H.B. 2165 tough to swallow in present form

Anyone living in Pennsylvania interested in buying wine from outside the state and having it shipped directly to their home should be following with interest House Bill 2165. Introduced by Rep. Paul Costa, D-Allegheny, it would provide for the direct shipment of wine by both in-state and out-of-state wineries through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, or PLCB. In order to ship products directly to customers, wineries would need to obtain a limited winery license and direct shipper license from the PLCB.

It’s already meeting opposition, including this editorial that ran in the May 10 issue of the Pittsburgh Post –Gazette. Bob Mazza, president of the Pennsylvania Winery Association, said he missed the first hearing on June 9 in Harrisburg, but that one and perhaps two others are planned once the state budget in approved. Those could occur in Philly and/or Allegheny County, although Mazza said he’s planning to write and request that one of the meetings is held in Eric County, where 95 percent of the state’s grapes of produced.

Where ever the meetings take place, Mazza said, there needs to be changes made in the legislation.

“In its current form, we’re dead against it. It does a lot of negative things,” he said Thursday night. “One of the things addressed in there is that currently a Pennsylvania winery is permitted to produce up to 200,000 gallons of wine. They want to reduce that down to 80,000 gallons, and the purpose for that is to keep wineries that are larger than 80,000 gallons from shipping to customers in Pennsylvania, to keep parity in keeping with the Supreme Court ruling. Well, I mean, that’s silly, as far as I’m concerned. So we’re going to limit our industry now so that we can limit the size of wineries that ship into Pennsylvania. It doesn’t make a lot of sense in my book.”

Mazza said he missed the first hearing, but did work beforehand with the association’s lobbyist, who spoke along with a representative from one other winery. Saying that “hopefully we’ll resolved this because it’s something that needs to be resolved,” he added that there are enough parties in the discussion sensitive to what the association wants to give him confidence that both sides can find some common ground.

“We have a lot of respect within the legislature,” Mazza said. “The PLCB (Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board] has vowed to work with us to reach a compromise. We’re not out to eliminate the PLCB. We want to work within the system, but we truly feel that the consumer in Pennsylvania is certainly entitled to purchase wines from another state and have them shipped directly to his or her home, as they do in many other states. They don’t have to go through the state store system.

“But appropriate taxes, if they need to be collected; that can be accomplished. We have no problems with that. But we certainly are on the side of consumer now in terms of their getting the royal shaft right now in terms of their ability to purchase wines from out of state.”

Mazza: Growth has been a 'mixed bag'

The wine caucus at the Pennsylvania Winery Association on June 4 followed the unveiling of “Vintage 2012,” a five-year plan to double the impact of the Pennsylvania wine industry that was launched last year. Association president Bob Mazza said during a wide-ranging chat Thursday night that both the plan and the caucus are essential to fulfilling long-term goals as production increases and wineries continue to multiply.

“What [Vintage 2012] really means,” said Mazza, “is basically developing a funding steam that’s going to be consistent and something we can count on year after year so that we can begin to do some of the long-term marketing and some of the long-term quality initiatives to develop a reputation for Pennsylvania wines. It can be done to a certain extent, by individual wineries, but that’s very, very difficult. And we don’t have the size and scope of wineries in this state to accomplish that. Certainly if we had a Robert Mondavi located in Harrisburg or Adams County or something like that, Pennsylvania would get noticed. But we don’t have that type of producer. There’s a couple that kind of think they are, but they’re a long way from it. But, you know, we just don’t have the notoriety. I always say, boy, it’s a darn shame that Mario Andretti had to go to California to open up a winery when he was basically from Pennsylvania. It’s a darn shame he didn’t open up his winery in Pennsylvania. That would have been a real boost for our industry to have someone with that name recognition to be in our industry.”

Mazza Vineyards is located in North East, Pa., smack up by Lake Erie, with New York a hop, skip and a jump to the east and Ohio a bit farther away on the western horizon. Welch’s is the major employer, and it’s one of only a couple of towns in the United States that has more than five wineries. Six currently are in operation there. Mazza said his was the seventh winery to be established in the state, back in 1973. He noted that while there has been plenty of growth across the state, “in certain areas we probably have not met our expectations and in other areas we’ve probably exceeded them, so its kind of a mixed bag.”

