Galen Glen starts winter hours, announces Chili Cook-Off event

Many exciting things are happening here at Galen Glen and we wanted you to be the first to know.  Please mark your calendar for our upcoming events, bookmark our website on your favorites, "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and view our photos and add yours on Instagram for up-to-the-minute action.

If you are planning to come for a tasting or to any events with a group of 6 or more, we do require reservations. These may be made by calling the winery at (570) 386-3682 during our normal business hours. Our weekend reservation openings fill very quickly, so please plan early. All wine that is sold to be consumed on our premises will be by-the-glass only. This will not affect wine tastings at the wine bar. We welcome you to visit, enjoy a tasting, take in our breathtaking views, and savor some snacks and a glass of wine at a table inside the tasting room. Please note that due to space constraints on food and wine pairing event weekends, we may not have indoor seating available.

Winter Hours
Beginning the week of Sunday, December 29 we will resume our winter hours. We will be closed Monday, December 30 through Thursday, January 2 and will reopen Friday, January 3 at noon.

During January through March we are only open Friday noon - 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday noon - 5 p.m. We will resume our spring hours of Wednesday through Sunday on April 2 at noon.

Chili Cook-off
Saturday, January 18 (snow date: Saturday, January 25)

Are you a home or professional chef? Do you love to make meals that make others comment or smile? Then our Chili Cook-off is for you. This is a free event. That's right - free to enter and free to taste. We have space for just 12 entrants, so enter early. Galen Glen will be offering a complimentary taste of Chambourcin or Cellar Red to go with the chili samples that day. Every person who visits the winery that day will be able to taste and vote for their favorite chili. We have great prizes for our winners too. For more information on entering, please email Kathy at gruveegruner@galenglen.com for an entry packet.

Galen Glen is going green
Have you purchased a bottle of Winter Mountain White lately? Have you noticed something different? That's right. We're going green.

As many of you know, our beautiful blue bottles for Winter Mountain White and Ice Wine were very popular. Unfortunately, they were not good for the environment. Blue bottles, because they contain cobalt, cannot be recycled. We offered our blue bottles from wine consumed here to crafters for upcycling but never knew what happened to the others that went home with our customers. We wanted to reduce our carbon foot print, and switching to a exciting green bottle, that can be recycled, was our best option. So in 2014 as you purchase new vintages of Ice Wine and also Winter Mountain White you will begin to see and be able to recycle the green bottles.

Christmas wishes from the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail

We'd like to thank all of our loyal customers for supporting our wine trail this year. Our eight family-owned and operated wineries appreciate your patronage. We couldn't do it without you. And to everyone who just discovered our wine trail this year, we're glad to have you with us!

Please share your love of the wine trail and our wineries with someone you know and encourage them to explore it in 2014.  We hope to see many of you on the trail in March for our annual Passport Program.

Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year too!



P.S. - Forget to buy a gift for someone on your list? Order them a passport for our 2014 March Passport Program and slip an IOU into their card. We will mail it out this Friday and you can give it to them next time you see them!

Sign up now for a Beginner Wine Tasting Class at Clover Hill

Pull the cork, pour a few glasses of wine, cheers glasses with those around you and let the fun begin with friends and family this holiday season. When you visit any Clover Hill location, we welcome you to sample our wines and will help you find the perfect selection for your holiday occasions.

 For the month of December we have extended holiday hours:

The Winery in Breinigsville: 
Monday – Saturday 9 am - 6 pm and 
Sunday Noon - 5 pm
The Vineyard in Robesonia
: Monday – Saturday 10 am - 6 pm
 and Sunday – Noon - 5 pm

You can also find us at the Allentown Farmer's Market, the Boscov’s Fairgrounds Farmer's Market open during market hours and online at www.cloverhillwinery.com. Also, some of our wines are stocked in the PA Wine & Spirit Stores.

In addition to finding wine in our stores, you can also find a great selection of wine racks, wine accessories and other gift ideas. Custom labeled wine is a fun way to personalize your gift giving and it is not too late to order (find out more information at www.cloverhillwinery.com/products). If you just aren’t sure about someone’s taste, we also have Clover Hill gift cards.

From everyone at Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, we wish you a happy, healthy and safe holiday season. We are proud you choose to celebrate the holidays with a Clover Hill wine.

Owner’s Selection

Save on your purchase of a gift box with Vidal Blanc and Turtle Rock Red
 during the month of December. Now only $21.59.

Beginner Wine Tasting Class

Saturday, January 11 & Sunday, January 12 at 2 pm

Tickets required; $25 per person


Join us in a beginner wine tasting class. This 1½ hour long class will teach you the basics of wine tasting, give you tips on wine and food pairing and help to answer any wine questions you may have! This class has a limited number of seats and tickets are required. Must be 21+ years of age or older. Call 610-395-2468 or visit the winery in Breinigsville to reserve your ticket. Tickets make a great holiday gift!

