Sparkling wines for New Year's Eve

This year, leave the champagne behind and try a fun, and sometimes fruity, sparkling wine for your New Year's Eve celebration instead. Here are a few suggestions for sparkling wines made by local Lehigh Valley Wine Trail wineries:

Amore Vineyards

• White Mist - Slightly dry, tingly and sparkling.
• Celebration - Pink, sparkling, spicy fun.
• Blueberry Mist - Sweet and bubbly with natural blueberry flavor.
• Peach Mist - Sweet and bubbly with natural peach flavor. Blend it with orange juice  to make a great mimosa.
• Strawberry Mist - Sweet and bubbly with natural strawberry flavor.

Clover Hill Winery

• Blackberry Sparkler - A sweet, sparkling wine made with blackberry
• Brut - Produced in the traditional method of making sparkling wine, Méthode Champenoise, our Brut has no perceivable sweetness, showcasing yeasty and fruity flavors.
• Generations Sparkling Pinot Noir - Made in the Méthode Champenoise fashion, this sparkling wine is produced from 100% Pinot Noir grapes from our Broxspen Vineyard. This dry sparkler shows delicate flavors of strawberry mingling with a classic yeasty flavor.

Pinnacle Ridge

• Brut Rosé
• Blanc de Blanc 

Franklin Hill

• Brut (Methode Champenoise)

Keep in mind that at this time of year supplies may be limited for some sparkling wines.  So we suggest calling ahead to the winery you plan to visit to verify they still have the one you want in stock.

Here are a few tips for your sparkling wine, courtesy of Clover Hill:

* Always have your bubbly well chilled prior to opening. We suggest putting the bottle in the refrigerator for a couple hours and then the freezer for 20 minutes prior to opening.
*As much fun as it is to shake the bottle and shoot the cork, you do lose most of the wine when you do so!  Remove the wire hood on the bottle and keep your thumb on top of the cork. Hold the cork in one hand and slowly twist the bottle. Always have a towel and a champagne flute close by.
*Sparkling wines always add a festive feel to any celebration, but they are also great food wines. Some of our favorite bubbly pairings include a creamy brie with quince paste, steamed Cape Cod lobsters, crab stuffed mushrooms or smoked salmon.
 
Happy New Year!

Holiday wines at Clover Hill Vineyards

The holidays are upon us and there is no better time of year to enjoy a glass of Clover Hill wine with friends and family.  Here are a few suggestions to put you in the Holiday spirit.

2010 Pinot Noir
This new vintage is just released and we think it is an amazing wine! 2010 was the best growing season Clover Hill ever experienced and as a result this Pinot Noir is full of the classic flavors of strawberry, leather and berry. Pairs perfectly with your holiday ham or turkey.

Holiday
Of course this is our favorite wine to help you spread holiday cheer. "Holiday" is a spin off of German Glühwein with its sweet flavor. It is spiced with cinnamon, clove and citrus. Pull the cork, set the bottle in a crockpot on low heat and celebrate the holidays! 

Boysenberry
This is the newest limited addition to the Clover Hill line up. Boysenberry is a sweet dessert wine made from both boysenberries and grapes. Decadently delicious served chilled after dinner or add a splash of Boysenberry to a glass of sparkling wine for a festive champagne drink. 

December Owner's Selection
With Clover Hill's 2009 Chardonnay you will initially notice strong aromas of toasty oak. On the palate there is a tickle of pear and apple. The finish is lingering with a persistent butter flavor. Enjoy a 10% discount on Chardonnay the entire month of December. When included in a case purchase, we will take an additional 10% off.

Beginners Wine Tasting Class
Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 2 p.m.
At the winery in Breinigsville

TICKETS REQUIRED- $25 per person
Learn how to taste and talk wine. Join Clover Hill Winery for a fun 1 & 1/2 hour tasting class. We will teach you the basics of how to taste wine, learn what style you like, how to describe what you taste, and learn to talk like a wine pro. Tickets make great holiday gifts for any wine lover or wine enthusiast. For tickets call 610.395.2468.

Food and wine pairing suggestions for holiday meals

Several of our wineries wanted to share their suggestions for food and wine pairings for your holiday meals. All are open for business this week and ready to help you select the right wines to go with your dinners or to give as gifts.

Vynecrest Winery - our holiday favorite is Cherry DiVyne paired with chocolate and gift wrapped at the winery.  It makes a great hostess or grab bag gift for anyone. For a special food and wine pairing, try Vynecrest Spiced Winter Red served warm with homemade Christmas cookies!

Blue Mountain Winery - Our 2011 Nouveau will taste great with your holiday turkey and ham. Our 2009 International Award Winning Petite Syrah pairs nicely with a beef entree. Victoria's Passion is a wonderful semi-sweet red wine that would taste delicious with a chocolate dessert. If you plan on making brownies, try substituting the wine instead of water in the recipe.