He continued: “To be honest with you, I didn’t envision as many wineries as we have in Pennsylvania, but I also had expected that he the wineries that would be in business would be considerably larger than they are. I guess I expected fewer wineries and larger producers, but in fact we have the numbers greater but they’re tending to be smaller operations. . . . I guess I just expected the growth curve to be a little bit different.

“Some of them start fairly small and very conservative, and others are starting out almost California-style, investing millions of dollars in their facilities . . . and, you know, I don’t know what their expectations are. But often times I see a lot of money being spent and I look at wineries that have been around 20, 25 years and those wineries could barely justify that type of investment. But everybody gets into the business for different reasons, I guess. Some folks, as I say, [it’s] California style. They’re looking to make a statement. Put up a facility perhaps that’s very prestigious and that’s fine. That’s good for the industry. But if I take a look at what their return will be, it will never be an operation that . . .will give a decent return on their investment.”

This recent caucus was encouraging, Mazza said, not only because it’s the first of what hopefully will be many but that so many legislators participated. More than 25 attended along with members of the wine association and the state Department of Agriculture. No doubt, Mazza agreed, part of the lure is how much making and drinking wine are in vogue these days.

“I firmly believe that it’s a type of business that’s exciting and its growing and there’s a lot of interest in it,” he said, “and people want to be involved and they want to be associated with it.

“It’s definitely a very sexy business, there’s a certain amount of romance and sizzle . . . to the wine business. It’s got a certain amount of cachet in the business world. I see it in different events that I attend. I’m sitting at a dinner. It s a diverse group of people, and as soon as they figure out you’re in the wine business, boy, the attention and the conversation just kind of swings over to the wine. You maybe have people in the construction business, whatever else they’re in, but it just seems like wine just kinda like, boy, it’s something people want to talk about, they want to learn more about it. It just has that kind of draw, I guess.”

A letter from (wine) camp: Day 1

Photos courtesy of Nina Kelly: from left, Jim Osborne, Cellar Master at Chaddsford, takes aim at a barrel, and campers relax during their official welcome.

Courtesy of Nina Kelly, the director of communications for the Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau, here's a first-day summation of the Brandywine Valley Wine Camp. We plan to continue these posts throughout the weekend for the filled-to-capacity event, which runs through Sunday:

The Brandywine Valley Wine Camp got off to a rousing start this Friday evening (more details to follow). What is this wine camp, you ask? It is the brain-child of Greg Edevane, director of sales and marketing at the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau. The three-day, two-night weekend "camp" is dedicated to fun, food, wine and winemaking in the Brandywine Valley area of PA. The schedule is as follows: Friday starts at the Chaddsford Winery with a "Barrel Tasting in the Cellar" followed by a picnic dinner and concert under the stars. Overnights are at guests choice of cozy Bed & Breakfasts in the area. Saturday starts with a great breakfast at said B&B's - then to Kreutz Creek Vineyard in West Grove for "A Walk through the Vineyards" - off to lunch and a wine paring at Paradocz Vineyard, then "Vines to Wines the Crush" at Twin Brook Winery. Dinner Saturday evening is at the wonderful Brandywine Prime in Chadds Ford. Sunday starts off with another hearty breakfast and off to learn about "The Chemistry of Winemaking" at Stargazers Vineyard in Coastesville. Guests are then free to explore area treasures such as Longwood Gardens, Brandywine River Museum, QVC Studios and much more with the Brandywine Sampler coupon books that are included in their welcome package. But I digress - back to the beginning and how much fun Friday night was . . .

