This list is Prime territory for regional wines

You don’t find too many restaurants that even put Pennsylvania wines on their menu. An exception is Brandywine Prime in Chaddsford, where general manager Michael Majewski says there are seven regional wines among a list that includes about 100.

“I probably do a little bit more in trying to promote the wines from the area than most places do,” he says, talking by phone late last week. The restaurant, he says, has been open around 18 months. “I have Paradocx, Chaddsford and Va La, right now and at some point I’ll put some Penns Woods wines on the list, too. You know, I feel like we’re kind of located in the middle of Pennsylvania wine-growing area and if restaurants don’t take the time and effort to acknowledge it, at least a little bit, then I think we’re doing the area a disservice. The wine-growing area is becoming enough to drive people to the area.”

Not only do they carry the wines but they’ve also become active with the wineries of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail. Several weeks ago they hosted a dinner for the trail’s first wine camp; that paired the food with wine from one of the wineries the campers had visited during their three-day “drink-over.”

Majewski says that price isn’t generally a problem in pushing the wine. They are on par, he said, with those from outside the region in the same class. But the recognition factor is another story, especially as diners peer at the list and other more familiar names jump out at them. So what tips them toward the regional wineries?

“We sell most of the local wine to people who have been to the wineries at some point or another and have enjoyed the wines,” he says, “and then they come into the restaurant and see if we have them and get one. Or the person that asks, ‘Hey, I’m not from around here, I see you have some wines from the area, what do you think?' And then we just kind of go from there.”

They don’t go from there blindly, for sure. Majewski says some members of the staff already have taken a trip to Chaddsford Winery. “Not everybody went,” he says, “but, I don’t know, there were eight or nine of us that went over. [Owner and winemaker] Eric [Miller] did a little tour, the whole dog and pony show for the staff . It was good. Va La’s a little far for us to do a staff trip, and Paradocx just opened their winery. We’re doing an event at Paradocx this weekend, so we’ll actually get some staff out there.”

Once you get to know Lemberger ...

You would be accurate in referring to the Lemberger wine that Vynecrest Vineyards & Winery in Breiningsville, produces as unique. John Landis and his wife Jan, who bought the five-acre lot back in 1973 and planted their first vines a year later, said he first tried the wine out West and it made enough of an impression to make room for it on his Eastern Pennsylvania plot.

“I liked the finish on it,” he said recently. “It was a cool climate red that we thought would grow well here in our climate. We tried it out and its done well for us. The hardest part of that was name recognition. A lot of people have never heard of it. They wonder, ‘What am I buying?’ So that’s why you need to have the people on site to try it, and then if they like it, they like it.”

On the Vynecrest site, Lemberger is listed as the winery’s flagship red, with its “big, bold flavors and rich tannis finish.” Growing it, he said, isn’t a big problem. The late-bloomer is susceptible to powdery mildew, but Landis said no more so than other vinifera. He produces about 300 gallons, which converts to more than 100 cases. The 750 ml. bottles sell for $13.99. Vynecrest is a member of the Wine Trail of the Lehigh Valley, which will be celebrating its 11th anniversary with a fete on the weekend of July 12-13 at all the wineries.

A wine with its roots in the Danube River Valley, which originates in the Black Forest of Germany, Landis notes that it goes by two names: the Germans call it Lemberger and the Austrians call it Blaufrankisch. “So you’ll see different wine lists with the two different name," he said. "On the East Coast, there are maybe four of us [that grow it]. There’s one up in Pennsylvania, Presque Isle Wine Cellars. We’re the only ones that grow it in our region. And there’s a couple wineries in the Finger Lakes [of New York] that are grow it, but the majority of it is grown in Washington state. That’s where I first had it.”

The event grapevine: July 4-6

FEATURED EVENT



Reds Whites & BLUES Festival
Saturday, 2 to 10 p.m.
Moon Dancer Vineyard & Winery, Wrightsville, Pa.
http://www.moondancerwinery.com/id35.html
Tickets, $20

If memory serves from my recent conversation with winemaker and owner Jim Miller, this is the fourth annual early summer salute to the blues, part of a full weekend of events at the winery with one of the more spectacular views of any in the region.

