Monday, November 28, 2011

Clover Hill Winery hosts a coat drive and holiday open house

Coat Drive for The Caring Place at Clover Hill Winery in Breinigsville
Monday, November 28 thru Sunday, December 4

So often we go to our closet and try to decide which coat we are going to wear for the day. Did you know there are many people, young and old, in our own back yards that do not have any coat to reach for to keep themselves warm? 

Clover Hill be collecting gently used coats of any size (from babies to adults) to be donated to The Caring Place in Allentown. Last year The Caring Place supplied over 2,000 coats to those in need, so let's work together to replenish their stock.

The Caring Place is a youth development center that reaches out to youths in the Lehigh Valley who may be facing adversity. It enables young people to overcome the pressures and disadvantages of their environment. 

For your donation of a coat, Clover Hill will offer you a toasty warm 10% discount on your wine purchase (20% on case purchases) throughout this week of giving.


Holiday Open House at the Winery in Breinigsville
December 3 from noon - 5 p.m.

Let Clover Hill help you get into the holiday spirit with our annual holiday open house.

Craig Thatcher will be playing from noon - 5 p.m. and Chef Nathan Grube will be preparing tapas style small plates for $6 each. Making a return appearance will be Unique Pretzel Bakery of Reading. Plus, not new to Clover Hill but new to our Breinigsville location will be Lori Savidge of Lorilee Baskets. Lori has been weaving very beautiful and unique baskets for about 20 years.

We will also feature a new holiday punch which we will sample and sell by the glass. There will be a featured wine of the day for which Clover Hill will donate $1 of every bottle sold to the Mason Shaffer Foundation.

So come out spend a little time shopping and the rest of your afternoon relaxing with us!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Thanksgiving food and wine pairing recommendations

Thanksgiving is a great time to buy local by serving Lehigh Valley wines with your family's meal. Here are some food and wine pairing suggestions from our wineries, as well as their Wednesday business hours for last minute wine sales. All wineries are closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Vynecrest - Young and fruity Vynecrest Nouveau Beaujolais is a great wine to serve with turkey. Vynecrest is open from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Galen Glen - Try their semi-dry Riesling, dry Vidal Blanc or - if you’re looking for the WOW – the 2010 Gewurztraminer, which is the Best White Wine by a woman winemaker. They are open on Wednesday from noon - 5 p.m.

Clover Hill -
  • Riesling ~ whether you choose the dry Generations Riesling or the semi-sweet Riesling the bright peach and apricot flavors with strong acidity is a classic white wine to pair with your Thanksgiving foods.
  • Pinot Noir ~ The Generations Sparkling Pinot Noir will be sure to make your holiday table sparkle. The dry, red Pinot Noir is the classic red wine pairing with the turkey, stuffing and more.
  • Vignoles ~ Serving this sweet, late harvest wine is the perfect accompaniment to your pumpkin pies and other desserts. 
They are open Wednesday from 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Amore - For pairing with white meat go with Gregg's Gregio and Vidal Blanc. With dark meat, try Blushing Beauty or Rose Amore.

Franklin Hill - Try the 2011 Seyval Blanc, White Jade (which is slightly dryer with a hint of oak) or their Kiss wine to pair with your Thanksgiving turkey. Serve their Pomegranate Peach wine as a martini with appetizers. It was just awarded a Gold medal at the 5th Annual International Women's Competition.
The winery is open until 5 p.m. Wednesday evening, and the Easton and Tannersville locations until 7 p.m.

