Grapes coming in, wines going out at Pinnacle

Passing along a couple of notes off the Pinnacle Ridge Winery's October newsletter. Like Eric Miller at Chaddsford and Carl Helrich at Allegro, among others, owner and winemaker Brad Knapp is as much about sharing what he does and why as producing the wine for consumption. Have mentioned before that the winery is a must-stop, right off the Krumsville exit of I-78 about 30 minutes or so west of Allentown.

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The final portion of the newsletter deals with the harvest. Have a read:

"It is early in the morning. There is a pleasant and comforting stillness in the air. One hears the faint murmur of voices; conversations held through the vines. There is the constant click, click, click sound of shears cutting clusters followed by the plopping sound of one grape luster after another falling into containers. Hand harvesting is hard work, but also satisfying. Sometimes, when harvesting an exceptionally gorgeous cluster, one has to pause for a moment to admire, holding the cluster in one's hand.

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The days can be glorious. Mornings are damp but by mid-morning the dew is gone and the sun warms the pickers. The view in the vineyard is 360 degrees of beauty. The leaves are starting to turn color. Friendships develop among the pickers. Some have known each other for years. It is a great time to connect again.
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The 2009 season has put growers and winemakers to task. The relationship between grape growers and wine makers has never been more important. In other years, fruit has been cleaner. Easier to pick. At our Estate Vineyard and at Round Ridge Farm the goal is the same. Pick the best fruit. Cut out any problems. Make great wines out of a difficult growing season. It makes this writer proud to get up early and head out in to the field with my co-pickers. Aching back, tired arms, and all.

It's a busy month at Pinnacle Ridge, a member of two wines trails. It will be open noon to 5 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday for the Berks County Wine Trail's Artisan Cheese and Wine Pairing, then 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, and noon to 5 p.m. on the 18th for the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail's Chambourcin Weekend. The newsletter also contained info on two new releases this month, a Chambourcin Reserve and a red blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon called Veritas. Here's the skinny on those.

We started making a CHAMBOURCIN RESERVE with the 2004 vintage, making this our fourth edition of the wine. The Reserve version of Chambourcin is sourced from either our Estate Vineyard or our vineyards at Round Ridge Farms in Kempton . We evaluate the fruit in the field to determine what we believe will result in the most intense wine. This usually is defined by low yields and a good canopy on the vine towards the end of October.

Another defining feature of our Chambourcin Reserve is the barrel-aging program is carried out in Hungarian Oak Barrels. 2007 was a FABULOUS VINTAGE and has resulted in an intense 2007 Chambourcin Reserve. The color is an intense ruby while aromas of sandalwood, vanilla, and blackberries jump from the glass. On the palate our reserve is medium bodied, with soft tannins and acid. The flavors follow the nose with black fruits and wood influences being dominate. This is a beautifully balance red wine that will reward aging for several to eight years.

The 2007 represents our seventh release of the VERITAS. We consider VERITAS to be on of our FINEST WINES and we only will produce it in the best vintages. This vintage is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the traditional blend of grapes in the making of fine Bordeaux. The wine was grown primarily at Round Ridge Farms in Kempton. Our Veritas was aged for 16 months in Pennsylvania Oak barrels. The color is a medium ruby with aromas of cassis, tobacco, forest floor, and vanilla. The mouth displays soft tannins and flavors that follow the nose. This is the wine for roasts and rich, savory dishes. Our customers are welcome to come to our winery to sample and purchase these two beautiful dry reds. Our release date for our CHAMBOURCIN RESERVE is October 17th 2009 (Chambourcin Weekend). Our release date for VERITAS is October 24th 2009.

The Chambourcin Reserve, according to the Web site, will sell for $16, with the Veritas going for 20 bucks.

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.

Pinnacle/Jeffries pairing draws Sunday crowd

One regional restaurant that includes local wineries as part of its Buy Fresh, Buy Local theme is John J. Jeffries, located in the Lancaster Arts Hotel. So the recent wine and food pairing held in conjunction with winemaker Brad Knapp and Pinnacle Ridge Winery was not an aberration; they hold these generally once a month (on the last Sunday of the month) with regional wineries and breweries from the spring into the late fall. The winemaker or brewmaster, as you'd figure, is an integral part of the program.

Bartender Michael Grove said by phone yesterday that around 40 people attended the Sunday evening, Jan. 25, event at the restaurant. There was a one-hour Happy Hour, then guests headed to their tables for a four-course wine and food pairing that included Knapp’s commentary. In all, the combo cost only $52 per person, including tax and gratuity.

“It probably lasted about two hours,” Grove said. “The food was paired up very well with the wine, and the wine went very well with the food obviously. And a few people hung around at the bar later on and they were talking about it. And from what I heard they enjoyed it.”

The restaurant is named for a local tobacco inspector of the late 19th century. It seats approximately 60 in its main dining area and smoke-free bar. Dinners only are served there, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Half-price local beer, wine by the glass, and Organic Martinis are offered daily from 4 to 6 p.m.

The next one will be the last Sunday in March, the 25th, and will features foods paired with Swashbuckler beer. Troegs, Victory and Stoudts are other beers that have been featured in that all-expenses-included pairing. Generally, the restaurant rotates between featuring a beer and a wine, and also includes some or all of those products on their regular beer and wine list. Grove said that Chaddsford Winery has joined Pinnacle Ridge not only on those Sunday night events, but also as regular “house” wines.

