Get to know... Cheryl Paynter of Franklin Hill Vineyards

1. Which winery do you work for and how long have you worked there?

I've been coming to Franklin Hill since high school, although at that time it had nothing to do with wine and was to visit my friend Adam. I've been lucky enough to work at FHV full time for about seven years.

2. What is your favorite wine that your winery makes, and why? What do you like to pair it with?

When I first started to drink wine Catawba was my favorite. But these days our Seyval Blanc is just beautiful. I enjoy a glass with a ton of vegetarian dishes that I like to prepare. It also pairs perfectly with a book and a blanket at the end of a long day.

3.  What is the most popular question you get asked by visitors about Lehigh Valley wine or wineries, and how do you answer it?

The most common question I get asked about the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail is which winery is my favorite and I tell them, well FHV of course! But they're all amazing and have their own way of standing out.

4. What do you like most about local, Lehigh Valley wine and wineries?

Lehigh Valley wineries work together yet maintain their individuality. We create wines using the same grapes but each one is unique from one another. For example each one of us has a Chambourcin wine, but boy are they different! It's amazing and interesting for our customers.

5. What is the one piece of advice you offer to wine lovers traveling along the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail?

If you're traveling the wine trail my first piece of advice is to please have designated drivers. Our wineries are quite far apart and some are on remote, back roads. Before anything is the safety of our customers.

Second would be to come early. We at FHV get very busy during the afternoon so the closer to opening time you can arrange your visit, the better. We love what we do and we love to show it off, so if you come early, we can almost always guarantee we'll be able to show you around.

Clover Hill introduces Ruby Port and plans Love Flights for Valentine's Day Weekend

We are excited to share with you our newest wine release: Ruby. This little gem is our first ever port wine modeled after the Ruby Port style. There are numerous different styles of port, but Ruby Port is one of the more common styles. A Ruby Port is produced as a young style port with more fruit forward and vibrant flavors. It tends to have a bright ruby color. Ruby Ports are only fermented in stainless steel tanks and are never sent to barrels for aging.

Ruby is Clover Hill’s first port ever released. Ruby is crafted from 100% Chambourcin grapes. We selected the Chambourcin grape to use for this wine mainly for its brilliant color and intense berry flavors. The grapes were fermented down to a point where approximately half of the sugar was consumed by the yeast and then we added back the high proof alcohol to stop the fermentation.

Clover Hill’s Ruby is a very fruit forward dessert wine, showing rich, ripe berry and jammy flavors and ends with a sweet, warm and soothing finish. Ruby is a perfect after dinner wine or best sipped on a cold winter’s night. We suggest serving this wine in a smaller cordial style glass at room temperature or with a slight chill. Only 574 bottles of Ruby were produced. Due to the limited availability of this wine there is a tasting fee of $3 per 1 ounce sample.

Wine of the Month - Catawba
For the month of February, Catawba is discounted 10% at all Clover Hill locations. Receive a 20% discount on Catawba when included in a case purchase.

Savor the sweet, grapey, and candied flavors of this wine.  Don't forget to sniff first to best enjoy the sweet grapey aroma. Now only $8.54.

Love Flights
February 13, 14, 15 & 16; noon - 5 pm all days
Tickets required: $10 per person; $8 per flight for seniors

The Winery in Breinigsville will host our annual Love Flights as a Valentine's Day celebration. Each flight will include for wines each paired with a sampling of food. There will be a dry wine flight and a sweet wine flight.

Beginner Wine Tasting Class
The Winery in Breinigsville
Saturday, February 20; 2pm
Tickets required: $25 per person

Join us in a beginner wine tasting class. This 1 ½ 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 is limited in seats. You must be 21+ years old to attend. Call 610-395-2468 or visit the winery to reserve your ticket. Classes typically sell out in advance so make your reservation now.

Clover Hill announces dates for Spring Fling and Summer Public Tours

We are pleased to announce some new awards and recognition that Clover Hill Vineyards and Winery has received. Thank you to all that support our second generation family business!

2013 Pennsylvania Wine Competition

• GOLD – Turtle Rock Red
• GOLD – Niagara
• SILVER – Cabernet Sauvignon
• BRONZE – Spiced Apple

Cheers to Clover Hill Vineyards and Winery for being selected 2013 Berks County People’s Choice and 2013 Who’s Who in the Lehigh Valley!

Winemaker, John Skrip III, and his crew are busy in the winery preparing to bottle. Soon the Pinot Grigio, Dolcetto, 2012 Pinot Noir and even the infamous Generations Three will be back in stock. Like us on Facebook to hear more about these new releases as they become available!