Campers arrived at Chaddsford Winery at about 4:30 p.m. The Chaddsford Winery is a magical place where a 17th century Colonial barn has been transformed into one of Pennsylvania's premier wineries. Here they were greeted with at refreshing glass of Spring Wine, a light delightful light wine that has become a favorite at Chaddsford during the warm weather season. After a welcome reception (name tags included) the group was escorted by Jim Osborne, the Cellar Master at Chaddsford for a very entertaining tour through the barrel aging process. Types of oak barrels used at Chaddsford are American, French and Hungarian, according to Jim and each add a subtle difference to the wine. Some wines which are not aged in barrels are known as "unoaked" and one such wine at Chaddsford is their famous "Naked Chardonnay". Campers compared oak-aged Chardonnay to the "Naked" version as well as several red wines in various stages of the aging process. After the cellar tour the group enjoyed adelicious picnic dinner of chilled salmon, steak and grilled vegetables with their favorite Chaddsford Wines. Pastries and fresh fruits followed as the air was filled with the sounds of the City Rhythm Orchestra, a fabulous band that played big band favorites while guests danced under the stars. It was truly a glorious night and a great kickoff to this inaugural (but destined to be annual) event. Look for an update on the rest of the "Camp" and don't miss the "Summer Nights Under the Stars" concerts at Chaddsford Winery Friday nights during the summer.

Wine caucus indicative of change that's ahead

Bob Mazza’s winery was the seventh in the state when it opened in 1973. Now in his fourth term as president of the Pennsylvania Winery Association, he has seen the industry in this state and elesewhere do more than take root. It’s developed a sexiness that didn’t exist when he and his wife Kathie put in their first vines.

“No question about it,” he said during a phone conversation Thursday night. “We kind of have a saying that years ago, you know, we were kind of lumped in with the drug dealers and the criminals, being in the wine business. It wasn’t the type of business that commanded any amount of respect. It was like, you were, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, it sounded like you had a problem because you were governed by this particular governmental agency. Today, with all the positives that come out, from the wine business, in terms of the health benefits, in terms of the lifestyle, in terms of other neat things that are associated with wine in terms of agritourism and land conservation and maintaining green space and vineyards … it’s very, very well received now.”

He and others participated on June 4 with more than 25 members of the state legislature in a one-day wine caucus, according to a story on the Pennsylvania Winery Association (PWA) Web site. It was held at PWA's headquarters in Harrisburg. This was the first, and Mazza said assuredly that it won’t be the last. “We’ll certainly have, let s just call them get-togethers, in order to keep caucus members apprised of what’s going on in our industry and what some of the challenges are that we face and some of the good things that we’re doing as well. Just have this core nucleus of legislators that are generally interested in this business to really be our ambassadors in the rest of the legislature.”

Mazzza said it’s “imperative to build this core group of legislators” that are interested in the wine industry and seeing it grow. The state’s wine association notes that Pennsylvania is the fifth largest wine grape producer in the nation and ranks eighth in wine output, amounting to about 340,000 cases in 2005. There are more than 150 wine grape growers and over 120 wineries. More will open this year; Hauser Estate, located west of Gettysburg, is schedule to open next month. “You know, when legislation comes down the pike," Mazza continued, "we’ll have a core group of legislators that are really going to go to bat for us and help our industry where and when it needs help.”

As for how residents of the Commonwealth might interpret this meeting and the push toward developing the industry -- the goals of that initiative in a recently released plan entitled "Vintage 2012" -- Mazza was frank. “I suspect the average person might just regard it as another special interest group,” he said. “And let’s call a spade a spade; yes, we are a special interest group, but by the same token we do generate quite a bit of economic impact for the Commonwealth and we create jobs and we pay taxes. So yes, bottom line is, we are a special-interest group, but I think our interest is certainly in keeping with the average citizen, too.”

The event grapevine: June 20-22

FEATURED EVENT

Great Grapes Festival
Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.
Oregon Ridge Park, Cockeysville, Md.
http://www.marylandwine.com/mwa/events/greatgrapes.shtml
Advance and group tickets available, call 800.830.3976

So where to go this weekend? If you’re looking for wine, art and food, head to Cockeysville, Md., for the sixth annual Great Grapes! Festival. Moorea Marketing, which puts together this and several other major festivals along the East Coast, said that 13 Maryland wineries will be pouring out around 150 wines. That amounts to a couple more wineries than participated last year.

