The Event Grapevine: Jan. 30-Feb. 1

Look down through the calendar of events and you'll see just about every winery incorporates chocolates into a February event. Why not, with Valentine's Day coming along right in the middle of the month. Some wineries hold them as individual events, and a few wine trails such as Berk County's make it an all-encompassing event. Some charge, almost all pair them up for you with their wines.

And a few wineries, such as Chaddsford, elevate their promotion to a unique level. Lee Miller, one of the proprietors and someone I always can depend on to talk about he various aspects of the business, said they have developed their wine and chocolate pairing into a precursor to their reserve tasting program that begins in March. So beginning this Sunday and continuing every weekend through February, the winery welcomes those who want to learn more about chocolates and wine. Sessions each of those day take place at 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m. The cost is $25; reservations are requested at 610.388.6221.

Miller said this isn't an event where you just stop by, pick off a few chocolates, and satisfy your appetite. This program, she said, “we do as very serious. We work with a local chocolate maker whose name is Chris Curtin, at Eclat Chocolate [in West Chester]. Very distinguished. They are in Wine Spectator this month . . . they've been in all the big magazines. They're a really high end, $2 per truffle chocolate maker. [Chris] he does it all himself, literally, sells it, he's the guy in the store in the back. It's a great place.

“We had our tasting, in fact, Monday night. We get 20 of his chocolates and 20 of our wines and all of our wine educators, there were like 10 of us, and we taste them and pick out the best combinations. And then we give people a plate that has six different chocolates, these are really intense chocolates, you can't eat any more than that, and a tasting mat with six different wines, and then we kind of guide them through, 'take a little taste of this, take a little taste of this,' we make them do some wine and food pairing. It's a lot of fun.”

Each session lasts about an hour, Miller said, noting by then people are ready to head to the tasting bar. “But we do them as sit down, kind of serious tasting,” she said, “and just try and give them a different experience.”

Here's what's going on this weekend and beyond:

PENNSYLVANIA WINERIES

Adams County Winery, Orrtanna: Wine appreciation class ($$), Saturday, Feb. 7, 6 to 8:30 p.m.; home wine-making ($$), Sunday, Feb. 22, 1 to 3 p.m., link to winery

Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars, New Tripoli: Sunday Blues Wine Tastings, music every Sunday ($$), 2 to 5 p.m., through April, except for Feb. 1, link to winery

Chaddsford Winery, Chaddsford: Wine and Chocolate Reserve Tastings ($$), every weekend in February; Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), every weekend in March at any of the members of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail; reserve tastings ($$) begin in March, 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m. every Saturday, link to winery

Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville: Wine and Chocolate Weekend, Feb. 14-15, a Berks County Wine Trail event; beginner tasting class ($$), Saturday, Feb. 21, 3 p.m., annual wine rack sale ($$), all Clover Hill location, Feb. 19 through March 8; March Madness ($$), passport required, a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail event, link to winery

Country Creek Winery, Telford: Wine and Chocolate Tasting, Friday, Feb. 6, 6 p.m., Harleysville Books, 672 Main St., reservations requested, link to winery

Crossing Vineyards & Winery, Washington Crossing: Wine & Wellness, East, Drink and Be Healthy ($$), Wednesday, Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m.; Wine Tasting for Dummies ($$), Sunday, Feb. 8, 2 p.m.; Champagne for Lovers ($$), Thursday, Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m.; Wine & Chocolate for Lovers ($$), Sunday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m., link to winery

Galen Glen Winery, Andreas: St. Valentine’s Day Weekend, Saturday, Feb. 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 15, noon to 5 p.m.; President Day Weekend, Feb. 21-22, pizza and wine pairing, link to winery

Hauser Estate Winery, Biglerville: New winery open, Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; Candle Light Friday/Happy Hour, the last Friday of every month, 5 to 8 p.m., Voxology will perform Friday; satellite shop opened at 17 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg; Valentine’s Day at Hauser Estate, Saturday, Feb. 14, 5 to 8 p.m., warm food and live music, link to winery