Stop by one of our locations and pick up a mulling spice packet to mix with our 2004 Chambourcin to make spiced wine. We also have our apple wine called Mountain Spice that is best warmed up with a 1/2 cup of brown sugar mixed in (per bottle). Add club soda to our Mountain Frost with some sliced peaches for a sweet cocktail.

Galen Glen Winery recommends the following for your holiday feasts:
•    Vin Gris with Honey Glazed Ham
•    Riesling with Roasted Turkey, Shrimp and other seafood delights
•    Wine cocktails – Bring a taste of summer to the holiday season with a Wine-a-Rita. One kit and a bottle of our wine will make two pitchers of icy wine slushies. Our favorites are Peach Bellini and Berry Pom-a-Rita.

Amore Vineyards – Our pairing recommendations include:
•    Turkey or seafood: Gregg's Gregio, Chardonnay or Vidal Blanc
•    Pork/Ham: Cayuga or Rosé Amore 
•    Beef: Chambourcin or Cabaret Amore   
•    After dinner: Rapport or Vidal Blanc Dessert    
•    Bubbly:  Celebration or White Mist for toasting; Peach Mist for morning mimosa
 
Pinnacle Ridge Winery - What better way to celebrate the holidays than with a glass of local sparkling wine.  We recommend either our Brut Rose or Blanc de Blanc as a great way to welcome guests to your home.  Just pair some savory appetizers with the sparkling wine for a winning combination.

For the rich holiday meals we suggest "bigger" wines.  Try our Veritas with lamb or beef dishes, Pinot Noir with roast pork, Chardonnay with roast turkey or chicken and our Oasis with ham.  For dessert try our Late Harvest Vidal Blanc with pumpkin roll, creme brulee or cheesecake.

Clover Hill Vineyards - Make a holiday ham glaze using 1 cup of Clover Hill Holiday Rosé and one cup brown sugar.  Dissolve and use this glaze to baste your holiday ham. We love to serve this with our Riesling.  Our Holiday Wine is a sweet rosé that is spiced with cinnamon, cloves and citrus flavor. 

For sparkling wines, a favorite is the Generations Sparkling Pinot Noir. It is a dry sparkling wine made from 100% Pinot Noir fruit.  Festively pink in color with fresh strawberries and a yeasty characteristic. We have also been whipping up a wine cocktail called a Wicked Turtle. It is 2oz. Turtle Rock Red, 1oz. passion fruit rum, and 2oz. lemon/lime soda. Try it!

Franklin Hill Vineyards recommends the following food and wine pairings -
•    Kiss, Vidal, Chardonnay, Seyval Blanc and White Jade are all wonderful whites to pair with ham, turkey or fish.
•    Chambourcin and Simply Red go well with lasagna.
•    For anyone intrigued by black cherry, our Fainting Goat added to Chambourcin or Evanswood is a great pairing. There is no sweetness but the hint of black cherries with chocolates or try it with barbecued ribs is fantastic.
•    For dessert, Harvest Berry is great with cheesecake or anything chocolate. This effervescent wine is perfect with cranberry juice instead of a mimosa.

For a wine cocktail, mix Pomegranate Peach with cranberry juice, lots of ice, and seltzer or lemon-lime soda to make it bubbly. Or try Bliss with vodka for a martini, or Bliss with lemon-lime soda for a festive spritzer.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Franklin Hill Vineyards celebrates Christmas in Bethlehem

In addition to its winery in Bangor, Franklin Hill also has a wine shoppe in historic Downtown Bethlehem on Main Street inside the Main Street Commons. Check out what they have going on there this holiday season.

Vote for our door in the Doors of Bethlehem contest!

Vote for our "Door of Bethlehem" and be entered to win the $1,000 shopping spree in Downtown Bethlehem! Click here to vote! Voting ends Dec. 24.

Live Advent Calendar

Franklin Hill presents on Friday, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m.
On the steps of the 1810 Goundie House in Downtown Bethlehem

Come to Downtown Bethlehem and see us at the Live Advent Calendar. We will be presenting on December 16 as our very own Vineyard Manager, Scott Sandt will be performing live holiday music.

There will also be complimentary mulled Sir Walters Red tastings for the adults, goodies for the kids and prizes for 10 lucky adult audience members! Free Admission. For more Live Advent Calendar information, click here.

Visit the Weihnachtsmarkt

Our mulled Sir Walter's Red is being featured as the Gluhwine at Downtown Bethlehem's new Christmas City Village. Christmas City Village is an open-air Christmas market, fashioned after the traditional German Weihnachtsmarkt (pronounced vy-naukts-markt). It features 20 wooden huts, where vendors will sell a variety of holiday crafts and gifts.

Enjoy traditional German fare, or our hot mulled Sir Walter's Red every weekend in December as you meander through the market. No admission fee!

Vynecrest Winery offers free shipping for online orders

This holiday season, don't forget to pick up a gift for the wine lover in your life. Vynecrest Winery has Cherry DiVyne packaged with chocolate for $20 (makes a great hostess gift), wine scented candles, and much more. They also have a few March Madness passports left ($35 each), but they will sell out soon.

