Vynecrest announces three wine releases

A great year in the vineyard produces great wines and the 2010 vintage was no exception.

The San Francisco International Wine Competition results were just released and the Vynecrest 2010 Chambourcin won a gold medal and our 2010 Lemberger won a silver medal. This is the first gold medal we have received from this competition.

We are now back to our full lineup as we release our 2010 Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Blueberry. This week is also your last chance to take advantage of the June specials:

• 3 Pack of the Month - 3 Niagara for $25
• Wine of the Month - Chardonnay (additional 10% off)

Our winery is open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Also, if you're on Facebook like we are, please become a fan of our Vynecrest fan page and follow us on Twitter too!

Our favorite Lehigh Valley summer food and wine pairings

During the summer months there is much to be done in the vineyards on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. After long days tending to the grapes, attention from farming turns to evenings filled with great wine and food! Read on for delicious food and wine pairings from your friends on the trail:

AMORE, our peach, apricot and blueberry wines are great served cold on a summer day. For a more traditional palate, we recommend our Cayuga or Riesling chilled to 55 degrees. The Cayuga and Riesling are perfect with grilled chicken, fish and veggies. The fruit wines pair nicely with mild cheese or can be used in summer sangria.

Up at BIG CREEK we are enjoying fresh fruit salads and our Rosé, Vin di Pasqualina.

BLUE MOUNTAIN will be sipping the newly released White Merlot with your favorite barbecued chicken or rib recipe. This refreshing semi dry wine is crisp and fruity with a long lingering finish. Happy grilling!

CLOVER HILL VINEYARDS & WINERY'S favorite summertime treat is clams steamed open on the grill then drizzled with a lemon, garlic and chive butter sauce and served with a cool glass of Pinot Grigio.

FRANKLIN HILL VINEYARD'S favorite is the newly produced Pomegranate Peach. Serve it as a fun martini by adding vodka and sliced peaches. We love to pair it with crab crakes or shrimp... absolutely delicious!

GALEN GLEN recommends our refreshing 2010 Half Dry Riesling (silver medals from Finger Lakes and CA Wine Competitions). Bursting with golden apple, ripe pear and honey melon, it is delicious with grilled shrimp, risotto and greens from the garden.

It is grilling season at PINNACLE RIDGE! Brad takes our garden grown vegetables (peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, new potatoes and tomatoes) and roasts them slowly on the grill. The vegetables are dressed in extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper and a handful of fresh herbs, also from our garden! The t-bone hits the grill next. Angel hair pasta tossed with fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and feta cheese arrives at the picnic table just as the steaks are being pulled from the grill—done to perfection! We suggest a glass of Pinnacle Ridge 2009 Chambourcin.

VYNECREST's summer favorite is salmon cooked on the grill with a mango salsa, served with our Dry Riesling, which has a tropical nose and a bold crisp finish. Great combination.

Specials and upcoming June events at Clover Hill Vineyards

Owner's Selection for June
Pinot Grigio is the quintessential summer sipper. This crisp, dry white wine is packed with citrus flavors like pink grapefruit and lemon.  Best served chilled with shellfish and fresh garden salads.  One of our favorite pairing is Pinot Grigio with littlenecks steamed on the grill and served with a lemon, garlic, butter sauce.

Enjoy a 10% discount on Pinot Grigio the entire month of June! Receive a 20% discount on the Owner's Selection when included with case purchases.


UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday is Senior Day at The Winery in Breinigsville
Don't forget - every Tuesday is Senior Day at the Winery in Breinigsville. Seniors save an additional 10% on wine purchases. Must have a valid ID. Vintage is always cool!

Public Tour in Breinigsville - Tickets required - $12 per person; free for under 21

• Saturday, July 16, 2011 at 12pm & 2pm
• Monday, July 18, 2011 at 2pm
• Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 12pm & 2pm
• Monday, August 22, 2011 at 2pm

Join Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery for an afternoon of wine tasting, vineyard and winery touring. Enjoy a 1 & 1/2 hour journey as we explore how we make wine from the grape to the glass. Reservations are required; minors are free. Handicap accessible. For tickets and reservations, please call 610-395-2468. 

Music & Tapas - Breinigsville
June 18 from noon-5 pm
Join us for a relaxing afternoon on the patio with good wine, food and music. Chef Nathan Grube will be on the grill offering tapas style plates for $6 per plate. Sip your wine while listening to the smooth sounds of Margaret and Randy Ritter live on the patio. Reservations are suggested for tapas. There is no charge for the music. Please, no outside alcohol and no pets. For reservations call 610.395.2468.