Kreutz Creek Vineyards, West Grove: Music at West Chester tasting room, 44 E. Gay St., Fridays and Saturdays, 6 to 9 p.m.; Valentine’s Day Celebration, Feb. 14-15; Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), every weekend in March at any of the members of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, link to winery

Manatawny Creek Winery, Douglasville: Chocolate & Wine Weekend, weekend of Feb. 14-15, a Berks County Wine Trail event; Cab Franc and Harvest Red on sale through the end of January; hours have changed to Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m., link to winery

Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery, Wrightsville: Music every Saturday (2 to 5 p.m.) and Sunday (2 to 5 p.m.); will close Fridays at 5 p.m. at least through February; vineyard hike and mulled wine ($$), Saturday, Feb. 21, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., link to winery

Naylor Wine Cellars, Stewartstown: Lovers Weekend Dinner White Wine Tasting ($$), Saturday, Feb. 14, 3 to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 15, 2 to 5 p.m., link to winery

Paradocx Vineyard, Landenberg: Valentine’s Day at the Vineyard, Saturday, Feb. 14; Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), every weekend in March at any of the members of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, link to winery

Penns Woods Winery, Eddystone: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), every weekend in March at any of the members of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, link to winery

Pinnacle Ridge Winery, Kutztown: Chocolate & Wine Weekend, weekend of Feb. 14-15, a Berks County Wine Trail event; March Madness ($$), passport required, a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail event, link to winery

Rose Bank Winery, Newtown: Winter Wine Concert Series, Sundays through March 8, 1 to 4 p.m., at Shady Brook Farm, link to winery

Rushland Ridge, Rushland: Closed January and February; will reopen March 5, link to winery

Tamanend Winery, Lancaster: New winery open, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m., classically styled premium wines in their bottled wine group, and premium sweeter styled wines in their Bag in Box group of wines, link to winery

Twin Brook Winery, Gap: Valentine’s Concert in the Vineyard ($$), Saturday Feb. 14; Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Weekend, Saturday, Feb. 14, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 15, noon to 5 p.m.; Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), every weekend in March at any of the members of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, link to winery

Va La Vineyards, Avondale: New holiday hours starting Dec. 1, weekdays, 12:01 to 5:27 p.m., Saturday and Sundays, 12:02 to 5:48 p.m., http://www.valavineyards.com/

Vynecrest Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville: 8th annual Super Bowl Saturday party,
Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; January white sale; Valentine’s Day weekend event, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., link to winery


MARYLAND WINERIES

Black Ankle Winery, Mt. Airy: Open for business, winner of Maryland Governor’s Cup in 2008; winter hours start Dec. 1, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., other times by appointment, link to winery

Boordy Vineyards, Hydes: Chili Winter Days ($$), Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m.; Fond of You Fondue ($$), Saturdays in February, 1 to 5 p.m., winery link

Frederick Cellars, Frederick: Valentine’s Day dinner ($$), reservations required, Saturday, Feb. 14, link to winery

Fridays Creek Winery, Owings: Winemaker’s Dinner ($$), Saturday, Feb. 14, reservations only, link to winery

Linganore Winecellars at Berrywine Plantations, Mt. Airy: Wine and desserts pairing ($$), through the month; Jazzin’ in January ($$), Saturday, noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.; Cask to Kisses, wine and chocolates pairing, every day in February, http://www.linganorewines.com

Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, Dickerson: Barrel tasting ($$), case club members are free, Saturday, 1 p.m., food available, reservations required as 301.605.0130; White Wine Sensory Training Seminar ($$), Saturday, Feb. 7, 1 p.m., reservations required at 301.605.0130, link to winery

Woodhall Wine Cellars, Parkton: Soups of the World ($$), ends this weekend,
all are served with bread from Stone Mill Bakery and Woodhall wine pairing recommendations, reservations are requested at 410.357.8644, link to winery

Other MARYLAND winery events can be found at this link, VIRGINIA events at this link and New York events at this link

$$ – Admission charge

Circle the calendar for annual Woodhall tastings

One of the things that officially says it’s the new year is the letter from Deb Morris down at Woodhall Wine Cellars in Maryland announcing the annual Barrel Tasting, Futures Sale and Chocolate Sampling with Red Wine. It’s one of our favorite wine events, combining a tasting of everything winemaker Chris Kent has aging in the barrel from the most recent vintage along with a chance to then go back up the hill and pair several of the wines with pieces of Kirchmayr chocolates. Why, that tastes even better than a Phillies title.