They are also offering free shipping on three or more bottles of wine for online orders at www.vynecrest.com. No coupon code is necessary; just select three or more bottles in your shopping cart to get free shipping offer. Free shipping runs through next Monday, December 12.

• 5% discount on 6 to 11 bottles; 10% discount on 12 or more bottles
• This promotion is for online orders only. Phone-in order will be subject to normal shipping fees.
• Sorry, but we can't ship to AL, AR, KY, MD, MA, MS, MT, NH, UT.
• Must be 21 or older to order. Adult signature required for delivery of wine. All wine will be shipped via FedEx.

News & Events

December Specials

• Three Pack of the Month - All American 3 Pack, DiVyne Red or Niagara, any combination, $25.00
• Wine of the Month - Blueberry 10% off

Events

• December 10 - Live music in the Vyneskeller, Billy Bauer, 1 - 4:30 p.m.
• December 17 - Live music in the Vyneskeller, Arianne, 1 - 4:30 p.m.

Holiday Hours

• Dec 1 - 24: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Dec 25: closed
• Dec 26 - 31: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Jan 1 - 13: closed
• Reopening January 14: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Galen Glen's holiday open house continues this weekend

Last weekend's Holiday Open House at Galen Glen Winery in Andreas continues this weekend too!

December 10 & 11 - the food and wine pairing is Galen's treat. Surprise!

Visit with Santa!  - December 11 from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Take your photo with Santa for charity. Bring a new, unwrapped toy or make a monetary donation for Toys for Tots. Please bring your own camera.

Give wine as a gift this holiday season

There's still plenty of time to order custom labels for wine bottles. Minimum purchase of one case (12 bottles) - up to four wines per case. Email Sarah (sarah@galenglen.com) for label selections or use your own photo.

Check out our December Facebook promotion

We are giving away one bottle of wine a week through our Facebook page for the month of December.

1. "Like" us - Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery - on Facebook.
2. Post a comment for the week you wish to enter, or comment every week!

Our elves will select one person at random (must be over 21) from everyone who comments that week to pick up a free bottle at the winery. (Reminder - there are four weeks in December.)

Lehigh Valley wineries to hold holiday events this weekend

Several Lehigh Valley Wine Trail wineries are hosting holiday events or open houses this weekend and you are invited to attend!

Pinnacle Ridge's Annual Case Club Casual - Two weekends in December
December 3 & 4 and December 10 & 11
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday: Noon - 5 p.m.

Pinnacle Ridge owner and winemaker Brad Knapp, his wife Christy and the Pinnacle Ridge staff invite all to 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 $5 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.
 
Clover Hill's 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.

Blue Mountain Winery's Christmas Open House
Saturday, December 3 from 5 - 9 p.m.

Join Blue Mountain for some holiday cheer! Enjoy a wine tasting ($5, which is credited towards the purchase of a bottle of wine), music by Rob & Marty, and hors d'oeuvres. Reservations are preferred, so call us today: 610.298.3068.

Galen Glen's Holiday Open House - Two Weekends
December 3 & 4 - Raspberry wine with locally made cannoli dessert
December 10 & 11 - Galen's treat   

Also at Galen Glen on December 3 & 11  from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. visit with Santa! Take your photo with Santa for charity. Bring a new, unwrapped toy or monetary donation for Toys for Tots. Please bring your own camera.

Winery Hours: Sunday - Friday: Noon - 5 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m. -5 p.m.

Pinnacle Ridge's holiday news and announcements

NEW RELEASES 

We've been getting lots of questions about these two wines and we have finally released our 2009 Chambourcin Reserve and our 2010 Cabernet Franc.  To keep up with everything going on at Pinnacle Ridge please visit our Facebook page.

GREAT REVIEW FOR OUR 2010 PINOT NOIR 

See this link for a review of our 2010 Pinot Noir by Vino Vic. He really liked it. 

PINNACLE RIDGE'S ANNUAL CASE CLUB CHRISTMAS CASUAL - TWO WEEKENDS IN DECEMBER
                          
December 3 & 4 and December 10 & 11
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday: Noon - 5 p.m.

‘Tis the season! Pinnacle Ridge owner and winemaker Brad Knapp, his wife Christy and the Pinnacle Ridge staff invite all to 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 $5 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.

WINE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The winter holidays are a time of year when folks get a little more creative with their wine choices. At Pinnacle Ridge we have several wines that you might want to consider for your holiday celebrations. Our Brut Rosé or Blanc de Blanc sparkling wines are a great choice to have with appetizers before a special
meal. If you are having a casual gathering with munchies, these wines will add a special elegance to the occasion.

But don’t wait to long to pick up your bubbly as we may sell out near the end of December. Another specialty wine to consider for that special meal is our 2010 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc. This is a classic dessert wine that pairs beautifully with fruit desserts, crème brulee, or cheesecake. Your guests will be impressed.