There will be almost a continuous cercert, beginning with Blue Voodoo 2 and wrapping up with The Chaz DePaolo Blues Band starting at 8 p.m. Food and wine will be available throughout, that menu including pig roast/pork sandwiches, beans and pasta salad available for purchase. Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets.

Activities at the winery will begin tonight from 6 to 9, rain or shine, with A.D. Chandler providing the music and a 4 on the 4th wine promotion that provides you the fourth bottle for free after you purchase three bottles.



The Reese Project will wrap the weekend up with a concert from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Moon Dancer’s summer concert series continues on most Saturday through the rest of the summer.

OTHER SCHEDULED EVENTS

Adams County Winery, Ortanna: Free summer concert, Saturday. 1 to 5 p.m., food and wine available, bring along a lawn chair and blanket, http://www.adamscountywinery.com/

Chaddsford Winery, Chaddsford: Fourth of July Big Bang BBQ Weekend, concerts today (2 to 5 p.m.), tonight ($$) (6:30 to 9:30 p.m.), Saturday (2 to 5 p.m.), Saturday night ($$) (6:30 to 9:30 p.m.), and Sunday (2 to 5 p.m.); Reserve Tasting ($$), Saturday, sittings at 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m., http://www.chaddsford.com

Kreutz Creek Vineyards, West Grove: Big Bang BBQ, jazz Saturday and Sunday ($$) (2 to 5 p.m.), concert Saturday night ($$) (6 to 9 p.m.), http://www.kreutzcreekvineyards.com/

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

Nissley Vineyard & Winery Estate, Bainbridge: first night of Music in the Vineyards 2008 ($$), Saturday, 7:30 to 10 p.m., http://www.nissleywine.com/lawn_concerts.htm

Paradocz Vineyards, Landenberg: Big Bang BBQ, Friday through Sunday,
noon to 5 p.m., http://www.paradocx.com/

Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown: last few days of debut of Pa German Folklife Festival, Kutztown, Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., http://www.pinridge.com/html/events.html

Twin Brook Winery, Gap: Big Band BBQ Series, Friday through Sunday, BBQ available Saturday and Sunday, concerts Saturday evening ($$) and Sunday
afternoon (1 to 4 p.m.), http://www.twinbrookwinery.com/



MARYLAND winery events can be found at this link and
VIRGINIA events at this link.

($$) – Admission charge

A wine promotion 30,000 miles up

Saw this item on the New York Wine & Grape Foundation's weekly e-newsletter that I wanted to share. I will add to this post later if I can get a response from the director of the foundation. Talk about a great way to promote a state's wines.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC, one of the world’s finest airlines, is offering its international travelers a taste of New York wines, thanks to a special partnership with the I Love NY program and support from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. This week I’ll be training the Virgin Atlantic staff on the many virtues of New York wine country and wines, which they’ll then be serving to their customers in the Clubhouse at Heathrow Airport in London through August 31. This is one of several initiatives the I Love NY program has launched to expand that program’s reach beyond New York City to other regions and attractions of the State. The intent is to raise awareness that New York is much more than a great city, and to encourage tourists to explore all that the state has to offer—including great wines. Several months ago, we invited any interested New York winery to submit wines for consideration, and ultimately Virgin Atlantic selected six wines from four different regions: Peconic Bay 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon and Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2005 La Ferme Martin Chardonnay from Long Island; Millbrook Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Franc from the Hudson River Region; Dr. Frank 2006 Semi-Dry Riesling and Heron Hill Winery 2006 Cabernet Franc Rosé from the Finger Lakes; and Warm Lake Estate 2006 Pinot Noir from the Niagara Escarpment. The two-month series of daily tastings for Clubhouse visitors is being supplemented by a 30-second TV spot that will run during in-flight announcements, as well as “I Love NY” print ads in “Seatback”, the airline’s in-flight publication. The I Love NY program, part of Empire State Development, has also run a New York wine country ad in Food & Wine magazine, and is helping promote our industry in other ways as well. We’re very grateful for the support. For more information, visit www.iloveny.com/wine.

