Wine Excellence awards provides firsts for Chambourcin and Chaddford

I write about a number of wineries from the region that few people have heard about, either because they've just opened or don't get their product into the state store (in Pennsylvania) or into the hands of many merchants in Maryland.

But that's not meant to downplay the continued great work of some of this region's standbys, one being Chaddsford in southeastern Pennsylvania. Can't think of another regional winery that carries more weight as an innovator and is known in more corners of the world that wine drinkers occupy. And the winery's win Sunday in the annual judging by the Pennsylvania Wine Society serves as a reminder of where winemaker and co-owner Eric Miller has set the bar at a winery that will celebrate its 30th birthday in a couple of years.

Society president Paul Beesom said that there were several precendents this year: no Chambourcin had ever won before and Miller and Chaddsford had never won before. Those streaks are over, off the win of the fabulous 2007 vintage. Those who follow the progress of the local industry will recall that Pinnacle Ridge's 2007 Chambourcin was the Farm Show's top winer in 2009.

It took awhile, Beesom admitted, for Chambourcin to even be allowed into the competition.

"I had mixed feelings and a lot of us had mixed feelings of whether to include Chambourcin," he said. "But the feeling was that it was so close to a vinifera species that it could almost be one and also that it was the one area that this state and this area could make its mark with. And it does very well here. So we agreed to include it."

The Society has been around since 1987, but has only been judging PA wines for its Wine Excellence competition for eight years. Wineries are invited to submit their wines to the organization, which narrows the entries to a more workable number. This year, according to the Pennsylvania Winery Association Web site, there were 11, including two each from Allegro, Manatawny Creek and NW Pennsylvania's Presque Isle.

And more and more, Beesom said, it has become a pleasureable experience. "They're getting better," he said of the state's wines and the ones in particular that wind up in the competition. "Better every year, and I say that after each event. I can honestly say that of the 11 wines that we [judged], every one of them could be on a fine-dining restraurant list."

That wasn't the case early, he added. There were two or three good ones, the rest a "little shaky. But they're just getting better. I think the winemakers are learning more as they go along on how to do things right in this area."

If you want to check out some comments on Chaddsford wine, here's a link to the Web site where Lee Miller has assembled a collection of praise from magazines and bloggers alike. These include insight from some of the folks I follow regularly, including Delawareonline.com's Roger Morris (who also blogs under the heading of Been There Tasted That) and theother46.com's Brian Kirby.

Chaddsford wins Wine Society's top award

The Pennsylvania Wine Society selected Chaddsford Winery's 2007 Chambourcin as the overall winner of the 2010 Excellence Award on Sunday at the Harrisburg Hilton.

The other 10 involved in the competition included:

Chaddsford Pinot Noir 2007
Presque Isle Blaufrankish NV
Pinnacle Ridge Chambourcin 2008
Galen Glen Cabernet Franc 2007
Manatawny Creek Cabernet Franc 2007
Presque Isle Merlot 2007
Manatawny Creek Merlot 2007
Pinnacle Ridge Veritas 2007
Allegro Bridge 2007
Allegro Cadenza 2007

Wine Society pours heart, soul into education

It was the wine excellence awards held Jan. 18 at the Harrisburg Hilton that first got me to look at the Pennsylvania Wine Society Web site. Now, I'm a regular, at least as an observer of what this more than 21-year-old organization is educate those who want to understand and appreciate fine wines. It's a group of around 155 strong that holds events at least once a month, primarily at the Harrisburg Hilton. Club president Paul Seymour said by phone the other day that they've brought in a number of distinguished speakers during the history of the organization, from Robert Parker (“although I don't think I could get him today,” he said, laughing) to importer Bobby Kacher to Best Cellars owner Joshua Wesson.

“For the most part, we try and bring in outside speakers who are recognized experts, producers, importers, educators, people from the restaurant industry,” Seymour said. “We've had quite a few well- known people in the wine industry who are speakers.”

They generally meet at the Harrisburg Hilton, although Seymour noted they held their 20-year anniversary gala at the Country Club of Harrisburg and have held several other events at the National Civil War Museum. Events usually draw around 50 or 60 people, although some have lured up to 100.

Membership costs $30 annual for an individual and $50 for two persons living at the same address. It's a little higher for anyone wanting the perks of a patron membership. “Our mailing list goes beyond Harrisburg,” Seymour said. “It's primarily the Harrisburg area, but some from Lancaster, some from York, some from as far as State College, Reading.”

While the organization draws people often with national recognition, it tries not to stray too far from its roots. The excellence awards, recognizing the 10 best wines in the state, were held for the seventh time. Among the speakers have been Lee and Eric Miller from Chaddsford Winery in Chester County, and twice York County's Allegro Vineyards has been represented.

“We reach out somewhat,” Seymour said, when asked about how much they showcase wines and wineries in Pennsylvania. “I'd say primarily Old World, although we do some New World. In addition to Pennsylvania wine excellence event, which is every January, usually we'll have at least an East Coast if not a Pennsylvania winery at least once every other year, I would say.”