Saturday 6 Pack Sale - June 18 at ALL CLOVER HILL LOCATIONS
Stock up for summer with our 6 Pack Sale Saturday, June 18 only. Visit any Clover Hill location and receive a 10% discount on 6 bottles or more and a 20% discount on 12 bottles or more! You will also receive a free six bottle carrying tote. Stock up for summer!

Clover Hill Night at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center, Breinigsville 
June 24 - 5:30 pm the track opens; 7:30 pm the racing starts!

Clover Hill Winery is proud to be the official wine at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center. On June 24, we will be at the Cycling Center doing a mini wine tasting all evening long. We will also have a raffle to enter and prizes to win if you stop by our table! Enjoy a night at the races with a glass of wine in your hand. For more information on the Valley Preferred Cycling Center please visit www.thevelodrome.com. Whenever you are there to watch the racing you can have a glass of Clover Hill wine!

Help get Vynecrest on the map!

Here's the June update from Vynecrest Winery in Breinigsville.

We just finished a great festival at Longwood Gardens and look forward to the our next festival at Split Rock this weekend.

The Vyneskeller patio is open and we just added new tables and chairs outside. Don't forget we have live music every Saturday.

June Specials

• 3 Pack of the Month - 3 Niagara for $25*
• Wine of the Month - Chardonnay (additional 10% off)*

*at winery only, 3 pack specials not to be combined with other offers

Paint the Map Green!

Show off where you have taken Vynecrest wine or Vynecrest gear. Send a picture to wine@vynecrest.com or post a picture on Vynecrest's Facebook page and we will add you to the map and possibly put you on the following month's slide show at the winery. We need to get at least one picture from every state. So far we have Pennsylvania, Maine & Montana covered. Help us paint the map green!

Upcoming Events

• June 18 - Music in the Vyneskeller, Arianne Rox
• June 18 & 19 - Split Rock Wine Festival, noon to 6 pm both days - The two day outdoor festival will be held on the grounds of Split Rock Resort located in beautiful Lake Harmony. The festival will feature continuous musical entertainment on three separate stages, Pennsylvania’s finest wineries and a wide selection of food vendors to tempt your taste buds. Educational seminars will be held during the festival so check them out and learn some new things about wine. Split Rock also offers a weekend package for our overnight guests. Each festival attendee will receive a commemorative wine tasting glass. Purchase tickets here.
• June 25 - Music in the Vyneskeller, Andy Warren & Dan Harakal. Also a vineyard tour with the winemaker at 1 pm, $5 / person, reservations suggested.
• July 2 - Music in the Vyneskeller, Acoustic oldies with Art

*All music starts at 1 pm and is free of charge.

In The Vineyard - Flowering Chambourcin

The weather was been great the past couple of weeks and as a result the vines have started to flower. We will soon have small grape berries growing on all of the vines. We are busy removing excess shoots from the vines and positioning the remaining shoots for optimal growth.

June Winemaker's Dinner at Galen Glen

The menu for the Galen Glen Winery June Winemaker's Dinner has been announced and reservations are rapidly being taken. Get yours in today if you plan to attend!

Winemaker's Dinner:
Friday June 17 at 7 p.m.
Featuring the Culinary Creations of Tonimarie and her restaurant Macaluso's at The Lantern.

Compliments of the Winery:
A casual way to start the Evening,
Let the Conversation begin.......
Frozen Peach Wine-a-Rita
Made with our Cellar White

First Course:
Hot & sour soup
Wine - Claret, new vintage

Second Course:
Sesame encrusted ahi tuna with wasabi & soy
Wine - Riesling Rheingau

Third Course:
Palate cleansing salad - arugula & baby spinach tossed with a pineapple ginger vinaigrette & toasted almonds
Wine -  Gewürztraminer

Fourth Course:
Char siu beef short ribs, steamed jasmine rice & bok choy
Wine - Chambourcin

Fifth Course:
Asian inspired green tea dessert
Wine - Vidal Blanc Ice Wine

Cost: $70 per person - Please add 6% PA Sales Tax. Gratuity is included.
*Menu and wines subject to change at Chef's discretion.

Location:
Galen Glen Winery
255 Winter Mountain Dr.
Andreas, PA 18211

Reservations:
Only by calling the Winery at 570-386-3682. We require a credit card for reservations. Cancellations after June 13 will be charged the full cost of the dinner.