Pinnacle Ridge
- Traminette is a great pairing for the traditional holiday meal since it has enough structure and "stuffing" to hold up to the bold flavors of stuffing and cranberry relish.  Alternatively, a light red like their 2009 Chambourcin would work perfectly well. They will be open from noon - 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Blue Mountain - Their 2011 Nouveau is very soft on the pallet with hints of strawberry and cherry and will be a great compliment to Thanksgiving meals. Mountain Spice (an apple wine) is wonderful this time of year. Heat it up slowly in a crock pot or on the stove and add half cup of brown sugar per bottle. They are open 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Big Creek Winery
- will be open on Wednesday from noon - 5 p.m.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Taste the vintages of the harvest during Nouveau Weekend, 11/19 & 20

The eight wineries of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail will debut vintages from their recent harvest this weekend, November 19 and 20, during Nouveau Weekend, their last Wine Trail event of the year. Wineries will also feature food and wine pairings for visitors to sample.

Nouveau Weekend is a great opportunity to purchase wine to give as holiday gifts or to complement holiday meals.

March Madness 2012 passports will go on sale this weekend. Passports are $35 each. A limited supply of passports is printed and often sells out well in advance of the month-long event, so event-goers are encouraged to purchase them early.

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail is a non-profit organization of wineries whose mission is to promote agri-tourism and to create a premiere wine destination and grape growing region while promoting Pennsylvania wines from the region. All of the member wineries have won numerous awards at state, national and international levels.

For more information on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, visit www.LehighValleyWineTrail.com, and connect with them on Twitter and their Facebook fan page.

NOUVEAU WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS

Amoré Vineyards & Winery, Nazareth will feature our new release Cabaret Amore with homemade barbecue.

Big Creek Vineyard and Winery
, Kresgeville will pair its Nouveau Marquette with Millie's Chili.

Blue Mountain Vineyards, New Tripoli will serve authentic Nouveau made from Pinot Noir grapes paired with roasted ham glazed with Tait Farms cranberry chutney. Sample other products produced locally by Tait Farms as well. They will also be releasing their 2008 Merlot and 2010 Chambourcin. On Saturday, Rob will be performing from 1 - 4 p.m. On Sunday from 2 - 5 p.m. will be Sunday Blues featuring Billy Patrick ($5 admission for live music).

Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville will have the first release from this year’s harvest of Boysenberry. Boysenberry is a sweet wine which is a marriage of grapes and Boysenberries in every bottle. Boysenberry displays a very upfront and intense Boysenberry aroma and finishes sweet and crisp. Their partner will be Sorrelli Jewelry from Kutztown who will be onsite Saturday and Sunday hosting a trunk show. Sorrelli will offer a 10% discount on jewelry purchases during the event.  

Franklin Hill Vineyards, Bangor will release their 2011 Seyval Blanc paired with Ginger Butternut Squash soup. Delices Europeennes will be giving samples of her European treats. They will also be releasing their 2010 Evanswood. Try it with Robert Rothchild's Chipotle sauce over meatballs for a perfect pairing.

Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas will feature the Troxell family Thanksgiving favorite, potato filling with their Riesling. Potato filling is a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, and every family has their own version. Galen and Sarah learned to make theirs under the tutelage of Galen’s mother.

Pinnacle Ridge
, Kutztown will serve salmon chowder made with fresh fennel and dill, potatoes, cream and salmon fillet. They will be pairing the soft and fruit-forward 2010 Naked Chardonnay or their crisp and slightly sweet 2010 Riesling with the chowder.

Vynecrest Winery, Breinigsville will pair their Nouveau Beaujolais 2011 wine made from the Gamay Beaujolais grape with Hereford Country Store Provencal basil dip and Rip Rap artisan whole grain crackers, both of which will be available for sale. Smooth jazz sounds in the Vyneskeller from Dan Harakal and Andy Warren on Saturday from 1 - 4:30 pm. No charge.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Galen Glen Winery makes it into final round of Pennsylvania Wine Stories contest

The stories have been submitted to the Pennsylvania Wine Stories contest by the Pennsylvania Winery Association and one of our eight Lehigh Valley wineries has made it to the final round of competition!

