Sustainability among symposium's key words

Saw these items on the weekend e-letter from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation and editor Jim Trezise, and felt they had the most regional interest:

CHANGE, SUSTAINABILITY, VALUE, AND MILLENNIALS are four themes that have resonated strongly during several recent industry symposia, starting at mid-January’s Wine Market Council presentations in New York City and last week at the incredible Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, which drew over 11,000 attendees. Whether it’s change you can believe in, like, or don’t like, change is the one constant in our lives, with the rapidity and scale of change multiplying at dizzying speed. In terms of politics, economics, communication, and generation gaps, the decades-old “Future Shock” prediction of best-selling author Alvin Toffler has come true: It’s not change itself that is unsettling, but rather the pace of change that’s impossible to keep up with. Sustainability has gone from a back burner topic to a front burner priority in just a few years, as evidenced by virtually the entire first day of Unified devoted to various aspects of sustainability from grape growing and winemaking to marketing and social responsibility. With retail giant Wal Mart leading the charge toward products made sustainably and therefore others sure to follow, the message is clear to wineries and others that this will be a big deal in years to come. The importance of value to consumers was also evident during several presentations over the past month, perhaps most starkly in two slides by John Gillespie of Wine Market Council which showed that $10 = $20, and $20 = $100—in other words, for consumers during this recession, buying a bottle of wine at $10 feels like what used to be $20, and paying $20 feels like $100 when times were good. This is most evident in the on-premise (restaurant) segment, which has basically evaporated. That price pressure also makes potential wine excise tax increases even more devastating for our industry, as dramatically illustrated by Jon Fredrikson (more on that next week). But there’s hope: The Millennial generation (basically aged 15-32), also called Echo Boomers because they’re the millions of children of Baby Boomers like me (45-63). This is a huge population of young people who, for whatever reason, have taken to wine in a big way, are interested in exploring different wines, want to learn about them, and remain relatively optimistic about the economy. They consume more wine per occasion (about 3 glasses), frequent wine bars, and have remained wine-loyal more than any other age group during these challenging times. And there are still 23 million of them who haven’t yet reached the legal drinking age! Finally, while no one claims that wine is recession-proof, the preliminary statistics from 2008 show consumption growth of about 1%--certainly below recent years but still on the positive side and much better than many other products, especially during the year-end holiday season. Cheers!
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NEW YORK GRAPE CROP in 2008 increased in both volume and value over the previous year, according to recent statistics from the New York office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The 172,000 tons (up 4%) were valued at $58.4 million (up 8%), with 4,000 tons marketed as fresh fruit and 168,000 processed (73% for juice, 27% for wine). New York is a clear but distant third to California (6.7 million tons) and Washington (350,000, or double New York’s total). Fortunately, grape quality in New York was also excellent last fall, breeding expectations of superb wines. While 2008 was a good year for New York grapes, our friends in the apple and other fruit sectors did not fare as well, with all experiencing decreases from 2007. We sincerely hope 2009 will be better for all.

About 60 sites now selling Black Ankle

A shot of the tasting room at Black Ankle.

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Ed Boyce and Sarah O'Herron saw the opening of their winery delayed by a couple of months, but what a success it was once Black Ankle Winery in Mt. Airy, Md., opened, including the honor of winning the Govenror's Cup for their Crumbling Rock Bordeaux blend.

I sent Boyce a note a couple of days ago asking how things were going, and received this response yesterday.

We have had a nice breather for a couple of weeks after a really hectic Holiday season. Our wines are now sold in about 60 of the finest wine stores and restaurants in Maryland and and DC, and at our production levels that is about all we can handle. All of the wines are doing well, and we are nearly out of our Albarino, Chardonnay, and Gruner Veltliner. Our best selling wine continues to be our Crumbling Rock Bordeaux Blend at $40 a bottle, which in this economy is a real tribute to the quality of the wine. We were named winery of the year by the Cellar Notes radio show out of Baltimore, which was a great compliment in our first year - our challenge now is to live up to the accolades. We'll be bottling the 2007 reds and 2008 whites this April and May, and we are very excited about the wines. 2007 was a warm, dry vintage, yielding reds of extraordinary concentration and weight. The 2008 whites are beautifully balanced wines, with fantastic aromas across all of the varieties (the pink grapefruit on the nose of the Gruner Veltliner is a real standout).

We are planning a few events coming up; first, on Valentines Day (Feb 14th) a wine and chocolate pairing with local artisan chocolates (our Bedlam 2006 with the Aegean Pistachio is heavenly); on March 1st, a wine and cheese pairing with the Wine Coach, Laurie Forster; on March 15th, the return of the Bog Band for St. Patrick's Day weekend; and on April 5th, a pasta and wine pairing. Check the website (www.blackankle.com) for updates.

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.”

Black Walnut to roll out Plan B for Barrels

One note about the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail's Barrels on the Brandywine in March. Black Walnut Winery in Sadsburyville has been pushing to get its tasting room opened; it just won't happen in time for the annual wine trail event. But Lance Castle, one of the proprietors, wrote in an e-mail that there will be wine there for the tasting.

"We cannot let people in the building but we are putting up a tent with heaters," he wrote. "It won't be ideal but I think we will have a lot of fun."

You need passports to visit any of trail's wineries during weekends in March. That entitles you to tastings and whatever goodies they have laying about. Go to any of the wineries or the trail site to purchase a passport.

So who's gonna wait on Woodhall's Morris?

Wanted to give a shout out to Debbie Morris, the "wine goddess" at Woodhall Wine Cellars in Parkton, Md. It has been our experience that at almost every winery that are regulars who work behind the tasting bar and whose personality give the place a "Cheers like" setting. You know, they know everybody by their first name. Offer a warm greeting. Add some laughs. And know a thing or two or three about their wines.

That has been Debbie's role for longer than the four years or so we've been driving down I-83 to the winery. But she has been temporarily shelved because of knee-replacement surgery. Having now seen the announcement in the February e-letter, I feel like we can share it with the rest of the regional wine community.

THE BIGGEST Woodhall news this month is that Debbie Morris, stalwart provider of Woodhall wine to retail stores and restaurants and she who remembers everyone’s name in the Tasting Room, now has new knees – two of them. She entered GBMC [Greater Baltimore Medical Center] on January 13 and expects to come home on the 28th. As part of physical therapy in the hospital, the nurses observed the way she handled herself in a kitchen. We wonder whether they tested her behind a wine bar? Seriously, she is diligent in her therapy, uncomplaining of her pain and will be back among us sooner rather than later.

We add our best wishes and hope to see her back where she belongs by spring.

While we're talking about Woodhall, let me add this entry on the barrel tasting, which will begin Valentine's Day weekend.

Winemaker Chris Kent can’t wait to show you the wines from the 2008 vintage. They are stunning.

Beginning February 14 and extending through Sunday, March 29, we will be conducting public barrel tastings of the wines of 2008 and some reds from 2007 between the hours of 2 pm and 4 pm each Saturday and Sunday. All wines tasted will be available by the case (which may be mixed with two different varieties) at a discounted price on a futures basis. After the barrel tasting, we retire to the Tasting Room where you can put your order together while you enjoy the best of Kirchmayr chocolates and a glass of Woodhall red wine. The event costs $15, which is rebated with the purchase of your first case of wine. All you need to do is assemble your group, pick the Saturday or Sunday of your visit and call 410 357 8644 or email us (woodhallwinecellars.com) to let us know the size of your group and the date of your visit. Remember that the first couple of weekends are heavily attended, so if you have a large group or intend to bring food, we can serve you better if you select one of the later weekends.

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.”