Wine in Bloom event celebrates 5th Anniversary of Lehigh Valley A.V.A.

The eight wineries of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail will present their next event, Wine in Bloom, on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday, May 19 from noon – 5 p.m. It celebrates bud break on the vines and the start of the growing season, as well as the fifth anniversary of the Lehigh Valley American Viticultural Area designation.

Wine in Bloom highlights 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 A.V.A. designation in further legitimizing the Lehigh Valley for wine making. Each winery will offer its own variety of activities such as vineyard tours, food and wine pairings, and live entertainment.

New this year, each member winery will be handing out 25 colorful, 4 inch potted petunias each day of the event to the first 25 customers. The petunias are being grown by Amore Greenhouses in Nazareth which is owned by Amore Vineyards, a Wine Trail member. (Please note: supplies are limited.)

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.

• Amore Winery in Nazareth will pair Chardonnay-infused Sangria with an array of Mexican hors d'oeuvres.

• Big Creek Winery in Kresgeville will be slicing and serving their favorite cheeses.

• Blue Mountain Winery in New Tripoli will have complimentary live entertainment by Rob on Saturday from 1-4 p.m.

• Clover Hill Vineyards in Breinigsville - take part in their scavenger hunt. If you discover correct answers to all the questions they will reward your efforts with a gift.

• Franklin Hill Vineyards in Bangor will offer tours beginning in their new vineyard. They will serve Vidal and Chambourcin wines right next to the vines from which they harvest these grapes. After visiting the vines, tours continue into the winery and finish with an unexpected pairing with the award-winning Sir Walters Red.  Robert Michaels will perform on the deck and light appetizers from the Broadway Pub will be available.  (Tours available at noon, 2 and 4 p.m. Groups of 10 or more - please call ahead for reservations and more information.)

• Galen Glen Winery in Andreas will lead a Spring Tour of the vineyard and cellar. One enlightening walking tour will be offered each day, departing at noon. Please wear sturdy foot gear. No reservations required and weather permitting. Their panoramic setting is the perfect location for quiet conversation and contemplation.

• Saturday – BYOP (bring your own picnic)
• Sunday – the Love Hot Dogs cart will visit. Owner Jason will offer for purchase his gourmet sausages, toppings and more “for the love of dogs.”

• Pinnacle Ridge Winery in Kutztown is pairing up with Perfect Pairings who will be pairing Pinnacle Ridge wines with different items such as jewelry by Sally Rocks, blooming baskets, creative gift wrap, garden art and wall art.  Perfect Pairings will be upstairs in the winery’s 1851 Pennsylvania Bank Barn and the tasting room will be open as well. Check out this new, unique concept in wine pairings.

• Vynecrest Winery in Breinigsville will have a winemaker's tour of the vineyard and winery both Saturday and Sunday, free of charge. Vynecrest will also be releasing their new Bear Naked Chardonnay (fermented in stainless steel) to be tried along side of their recently-released Oaked Chardonnay. Bear Naked Chardonnay has a label with the Kutztown University Golden Bear and $1 from the sale of every bottle will go to a scholarship fund at the University.

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail is a 501c6 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 wines from the region. All of the member wineries have won numerous awards at state, national and international levels. www.LehighValleyWineTrail.com

Save the Date for Wine in Bloom this May

March Madness has finally wrapped up along the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. During the month of April our wineries will do their own events and promotions. So please check their respective web sites for information and sign up to receive their individual e-newsletters. Find links to each winery's web site from the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail web site here.

In the mean time, please mark your calendar for our next Wine Trail event - Wine in Bloom, May 19 & 20. In only its second year, Wine in Bloom is a fun and educational event that celebrates bud break on the vines and the start of the growing season. 


It highlights 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 A.V.A. designation (American Viticultural Area) in further legitimizing the Lehigh Valley for wine making.

The Lehigh Valley region was designated as an official American Viticultural Area 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.

During the event, each winery will offer its own variety of activities, from vineyard tours and food and wine pairings, to live entertainment and even a scavenger hunt. Check this blog in late-April for details on what each winery will be doing that weekend.

