The Event Grapevine, March 13-15

I try to veer away from the press release, but there are no rules on this blog that can’t be broken occasionally. Plenty in this release from Chaddsford Winery to digest about the breadth of the programs scheduled there over the next month or two. So rather than a synopsis, here ya go.

Wine lovers looking to increase their knowledge of the winemaking process will be delighted by the educational possibilities offered at Chaddsford Winery (632 Baltimore Pike, 610.388.6221) this spring. Proprietors Eric and Lee Miller have crafted a class schedule that includes special tasting events, wine pairing seminars and even technical tours of their winemaking and barrel-aging cellars, available throughout spring and summer 2009.

“Everyone, from beginners to more experienced tasters, can benefit from new wine experiences,” says winemaker Eric Miller. “Learning to taste wine more precisely, and exploring the mechanics of how it is made, can turn a simple beverage into a fascinating hobby – or in some cases, a lifestyle! We’re thrilled to share our knowledge with our guests.”
For casual enthusiasts, Chaddsford offers a series of tasting and wine and food pairing seminars. These special offerings take place at the winery in Pennsylvania’s scenic Brandywine River valley, except where noted, and include:

* Thursday, April 9: “Wine 101 with Winemaker Eric Miller,” a popular ‘introduction’ class for beginners who want to learn a little bit more about how to use, serve, talk about and enjoy wines. $35 per person; 7 – 9 p.m.
* Thursday, April 16: “Decadent Chocolates and Dessert Wines with Wine Educator Mark Cochard, CWE, DWS,” a voyage through the world’s most famous dessert wines, including port and Muscat, paired with gourmet chocolates from West Chester’s own Èclat Chocolate. $50 per person; 7 – 9 p.m.
* Sunday, April 19: “The Art of Blind Tasting,” an interactive tasting with Laurie Forster, a professional sommelier and wine educator that will train attendees in the basics of ‘blind’ wine tasting. Forster will also sign copies of her acclaimed wine book The Sipping Point. $45 per person; 2 – 4 p.m.
* Thursday, April 23: “The Terroir Factor with Wine Educator Frank Patterson,” an exploration of the effects of ‘terroir,’ or geography and soil composition, on some of the world’s most famous wines. $45 per person; 7 – 9 p.m.
* Thursday, April 30: “BBQ and Burger Wines with Wine Educator Michael Theiss,” a hands-on tasting of ‘manly’ wines perfect for serving with backyard barbecue and savory grilled burgers. $50 per person; 7 – 9 p.m.
* Thursday, May 7: “Economic Stimulus Wines with Wine Educator Anthony Ianni,” a chic and thrifty seminar on some of the superb deals available to drinkers on a budget. $40 per person; 7 – 9 p.m.
* Thursday, May 14: “All-American Artisanal Cheese and Wine Tasting with Wine Educator Mark Cochard,” a delicious tour of America’s finest hand-crafted cheeses and small-batch wines. $50 per person; 7 – 9 p.m.
* Saturday, May 16: “Tour the Miller Estate Vineyard with Winemaker and Proprietor Eric Miller,” a once-annual visit to the stunning vineyards where Chaddsford produces the grapes for their prestigious Portfolio Collection, including a tasting of wines grown on the estate. $35 per person; 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.; at the Miller Estate Vineyard.
* Sunday, May 17: “Sommelier’s Secrets of Wine and Food Pairing,” an interactive tasting with sommelier and wine author Marnie Old, ideal for beginners and experienced tasters alike. After the seminar, Old will sign copies of her pairing book, He Said Beer, She Said Wine. $50 per person; 2 – 4 p.m.

