The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail has announced its 2013 schedule
of events.
- March Passport Program – weekends only, March 2 – 24 – Customers purchase a $35 passport for access to wine and food pairings at each winery each
weekend. Passports are stamped during each visit and can then be entered
into a drawing for prizes. Passport holders also receive a LVWT picnic
tote as this year’s gift. (Please note: A limited number of passports
remain for sale. Please review the revised group guidelines for this
event: http://lehighvalleywinetrail.com/rules_reg.php)
- Wine in Bloom – May 18 & 19 – This event takes place mid-spring as bud
break occurs on the vines. It celebrates the importance that terroir
(soil) plays in the development of the grapes, their flavor and the
resulting taste of the wine, and stresses the importance of the region’s
American Viticultural Area designation in further legitimizing the area
for wine making.
- Wine on the Mountain – July 27 & 28 - Held at Penn’s Peak in Jim
Thorpe, this event includes wine sampling, local artisans displaying their
arts and crafts, light fare available for purchase, and live
entertainment. Tickets are required for this event and can be purchased in
advanced at each winery or online, as well as at the door the days of the
event.
- Harvest Weekend – The Butcher, The Baker and The
Winemaker – September 14 &
15 –The wineries proudly promote the state’s “Pennsylvania Preferred”
program by partnering with manufacturers of other Pennsylvania products to
showcase their high level of quality. Wine pairings, vineyard tours, food,
music and other special activities are featured.
- Chambourcin Weekend – October 19 & 20 - Taking place after the
harvest is over, this event celebrates the “official wine grape of the
Lehigh Valley,” the Chambourcin. The Chambourcin is the only wine grape
grown by all eight area wineries. In the greater Lehigh Valley, there are
more than 40 acres of Chambourcin, which ferment into 150,000 bottles of
wine. Chambourcin is very versatile in the wine cellar and the wineries
craft it into several styles of wine including Nouveau, Rosé, Semi- Sweet,
Sweet, Dry Barrel Aged, Sparkling and Port.
- Nouveau Weekend – November 16 & 17 - This is the earliest chance to sample
the vintage of the recent harvest. It’s also a great opportunity to
purchase wines for the upcoming holiday season to give as gifts or to
drink at dinner. March Madness passports also go on sale this
weekend.
All events are free except for Wine on the Mountain at Penn’s
Peak and the March Passport Program, which requires the purchase of an event passport. Event
hours are Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 5
p.m. and Sundays from noon – 5 p.m. Download a PDF copy of the
Lehigh Valley Wine Trail brochure on the wine trail web site’s homepage www.LehighValleyWineTrail.com
and connect with the trail via Twitter
and their Facebook
fan page.
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
Members include:
- Amoré Vineyards & Winery,
- Big Creek Vineyard and Winery, Kresgeville
- Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville
- Franklin Hill Vineyards, Bangor
- Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas
- Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown
- Vynecrest Winery, Breinigsville
The Lehigh Valley region is an official American Viticultural
Area as designated by the Federal Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in April
2008. The Lehigh Valley AVA
includes portions of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Schuylkill, Carbon and Monroe
counties in Pennsylvania. In order to receive the designation a least 85% of
the grapes used to make local wines must be grown within the region. Wineries
in the region are permitted to list “Lehigh Valley” as the growing region on
their labels.
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