Appellation America delivers accolades to Lehigh Valley wineries

We are pleased to announce that our wineries have received the following accolades from Appellation America in a recent Best of Appellation evaluation:

• Amore Vineyards - GOLD for 2008 Chambourcin
• Big Creek Winery - GOLD for 2010 Seyval, 2010 Seyval Reserve, 2011 Marechal Foch, and 2011 Regent, and DOUBLE GOLD for 2011 Nouveau Marquette
• Blue Mountain Winery - GOLD for 2011 Riesling and for 2007 Pinot Noir/Beaujolais
• Franklin Hill Vineyards - GOLD for 2010 Vidal Blanc and DOUBLE GOLD for 2010 Chambourcin
• Galen Glen Winery - GOLD for 2010 Chambourcin, 2010 Zweigelt, and 2010 Riesling, and DOUBLE GOLD for 2010 Gewurztraminer, 2010 Gruner Veltliner and 2010 Vidal Blanc
• Pinnacle Ridge - GOLD for 2009 Chambourcin, 2010 Pinot Noir, 2010 Chardonnay, 2010 Cabernet Franc, and 2010 Traminette 
• Vynecrest Winery - GOLD for 2010 Chambourcin and 2010 Lemberger, and DOUBLE GOLD for 2010 Cabernet Franc

The Appellation America Best-of-Appellation Evaluation Program is an on-going process of identifying the wines in each appellation which best express the character of the appellation and the quality of wine craftsmanship in the region. 

The Award winning wines from this evaluation, along with the tasting notes for each, appear on the respective Best of Appellation Wine List, where they will be featured as wines defining the quality and character of the Lehigh Valley American Viticultural Area as long as the product stays current on the winery’s in-stock list. 

Taste these and other ward-winning wines during a weekend trip to the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail and during our March Madness event. 

What is an A.V.A.?

You've probably heard or seen our wineries talk about the Lehigh Valley A.V.A., but what does it mean?

In the United States, winemakers are allowed to label their wines with the state or county in which the grapes are grown. But they can also list the name of the particular growing area if the federal government recognizes it as an "American Viticultural Area" or A.V.A., also called an "appellation." There are more than 200 A.V.A.s across the Untied States including ours here in the Lehigh Valley.

In reviewing applications for approval, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) considers whether the proposed name is one by which the area is actually known locally, and whether this area as defined in the application has distinctive soil and climatic conditions.

To use an approved A.V.A. on a wine label, at least 85 percent of the grapes used must originate from the state A.V.A. and the wine must be fully finished within the state. This helps maintain consistency in the wines made from a particular growing area.

The Lehigh Valley region is an official A.V.A. as designated by the TBB in April 2008. The Lehigh Valley A.V.A. includes portions of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Schuylkill, Carbon and Monroe counties in Pennsylvania. Wineries in the region are permitted to list “Lehigh Valley” as the growing region on their labels.

Final thoughts on LVWT's first A.V.A Weekend Celebration

This post was written by guest blogger Kari Skrip, co-owner of Clover Hill Vineyards and Winery in Breinigsville and features her thoughts on the Wine Trails' recent A.V.A. Weekend.

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail was thrilled to celebrate our Lehigh Valley AVA in the end of April.  At the end of the day, after I finished work, I was sipping my glass of Pinot Grigio overlooking the vineyard thinking just how luck I am.  These grapes have given me so many opportunities and things to be thankful for.  To name a few…

Over the years I have learned intimately about the land and developed a real respect for farming.  The Lehigh Valley vineyards and wineries are doing wonderful things to preserve open spaces and maintain a local farming community.  In a global food world, I am most proud to be making a local product that is unique and specific to the Lehigh Valley.  We like to think of wine as a food. 