All Chaddsford Wine Education classes require advance reservations at 610.388.6221.
For a more casual experience, Chaddsford’s Saturday Reserve Tastings, which run from every Saturday, April 4 until Saturday, Nov. 28, allow participants to drop into the winery and sit down with an experienced wine educator in an intimate session designed to give tasters already familiar with most Chaddsford wines a deeper understanding of the winery’s limited production Portfolio Collection lots and older library selections. Reserve Tastings last approximately one hour, and are held at 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Reservations are recommended (610.388.6221) but not required. Reserve Tastings are $15 per person, and are also available for private groups.

Finally, those seeking to better understand the inner workings of a successful winery will be delighted by Chaddsford’s new Technical Tours with the Winemaking Team, a one-of-a-kind opportunity for guests to pick the brains of the winery’s production team, including winemaker Eric Miller and his cellarmaster and enologist. Participants will get the chance to see the cellars, explore the production deck, taste directly from a barrel, and learn about wine from the cellar up. Technical Tours last about one hour, and take place Fridays at 3 p.m. and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. There is no charge. Reservations are recommended but not required; call (610. 388.6221).

Chaddsford Winery is Pennsylvania’s premiere winery. In 2008, Wine Enthusiast named Chaddsford Winery one of “America’s Top 25 Tasting Rooms”; to be considered for this honor, “wine quality was paramount,” but “decor, staff savvy, amenities and more ephemeral characteristics, such as overall quirkiness or warmth” were considered as well. The 2005 Chaddsford Miller Estate Vineyard Chardonnay was featured in Food & Wine magazine (April 2008) as one of the “67 Best American Wines ($15 and Under).”

Chaddsford wines are available directly from the winery in Chadds Ford or at Chaddsford’s Bucks County Tasting Room in Peddler’s Village, Lahaska. Wines may also be ordered on-line at www.chaddsford.com; please visit their website or contact Chaddsford Winery at (610.388.6221 for more information on wines, events, upcoming festivals and tastings.

As for what’s going on elsewhere, both this weekend and beyond, take a look:

PENNSYLVANIA WINERIES

Adams County Winery, Orrtanna: Wine Appreciation class ($$), Saturday, March 21, 6 to 8:30 p.m.; Tour de Tanks ($$), continuing every weekend through March at all Uncork York wineries; home wine-making class ($$), Sunday, May 10, link to winery

Allegro Vineyards, Brogue: Fridays’ Weekly Winedown ($$), 4 to 7 p.m.; Sweet & Spicy Saturdays ($$), 2 to 5 p.m.; Sip & Savor Sundays ($$), 2 to 5 p.m., all require reservations at 741.3072, all events at the Wine Gallery in Olde Tollgate Village EXCEPT for Tour de Tanks ($$), continuing every weekend through March at all Uncork York wineries; music of Ravensun ($$), Saturday, April 11, 2 to 5 p.m., link to winery

Black Walnut Winery, Sadsburyville: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting Sunday and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

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

Boyd’s Cardinal Hollow Winery, North Wales: Nina singing live, Saturday, 5 to 8 p.m., link to winery

Buckingham Valley Vineyards, Buckingham: Spring Arts Sale, Saturday and Sunday, Bucks County Wine Trail event, link to winery

Chaddsford Winery, Chaddsford: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries; reserve tastings ($$) begin in April, 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m. every Saturday; winemaker dinner ($$) at Caffe Gelato, Newark, Del., Sunday, March 22, 6 p.m.; Wine 101 ($$), Thursday, April 9, 6 to 8 p.m. with Eric Miller, the first of a series of classes that run through May; Pierre Noir release party, Friday, April 3; Crazy Eric sale at the winery, Saturday, April 11, starting at 8 a.m.; technical tour program, free, starting April 1, on Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., reservations accepted, link to winery

Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville: March Madness ($$), passport required, a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail event; beginner tasting class ($$), Saturday, April 25, 3 p.m.; A Taste of Spring, a Berks County Wine Trail event, April 25-26, link to winery

Country Creek Winery, Salford Township: Music, Mike Greer and Friends, Saturday, March 21, no cover charge, 6 to 9 p.m.; dinner at Brazzo Downtown ($$), Thursday, March 26; Liquid Fridge will perform, Saturday, March 28, 6 to 9 p.m., link to winery

