Logan's View opens at Brown's Farm Market

Logan's View Winery is officially open for business.

Operating out of Brown's Orchards & Farm Market in Loganville, in Pennsylvania's York County, the winery made a soft opening a couple of weeks ago. You'll find the wines available in a room adjacent to the market. Jeff Brown said by phone on Thursday that they have bottled more than 15 wines, including Chardonnary, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. As anyone who has shopped at Brown's -- where there's delicious fruit aplenty -- might expect, they also have seven fruit wines for sale, including cherry, blueberry, strawberry and an apple ice wine.

It might be another six months to a year before the red wines that are aging will become available for sale.

Those involved in this project initially talked about a tasting room facility a few miles from the site of the market. That idea has been shelved, with everything being sampled and sold out of an approximately 400-square-foot room at the store, located at 8892 Susquehanna Trail South.

Mentioned in the last post on Logan's View about a potential relationship with the Uncork York trail. If that occurs, it won't likely become official until early next year before the annual spring event.

Pinnacle Ridge winemaker says three's 'a lot of interest' in The Trio

Mentioned several weeks ago about a wine called The Trio, which combined the talents and grapes from winemakers and friends Brad Knapp at Pinnacle Ridge, Joanne Levengood at Manatawny Creek and Carl Helrich at Allegro Vineyards, all Pennsylvania wineries.

They define it as an artisan blend of Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, one that is well balanced, with soft tannins and a medium dry finish. The individual grape varietals were aged in French, Hungarian and Pennsylvania oak before blending. What makes it interesting is the collaboration, something that's rare in this mid-Atlantic wine-making area.

Knapp was asked Thursday how the wine, available at all three wineries, was selling. He replied in an e-mail that "The Trio is doing very well. It is considerably more expensive than our other wines [$20 for Pinot and Veritas vs. $29 for Trio] but it doesn't seem to be a big issue. Not selling cases of it but there is a lot of interest and folks are buying 1-3 bottles at a clip pretty regularly. The wine is quite good and the story certainly doesn't hurt either."

Considering what other blends across the region can cost, which is upwards of $50, this one offers a mouthful of yummy flavors at a comparatively inexpensive price. Rather than letting my bottle of The Trio age, I opened it late Thursday night and had a chance to sip it. Definitely worth a try, especially knowing these are grapes from the 2007 vintage, one of the best-ever across the entire region.

Helrich provided some background on the idea on his blog, which he has managed to build into a wonderful collection of stories about what he does and why. Really good stuff in there. On The Trio, he wrote:

This wine came about because I had what I called a “dumb marketing idea.” We always taste each other’s wines each spring, and in 2008, we all realized that we were each sitting on too much great wine. I suggested this collaboration, and it worked out really well. After getting together a couple times to work on the blend, we settled on a distinctive trio of grapes: Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Each winery kicked in four barrels. I donated 2 Merlot and 2 Cab Franc barrels to the cause; Joanne added 2 Syrah and 2 Cab Franc; and Brad threw in 2 Syrah and 2 Merlot. We blended the wine up at Joanne’s winery and bottled it there as well. This wine had a good core of dark fruit with light yet firm tannins. It was aged 18 months in French, Pennsylvania, and Hungarian oak barrels—another “three.” It should age nicely through 2012-2014.

Black Ankle's Crumbling Rock voted state's top wine in Governor's Cup competition

Inside the Black Ankle tasting room and a view from the patio.

Results are in from the Maryland Governor's Cup competition and the new kids on the block, Black Ankle Vineyards in Mt. Airy, had the most to celebrate.

Guided by the work of Sarah O'Herron and Ed Boyce, the Frederick County winery won a best in show with its 2007 Crumbling Rock, its Bordeaux-style red. That wine was best in class in the best red blend category, and its 2008 Bedlam was named best white blend. A 2007 vintage of that same white blend -- a mix of Viognier, Chardonnay, Gruner Veltliner and Albarino -- was a winner of the 2008 Maryland Winemasters' Choice Award. Not even open a year yet, the winery already is considered by some as the best winery in Maryland and among the best on the East Coast for the quality of its wines. The winery's success is even more of an achievement considering that it's still in its infancy.

Elk Run Vineyards, essentially a next-door neighbor of Black Ankle, took best in class in the best red division and a double gold with its 2007 Cold Friday Cabernet Sauvignon.

Below are some of the top wines and wineries, with a link to the complete list. By the way, one way to taste many of these wines is to attend the 26th annual Maryland Wine Festival on Sept. 19-20 at the Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster. You can find out more by clicking on this link.

