Fall Tour: Terrapin Station Winery

It didn’t seem like a summer of violent weather, but talk to enough wine growers and you find out that even what seemed like a fairly tame season was cantankerous enough to wipe out some crops.

Maybe Terrapin Station Winery in Elkton, Md., didn’t get bashed like, say, Chaddsford in southeastern Pennsylvania did this year. But it only took a few minutes of hail to rob some of the vintage of its potential, prompting owner Morris Zwick to summarize the season as a mixed bag.

“About two weeks before we harvested our first variety, which was Cayuga, we had about a four-minute hailstorm,” he said by phone. “And hail’s bad, bad., bad. It goes through the canopy and if your fruit is ripe it will split the fruit open and stuff like that. So it was within a week and a half to two weeks before the Cayuga was ripened. The harvest of the Cayuga was really slow because we had to be deliberate in pulling off berries that had been affected by the damage. The crop that came in was fine. It just took so long to harvest it.

“And it did reduce our Traminette harvest a little bit, although the Traminette also came in fine. We just didn’t get as much of it because of the hail damage, and then, really took it to the Vidal in the old vineyard. So that was one problem, and then the tropical storm that came through in mid-September. There were things on the verge of us picking, so when that thing was on the way we hurried out there and harvested I think it was the St. Vincent a tad earlier than we had wanted to because of the impending weather. So it was a mixed bag. Some things did very well, some things not so well.

“We had some varieties that did exceptionally well. We picked the Cabernet Franc at 26 brix, which is just the highest sugar as we’ve ever gotten out of grapes on the property before.” Zwick said that was harvest on Oct. 11. “It was dry for the most part and we were also pretty maniacal with the reds this year in getting the fruit exposed, and I think it made a huge difference. That was because way back in March, at the annual meeting of the Maryland Grape Growers and Winery Association, some folks from Cornell were talking about the problem with herbaceousness and eastern reds and the chemical compound that caused it and all this other stuff. And their recommendations based on their experiments was to do a lot of leaf pulling way earlier than has classically been done. We don’t know about the herbaceousness yet, but one of the consequences is certainly that the sugar levels, or ripeness levels came up. And we had a pretty heavy crop load, too, so I think we demonstrated that crop load and sugars not necessarily related.

Zwick said overall he was pleased with the crop. “We’ve harvested I want to say probably twice as much as we did last year. We were on track to do about three times as much, but with crop reductions we wound up having to eat some it. And we have a little bit more to go. We’re doing a late harvest, a combination Vidal and Sangiovese that will be interesting. We’ll have to see how that works out.”

What has set Terrapin Station wines apart is that it’s packaged in boxes rather than bottles. You can find their distribution locations on the Web site; one not included is the winery itself. “We’re working on different way of doing it earlier rather than later,” he said. “We have a lot of plans, but cash is the issue so we may make it much simpler next year. So we’d like to be open next year. Then there’s some legislative stuff that I’m waiting on, too [when the legislature convenes in January]. I’d like to see this legislative session. There’s going to be some changes that are proposed . . . and I want to wait until after that occurs until I apply for a license for on-site sales.”

The Event Grapevine: Nov. 7-9

I wanted to get the word out on this promotion at Chaddsford Winery that appeared in their November e-letter.

During November, up through the Thanksgiving holiday, Chaddsford Winery will be organizing a food drive to benefit Philabundance and those in need in the Philadelphia region. To encourage generous giving during this season of abundance, we are offering our customers a free tasting anytime you bring in 3 canned or boxed goods . So get involved in the fight against hunger -- invite your friends and family, gather some canned goods to share with those less fortunate, and enjoy a complimentary tour & tasting at the winery! For more information on Philabundance, the region’s largest hunger relief organization, see www.philabundance.org.

Otherwise, here’s what’s happening this weekend and next.