This year, the event will start Feb. 14 and take place each weekend day between 12 and 4 p.m. until March 29. It’s free for case club members (anyone on the winery’s books that have bought a case) and $15 per person for everybody else. All they ask is to let them know you are coming; either call (410.357.8644) or e-mail (woodhallwinecellars@Comcast.net) to let them know the size of your group and the date of your visit. Those first few weeks do tend to be busier, so anyone looking for a less crowded setting might want to wait until March. You can also have dinner there, courtesy of Patricia Della Fine Dining, a casual and rustic eatery located on the winery grounds and serves lunch from noon to 3 p.m., dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. each weekend.

I called Kent the other day and asked for his impression on this vintage, a great deal of which they bring in from other suppliers around the state. For the most part, he said, he was satisfied.

“There was really only one thing I thought underperformed, and that was Sangiovese, and that’s nothing new,” he said. “Sangiovese is a difficult grape for this part of the country. The things that I think did well or that I’m excited about. We have a strong Cabernet Franc from two vineyards, we have Barbera again from a different vineyard than we have been using the last three years. This vineyard is one on the Eastern Shore. It was the first year for their Barbera harvest rand it was astoundingly good. Just bringing it down and looking at the numbers of the fruits when it came in, it was as good as any red vinifera that I have seen out of any of the Maryland sources that we have had since I’ve been doing this. I don’t think the wine will disappoint.

“In the whites the Vidal Blanc showed very well and we made Traminette, and that showed very well. We also have some pretty good Seyval. So there were lots to things to look forward to, but one of the things about the overall harvest is that it wasn’t very big. We came in probably 50 percent under our projected totals for production for the year. . . . There seems to be a pattern that develops when you come out of a drought year and in this case we’re talking about 2007. I’ve heard this from one of my industry colleagues who made an assessment on this and I think there’s some truth to it. In June of 2007 there was a streak of weather that was extremely hot. That seems to have had an effect on the vineyards of the area couple with the long dry period that, when you have that kind of condition going into the next vintage year, it seems like the vines are not too inclined to want to load up on fruit. We’ve seen this before. Yields tend to come down after the drought. [Plus] some of the suppliers that we have just had issues in their vineyards that had nothing to do with the weather. So, summing it up, there were some very good wines made, there just weren’t a lot of it.”

If you go, ask about the successful $100 case sale that the winery ran through most of the second half of 2007. Technically it ended in December, but ask nicely and you should be able to get yourself a deal, particularly if you are a member of the case club. Kent said the whole reason for the special was a desire to thin out the warehouse a bit. “We made an awful lot of wine in 2005 and 2006,” he said, “and we needed to move some of that stuff that was from’06 out. And it helped.”

Brandywine trail posts info on wine camp

Have some interviews to get posted the next couple days. One is with winemaker Chris Kent of Woodhall Wine Cellars of Parkton, Md., who talks highly about their 2008 vintage. And the other is with Jan Waltz of Waltz Vineyards in Manheim, Pa., who expects to open his tasting room for business (by appointment only for a bit) sometime over the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, let me mention the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail and its plans for this summer, including its second wine camp in mid-June (click on the ad above to see the details or go to the Web site). You can also find two other events scheduled for summer on the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau: a culinary camp in mid-July and Harley-Davidson camp i mid-August.

That's W, as in whoopee, for pending Md. law

Wanna learn how to hurdle? Just try and open a winery, at least according to what many proprietors in both states have told me. Lots of stipulations to meet, enough red tape to completely wrap a vineyard, plenty of requests to jump over. And there can be as many difficulties even after opening because of a variety of laws that change at the borders of townships and counties.