Afternoon spent tasting Manatawny's best

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Saturday afternoon with Mary and Wayne at Manatawny Creek.
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We headed northeast to Boyertown, Pa., on Saturday to see our friends Mary and Wayne, figuring after lunch we'd depart and -- since we wanted to head to Lancaster -- then make a stop at Tamanend Winery off rotues 72 and 741 en route to the Park City Center. Only we never quite got to that winery in time, all because we noticed on the map that Manatawny Creek Winery was only about 5 miles away.

I don't think I had even heard of the winery until a couple of weeks ago, when I found the list of excellence winners from the Pennsylvania Wine Society and it included Manatawny Creek's Meritage, a blend of 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot grapes. Manatawny, a little more than 10 years old, is one of eight members of the Berks County Wine Trail, all of which have something in common besides the fact that they're located on either side of I-78: They don't charge for tastings.

From my experience, that's the exception rather than the rule among wineries in the eastern half of the state. Generally, wineries charge from a couple bucks up to $7 per person to taste around six to eight wines. Some send you home with a glass; some don't. In Maryland, wineries are permitted to serve six, one-ounce samples of wine free of charge. Any other iteration requires a charge.

Anyway, Manatawny goes a step further than most. Not only aren't you charged for the tastings, but you can try everything in the winery's line; that's almost 25 wines that span that wide bridge from dry to sweet to fruit and white to red. Crackers also are out on the 30-some foot Corian bar, along with sharp cheese from Redner's Markets and chocolates from Reppert's that accompany the port. Talk about spoiling our friends, who hadn't been to a winery to taste before. This is all they know. It was an afternoon of fun, amid a crowd of people that kept the family behind the bar hopping our entire time there. We were lucky enough to draw the wit and hospitality (and full attention) of Mary, the mom of winermaker and owner Joanne Levengood. She was part educational and part comedienne and part historian, answering all questions about the wines and anything related to them. We all gave a thumbs up to the Blanc de Blancs, essentially their champagne, the "naked" Chardonnay (thy call it C.O.W. Chardonnay Off Wood), the Chambourcin and port, made with Cabernet Franc grapes. A dry red fan, I couldn't get enough of the Pinor Noir, Cab Franc, Merlot and Meritage. And did you know you have to pay to call your wine Meritage (pronounced like heritage)? It's a registered trademark that requires joining The Meritage Association.

By the time we and our friends had purchased four bottles apiece and headed out the door, more than an hour and a half had passed. By the time we hit Lancaster, it was after 5. No Tamanend this week. Hey, one to try another weekend en route to Philly or to the Lancaster outlets.

Self-taught Knapp now a teacher for others

I keep playing phone tag with the folks from the Pennsylvania Wine Society, so let me use some written comments from state-wide wine grape educator Mark Chien to describe a bit of what he saw at the society's excellent award last Sunday in Harrisburg. What could be called the wine Oscars (hey, that description no more timely than today with the nominations being released), 10 wines were recognized during a program at the Harrisburg Hilton where Chien served as guest speaker.

Of the 10, four were produced by Brad Knapp of Pinnacle Ridge, which has a Kutztown mailing address but could be considered out in the middle of nowhere except for the fact that I-78 happens to be located adjacent to the vineyards and winery. It's no more than a minute's drive from the Krumsville exit.

Chien said in a phone conversation we had yesterday that Knapp and his winery have set themselves apart, and he didn't quibble with my suggestion that no wines in the state carries more value overall than his line right now. Here's what Chien wrote in a newsletter that came out Tuesday:

The results of the PA Farm Show and PA Wine Society wine competitions are in and there is one winery that has excelled in both, Pinnacle Ridge Vineyards in Kutztown. To me, it is no surprise. Owner and wine grower Brad Knapp is as meticulous a grower as you can find anywhere. He farms his vineyard on a south slope visible from I-78 and also maintains a textbook grower-winery relationship with Round Ridge Vineyards. Brad sends me during the harvest with cluster number and weight information as he monitors the crop until moments before harvest. His vines are well-maintained during the growing season with good canopy balance and fruit zone treatments. He is very fussy about the quality of his viticulture. Chambourcin, for example, is thinned to one cluster per shoot on VSP and yields wines of vinifera-like quality and character. Like many winegrowers Brad is self taught but he exemplifies the unique characteristics that can take a vineyard and its wines to the next level... an insatiable curiosity and desire to learn - he's always asking why and seeking knowledge that will provide answers, a keen sense of observation and ability to collect data and translate them into management practices, a willingness to bring in outside experts for advice and help, a great passion for wine growing and finally the ability to execute in the vineyard and cellar. I would encourage fellow wine growers to taste Brad's wines, they are setting benchmarks for quality for Pennsylvania. In the interest of full disclosure, most of the wines that made the final round in the PWS tasting, including those from Pinnacle Ridge, contained fruit grown by Jan and Kim Waltz in Manheim. Their reputation for high quality grapes is well known and the results here simply help to acknowledge their tremendous efforts in the vineyard.