On-site admission is $22, and that cost decreases depending on whether you buy in advance or enter as a designated driver. You can find some of the specifics
at this link. Among the wineries will be Boordy, Elk Run, Fridays Creek and Sugarloaf.

What sets this one apart are the numerous workshops and instructional sessions
that balance out the wine, food and entertainment that will be offered throughout the day. Highlighting Saturday’s schedule will be Juan-Carlos Cruz, the Food Network’s “Calorie Commando.” He plans on making paninis and salads as part of his initiative to prepare heart-healthy foods that still satisfy. Local cookbook author and food columnist Kerry Dunnington will headline Sunday’s schedule of seminars, discussing the nutritious benefits of eating foods in their growing season and incorporating foods that represent color, balance, variety and texture into the dishes you make. Her presentation is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

PENNSYLVANIA WINERIES

Chaddsford Winery, Chaddsford: Summer Night Under the Stars ($$), Friday, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., reservations requested, 610-388-6221; Reserve Tasting ($$), Saturday, sittings at 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m., http://www.chaddsford.com

Crossing Vineyards & Winery, Washington Crossing: “Summer Under the Stars” Outdoor Concert Series ($$), Friday, 7 p.m., http://www.crossingvineyards.com/

Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery, Wrightsville: music Friday night and Saturday and Sunday afternoons; Summer Concert series Saturday night ($$), http://www.moondancerwinery.com

Naylor Wine Cellars, Stewartstown: “Summer Sounds” outdoor concert series ($$), Saturday, 7 to 10 p.m., http://www.naylorwine.com

Paradocz Vineyards, Landenberg: Opening of new tasting room, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.; http://www.paradocx.com/

Twin Brook Winery, Gap: Gazebo Concert series (SS), Saturday, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., http://www.twinbrookwinery.com/


MARYLAND WINERIES

Cygnus Wine Cellars, Manchester: Solstice at the Cellar, Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.,
www.cygnuswinecellars.com

Berrywine Plantations/Linganore Winecellars, Mt. Airy: Jazzed in June Wine Festival ($$), Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m., rain or shine, www.linganorewines.com

Woodhall Wine Cellars, Parkton: Rockin’ Summer Concert, Saturday, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. ($$), woodhallwinecellars.com


VIRGINIA WINERIES

You can find all the events for this weekend at wineries around that state at this link.

($$) – Admission charge

A blend of imagination at Va La

Safe to say there are few wineries nationally, let alone regionally, as unique as Va La Vineyards in Avondale, Pa. For one, they grow their own grapes over a modest seven acres, producing between 1200 to 1400 cases per vintage. And you won’t find a varietal in the house. They’re all blends, with names that range from Cedar to Patina to Silk to Cristallo. You won’t find any name you recognize in this place, except the foods they put out to accompany the drink.

Anthony Vietri, the winemaker and owner, said recently that there’s no science to naming these wines. “They usually name themselves,” he said. “Our philosophy, I guess, at Va La, the whole idea of what we’re trying to do there is just take this little piece of dirt and discover what the ingredients are to do the best that we can and make something really unique, and hopefully, eventually, make something a little bit special from the little piece of dirt. To us, the varieties are not very important and it’s the wines, you know, I kind of have in my head that I want to make, and whatever it takes to do that that’s what it ends up being.

“So, the names, it’s just, um, I don’t know where they come from,” he said, then breaking out into a laugh, “They just come out of the sky.”

That’s from being beneath the sky, working the vines and grapes with a zest throughout the spring and summer. It led Vietri into telling a story about one particular vine that has a beginning but no end, at least at this point.

“You know, you work with a wine for a couple of years before you even put it out,” he said. “And it’s more than that because . . . I can give you an example: We grow certain things and one of them I can’t actually tell you what it is because I signed [an agreement]. Those little guys, I was just in those rows today, as a matter of fact. Like with something like that, there was a variety that I had really wanted to see how it would work with what we were trying to do. All the varieties are selected that way, that’s how we selected them, kind of like cooking. The varieties are, simply, to us, ingredients, and you have an idea of what each ingredient will bring to the table, or to the pan, so to speak, but you don’t know that until you get it in the ground for sure, but you have an idea. And, so, there was this one variety that I was interested in and it did not exist in the United States. So it took me two years to come to the conclusion that it was an impossible thing to get. . . . so long story short, I had made some contacts with people across the Internet. Heard a rumor that [University of California] - Davis had this vine, but they weren’t saying it was this vine. That it was a misidentified variety and an expert was walking through their vineyard and they said, ‘Oh that’s not what you’re calling it, I think it’s this other variety,’ and it was the variety I was looking for.