Let's talk winery real estate

Lynn and Fred Hunter were living in Philly around the time of the bicentennial when they purchased a parcel in York County and planted five acres of grape vines, according to their Seven Valleys Vineyard & Winery site. They spent weekends commuting over to the farm, located in the rolling hills just outside what was then a very rural Shrewbury, to tend to those vines. As someone who commuted daily from York to Philly to work at the Daily News, I know that ride with my eyes closed. Course, when they made the trip, gas was probably around a buck a gallon.

Their first harvest netted about three tons of grapes. For almost two decades they sold their grapes to other wineries, according to their Web site. That changed when the winery was opened in 1994. A member of the Uncork York tour that’s held in March and a member of the currently inactive – but soon to be regenerated – Mason Dixon Wine Trail, they now produce 15 wines. I’ve sampled one at Uncork in 2007, the Chardonnay, one of a mix of dry whites and reds to sweet and dessert wines. All are sold either on the premises or at one of their two stores, along Antique Row in Shrewsbury and also over in Gettysburg.

I’ve not been able to reach them to talk about the 30 years of growing grapes, but I can tell you that the winery has been for sale at an asking price of $3 million, according to the listing. Anyone stopping out to view first will need to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Agent Carolyn Schoettler told me the other day that the winery has been on the market for about a year and a half. She said there has been a great deal of interest, some generated off a site I never knew existed called vinesmart.com, which links to wineries for sale internationally. She noted that the eoncomic market has made prospective buyers a bit hesitant, and also said they backed off the past six onths while pondering an agricultural easement. While the Hunters, she said, are trying to make the purchase as easy as possible, they’re also working outside the home and maintaining the business and its 25 employees. The sale will come when it comes. It’s not just the winery, including the 15 acres of planted grapes. It’s land that also includes the retail store, aging room, tasting room and kitchen. As Schoettler noted, there’s a lot of extras including the 79-plus acres, so that has increased the price.

If you’re interested in just tasting the wine and getting a glimpse of the site, the winery will be open tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Meanwhile, those in the Brandywine Valley are familiar with Folly Hill, a bed and breakfast and limited winery in Kennett Square, Pa. It’s a former member of that wine trail and has been up for sale at a listing price of $1.25 million at least as far back as last summer. That sale was consummated recently, although listing agent Eliot Dalton said in an e-mail that he wouldn't be able to name the new owners, what they paid, or what their plans are for the buildings and seven acres. It includes a restored 200-year-old home, a stone cottage, a recently renovated bank barn that houses the winery and tasting room, and a large storage barn. A total of 4,000 grapevines cover approximately four acres.

Rule No. 1 as a winery: Do what you're good at

Much of the fun of the blog, done in this format, is initiating the conversation and then allowing the winemaker or proprietor to run with it. A few weeks ago, chatting with Anthony Vietri of Va La Winery in Avondale, Pa., we got on the subject of how all of his wines have nontraditional names and whether that dissuades people from asking for advice because their tack on winemaking is so unique.

“I’m not saying what we do is for everybody or anybody,” he begins slowly, his thoughts then breaking into a sprint. “It’s literally like if somebody comes to our vineyard and they look at our spacing. I say to them, right to their face, there’s the fence. If I were to own the property on the other side of that fence, the spacing would be different, so it’s basically a matter that you gotta do what works for your spot. That has to do with the varieties, too. You know, we’re very very, very, very, very small, I’m not good at the big things, my family’s not. We’re good at the little things. We like to do that. We like to get to know people. We like to do it that way, but there are other people that are good at completely different things than we are.