Best in Show
Black Ankle Vineyards, 2007 Crumbling Rock

Best of Class Awards
BEST RED: Elk Run Vineyards • Cold Friday Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
BEST RED BLEND: Black Ankle Vineyards • Crumbling Rock 2007
BEST WHITE: Fiore Winery • Chardonnay 2007
BEST WHITE BLEND: Black Ankle Vineyards • Bedlam 2008
BEST OFF-DRY: Cygnus Wine Cellars • Manchester Hall 2007
BEST SWEET: Orchid Cellar • Monk (mead)
BEST DESSERT: Dove Valley Winery • Late Harvest Vignoles 2007

Double-Gold Medalists
Elk Run Vineyards • Cold Friday Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Gold Medalists
Black Ankle Vineyards • Crumbling Rock 2007
Black Ankle Vineyards • Leafstone Syrah 2007
Black Ankle Vineyards • Rolling Hills 2007
Black Ankle Vineyards • Bedlam 2008
Cascia Vineyard • Queen Anne Reserve 2005
Cove Point Winery • Blaufrankish
Cygnus Wine Cellars • Manchester Hall 2007
Dove Valley Winery • Late Harvest Vignoles 2007
Elk Run Vineyards • Liberty Tavern Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Elk Run Vineyards • Vin de Jus Glace 2006
Fiore Winery • Chardonnay 2007
Legends Vineyard • Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Legends Vineyard • Meritage 2007
Legends Vineyard • Pinot Gris 2008
Orchid Cellar • Monk
Revolution Winery • Declaration Meritage 2007
Revolution Winery • Pursuit of Happiness NV
Running Hare Vineyard • Chardonnay 2008
Running Hare Vineyard • Sangiovese 2008
Serpent Ridge Vineyard • Basilisk 2007
St. Michael’s Winery • Syrah 2007
Woodhall Wine Cellars • Golden Run Reserve Barbera 2008

Complete winners identified at this link.

Legends Vineyard expanding its reach despite absence of a tasting room

Talked to Carrie and Ashby Everhart sometime last summer about their new venture called Legends Vineyard in Churchville, Harford County, Md.

Suffice to say they have encountered their share of obstacles in getting a tasting room done. Currently you can purchase their wine in restaurants and shops in 12 Maryland counties, but completing that home where folks can stop and taste their wines remains out of their reach. Carrie wrote by e-mail on Saturday: "Still no progress on the tasting room. We have focused mainly on new accounts to try and make it work. We are in nearly 200 locations and are continuing to grow. The highlight account would be Ripken Stadium, which features all of Legends Vineyard’s wines. We have consulted an attorney for our options on the tasting room and he thinks we could get it done. But we would be looking at another 20K for fees and filings over the next 2 years."

So they celebrate the other victories, such as word a day or two ago from the Association of Maryland Wineries that they placed in several categories in the 2009 Governor's Cup competition. Those results will be announced officially on Tuesday; hoping to have them to post a day earlier. Carrie wrote that the winery picked up seven medals in the competition, including "gold medals for our Meritage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Gris, silver medals for our Vidal Blanc and Daylight White, and bronze medals for our Chardonnay and Midnight Red."

This winery and many others across the state are planning to participate in the 26th Maryland Wine Festival on Saturday, Sept., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, the 20th, from noon to 6 p.m., at the Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster.

Bottled mud? Well, if it keeps raining . . .

Rob Deford of Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, Md., called the 2009 vintage one that “will separate the good grape growers from the less good one.” In terms of vintages, most everyone is holding their breath after another round of rain over the region the past 24 hours. Maybe a dry September will save it, but there seems no end to this succession of tropical rains that have become such a predominant part of this summer.

Pennsylvania’s statewide grape educator noted in his e-letter earlier this week that the grapes are beginning to turn in color, going through veraison en route to harvest. “By most measures in many parts of the state it has been a challenging vintage so far,” Mark Chein wrote, “beginning with freeze events is some areas, frost and then what seems like interminable rain and cool conditions, poor fruit set and complicated disease issues. The forecast is not encouraging. About the only thing to do now is continue to scout and treat for diseases as necessary and manage the canopy. This will be a "winemaker's vintage" but it's still up to the grower to do the best possible job in the vineyard to bring in clean and ripe-as-possible grapes.

“I have little doubt that fruit will ripen at lower brix this year so tasting for flavor maturity will be important as well as the timing of harvest,” he continued. “Acids will be higher and pH lower, always a challenge in the cellar to achieve balance in wines. There is endless debate about how long to wait after a significant rain event before picking. My experience is to wait as long as possible. If you can take 2 steps forward and one back you are still gaining flavors, when it's one step forward and 2 back, it's time to pull the fruit. Winemakers should be intimately involved in these decisions. If you are a wine maker and you are not in your vineyards in a vintage like this you are compromising the quality of your wines.”