PENNSYLVANIA WINERIES

Blue Mountain Vineyards, New Tripoli: Fall Foliage Tasting ($$), Sunday, 2 to 5 p.m., http://www.bluemountainwine.com

Chaddsford Winery, Chaddsford: Reserve tastings ($$), Saturday, sittings at 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m.; Sommelier’s Secrets of Holiday Wine and Food Pairings ($$), Friday, 7 to 9 p.m., taught by wine educator Marnie Old, reservations at 610.388.6221; Brandywine Valley Wine Trail Vintners’ Dinner ($$), Longwood Gardens, Saturday, 6:30 to 11:30 p.m., Special Guest Speaker Joel Peterson, Winemaker, president and founder of Ravenswood Winery in Sonoma, Calif., make online reservations for $135 per person at bvwinetrail.com or call 610.444.3842 or 866.390.4367; Brandywine Prime Barrel Tasting and Dinner, Saturday, Nov. 14, http://www.chaddsford.com

Clover Hill, Breinigsville: Lehigh Valley Wine Trail’s Nouveau Weekend, Saturday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 16; March Passports also will go on sale for 2009, www.cloverhillwinery.com

Clover Mill Farm Vineyards & Winery, Chester Springs: Open again, Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m., http://www.clovermillfarm.com/

Country Creek Winery, Telford: Squirrel Tail Breakfast, Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m., light fare will be for sale along with wine by the glass or bottle, http://www.countrycreekwinery.com/

Hauser Estate Winery, Biglerville: New winery open, Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; satellite shop opened at 17 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, http://www.hauserestate.com/

Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas: Lehigh Valley Wine Trail’s Nouveau Weekend, Saturday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 16, http://www.galenglen.com

Kreutz Creek Vineyards, West Grove: Music at West Chester tasting room, 44 E. Gay St., Fridays and Saturdays, 6 to 9 p.m., http://www.kreutzcreekvineyards.com/

Marburg Estate Winery, Spring Grove: Will be pouring at St. Vincent Christmas Bazaar, South Street, Hanover, Pa., Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., www.marburgwine.com

Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery, Wrightsville: Music every Saturday (2 to 5 p.m.) and Sunday, 2 to 5 p.m.; Vineyard Hike & Mulled Wine ($$), Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., fee includes hike/tour/lunch/wine tasting, http://www.moondancerwinery.com

Naylor Wine Cellars, Stewartstown: Home for the Holidays dinner ($$), Saturday, 3 to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 2 to 5 p.m., reservations required, http://www.naylorwine.com/

Rose Bank Winery, Newtown: Bucks County Nouveau Wine Festival, Friday, Nov. 14, 5 to 8 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., http://www.rosebankwinery.com/

Twin Brook Winery, Gap: Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Weekend, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., http://www.twinbrookwinery.com/

Wycombe Vineyards, Furlong: Bucks County Wine Trail’s Nouveau Release, Saturday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 16, http://www.wycombevineyards.com/

Vynecrest Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville: Lehigh Valley Wine Trail’s Nouveau Weekend, Saturday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 16, http://www.vynecrest.com


MARYLAND WINERIES

Black Ankle Winery, Mt. Airy: Open for business, winner of Maryland Governor’s Cup in 2008; hours: Wednesday - Friday: noon to 5 p.m., Saturday: noon to 6 p.m., Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., information on winery at this link

Berrywine Plantations / Linganore Winecellars, My. Airy: Nouveau “Summer in a Glass,” Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, noon to 6 p.m., www.linganorewines.com

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

$$ – Admission charge

For Clover Hill, six sites work for now

Call Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery the Jupiter of the Pennsylvania wineries, its five satellites and winery the maximum that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board allows. In the midst of an all-encompassing conversation with marketing manager Kari Scrip last night, she was asked about whether that ceiling would ever be raised. The accurate answer is whether anyone would take advantage if that maximum was raised.

“That has gone back and forth,” she said. “Actually, with legislation regarding shipping in and out of Pennsylvania, they have been tacking on . . . all sorts of stipulations. So they’re gonna raise the number of retail stores in exchange for not letting us ship out of state. So there’s been a lot of that going on. But I don’t really foresee it changing too much and I don’t really know that any wineries are interested in too many more than that. I mean it’s always nice to have the flexibility to do what you want. But at this point I don’t see anyone pushing to say I want to have 10 stores.”

Scrip said that while the winery in Breinigsville remains the biggest in terms of space and busiest year-round of the six locations, the shops at the Lehigh Valley Mall and The Plaza at King of Prussia Mall lure in loads of shoppers during the holidays. And Scrip noted she and her family, with their roots in agriculture, have a personal interest in the health of the farm market. Clover Hill has locations at the Boscov’s Fairgrounds Farmer’s Market in Reading, Pa., and the Allentown (Pa.) Fairgrounds Farmers Market.

“Those stay very even keel year-round,” she said. “We’ve definitely noticed an increase in the farmer’s markets, the whole buying local, we see a lot more people shopping the farmers markets and that it’s really grown quite a bit. So we’re really been pleased with our two farmer’s market stores.”