Crossing Vineyards & Winery, Washington Crossing: Wine and food pairing ($$), Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Wine Tasting for Dummies ($$), Sunday, 2 p.m.; St. Patrick’s Day celebration ($$), Tuesday, March 17, 7:30 p.m.; Wine 101, at the Wine Institute ($$), 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., topic on Friday, March 23, is An Introduction to Wine, link to winery

Cullari Vineyards & Winery, Hershey: Tour de Tanks ($$), continuing every weekend through March at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Four Springs Winery, Seven Valleys: Tour de Tanks ($$), continuing every weekend through March at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Franklin Hill Vineyards, Bangor: Free winery tour, Wednesdays at noon, link to winery

Hauser Estate Winery, Biglerville: Tour de Tanks ($$), continuing every weekend through March at all Uncork York wineries; winemaker’s dinner ($$), March 27, Restaurant Sydney in East Berlin; Candlelight Friday, last Friday of every month, 5 to 8 p.m., wine tasting, music and warm food, 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.; Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Manatawny Creek Winery, Douglasville: Hours have changed to Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday, March 21, wine and food pairing; Taste of Spring, Berks County Wine Trail event, April 25-26, link to winery

Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery, Wrightsville: Music every Friday (6 to 9 p.m.), Saturday (2 to 5 p.m.) and Sunday (2 to 5 p.m.); Tour de Tanks ($$), continuing every weekend through March at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Naylor Wine Cellars, Stewartstown: Tour de Tanks ($$), continuing every weekend through March at all Uncork York wineries; Forget The Taxes and red Wine Dinner ($$), Saturday, April 18, 3 to 6 p.m., and Sunday, April 19, 2 to 5 p.m., link to winery

New Hope Winery, New Hope: Spring Arts Festival, Bucks County Wine Trail event, link to winery

Nissley Vineyards & Winery Estate, Bainbridge: Tour de Tanks ($$), continuing every weekend through March at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Paradocx Vineyard, Landenberg: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

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

Pinnacle Ridge Winery, Kutztown: March Madness ($$), passport required, a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail event; Taste of Spring, Berks County Wine Trail event, April 25-26, link to winery

Reid’s Ochards & Winery, Ortanna: New winery; Tour de Tanks ($$), continuing every weekend through March at all Uncork York wineries, link to information

Rose Bank Winery, Newtown: Winter Wine Concert Series, Sundays through March 29, 1 to 4 p.m., at Shady Brook Farm, link to winery

Rushland Ridge, Rushland: Reopened, link to winery

Seven Valleys Vineyard & Winery, Glen Rock: Tour de Tanks ($$), continuing every weekend through March at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery

Stargazers Vineyard & Winery, Coatesville: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), starting Sunday and continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, 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: Barrels on the Brandywine ($$), continuing every weekend in March at all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail wineries, link to winery

Va La Vineyards, Avondale: Open Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; a proud participant this year in the 2009 Avondale League of Octogenarians Spring Swimsuit Festival, link to winery

Vynecrest Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville: March Madness ($$), passport required, a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail event; Championship Philies Saturday, April 4, link to winery

Waltz Vineyards, Manheim: New winery, open Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. through the end of March, and by appointment, link to winery

West Hanover Winery, Harrisburg: Tour de Tanks ($$), continuing every weekend in March at all Uncork York wineries, link to winery


MARYLAND WINERIES

Basignani Winery, Sparks: Pizza and herbs ($$), April 18-19, noon to 5 p.m., link to winery
Black Ankle Winery, Mt. Airy: Open for business, winner of Maryland Governor’s Cup in 2008; winter hours start Dec. 1, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., other times by appointment; St. Paddy’s Day with the Bog Band, Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; Crumbling Rock vs. the World ($$), Sunday, March 29, 2 to 5 p.m., link to winery

