Thursday, February 24, 2011

Special deals and offers in February and March at Vynecrest Winery

Vynecrest Red, Summertime Red and DiVyne Red will all be back on the shelf as of today. As our way of saying thank you for your patience while we prepared these wines, we are offering an additional 10% off Vynecrest Red, Summertime Red and DiVyne Red through the end of the month. That's 20% off when you buy a case or more! If you can't make it to the winery, we are offering the same discount for online orders.

February Specials:

3 Pack of the Month - 3 semi-sweet Riesling for $30
Wine of Month - Pinot Noir, additional 10% off

March Specials:

3 Pack of the Month - All American special, any combination of Niagara and DiVyne Red for $25
Wine of the Month - Vynecrest White, additional 10% off
*additional 10% off is only valid for Vynecrest Red, Summertime Red or DiVyne Red.

Upcoming Events:

February 

Feb. 26 - Music in the Vyneskeller - 1 - 4:30 p.m., Connie Edinger

March
March Madness runs every weekend in March. While this is a ticketed event, we still welcome visitors to come in for a tasting or glass of wine in the Vyneskeller. If you would like more information on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail's March Madness program click here.

For more information visit www.vynecrest.com. Open Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Pinnacle Ridge honored with Wine Excellence & Farm Show Awards

Pinnacle Ridge Winery in Kutztown recently shared with their friends and fans the list of awards that their wines have received so far this year. Here are the highlights.

2011 PENNSYLVANIA WINE SOCIETY WINE EXCELLENCE AWARD

On Sunday, January 16, the Pennsylvania Wine Society held its 9th Annual Wine Excellence Award ceremony. Also known as Oscar Night for Pennsylvania wine, the judges sampled 80 wines. They narrow the 80 entries down to 10 wines. Pinnacle Ridge’s 2008 Veritas and 2007 Veritas made the Top 10. The wine judged to be the best of the competition was PINNACLE RIDGE 2007 VERITAS! They also got honorable mention for their 2008 Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin.

 2011 PENNSYLVANIA FARM SHOW 
  •   2007 Veritas – DOUBLE GOLD – BEST VINIFERA
  •   2008 Pinot Noir - SILVER
  •   2009 Quaff – SILVER
  •   2008 Chambourcin - SILVER
  •   2009 Chambourcin Rose’ SILVER
  •   2009 Traminette – BRONZE
  •   2009 Vidal Blanc – BRONZE
  •   2008 Chambourcin Reserve – BRONZE
  •   2008 Cabernet Franc - BRONZE
ROUTE 737 CLOSED FOR BRIDGE REPAIR

Are you are coming to Pinnacle Ridge from Route 222? Take the Krumsville exit. At the end of the ramp, turn right. Go 0.4 miles and bear right onto Eagle Point Rd. Travel 0.8 miles and turn left onto Gun Club Road. Travel on Gun Club Road for 1.8 miles to Route 737. Turn right onto Route 737 and travel 2.8 miles to the blinking light in Krumsville.  Turn right.  Pinnacle Ridge is 0.9 miles on the left. Travel time and distance are virtually the same. Explore the countryside!  

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Update from Franklin Hill Vineyards

We recently received the following e-mail update in our inbox from Elaine Pivinski, owner of Franklin Hill Vineyards in Bangor. Find out what's happening there.

From Our Grapes to Your Glass...
In between all of this season's snow storms, we're still keeping busy pruning out in the vineyard. The luckier members of our staff get to stay warmer inside while preparing to bottle 1.5L of Sir Walter's Red. We're also working on producing our new peach-pomegranate wine! Keep your eye open for its highly-anticipated release this coming March!


2011 PA Farm Show

The 2011 PA Farm Show results are in. Congratulations to all of our Award-Winners!

Double Gold/Best American Wine: Sir Walters Red

Silver: Catawba and Kiss

Bronze: Chardonnay, White Jade, Seyval, Harvest Berry, Fainting Goat


Franklin Hill Vineyards Locations

Did you know that there are 4 convenient locations at which to purchase our wines?

Winery
7833 Franklin Hill Road
Bangor, PA 18013
(610)-588-8708

Bethlehem
Main St. Commons
567 Main St.
Bethlehem, PA 18018
(610)-332-9463

Easton
3625 Nazareth Rd.
Easton, PA 18043
(610)-559-8966

Tannersville
Fountain Springs West, Suite #1, Route 611
Tannersville, PA 18372
(570)-619-7260

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Vynecrest Winery announces new releases

Here are the highlights from the February e-newsletter from Vynecrest Winery in Breinigsville.

February is a great month to visit Vynecrest. We have less tourist traffic this time of year so it's a perfect time to bring some friends out for a tasting and a glass of wine in the Vyneskeller. We are open Thursday through Sunday 11 am to 5 pm.