Our vineyards have also given me the opportunity to work with my family (which most days that is a wonderful thing) and my friends who own the other Lehigh Valley Wineries.  Like all of the nine wineries on the trail, Clover Hill is family owned and operated, and it is a pleasure to work with my mom, dad and brother everyday.  I value and appreciate all of the wine trail wineries, almost as if the wine trail is an extension of family.  It is exciting to see first and second generations working in the vineyards and wineries.  It is a joy witnessing the success and growth of the Lehigh Valley wineries and the acceptance of Lehigh Valley wines in our community. 

Lastly, these vineyards have given me wine!  In my opinion, a glass of wine is the best way to end your day!

Thank you for supporting the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail and choosing to drink wines grown within our precious Lehigh Valley AVA! 

More details on our new A.V.A. Weekend event April 24 & 25

In one of last week's Taste of the Trail blog posts we told you about our next event which is brand new. It's A.V.A. Weekend taking place April 24 & 25. This event celebrates the region's federal designation as an American Viticultural Area for wine making, which was achieved in April 2008.

A.V.A. Weekend will have an educational theme to it as the different wineries offer visitors a chance to learn more about the "terroir" or soil of our region and how it affects the grapes grown here and the flavor of the resulting wine.

Here is the list of what each of our nine wineries is planning for our newest weekend event:

Amore Winery in Nazareth: " Taste the Terroir" - Experience the taste difference produced by our mineral rich soil. You will taste the complexity in our wine. Also, we will serve homemade tomato sauce from our very own tomatoes. This will be a delight to remember. Our greenhouses will open for the season. Get hardy garden flower and vegetable plants. Think hanging baskets. Geological maps will illustrate the unique structure of our soil. Join us in celebration.

Big Creek Winery in Kresgeville: For AVA weekend we will be "Tasting the meaning of AVA' with varietal wines from comparable AVA's for people to taste the importance of location.

Blue Mountain Winery in New Tripoli: Check back soon for details!

Cherry Valley Vineyards in Saylorsburg: "Meet the wine maker" and learn the differences of grapes grown  in our AVA and how that affects the end product, tours of the winery will be available, and comparison tasting.

Clover Hill Vineyards in Breinigsville: Help Clover Hill Winery celebrate the land that we love to grow grapes on! We will be hosting a vineyard scavenger hunt at Clover Hill Winery.  Stop in the tasting room anytime between noon -5 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday to receive your vineyard scavenger hunt list and rules, then off you go into the vineyard to find your items.  Return to the tasting room with your completed list and we will give you a prize!

Franklin Hill Vineyards in Bangor: Come see and enjoy the first established vineyard and winery in the Lehigh Valley. Our vines are 34 years old. We are excited about planting our second vineyard. We hope you will be able to see the early stages of the planting of our vineyard in the new Lehigh Valley AVA. We will be featuring Evanswood, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc and Katie's Creek. These award-winning wines are still being produced from our original vines. Supporting local agriculture, we will be featuring our Gold Medal Apple Wine with apples freshly picked from Kachline's Farm along with their apple butter and honey for sale. Delicious local cheeses from Klein's Farm will also be for sale.

Galen Glen Winery in Andreas: Interactive Soil Experience: Tours, Dessert and Master Gardeners. As stewards of our 200 year old farm, Galen will offer tours and tales of our soils.  In the theme of terroir, taste some “Dirt Dessert” paired with our Barrel 29. And on Sunday from 12:30-4:30 p.m., the Schuylkill County Master Gardeners will dispense advice on soil health, amendments, nutrients and their importance, pH and have soil test kits available to purchase.

Pinnacle Ridge Winery in Kutztown: Pinnacle Ridge celebrates the anniversary of our AVA designation by holding educational talks in our vineyard on “Terrior.”(Putting it a bit more plainly, our soil.) Why is the Lehigh Valley such a prized grape growing region? What about its soil and climate make the Lehigh Valley so suitable? Pinnacle Ridge winemaker, Brad Knapp, will take you into our vineyard and talk about dirt, rocks, rain, minerals –ask questions- Brad loves the inquisitive! Pinnacle Ridge will be serving a variety of locally grown foods and pairing them with our amazing wines. Bad Farms from Kempton PA will be showcasing their cheeses made from their own cows! Pinnacle Ridge will serve home-made pizza using mushrooms from Oley Valley Mushroom from Lobachsville,PA and cheese from Bad Farms! Additionally, we will serve a Micro-greens salad made from local farmer, Oh, Produce in Kempton, PA.