Live Advent Calendar, hashtag contest, extended holiday hours, and more from Franklin Hill

Downtown Bethlehem's Live Advent Calendar
A different Downtown Business is featured nightly in the Live Advent Calendar. The door of the 1810 Goundie House at 505 Main St. opens at 5:30 p.m. and guests are entertained in a unique and festive way.

Franklin Hill Vineyards will be opening the door TONIGHT, December 17. Warm up with some hot mulled wine while you enjoy the Lehigh Valley Harmonizers singing your favorite carols in the street.

TABLEWINE # COMP
Want to win a FREE CASE of wine? Include a bottle of our wine on your beautifully set holiday table, take a pic, and put it on a social media site with the hashtag #tablewine. We will be judging your pics on creativity, beauty, wine placement and maybe even on how good it all looks. Have fun and good luck.

We Need Your Vote!
It's that time of year again and Downtown Bethlehem's Doors and Windows of Bethlehem competition is in full force. Our Bethlehem crew has created a door worth your vote. Stop by, check it out and then submit your vote.

EXTENDED HOLIDAY HOURS
Short on time this holiday season? Let us help. Our retail stores will be opening earlier and closing later. So whether we're your first stop or your last, we'll be there for you.

Tannersville & Easton
Mondays - Saturdays: 10 am - 7 pm
Sundays: 11 am - 5 pm

Bethlehem
Mondays - Thursdays: 10 am - 8pm
Fridays & Saturdays: 10 am - 9 pm
Sundays: Noon - 6 pm

The Perfect Holiday Martini
We've got a tasty way to impress your holiday guests with this cocktail:

First chill your martini glass.
Then add 3 parts Passion to 1 part Vanilla Vodka.
Dip the rim of your favorite martini glass in green colored sugar and garnish with a strawberry.

December update from the Wine Trail

Here are a few highlights from our wineries on what they are up to this month.

Now that the holidays are officially here, several of our members have extended hours at their wineries and/or their wine shoppe locations. So be sure to check their web sites or call ahead before visiting. Also, several of the wineries offer custom wine labels for wine you plan to give as gifts, but the deadline for ordering labels is nearing. Be sure to ask about it soon if you are interested.

Galen Glen's Annual Holiday Open House

Saturday 12/14, 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday 12/15, noon - 5 pm

We welcome you to come in from the cold and warm up with some of Gary's Norwegian Shrimp Chowder. In Norway, fish, shrimp and potatoes are staples in a family's diet. Soup is great after a cold day of tree shopping, holiday shopping or decorating. Stop by the winery for our complimentary food and wine pairing. Let our staff help you make your holiday wine selections. We also will have gift cards, gift baskets, glass wear, dips, jellies, jewelry and candles available to help you with your holiday gift giving needs.

There's still time to visit Vynecrest's Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem booth for wine tastings and sales during your trip to Christmas in Bethlehem. 

Thursdays & Sundays: 11 am - 6 pm

Fridays & Saturdays: 11am - 8pm 

12/12 - 12/15 and 12/19 - 12/22

Clover Hill Wine & Food Inspiration

Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market

Saturday, December 14 from 11 am - 4 pm

Visit our Wine Shop for a special wine and food pairing. We will be showcasing some holiday entertaining ideas that will include: 

- Smoked turkey from Mr. Bill's Poultry paired with Oak Vidal

- 'Krab Salad' from Heckenberger's Seafood paired with Cayuga White

- English Cheddar with orange and chocolate from Wittman's World Cheeses paired with Vignoles

Pinnacle Ridge: Need a special gift for that wine lover in your life this holiday season?

Check out our gift baskets full of artisan dips, sauces and all other sorts of wine goodies. Complete with award winning Pinnacle Ridge Winery wines, of course.

4th Annual Christmas Blessings Toy & Gift Drive at Blue Mountain
Sunday 12/15 at 2 p.m.

It's that time of year to spread Christmas cheer to those who need it the most. Bring a new toy and donate it to the Christmas Blessings Toy & Gift Drive. All toys and gifts will be donated to the children's hospital. Put a smile on their face with your donation and enjoy live music with Scott Marshall & The Hillbilly Souls.

Franklin Hill Vineyards recently won 3 medals from the Grand Harvest Wine Competition in Sonoma County, CA. This competition is the only wine competition in North America that is based on terrior.

RedHead, our newest edition to our wine list, is a dry red with a high vanilla oak, was awarded a Bronze Medal.

White Jade, a dry, lightly oaken white, was awarded a Silver Medal.