New Releases

Four wines from the 2010 vintage will be available as of February 1st:
  • Traminette
  • Dry Riesling
  • Semi-Sweet Riesling
  • Niagara
February Specials

3 Pack of the Month - 3 semi-sweet Riesling for $30
Wine of Month - Pinot Noir, additional 10% off

Upcoming Events

February 12 - Music in the Vyneskeller 1 to 4:30 pm, Rob & Marty
February 26 - Music in the Vyneskeller 1 to 4:30 pm, Connie Edinger


In the Cellar

We have been busy in the wine cellar tasting, blending, clarifying, filtering and bottling. Right now we are working on Vynecrest Red, Summertime Red and DiVyne Red. All three will be available by the end of the month.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Valentine's Weekend plans announced by Galen Glen Winery

Sarah and Galen at Galen Glen Winery in Andreas are making their Valentine's plans and inviting all wine lovers to join them. See the details below from their latest e-update.

Celebrate Romance with Wine & Chocolate

Two Weekends:
February 12, 10am - 5 pm & February 13, noon - 5 pm
February 19, 10am - 5 pm & February 20, noon - 5 pm

Taste our Free Pairing of Barrel 29 with Triple Chocolate Cake. Barrel 29 is a sweet port style dessert wine.

Treat your Valentine both Weekends:
Glass of Barrel 29 with a slice of Cake $9. Cakes: Triple Choc, Peanut Butter Choc & German Choc

New Wine Releases!
Erin's Auslese
GrĂ¼ner Veltliner
Vidal Blanc
Barrel 29 - 375mL, 500mL & 750mL 
Available beginning Friday, February 11

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Ask the Winemaker with Pinnacle Ridge

(Borrowed from the February Pinnacle Ridge Winery e-newsletter.)

Pinnacle Ridge wine maker Brad Knapp invites customers to e-mail questions. Brad will select his favorite question and respond in the winery's monthly newsletter.

This month’s question:  Jeff T. from Easton writes: “What makes a red wine keepable? I always hear hold that Cab for about ten years and it will turn into gold. Are the Pa. wines included?”

This is a great question and one that we often hear in the tasting room. Wines change as they age in the bottle. Red wines tend to change color from vibrant reds and purples to brick/orange to brownish-purple colors as they age. The fruit-driven flavors of youth will diminish with time and are replaced by mushroom, herbal and woody flavors. 

Some people like the flavors of aged red wines, whereas some folks like the fruity exuberance of young red wines. Additionally, tannins in red wines will soften with age. Tannins are a class of compounds found in grape skins and seeds.With age, the tannins soften and become less noticeable. If you have a young wine that is very tannic, aging the wine several years (or more) will soften the wine and make it more enjoyable. The only way to find out if you like the flavors of older red wines is to try some. 

What makes a red wine worthy of aging? Red wines that display intense fruit and tannins are likely candidates for aging. The tannins help protect the wine from oxygen and help the wine age gracefully. If a young red wine tastes thin or “weak” or lacks fruit-driven intensity, then it is likely not a good candidate for aging.

In Southeastern Pennsylvania, we are able to produce red wines worthy of aging, particularly in warmer and drier years. I’ve opened many Pinnacle Ridge reds after 8 - 10 years of aging and they have softened and changed and are very enjoyable. The issue of whether the wine has improved is very personal and only your palate knows.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Update from Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery

The latest monthly e-newsletter from our friends at Clover Hill in Breinigsville is out. If you're not signed up to receive it, then you're missing out on some great information about upcoming events, monthly specials and other fun facts. Below are highlights from the February edition. Read on.

Clover Hill Winery has started the year off nicely with a couple of favorable awards. We were named People’s Choice 2011 in Berks County for Best Winery.

Also, we received the below awards at the 2011 PA Farm Show Wine Competition. We are thrilled with these medals and a special thanks to our Berk’s County customers who voted us People’s Choice 2011.

  • Gold ~ Vignoles, Catawba and Strawberry Pear
  • Silver ~ 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Bronze ~ Riesling, Clover Hill Rose and 2007 Merlot

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, it is a sweet time of year to take someone you love wine tasting. Don’t forget, the tasting room is open 7 days a week and the winter months provide a more intimate and personalized wine tasting experience. We also have a few special wine and chocolate events scheduled as a sweet treat. Click here for all the details.


Owner's Selection
Enjoy a 10% discount on Turtle Rock Red the entire month of February. The deep purple color and fresh berry flavors, hint of sweetness and touch of acidity are all characteristics of Turtle Rock Red. Made from 100% Chambourcin, Turtle Rock Red, has quickly become the flagship of Clover Hill wines.  Receive a 20% discount on the Owner's Selection when included with case purchases.