Vynecrest Winery in Breinigsville: Saturday April 24th, in honor of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day and to celebrate our Lehigh Valley AVA, Percy Doughtery will be our guest at 1pm. Percy, a former geology professor at Kutztown University, is a Lehigh County Commissioner, Wine Judge and Wine Professor at Northampton Community College. He will be joining our winemaker John Landis in the vineyard to dig a hole and discuss the terroir of the Lehigh Valley. Reservations are not required. In the winery, we will have Rob & Marty playing live on Saturday, and Arianne on Sunday from 1 - 4:30 pm. We will also have samples of our Jose Madrid Salsa to accompany tastings of our Estate -bottled Chambourcin. Open to the public, free admission.

Mark your calendars for our next event - A.V.A. Weekend

Our next special event takes place Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25 and is brand new. A.V.A. Weekend - From the Soil, to the Vine, to the Glass - celebrates the Lehigh Valley region's official designation as an American Viticultural Area, which was obtained in April 2008.

An AVA is a federal designation that enables vintners to better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to identify wines they purchase. The Lehigh Valley AVA is distinguished in part by rolling hillsides, an agricultural climate and soil composed mainly of shale, sandstone and siltstone.

It means that when you drink wine from a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail winery, you know that you are drinking something that is locally produced, unique, and specifically crafted to best showcase the Lehigh Valley!

This event will feature educational components at each winery as we teach you about what the French call "terroir" or the soil. We'll explain how the soil in our region effects the growing of the grapes and the wine's resulting taste. Some wineries will offer vineyard tours and talks, while others will feature tastings and food pairings.

Event hours are Saturday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon - 5 p.m. We hope you will join us! Stay tuned for more information!

Lehigh Valley wineries offer their pairing suggestions for Easter Dinner

Easter is a special occasion that brings families together for a day of egg hunting in the backyard, visits with an oversized bunny, and baskets filled with candy and treats. But the highlight of the day is the celebratory meal.

The nine family-owned and operated wineries of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail understand how important that meal is and are pleased to offer the following wine pairing suggestions for this year’s dinner.

Amoré Vineyards & Winery, Nazareth
Pink Passion is a perfect match for pork and sauerkraut or ham.

Big Creek Vineyard and Winery, Kresgeville
Vin di Pasqualina is best served lightly chilled with lamb.

Blue Mountain Vineyards, New Tripoli
The newly released 2009 Vignoles pairs nicely with ham, lamb or pork.

Sorrenti Cherry Valley Vineyards, Saylorsburg
Seyval Blanc, a crisp, clean white wine similar to Pinot Grigio, with citrus- like characteristics, is fantastic with shellfish, fish and fowl.

Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville
Clover Hill Cuvee is a semi-sweet, traditionally made sparkling wine. It’s excellent as an aperitif or served as a Mimosa.

Franklin Hills Vineyards, Bangor
Kiss, which is a blend of Cayuga and Vidal with just a touch of Chambourcin, is perfect with an Easter dinner of turkey or ham.

Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas
Vin Gris is a crisp rosé blended from Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin with hints of cherry, making it ideal to serve with ham or turkey.

Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown
The 2009 Riesling is the perfect accompaniment to the Easter meal.

Vynecrest Winery, Breinigsville
Vynecrest White is a versatile, semi-sweet, all-occasion dinner wine. It's a "house" blend of grapes with an aroma of apricots and green apples, with a soft pleasant finish.

Join the nine wineries of the Wine Trail on April 24 and 25 for their first A.V.A. (American Viticulture Area) Weekend, as they celebrate this important, new national designation. Visitors will learn about the uniqueness of the region’s soil that adds complexity to their wines.

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 wines from the region. All of the member wineries have won numerous awards at state, national and international levels.