Seating:
We make every effort to accommodate seating requests. In order to use our space efficiently, we may need to combine parties. Also, our largest table can seat 8 guests.

Summer at Franklin Hill Vineyards - June enewsletter

What's new at Franklin Hill Vineyards this summer? Find out from their latest e-newsletter below.

Summer's on its way...  which means it's time for some of our refreshing WINE! It's time to spend some time outside and come see Franklin Hill at summer wine festivals, local concert series, and spend some time toasting on our deck at the winery.  Read below for all the places you can find Franklin Hill Wine this June!

FourSquare Discount!

When FourSquare users check into Franklin Hill on their phones, they will see our "SPECIAL" offer.  Just show our staff member your phone displaying the discount and you'll receive that special offer!  
  
Tunes at Twilight in Downtown Historic Bethlehem at the Sun Inn Courtyard
Come see fab bands at the 2011 "Tunes At Twilight" concert series!

Be the first to preview Downtown Bethlehem's new Christmas City Village "Weihnachtsmarkt" premier Hut where you can grab a glass of  Franklin Hill's refreshing wine! Other refreshments on sale by the glass.

Franklin Hill Vineyards - Bethlehem - Main Street Commons
567 Main Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018
610-332-WINE(9463)
www.FranklinHillVineyards.com

We're On the Road Again... 
Our Fun FHV Festival Staff will be at the following wine festivals!

21st Annual Great Tastes of PA Wine & Food Festival  - Split Rock Resort
June 18 & 1 from noon - 6 pm

Sabor! Latin Festival - SteelStacks Campus - Bethlehem
June 18 - noon -11 pm  and June 19 - noon - 5 pm.

From our Grapes to your Glass...

Cheers to another Franklin Hill Vineyards GOLD Medal Winner! 

Raise your glasses to our brand-new Pomegranate Wine, GOLD Medal winner at the Taster's Guild International Wine Competition!

Congratulations to our other medal winners: 

• Simply Red - Silver
• Seyval Blanc - Silver
• Sir Walters Red - Silver
•  Chardonnay - Bronze
• Katie's Creek - Bronze

Ask the Winemaker with Pinnacle Ridge - American vs. French oak barrels

Josh E. from Bethlehem, PA writes: “I enjoyed reading about the origin of oak barrels. Can you tell your readers why you choose American over French oak barrels for example or vise versa?”

Answer from Brad Knapp, Owner, Pinnacle Ridge Winery:
Where a barrel comes from strongly affects the flavors that the barrel is able to impart to wine in the barrel.  In the United States white oak from barrels comes from several regions: Appalachia (most notably Pennsylvania), Minnesota, the northern Midwest and Missouri. The species of white oak that naturally grows in these areas is Quercus Alba and is characterized by afast growth, wide grain structure with high levels of aromatic compounds and low tannin levels. In France and Hungary (and other European countries) the most common species of white oak is Quercus Petraea characterized by a finer grain structure and lower aromatic impact on the wine and higher levels of tannins than Quercus Alba.

The origin of barrels that are widely available are American, French (also with specific choices for regions within France) and Hungarian. American oak barrels are characterized by high aromatics often described as vanilla and whiskey-like aromas. French oak barrels have lower levels of the sweet vanilla aromas and tend
to be more spice and toast driven. French barrels impart more tannins into the wine which results in a more pronounced “mouthfeel” in the wine. Hungarian barrels are similar to French barrels but often display more spiciness than French barrels.

So how does a winemaker decide what types of barrels to use for a specific wine?  Think of barrels like a cook thinks of spices.  If a chef prepares a delicate dish with a mild fish such as tilapia the selection of spices would be limited to small amounts of mild spices (salt, pepper, maybe chervil or tarragon).  Stronger spices like cayenne, cumin or oregano would probably not be used.  This is analogous to the situation with Chardonnay.  Most winemakers would select a less aromatic barrel for Chardonnay so that the fruit doesn’t
get buried by the aromatic profile of the barrel.  French oak is a common choice for Chardonnay.  French oak is a good choice for lighter reds such as Pinot Noir.  At Pinnacle Ridge we exclusively use French oak barrels for both our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

For the case of red wines that are more aromatic one can start to look at American oak as a wise choice.  We use American oak (largely sourced from Pennsylvania) for our Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin. These wines can stand up to the large aromatic impact of the American barrels.  We use Hungarian barrels for our Chambourcin Reserve for its spicy character and also for the increase in tannins.  Our Veritas has been produced and aged in predominately American barrels.