A story about Galen Glen Winery in Andreas is competing against seven other stories about wineries from across the state. Go to this page http://www.pennsylvaniawine.com/WineStories/Voting.aspx and scroll to the bottom to see the following Galen Glen story:

A Beautiful Escape

Shawn E

Galen Glen Winery - Lehigh Valley and Berks County

My friends and I often go to Galen Glen on a Sunday afternoon to get away from life for a few hours. Over the past several years, my friends and I have shared many laughs, and stories, and have made many unforgettable memories over bottles of their wine. The thing we love the most about this location is sitting out back and looking over the winery grounds. It’s so relaxing, and makes us feel so far away from reality. We love the fact that we have such a beautiful escape only a few miles away.


Then be sure to give it your vote! You can vote as many times as you want between now and December 11. Help us win by voting frequently.

Read more of the wine stories that were submitted about other Lehigh Valley wineries here.


Monday, November 7, 2011

Celebrate German heritage at Blue Mountain Winery this weekend

Join Blue Mountain Vineyards in New Tripoli this Saturday, November 12 for their annual German Night event from 5 - 9 p.m.

It will be a celebration of German heritage offering authentic German food, music and dancing. Reservations are preferred.

Admission is $18.50 in advance or $19.50 at the door and includes a souvenir glass. Call 610-298-3068 or email info@bluemountainwine.com to make a reservation.

Friday, November 4, 2011

November & December events at Pinnacle Ridge Winery

LEHIGH VALLEY WINE TRAIL - ANNUAL NOUVEAU WEEKEND
            
Saturday, November 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, November 20 from noon to 5 p.m.
 
Come celebrate Nouveau Weekend at Pinnacle Ridge. We will be serving delicious Salmon Chowder with chunks of French bread. Our chowder is made with fennel bulb and dill, fresh cream, potatoes and salmon fillet and is sure to warm the spirit on a chilly November day!

We will be pairing our soft and fruit forward 2010 Naked Chardonnay or our crisp and slightly sweet 2010 Riesling with our homemade chowder.

PINNACLE RIDGE'S ANNUAL CASE CLUB CHRISTMAS CASUAL

Two Weekends in December:
December 3 and 4, and December 10 and 11
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. & Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

‘Tis the season! Pinnacle Ridge owner and winemaker Brad Knapp, his wife Christy and the Pinnacle Ridge staff invite all to come and sample wine and shop for the holidays. We’ll be serving an array of savory and sweet delicacies and making wine pairing recommendations for your holiday meals.  

This event is free for Case Club members or $4 per person if you’re not a case club member. Buy a case of wine on the day of the event and the food is free.

Pinnacle Ridge Case Club Members do have more fun!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Franklin Hill Vineyards hosts wine dinner and charity fundraisers

From our grapes to your glass

Nouveau Weekend at the winery is coming up on November 19 and 20. Franklin Hill Vineyards will be releasing our 2011 Seyval Blanc paired with Ginger Butternut Squash soup (just perfect for these chilly days). For an extra treat Delices Europeennes will be giving samples of her amazing European treats, you'll definitely want to bring some home.

We will also be releasing our 2010 Evanswood, a vintage we are so proud of. Try it with Robert Rothchild's chipotle sauce over meatballs for a perfect pairing. And, don't forget, Lehigh Valley Wine Trail March Madness passports go on sale Nouveau Weekend. They sell out quickly so get yours soon. Passports are available at all four Franklin Hill Locations.  
 

Franklin Hill Vineyards hosts Mount Airy Casino Resort wine dinner

November 4 with seatings at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. 
  
Hosted by Franklin Hill Vineyards. Join us in this delightful culinary event. We will be pairing our wine with the wonderful cuisine from La Sorelle Cucina. Reserve tickets and see the preview menu here
Reservations Required

Charity for Children Monte Carlo Night Gala

November 5 from 6-9:30 p.m.

Join us while we toast to a good cause! Franklin Hill Vineyards will be serving our wine during this fun casino-themed night. Dinner, dessert, coffee, and playing chips included. $75.00/person.

For tickets and more info, contact: Janet Cimino 610-767-9138