Boordy Vineyards, Hydes: Stew in Our Juices ($$), homemade stews and wine pairing, with musical entertainment, every Sunday in March, 1 to 5 p.m., winery link

Frederick Cellars, Frederick: Happy Hour, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. every weekday, glasses are half-price; Music in the Cellar, Saturdays, 6:30 or 7 p.m., link to winery

Sugarloaf Mountain, Dickerson: Friday Flights ($$) is every Friday from 2 to 4 p.m., which consist of 3 half glasses of SMV wine, each paired with an appropriate cheese, fruit or chocolate, reservations at 301.605.0130; St. Paddy’s Day celebration, all weekend, 1 to 6 p.m., link to winery

Woodhall Wine Cellars, Parkton: Annual barrel sale, futures sale and chocolate tasting ($$), extending every weekend through March 29, 2 to 4 p.m., call 410.357.8644 or send an e-mail to reserve your spots; Patricia Della Casual Fine Dining will be serving lunch and dinner from noon to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. each weekend by reservation (410.357.5078), 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

WINE TRAIL EVENTS

Tour de Tanks, starting Feb. 28 and continuing every weekend in March, noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays, cost is $15 per person, pick up tickets at any participating winery or order online here, wineries include Adams County, Allegro, Cullari, Four Springs, Fox Ridge, Hauser Estate, Moondancer, Naylor, Nissley, Reid’s Orchard, Seven Valleys and West Hanover; information on Meet the Winemaker dinners here.

Barrels on the Brandywine, starting March 1 and continuing every weekend in March, noon to 5 p.m., cost is $25 per person, pick up tickets at any participating winery or order online here, wineries include Black Walnut, Chaddsford, Kreutz Creek, Paradocx, Penns Woods, Stargazers and Twin Brook.

March Madness, Lehigh Valley Wine Trail passport event, continuing on weekends through the end of March; sold out, you can find information on the event here.

Trail of Spring, third annual Berks County Wine Trail event, April 25-26, with wine and food pairings.

$$ – Admission charge

Invitation welcomes folks to old trail

I was surprised to see this note in the latest Woodhall Wine Cellars e-letter about the Mason-Dixon Wine Trail. A trail that includes four wineries in Pennsylvania and four in Maryland, the activities sort of died on the vine the past couple of years. And it didn't seem there would be much chance of reviving it. Now comes this invitiation to pay $1 for a passport and visit each of the wineries. Carl Helrich, of Allegro Vineyards in southcentral Pennsylvania, wrote me this morning saying that the wineries are trying to revive the trail. "We had a meeting a couple weeks ago in which everyone attended and we talked about events," he wrote in an e-mail. "The website will probably show updates soon, I would think."

Helrich said that Rose Fiore of Fiore Winery in Pylesville, Md., and and Lynne Basignani of Basignani Winery in Sparks, Md., are in charge of the effort.

Anyway, from Deb Morris at Woodhall:

"One of the great joys of wine is the number of different flavors and styles that one can experience at a winetasting. Multiply that by eight and you now understand why exploring the Mason-Dixon Wine Trail is so much fun. Four Maryland wineries (Woodhall Wine Cellars, Basignani Winery, Boordy Vineyards and Fiore Winery) and four Pennsylvania wineries (Adams County Winery, Allegro Vineyards, Naylor Wine Cellars and Seven Valleys Vineyard and Winery) comprise the Trail. Start at any one of the wineries by buying a Passport for $1, and when you have visited all eight you will receive a wine trail gift and a membership card which entitles you to a ten percent discount from the wineries of the Trail for a two year period. Along the way, buy four bottles of wine at any member winery and receive a winery tasting glass free.

"The Wine Trail sponsors special weekends throughout the year for passport holders and members. During the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May, all member wineries will be serving a food featuring a different herb and passport holders and members of the Trail will receive a plant of the same herb.