“So then I called UC Davis. I tracked down what clone it was and what variety and then I called UC Davis and made friends with somebody on the phone. I said, ‘Listen I’d really like to get some of that wood.’ And they’re like, ‘Well, it’s on hold, you can’t have it’ and I’m like, “Look, I’m not going to hold you responsible. I’ll sign whatever documents you want. I know its not the variety you have in your documentation so I’m going into this completely eyes wide open.’ And they said, eventually, ‘OK,’ and I got it, got it grafted and then, anyway, that’s 10 years, and we still haven’t made a drop of wine out of it yet. And there’s a very good chance that, in three years, if I’m able to pick some of it this year that I’ll taste it and go, no, it doesn’t work.” He chuckled, then paused. “So that’s kind like just the way things go, just the way the kind of path that we’ve chosen and so we accept that, and so every year I’m pulling things out and adding new ones in because we only have the seven acres, so there’s not much room there.”

Vietri said that, in general, the grapes they use in their wines come from their own vineyard, going into a bit more detail on the reasons for that in the following short recorded segment. To summarize, they rely on their own grapes because “the ingredients that we are seeking most of the time are not out there yet.”

Chat with him for a few minutes and you understand why the Web site provides lessons sprinkled with humor. It parallels our conversation: A serious explanation followed by a self-deprecating comment. According to the site . . .”The barrel cellar is constructed underground in order to obtain the optimum temperature and humidity for aging our wines. Plus it makes a wonderful bomb shelter.”

No question they’ve needed that humor as well as patience, not only to fashion these blends but welcome an audience that is used to sampling Chardonnay and Chambourcin, not Sirenetta and La Prima Donna. “We just kind of knew,” Vietri explained in this second recorded segment, “that the public perception thing was going to be a difficult task and that we would just have to work at it with them one on one.

“It’s exciting to have somebody say, ‘Oh, I never of that variety, I really like that,’” Vietri said. “’Or I’ve never heard of such a blend, I really think that’s interesting.’ That’s a, god, just gives you goose bumps sometimes. It’s very fun and exciting to see that.”

An Allegro update

Ideally I'll get to the point with this blog where I reach out to wineries and receive a response within 24 hours. That would enhance my ability to get news out to you and give you a better feel of everyday life at the winery. Oh, well. That obviously will take some time.

So it makes me more appreciative when the turnaround does occur quickly. Carl Helrich, my first blog interviewee and a valued supporter of what I'm trying to do, chimed in with an answer to my question about how things were going at his Allegro Vineyards in The Brogue, in southcentral Pennsylvania.

Wrote Helrich:

Our vineyard is in the best shape it's ever been. Things are really moving along with the rain from two weeks ago and the subsequent heat. Crop levels look good. We're going through bloom right now, and we have more than enough clusters to work with. In a week or so we'll start pulling leaves. From there we'll assess the crop load and start to drop clusters.

In the winery, we're moving wines through, getting tanks empty before harvest. We'll start pulling wines from barrels in a couple weeks and start making blends. We have numerous barrels that are of a quality level that we can take them a second year in barrel. Sometime this summer, we'll bottle our 2006 Cadenza (our flagship reserve red). We'll also release our Dry Rose (from Cab Franc from Twin Brook). We already have our Riesling out. Later this fall we'll release our first Sangiovese and our second Pinot Noir.

We've opted out of the entertainment business as well. We used to run a hugely successful Chef Series (for about 15 years.) I found that it really interfered with my real raison d'etre, which is winemaking, from vine to glass. We are doing the Split Rock wine Festival this weekend. There'll be about 25 wineries there, I think.