“We always have at least one by the glass of both red and white,” he said, "and normally more than that. Right now we’re carrying a Chambourcin from Pinnacle, a Chardonnary from Pinnacle and a Pinot Grigio from Chaddsford.” They also carry Manatawny Creek's honey wine and a late harvest Vidal Blanc from Pinnacle.

That they drew 40 people is a testament to the power of the Buy Local network, which sends out e-mail blasts promoting this and other events around the region. Grove said the restaurant also will place a slip of paper into the folder containing the check advertising the next wine/beer and food pairing.

Told it’s refreshing to see a local restaurant carry local wines, Grove said a lot of it is a matter of realizing just what's out there.

“I think mainly because people don't know there are very drinkable local wines out there,” he said, “and, you know, it's just a perception of local wines that they have. Before I worked here, I sort of had the same philosophy on local wines. But I've actually had a chance to try quite a few of them now since I've ccme here and am definitely impressed with them.”

Pinnacle Ridge loses a wall, gains some space

Received my first e-letter today from Pinnacle Ridge Winery in Kutztown, Pa. There was mix of past and future, including a report on the winery's recent recognition from both the Farm Show and the Pennsylvania Wine Society. And proprietors Brad and Christy added some details on what's ahead, a Valentine's weekend celebration, as you can read below.

Saturday February 14th (10AM to 5PM)
Sunday February 15th (Noon to 5PM)

Valentine’s Day is just a few weeks away, so it is not too soon to plan for this special day. The Berks County Wine Trail Annual Chocolate and Wine Weekend is a great way to celebrate this special holiday. All eight wineries on the BCWT offer a FREE CHOCOLATE AND WINE food pairing. Pinnacle Ridge will be serving CHOCOLATE SACHER TORTE. Sacher Torte is a famous Viennese desert served in many a cozy café in Austria and throughout Europe. This delicious chocolate torte is covered with a rich chocolate glaze. To top it off, we drizzle our torte with warm apricot preserves! We are pairing our Sacher Torte with our 2007 LATE HARVEST VIDAL BLANC. Our “love”-ly staff always gets into the spirit of this romantic holiday. We look forward to seeing you!

There was this bit of news on renovations in the tasting room:

In the past, perhaps some of our customers have had to wait to be served during busy weekends and special events. Brad and Christy have taken the plunge and contracted their favorite contractor, Jim Robertson, to remove the eastern wall in the tasting room and install a NEW BAR! PINNACLE RIDGE tasting room will now have 30% MORE BAR SPACE! Demolition has been completed. The removal of the wall increases the visibility of the wine production area, which contains over one hundred American, French and Hungarian OAK BARRELS (lovingly imparting their fine flavors into our Dry Reds and Chardonnay). The tasting room has still retained its charming, rustic and intimate feel. We will have more staff and more bar space to serve our customers better!

NOW AVAILABLE!
2008 Chambourcin Rose
COMING SOON!
2008 Quaff

And my personal favorite, a "first-hand" report from the vineyard:

Bud: Poor Bud! He’s (she’s) really cold. Temperatures pushed down near zero degrees the last few weeks and poor bud has to stand out in an open field. How do grapevines responds to these cold temperatures? Will they die? How cold does it have to be before damage/death occurs?
Grapevines are a Mediterranean plant and do display negative reactions to cold temperatures. The first sign of excessive cold weather is the death of the buds, which hold the promise of the upcoming shoots and fruit. If bud damage occurs during a winter temperature event then fewer shoots and fruit occur the following growing season. The next step of winter damage is when the wood of the trunk or arms is damaged. In this case the wood experiences damage to the extent that nutrients and water can no longer flow and, consequently, everything downstream of the damaged part of the vine dies.
The ability of a grapevine to withstand cold temperatures depends on a number of factors. Vine variety is a very significant factor. Some varieties are more cold tolerant than others. For example, the native American varieties ( Concord, Niagra, Delaware) are very cold tolerant. The so-called French-American hybrids are variable in their winter hardiness. Some like Seyval Blanc, Foch, and Leon Millot can grow in places like Wisconsin and Minnesota successfully whereas others like Chambourcin are more winter tender. The most tender varieties belong to the traditional European grapes (vitis vinifera). Chardonnay, Riesling, and Cabernet Franc have reputations of being very cold hardy and one can see these varieties being grown in cooler areas such as the Finger Lakes in New York state and parts of New England. Other varieties such as Zinfandel are considered more winter tender and one rarely sees them growing on the East Coast whereas they are grown in more mild climates such as California and Italy.
Another significant (but often overlooked) factor in vine hardiness is vine health. Just as with people, grapevines in good health can tolerate more exposure to the elements than vines in poor health. If vines are over cropped, diseased, or mistreated then they will be more prone to winter injury than healthy vines. We don’t expect any significant winter injury to our vines at this point in time. So keep your finger crossed for warmer weather.

Lehigh Valley ahead of curve on trail bags

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A couple of shots taken Sunday of Pinnacle Ridge Winery, located no more than a couple minute's drive off Route 78, near Kutztown, Pa.

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Before I bag it for the night, wanted to mention that we left Pinnacle Ridge on Sunday night with a couple bottles of wine, one of which was tucked into a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail bag that had the Web site on one side and all the pertinent contact information about the nine members on the other. Just thought this was a great idea and a good way to spread the word about the trail.

Asked by e-mail how long the trail has been using the bags, owner/winermaker Brad Knapp replied: "The LVWT has been doing the wine trail bag for at least 3-4 years now. Some of the wineries on the trail have their own bag, but about 1/2 of us use the wine trail bag. I like the bag since it looks a little nicer than your typical brown bag."

Might be worth an idea for other wine trails to copy.