"Why not start your Trail exploration this weekend at Woodhall."

We add Wisdom to our links

Blog roll please.

Wanted to welcome Erica Streisfeld of http://www.wisdom4winos.com/, who has been producing copy for her blog on bargain wines since last year. Hey, that's when I started, too. And that's not all we have in common. Living around Harrisburg, she is part of the blogharrisburg.com community and, from what I can tell, a fan of some of the wines that I've bought at the local state stores.

Eric, welcome. Readers. Check out her site.

At Moon Dancer, it's all ahead full

After two months of laying low -- well, let's say it was quiet than normal -- activities at Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery in Wrightsville, Pa., have started to pick up. Owner/winermaker Jim Miller said the other day by phone that after a two-month break the Friday nigth music has started again. That kicks off the normal weekends at what you could call the "perch on the Susquehanna," with music resuming Saturday and Sunday, both from 2 to 5 p.m. The various holiday festivals start Memorial Day weekend with a summer concert jazz party. Currently they're in the middle of Tour de Tanks, the monthlong passport event for the Uncork York wine trail. Miller said they welcomes about 150 people tothe winery both Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend. "We really had a nice crowd," he said. :It was every bit as good if not better than last year."

He said his 2006 Shiraz was recently released, and the supplies of some of those listed as sold out on his Web site has been refreshed. That's going for $23 a bottle.

Meanwhile, work should commence on a couple of projects this summer. Miller said he's hoping to finish off the room beneath the tasting room to accommodate private events. "We're getting a lot of interest in people doing private events here," he said. "We need additional space for that."

He'll also get rolling on a partnership in the Reading area, not far from the Body Zone! that one can see while driving along Route 222. They'll open a second winery there as part of a project, Miller said his priorioty this spring is to choose the vines to plant and then get them in the soil. At this point he's talking about Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet and perhaps Sauvignon Blanc. You'll read more about the development as time passes.

Mt. Felix Web site adds some bells, whistles

The Manor Home at Mt. Felix Estate, taken off the Web site.

Have written before about the benefits of having an updated Web site and how the qualify of the sites among wineries in this region ranges from unsatisfactory to exemplary. Some haven't changed their sites in the year that I've been posting; no doubt they are the same ones who get quiet on the other end of the line when I mention the word blog? No, sir, that has nothing to do with cranberries. Check with you next decade.

One that has taken a step forward is the Mt Felix Estate Vineyard & Winery in Havre de Grace, Md. There are 20 entry points, a mix of text and photos about the winery and the area that its situated in, overlooking the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. This is another one of those "savor the view" wineries in the region, a la Moon Dancer and Hauser Estate in Pennsylvania. There are also photos of the villa, snapshots of parts of its 9,000-plus square feet and 11 fireplaces. There are notes on the seven wines that Mary and Peter Ianniello currently make. Some wineries post their prices; Mt. Felix chooses not to. But it does offer a blog, an entity that more wineries are adding to their sites, and photos of the vineyard. All in all, a step ahead for what's really a winery in its infancy, less than a year old.

Va La ready for sounds of 'play ball'

My 400th post. Thank you for all those who have returned my calls and given me your time during these past 11 months. I was reminded of that again today, placing a call to a Maryland winery that I'm sure would have found a minute to answer questions about its new red wine if had been Wine Spectator or Eric Asimov of the New York Times or, well, maybe even if they knew it was Gary Vaynerchuk. Congrats to all who have been talking wine and swilling the juice long, long before I came on the scene. As for a red wine called The Red Door, maybe I'll be surprised and get the call back tomorrow.