Fiesta, a fun, sweet, red made with 100% concord grapes with a citrus blend added to it making it like a Red Sangria, was awarded a Silver Medal.

Don't forget to get your Lehigh Valley Wine Trail wine tote this holiday season.

When you purchase 6 bottles of wine or more at one of our 8 member wineries, you will receive this FREE wine tote! The bags are printed on both sides with pictures of our wine bottles. The bag is durable and able to securely hold 6 full bottles of wine. While supplies last.

Free shipping on online orders of 6 bottles or more from Vynecrest through Dec. 8

Free shipping on 6 or more bottles for online orders through December 8 at www.vynecrest.com. No coupon code is necessary; just be sure you have six or more bottles in your shopping cart.

Normal discounts still apply, 5% discount on 6 to 11 bottles, 10% discount on 12 or more bottles
This promotion is for online orders only. Phone-in orders will be subject to normal shipping fees
Free shipping does not apply if wine is sent to multiple locations. Order must be shipped to one location for free shipping offer to apply

Sorry, we can't ship to AL, AR, KY, MD, MA, MS, MT, NH, UT, HI, AK. Must be 21 or older to order. Adult signature required for delivery of wine. All wine will be shipped via FedEx.

December Specials
* Three Pack of the Month - 3 Spiced Winter Red for $25
* Wine of the Month - Vignoles 10% off

March Passports for the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail's 2014 event are still available at the winery for $35 each or can be ordered online.

Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem - visit our booth for wine tastings and sales during your trip to Christmas in Bethlehem. Thursdays & Sundays: 11 am - 6 pm, Fridays & Saturdays: 11am - 8pm

• 12/05 - 12/08 
• 12/12 - 12/15 
• 12/19 - 12/22

Holiday hours at the winery in Breinigsville
* Dec 1 - 23: 11 am - 5 pm
* Dec 24: 10 am - 2 pm
* Dec 25: Closed
* Dec 26 - 31: 11 am - 5 pm
* Jan 1 - 5: Closed
* Reopening January 6: 11 am - 5 pm

Holiday hours at the wine shoppe in Kutztown
* Dec 1 - 23: noon - 6 pm
* Dec 24: 10 am - 2 pm
* Dec 25: Closed
* Dec 26 - 31: noon - 6 pm
* Jan 1 - Jan 6: Closed
* Reopening January 7: noon - 6 pm

Glass Half Empty
by John Landis

When I reflect back on 2013, what I am most thankful for are all the wonderful people we get to interact with throughout the year.

The friendly farm vendors at the Macungie Farmers Market; the other winery staff who attend wine festivals; the Kutztown University staff who partnered with us on the label for Bear Naked Chardonnay; the volunteers at Christkindlmarkt; Lehigh Valley Wine Trail members; our terrific neighbors who are so supportive; the vineyard crew who helped us harvest the biggest crop in the history of Vynecrest; our family of Vynecrest tasting room staff who interact with our customers; and finally, the customers themselves whose support makes our existence possible.

Jan, Sam, and Malachi join me in thanking you for your support and wish you all Happy Holidays and a healthy 2014!

Join Pinnacle Ridge for Sharing & Pairing Weekend, Dec. 7 & 8

Pinnacle Ridge Winery invites you to spend the holiday season amongst friends and family... with full glasses, of course!

Make this holiday season a special one. Enjoy the comfort and company of family and friends. Share in the laughter, the food and the drink. 

Here at Pinnacle Ridge, we are looking forward to an excellent send-off to 2013. The tasting sheet has changed a bit these last few months. We have recently released our 2012 Traminette, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. Soon to come: 2012 Chambourcin. 

Hurry in as our supplies of the Finger Lakes Competition Medal Winner, the 2011 Chambourcin and our 2012 Dry Riesling are dwindling fast. Come in and share in some holiday cheer with your friendly Pinnacle Ridge tasting room staff.   

Sharing & Pairing Weekend

Join us on December 7 & 8 for our first Sharing & Pairing Weekend. This weekend will feature wine pairings with special holiday cookies and all for a good cause. We will feature a delicious Gooey Chocolate Merlot Cookie paired with our 2012 Merlot, as well as a special holiday cookie made to be paired with some wonderful mulled spice wine - perfect for warming you up on a brisk December day! 

$1 of each purchase of select bottles of wine will be donated to the Berks County Animal Rescue League.   

(Pictured is winery Owner and Winemaker Brad Knapp with his dog Peanut, a Berks County rescue.)

Case Club Members

  

Keep a look out for some of the new things we are doing at Pinnacle Ridge. We are always looking to improve upon the offers of the Case Club for our valued members. Soon to come: weekday specials, additional perks and benefits, and much more!