“I don’t really like hearing all that dogma we hear in our industry, that, you know, like, ah, well, you should be growing this and you should be doing that. It’s really up to the individuals, you know. If someone wants to grow the best Chambourcin there is, then that’s what they should be doing. That’s what its all about, it’s what feeds your soul. You shouldn’t be going around saying, ‘Oh, so and so is growing this, so I want to try that.’ It doesn’t really work that way. It’s like when people ask me varieties, I’m like, seriously, don’t even waste time on it.

“It’s really about the kind of wine you want to make, then the ingredients to that wine will fall in place,” he continues. “But if you go the other way around, you’re just kind of just chasing your tail. First things first [ask] what do we want to do here, what kind of winery do we want to do? If you’re . . . Chaddsford, then it makes complete sense to have the varieties that people recognize right away [because of their size and scope]. So it would be crazy not to.”

The representatives from the six -- soon to be seven -- members of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail get together minimum of once a month, says president Vietri. “The meetings that I run are five and six hours long and we spend [that much time] because we all work so hard we never see each other. I know there’s others that get together and I admire that, but its just not something that I can do, but when we do the mettings, that's why the meetings are so long. We really enjoy being together, it's a good time to get work done, [but] we also get to catch up with each other’s families and what’s going on.”

Lehigh Valley book: A recipe for success

Jan Landis says there are a number of reasons the Wine Trail of Lehigh Valley’s cook book has been a big success. There’s the second printing of another 1,000 after the first 1,500 sold out. And the fact the proceeds go back into the wine trail and aid in the fight against breast cancer. And the many compliments from those who have paged through the book with its hard cover and spiral binding and lauded one of the recipes. “It’s very gratifying,” says the co-owner of Vynecrest Vineyards & Winery, taking some time out yesterday to chat. “People will come in and say, ‘I tried that meatball recipe of yours and I really loved that,’ or ‘I tried your chile recipe; it was great. To have people share these with people . . . I think we’re the only wine trail to have done a cookbook.”

But the best reason could be the fact that no one has yet reported a recipe with any noticeable flaw. “We used just under 200 recipes,” says Landis, who served as the trail’s editor of the book, “and, this will sound funny, but the thing I’m most proud of is that not one person has come back and said, ‘I tried that and I think you’re off on an ingredient,’ which is phenomenal for a cookbook.”

The cookbook sells for $11.99 and available at all nine wineries of the Lehigh Valley trail. The original lot was printed with grant money from the state Department of Agriculture. Created as part of the trail’s 10th anniversary last year, Landis said they already have gone through most of the second printing. It came about after years of these wineries using a number of these recipes for the annual March Madness Passport program. “We do a food pairing every weekend, all nine of us, and instead of just saying I think I’ll make roast almonds, we actually try and pair something with a particular wine, especially if we have a new release or something like that.

“So we always been very food and wine conscious, and so what we did was, I asked each winery to send 20 of their recipes, a lot of which we have used for march madness in the past, and a lot of time they are recipes for a big group, so we had to modify and bring them down for a small crowd, edit them down to put them in the cookbook. And they were in all different categories.”

That includes everything from appetizers to salads, soups to entrees, desserts to drinks.
“And we use each winery as a divider page,” says Landis, “so one would be appetizers, let’s say, and we have a nice picture of the winery and then a little write-up about that particular winery. And in the back we [include something on] wine and cheese pairings, PA preferred products, what PA preferred means, a little segment on Chambourcin, which we’be kind of adopted as the grape of the Lehigh valley, and in the recipes themselves we also, in the introduction of a lot of them, we give little anecdotes, you know, this was used during March Madness or worked well with this particular wine or something like that.. So it’s a very homey, it’s not just a collection of recipes. There’s a lot of homey touches. It’s a nice kind of story of the whole wine trail and it’s a quite handsome book.”

Landis says that anyone wandering along the trail during March Madness will see some of those recipes being put to use at the various wineries. Someday, she says, she’d like to take them to a bigger stage and provide even more exposure.

“I’d love to have a table a the Farm Show,” she says. “We’re talked about it. “Have some cooking demonstrations at the Farm Show or at least have the cookbook there. I think that would be really neat.”