One person who has provided substantial help and support to this blog has been Anthony Vietri of Va La Vineyards, whose winemaking is surpassed only by his sense of humor. You've seen snippets of its in this blog before. Where is Va La? Well, according to his site, "Va La World Corporate Headquarters are located on RT 41 (Gap Newport Pike) in Historic Brandywine Valley, home to high sewer and school taxes, and right smackin the heart of the Mushroom Capital of the World. As the place to see and be seen, we invite you to come and experience the whole Avondale scene, the latest in farm fashions and celebrity watching, gossip, and culture from the world of Avondalia . . . "

In that world Vietri says he is content, "just living the life." For sure, the start of the baseball season can't come soon enough. But between now and then there's some pruning to do and several wines to release (the Zafferano, a cold-fermented 100 percent Pinot Grigio; and the Patina, a blend of red grapes that 98 percent of the American population probably has never heard of: Primitivo, Malvasia Nera, Charbono and Teroldego). Typical of most of Va La's vintages, between the small size of the vineyard and the amount of grapes they drop to improve the quality of the yield, what remains won't last long. In the case of the latter, the medium-bodied Patina has been aging in one barrel and will fill about 600 bottles. Anthony, the Philies would have gone through that amount by the end of the night that they clinched their title.

But there are more bottles to fill this month, some with the esteemed red called Mahogany and others with another red that the winery calls Cedar. Says the Web site: The intention of this wine was to createa Pietmontese-inspired, age-worthy red grown here in our region, to match to the flavors of wild game, local mushrooms,and other gifts of the forest. Four clones of nebbiolo and corvina veronese. Total production normally ranges from one to three barrels."

He also plans to bottle another mix of red grapes, all 2006 vintage, called Castana (which means chestnut in Italian), a blend of Barbera, Nebbiolo and Corvina that he says he's put together before, just not commercially. "I did that one back before we launched with our first vintage," he said. "I did a little experimenting with that one and it went over well, so we decided now and then that we'll mess with it when the year's right . . ."

It's a week to trade info at annual show

Amid the activities on the calendar this week for Buckingham Valley Vineyard’s Jerry Forest, and probably most of the other winery owners in the region, will be a couple of trips to the Valley Forge Convention Center for the annual Wineries Unlimited show. It’s a combo trade show and conference, running from Tuesday through Friday. Scroll down through this link from my associate Carlo DeVito of East Coast Wineries, who documented his observations of last year’s Wineries Unlimited in his blog.

Forest said he’ll take away a number of ideas from this well-known show, including the seminars “on everything you can imagine [about] winemaking and vineyard growing.” I wondered how often the topic of screw caps came up. A phenomenon that is becoming more evident during visits to the state store, I can’t think of a regional winery I’ve visited yet that has switched from the traditional cork. Forest said there’s a good reason for that.

“The reason people don’t switch to it immediately,” he said, “is because the machinery is expensive. If you want to go manual, one bottle at a time, it’s about 10 grand. If you want to go automated you are going to wind up spending 100 [grand], I think.

“We spent on our last line about $200,000. Our new line will do both corks, synthetic closures and screw caps on the same line. But, you know, very few people can afford that . . . so that’s the reason you’re not going to be seeing too many small wineries going with it. Sandcastle just bought a screw cap machine. It’s a single head, one bottle at a time, maybe do five, 10 bottles a minute. It’s not the sort of thing a decent [sized] winery is gonna slow down that much. So that’s the reason. In this business, as you know, we do what we have to do and we make up a story to go along with it. So you ask somebody they’ll say ‘screw caps are bad, cheap wine and all that.’ Well, ask them if they can afford it.”

What Forest and the winery can afford, actually, is a continuation of sales that have gotten 2009 off to a rollicking start. Business, he said, is up almost 10 percent for the first two months of the year. “We were striving to bring in more business the last day of February, and we did,” he said. “Ten percent is not a bad growth figure; even in a big economy it’s fantastic.”

Regarding what’s ahead at the winery, Forest noted they’ll release a spring wine in May. This coming weekend they’ll join their comrades along the Bucks County Wine Trail for an arts show. “We get all kinds of sculptures out on the front lawn and everyplace,” he said. “Everybody [on the trail] is going to have something going.”