So while the question was directed toward expansion, the answer pointed more toward possible reductions in the number of outlets. “The stores have been good for us and they are still doing very well,” she said. “We have just grown so much through the state store system. We’re pretty much distributed statewide, not all of our wines are, but we’ve grown so much through there. Initially the stores got us recognized and people could come in and taste. But now people know us, so we’re hoping over the next couple of years that maybe we’ll pare down the number of stores and do more distribution.”

Two events on tap at Crossing Vineyards

Flatt (left) and Mino

-

-

-

-

These two workshops loom on the horizon at Crossing Vineyards & Winery in Washington Crossing, Pa., one of the most active of the regional wineries for educational opportunities.

-

-

For anyone overwhelmed when the waiter presents a leather-bound wine list, Crossing Vineyards and Winery in Washington Crossing, Pa. is offering some help from wine writer Colin Flatt.

-

The winery is presenting a “Wine List Survival Guide” workshop with Flatt from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10, at the winery, 1853 Wrightstown Road.

Participants will learn how to navigate intimidating restaurant wine lists and choose a great, reasonably-priced wine.

-

Flatt, who holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Temple University, learned to appreciate wine while living in Italy, he said. He continued to collect wine when he returned to the states and began studying its culture and history. Realizing, he said, “that reading books can only teach you so much,” Collin began attending classes at the Wine School of Philadelphia. Under the tutelage of Keith Wallace and Brian Freedman, he says, he discovered he had a “sharp palate” and was ready to devote his time fully to wine culture.
-

Cost of the course is $20 and includes wine tasting and printed material.

-
The day before, on Sunday the 9th, Crossing Vineyards will offer answers to some often-asked questions related to the use of alcohol when physician and wine enthusiast Dr. David Mino offers a workshop “Wine and Wellness: Eat, Drink and Be Healthy.” It's scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

-

The one-hour course, which will include a wine-tasting, is based on Gene Ford’s best-selling book, “The French Paradox,” which explores the connection between daily wine consumption in France and the lower rate of heart disease among the French.
-

Mino, an orthopedic surgeon from Washington Crossing, earned his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine and his wine expertise – which began 30 years ago with a wine appreciation class at Moravian College - through his own studies and travels through Sonoma and Napa Valley, New York’s Finger Lakes, Switzerland, the Northern and Central regions of Italy, and the Champagne, Rhone, Burgundy and Loire regions of France.

-

For the past 20 years, Mino, who also designs wine cellars, has been lecturing on the sensory evaluation and analysis of wine, proper pairings and the health benefits of wine.
-

Cost of the workshop is $20.

-

Reservations for either event can be made by calling 215.493.6500, ext. 19, or by accessing the winery's Web site.

Fall tour: Newtown's Rose Bank Winery

It’s a thread from the same spool that has been pulled through the past few stories. Dave Fleming, owner of Rose Bank Winery, is feeling it wind around him and tighten just like many area winemakers and proprietors.

In his case, what’s tugging on his schedule is the Buck County Wine Trail’s Nouveau Release that’s scheduled for Nov. 15 and 16. “I’m working the Nouveau right now,” he said by phone the other day, “and I’m expecting to bottle that in another two weeks, planning on bottling it the 13th. I’m actually trying to bottle before that; the 13th is just a little too close. It sort of makes me nervous.”

He’s readying the Chancellor grape for the wine trail’s version of what has become more and more an international tradition: a release of a fruit-forward wine right before Thanksgiving and the five weeks that follow. Last year the trail called it a Nouvelle release, and Fleming instead was crushing and bottling his Vidal grapes. “This year we’re going back to the red grape,” he said. That weekend will kickoff for Rose Bank with a Friday evening celebration, from 5 to 8 o’clock, that will feature the new wine and hors d’oeuvres. The festivities will continue from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

In addition, Fleming said, the winery is planning a DiBruno Cheeses tasting in November and December, and also a Tots for Tots Ball on the fiorst Saturday night (Dec. 6) in December. “They have a band and they have caterers who come in and provide food,” he said. “There’s food and dancing, of course, wine drinking. It will be the third year. It really took off last year. This year we’re not going to have ticket sales at the door. Last year we sort of got swamped at the door and had to bring more tables and chairs out. It got a little hairy there for a while. So we do have to limit the number.”