The region is two years removed from one of its best-ever vintages; indeed, it would be pretty hard to go wrong with a 2007 dry red from the various wineries in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Deford said that “if anything, if I were laying money on it, this is the year for whites. It has been cooler, which usually favors the fruity aspects of the grapes. They don’t get cooked out, and we have found that actually the whites are a bit better in a challenging year like this.”

You might remember reading here last year that a renegade hailstorm moved down the estate vineyard that Chaddsford Winery has in Elverson, Chester County. Co-owner Lee Miller said the other day, “We did recover very well,” she said. “We had no lasting damage in the vines. So we’re very happy about that,” she added, starting to laugh, “though we may not get a vintage this year either." Rain has hit southeastern Pennsylvania especially hard all summer. " It’s so hard when Mother Nature kind of has a different plan for you," she said. "I was talking to somebody at a real nice New York winery earlier today and she said the same thing. She said, “Ah, man, our vineyards are just a wreck.' But, you know, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Chein noted in his e-letter that “picking will be complicated. I hope you can figure out how to pick around the rot and unripe fruit. Of course, sorting grapes in the field and on the crush pad will help enormously this year. In wet years everyone has to work harder and spend more money just to achieve good wines. If you don't put forth the extra effort mediocrity will be achieved. If conditions are wet be very aware of safety issues with people and equipment in the field together, slipping and sliding, it can be very dangerous. Of course, I'm saying all of this just so the sun will start shining for the next 6 weeks and force me to eat my words. Wouldn't that be a pleasant outcome?”

Lee Miller noted those working in her vineyards and others in the surrounding area are “just trying to keep things from rotting to death” because of all the recent rains. And that was BEFORE the new round that swept in Friday.

All one can do, she noted, is keep hoping the rain stops, keep working hard and, well, maintain your sense of humor. “[Husband] Eric said [to me earlier today], ‘Well, I’m thinking of just giving up. We’re spending a fortune trying to keep these grapes sprayed and rotting. What would you think if we just took the whole vineyard and made Sangria? Then I could just let it go, whatever happens,” Lee said, laughing as she recounted the story. “[He said], ‘We’ll just make 80,000 gallons of Sangria.’

“I said, ‘You better just go take a break today.”

Two very different award-winning Rieslings are being sold at Boordy Vineyards

As Maryland wineries await word on the results of the 2009 Governor’s Cup, it seemed like the appropriate time to check in with owner Rob Deford at Boordy Vineyards in northeastern Baltimore County to talk about his two top finishers in the recent 2009 Winemasters Choice Awards competition.

His 2007 Riesling won a best of class in the off-dry division and his 2008 Riesling was among the gold medal winners. Two wines with the same word in the name and grape in the bottle, but two made distinctly different. Both are available for sale at the winery.

That 2007 vintage is called Eisling, what the winery calls its sweet Riesling reserve.
It’s described as “the nectar of Riesling grapes with aromas of honeysuckle and ripe melon. Seductively sweet and full bodied. The crowning touch to a gourmet meal.”

By phone the other day, Deford called is a “faux ice wine that we make where we give nature a helping hand by putting the grapes in a walk-in cooler. I would never promote it as a true ice wine. I have huge respect for those. It’s a Riesling-based wine; 100 percent Riesling. We press the juice of and freeze it and thaw only the first third to 40 percent and ferment that, so you get a nectar in the thawing process.”

That leads to a wine with 11 percent sugar and 10 percent alcohol and very high acidity, “so it’s actually remarkably in balance so it doesn’t feel cloying but it’s definitely a dessert wine.”

The other is what Deford called ”a straight Riesling. The standard Riesling is a classically cold fermented Riesling . . . with just wonderful Riesling characteristics. I love the Riesling grape. I might have told you before that we tried growing it for 18 years. These are not wines made from our fruit, we import the fruit."

Deford called that attempt at nurturing the grape a fairly honest try that just never had a chance of succeeding. "Riesling needs to be grown in a place where the graph of sunlight is very, very different, the northern latitudes."

Still, that hasn't stopped them from importing it. “I love the wine,” he said, “and enjoy working with it. Unfortunately, we can’t grow it.”

Three other quick mentions. What the Hydes, Md. winery terms its sustainable Happy Hour will continue on Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. through Sept. 10; the last of its Saturday night concerts series (from 5:45 to 9:45) will be tonight and next week, Sept. 5; and its Autumn Wine Fest will run during Sundays in October. For more, click on this link.

Manatawny Creek's cherry wine back on shelf

The cherry wine is back in stock again at Manatawny Creek in Douglassville, Pa. Winemaker and owner Joanne Levengood sent out an e-blast Friday announcing that the wine, a semi-sweet fruit wine made with sour cherries, is back in stock. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6. And if you've never been there, go, just to taste what's a delicious line of wines at one of the few wineries left in the region that doesn't charge for tastings. The winery number is 610.689.9804.