The buds are out and the new vines are planted. We planted more Chambourcin and Chardonnay this week, but we need to wait three years before we get any fruit from these vines.
On May 1, we released the 2012 Chardonnay - our first-ever release of a 100% Oaked Chardonnay. Fresh off a nice six-month nap in French oak, this wine comes right after you with intense aromas and notes of butterscotch and vanilla while finishing with a rich, soft creaminess. Great pairing for rich buttery foods, or even better, as an end-of-the-day thank you to yourself!
The Vyneskeller is now open seven days a week from 1 - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday it is self service - you can buy everything you need upstairs in the tasting room (wine, cheese, crackers) and take it with you downstairs to the patio or out to the picnic tables. Saturday and Sunday is business as usual with our full staff.
May Specials
* Wine of the Month - Chardonnay - additional 10% off
* 3-Pack of the Month - 3 DiVyne Red for $25.00
*available at winery only, 3-pack cannot be combined with other offers
May 18 and 19 - Lehigh Valley Wine Trail Wine in Bloom Weekend
We have complimentary winemaker tours both days at 1 p.m. First 25 customers each day gets a potted flower from Amore Greenhouse. We're celebrating the 5th anniversary of the region's A.V.A. designation.
May 25 and 26 (Memorial Day Weekend)
To kick off the summer season we will crank up our sangria maker and begin serving sangria in the Vyneskeller for $4 a glass, complete with straw and umbrella! We will also be introducing a new appetizer for the summer to be enjoyed with our sangria and our sweeter wines. It's a black raspberry fruit dip served with grapes and honey graham sticks. May 26 is also Jazz Sunday with live piano and guitar music for your listening pleasure.
Glass Half Empty
by Sam Landis
I get asked all the time do I ever drink any other wine than Vynecrest and my answer is always the same... "yes, and as much as I possibly can." Now this is not a negative thing for how we make wine and what we do, but just like any other business out there the worst thing you can do is bury your head in your own day-to-day operations. The most challenging thing I have experienced in being involved in this business is being so insulated that you get comfortable in your own procedures and wines, and because it works, there is no need for change.
I recently took a trip to another Pa. winery and they were more than willing to talk about their processes and procedures on wine making (spoiler alert: Hauser Estate Winery in Getttysburg). I was given a two-hour tour into everything in their cellar concluding with a tasting of every wine in their tanks. Could you imagine Applebee's doing the same for TGI Fridays?
Hauser Estate makes great wines and do some things very similar to us and some things very different. And while the rest of the evening got a little hazy it made me appreciate what we do as an industry. I left with such a level of excitement of where we are with Pa. winemaking and where we can go as an industry that is only 45 years old. The people are what drive our industry and the mission to collectively raise the bar statewide was my major takeaway.
Pa. wines are becoming really good...trust me! And Pa.'s reputation is only going to get better as we all get better. Yes, I drink a lot of other wines and you should too; that's that point of wine, it's about exploring and finding new things. That being said, if you love one of our wines, feel free to buy all you want of it... we'll make more.
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