturist and consultant to Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, who will also participate in the discussion. She is putting her stamp on a number of new wineries throughout the region. Tickets are $95 per person. Reservations are necessary. Call 202.416.8555 or visit www.opentable.com. For more information www.roofterracerestaurant.com.

Finally, the winery is about to add a third wine to the family of Bordeaux blends that draw names from classical mythology. There's Comus and Circe and soon to be EVOE! (yes, with the exclamation point). They say the wine is named after the joyous cry of the ancient Bacchanal at festivals honoring Bacchus, the god of wine. No doubt that might be what lingerers at the grape stomp will be yelling after a day of fun. They will start opening some bottles out of the lot of 150 cases of the wine, a 2007 vintage aged for 24 months, at a by invitation only prerelease party on Saturday night, Nov. 7, then be available to the public thereafter. Purchases will be no more than two to a customer, with the wine available for sale only at the winery. The price per bottle figures to land between $42 and $44.

McKenna noted by phone the other day that they if they had any debate at all about the wine, it was over whether to use the exclamation points at the end of EVOE. "I hate exclamation points as a general rule," he said, "but in this context I thought that the exclamation point would catch a few more eyes, and that's the name of the game for merchandising and marketing. What until you see the label. It's gorgeous."