Dave, who runs the winery along with wife Beverly, said the business has been going strong since the opening in 2000. “This wine thing is just, for the last five, six years, has been booming,” he said. “There’s more wineries coming into it. And our last couple of years the growing conditions have been extremely good. I mean, we’ve had conditions the past two years similar to California in terms of rain the last six, eight weeks.”

Asked about his signature wines, Fleming mentioned his Proprietors Reserve Cabernet and their blackberry dessert wine. It’s one of seven sweet wines of the 21 sold by Rose Bank. “To tell you the truth, 80 percent of the people who come through the front door go for the sweet,” he said of a wine list that includes blueberry, cranberry and red raspberry. “I think some people are finally getting the idea that you can make wine out of fruit. And grapes are a fruit. And so is a raspberry. And you can make a good wine out of raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, all that.”

Probably the other thing that sets apart Rose Bank from other wineries is that they don’t charge for tastings. Some in the region charge as much as $7 for tastings; you tend to find the price lower or nonexistent as you head north into the Lehigh Valley or west into York. But being where Rose Bank is located, in Bucks County, it’s a question they hear often. Fleming has a succinct answer. “We’re doing very well, so [why charge]?” he said. “I think where our prices are, if we were to contemplate charging, I think I’d just raise the price [of the wine] a little bit."

Fall tour: Kreutz Creek Winery

I tracked down owner Carole Kirkpatrick mid-week at the Kreutz Creek Winery in West Grove, Pa., doing any number of tasks now that harvest has come to a close. Calling it a really good year, Kirkpatrick said the only problem of the next few weeks it trying to do it all: pressing grapes, racking, and then bottling. Oh, and there’s those holidays beating a path for the door that will keep Carol and husband Jim plenty occupied.

Their winery is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, plus they have a Bring Your Own Food tasting room at 44 E. Gay St. in West Chester that’s open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays thought Thursdays and Fridays and Saturdays from 1 a.m. to 9 p.m. They offer music from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

While they sell a variety of reds and whites, Carole said one of the pleasant surprises has been the sale of the port wine. “I’ll tell you what, we cannot keep that on the shelf,” she said. “It keeps going, going, going, so we’re really happy with that.”

Jim works full time, leaving evenings and weekends to get to the many chores that await at the winery. That’s the primary reason why, as Carole explained, “We don’t bottle 3,000 cases [of something] at a time. We bottle in smaller lots, and that’s why we can’t keep it on the shelf. He’ll get 50 or 60 cases done, and another month or so later he’ll need another 60 cases.”

Called a dessert wine on their Web site, it’s described as a liquid with a cherry flavor complemented by dark chocolate. It sells for $14.99.

“There are some folks who really think of it as a fireplace wine,” she said, but we sold it all summer long. We’ve had it out for about a year and a half, maybe not quite that long. It’s just been very popular.”

'Drink NY' promotion gaining momentum

This comes out of the New York weekly e-letter, on the subject of promoting state wines that I covered with foundation director Jim Tresize a month or so ago.

LOCAVORE & LOCAPOUR seem to be catching on in the Big Apple, according to the way restaurants and consumers are behaving these days. I spent most of the week in New York City, arguably the world’s most competitive wine market, and there is not only awareness, but enthusiasm, for local foods and wines. At BLT Market, a highly successful, seasonally-focused restaurant on 59th St. right across from Central Park, the wine list is undergoing a transformation after the beverage director took a trip to the Finger Lakes. At the French bistro Brasserie Les Halles on Park Ave., the special selection of New York wines is accompanied by a special menu featuring foods of New York as well.

The Cornell Club hosted a fabulous New York-centric winemakers’ dinner featuring many New York foods paired with wines of Channing Daughters of Long Island and King Ferry Winery (Treleaven) in the Finger Lakes. The sommelier at Chef Waldy Malouf’s Beacon restaurant said the “New York Wines & Dines” promotion had gone well, that New York wines sell much more readily now, and he intends to continue featuring some after the promotion ends. But the real highlight was a Wednesday night fundraiser for the parent organization of the New York City Greenmarkets, where a couple dozen of the City’s top chefs created recipes using farm fresh products gleaned at the Greenmarket that day. Thanks to the initiative of our colleagues at Wine & Food Associates, only New York wines were poured, reinforcing the “local” focus, and the consumer reaction was great—curious, enthusiastic, and supportive.