So it was with a lot of interest that I read a story sent earlier today by Maryland Wineries Association executive director Kevin Atticks detailing a special winery classification that the state legislature is considering. According to the story in the Hagerstown Herald-Mail, this new Class W license would provide more uniformity in the rules that regulate Maryland wineries.

The story, published Saturday, said the new license would "allow the sampling and selling of winery wines at the winery for on- or off-premise consumption, allow the business to hold events and allow the winery to operate seven days a week, among other things."

Home winemaker Patone about to take plunge

If you haven’t heard of Mario Patone and you’re at all into regional wineries, you will soon. Off the conversation with Roger Morris last week I got ahold of Patone, a longtime home winemaker, late last week. With his roots in the Abruzzo region of Italy, Patone followed in the footsteps of a number of family members. Only now he has some grander ideas.

By fall, he hopes to have his winery operating in Chester County, no more than a comfortable walk on a pretty day between the Kreutz Creek and Paradocx wineries that will bookend his operation. So close, I joked with him, that visitors attending that Brandywine Valley Wine Trail’s Barrels on the Brandywine could walk to the three wineries rather than drive. “I’m in the middle of them by a mile each,” he said. “They could walk between them; they’d probably burn off a little wine during the walk.”

At the same time, he’ll look to build a combo boutique winery and house on Route 841 in Lancaster County, capping off these past few years in which he decided to become more serious about what has been a hobby up until now.

“I always wanted to be in an entrepreneurial business, “said Patone, a CPA, “and food and wine are an absolute passion of mine. I’ve been with big firms, traveled all over. At this point [I] turned 40 last year, and we’re just trying to head for something a little more simplistic, a little more back to basics. So we decided to try to take the plunge and try to head that way with the food and the wine.”

For now, Patone will continue to source grapes from wineries such as Paradocz, Penns Woods and Waltz Vineyards in Manheim, Lancaster County, until he can begin pulling them out of his own vineyards. He sees the glass half full in terms of whether this is a good time to open a new business.

“Quite honesty, we’re in some interesting economic times and I’m not sure what the recovery is going to b,e but I think regardless there’s going to be a stronger focus on local economies and local tourism,” he said. “I think people will kind of look a little more inward and enjoy the region where they live." And taste a quality of wine that will continue to improve.

"I belong to the [Brandywine Valley] wine trail and I spend time with all the other winemakers. Everybody is very, very motivated to really improve the quality, to really hit the books, so to speak, and crack down and really trying to study and understand what’s going on and really trying to make the region come alive," he said. "As we both know, California was laughed at when it came on line, Washington was laughed at, and people 10 years ago said, ‘Wine from Pennsylvania, you’re nuts.’ But I think that, I know Penns Woods is doing a real nice job and Va La is doing a nice job . . . and they’re making some wines that are starting to turn people’s heads, and they saying ‘Wow, they’re coming from Pennsylvania.’”

Afternoon spent tasting Manatawny's best

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

Saturday afternoon with Mary and Wayne at Manatawny Creek.
-
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.

Crossing Vineyards dinner draws full house

The menu from the dinner. Just click on it to peruse the particulars.

Crossing Vineyards and Winery in Washington Crossing, Pa., held a Winter Winemakers Dinner last Saturday night. It was a five-course gourmet meal that featured winemaker Tom Carroll Jr. He gave an insider's guide to the 2008 vintage. Dropped proprietor and marketing director Christine Carroll a note yesterday and she responded with the following:

"The dinner was GREAT!!!! A sell-out [in this economy, if you can believe it]. I am attaching a copy of the menu. Maybe the food had something to do with it.

The 'formal' topic for discussion was Insider Tips on Vintage 2008. Tom Jr. talked about the weather conditions throughout the season and at harvest. We compared 08 vintage to other recent vintages. We also discussed the pairings at each course and people voiced their preferences. It was so interesting. By the end of the evening we were shouting over each other to be hear over the 'conviviality.'

The introduction of the cheese course has been a real learning experience and a big hit."