Our event schedule is filling up with great reasons to visit Clover Hill Winery. We look forward to your next visit and we hope you will plan a little extra time during your stay to enjoy a glass of wine on the patio!

Owner's Selection
Save 10% on your purchase of Catawba!

A great summertime sipper! Savor the sweet, grapey, and candied flavors of this wine. Don’t forget to sniff first to best enjoy the sweet aromas of grapes in the glass! Try it in our wine cake recipe. Now only $8.55. Receive an additional 10% discount when included in a case purchase!

Spring Fling In Breinigsville
Hosted by Clover Hill Winery and Vynecrest Winery
Saturday, May 11 from noon - 5 p.m.
Tickets required - $5 per person

Join your favorite Breinigsville wineries – Clover Hill and Vynecrest – for the Spring Fling. Your ticket will include a sampling of three new releases at each winery. At Clover Hill you will be sampling three new wines from the 2012 harvest and each wine will be paired with a local cheese. Vynecrest will showcase three new releases each paired with locally made chocolates.

For more information on the pairings, please visit our Facebook event.
Tickets are available for purchase at both wineries.
Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery
610.395.2468
www.cloverhillwinery.com

Vynecrest Vineyard & Winery
610.398.7525
www.vynecrest.com

Public Tours - Clover Hill Winery, Breinigsville

• Friday, June 21 at  2:30 pm
• Sunday, June 23 at 2:30 pm
• Saturday, July 13 at 1 and 2:30 pm
• Monday, July 15 at 2:30 pm
• Saturday, August 10 at 1 and 2:30 pm
• Monday, August 12 at 2:30 pm

Spend the afternoon sipping and touring Clover Hill. We will share with you our grape growing and wine-making process from start to finish. Please expect to spend 1½ hours at the winery for the tour. Weather permitting we will go into the vineyard, so casual attire is recommended. $12 per person and advance tickets are required.

Warm weather = better grapes at Clover Hill

Grape growing weather

This type of summer is made for growing grapes. The days are warm and dry, evenings have been a little cooler and overall the weather has been relatively dry. During these types of growing conditions, wine grapes will yield less fruit, but the quality will be greater with intense, rich flavors. We are eager to see what this harvest will bring, but right now the vineyards look fantastic.

Owner's Selection - Catawba

A great summertime sipper! Savor the sweet, grapey, and candied flavors of this wine. Don't forget to sniff first to best enjoy the sweet aromas of grapes in the glass. Try it in our wine cake recipe. 

Enjoy a 10% discount on Catawba the entire month of July. Receive a 20% discount on the Owner's Selection when included with case purchases.

2012 Vineyard & Winery Tour Series
Call now to get your tickets

Spend the afternoon sipping and touring Clover Hill Vineyards and Winery. We will share with you our grape growing and winemaking process from start to finish. Please expect to spend 1 ½ hours at the winery for the tour.  Weather permitting we will go into the vineyard. Casual attire is recommended. $12 per person and advance tickets are required. Free for anyone under 21. The tour is handicap accessible.

Tour Dates:

• Monday, July 23 at 2 pm
• Saturday, August 11 at noon & 2 pm
• Monday, August 20 at 2 pm

Music & Tapas on the Patio

Chef Nathan Grube and musician Craig Thatcher will return to Clover Hill Vineyards and Winery on Sunday, August 12 from 1-4 pm. Tapas are available for $6 per plate.

Clover Hill Vineyards celebrates the completion of harvest season

The 2011 grape harvest at Clover Hill’s six vineyards is complete and what a year it has been. This harvest we battled the rain, wind, birds, bees and some days we battled each other, but we did survive!

The growing season was going picture perfect. We had dry, warm heat with brilliant sunshine day after day in mid to late summer. Then Mother Nature changed her tune and gave us wet, humid conditions day after day. We worked exceptionally hard to continue to ripen our fruit and keep it clean and clear of any disease. We finally made the decision to continue picking as quickly as possible in order to harvest the fruit intact. On September 30 we picked the last grape from our vineyards and celebrated the end of a difficult season with a glass of Sparkling Pinot Noir! Right now we are going to now catch our breathe from harvest, but we promise to write a detailed summary of the 2011 grape harvest and post it to our website in the very near future. 

The fall feeling is in the air and it is the perfect time of year to enjoy Spiced Apple warmed!  We also have posted some delicious fall recipes for you to enjoy.  Let us know on our Facebook page what your favorite fall wine is – we will email you a present for sharing! 

Enjoy the season and we would like to thank you for your support and choosing to drink locally grown and produced wines!  We look forward to your next visit.

Owner's Selection
Catawba lets you sip on the sweet, grapey, and candied flavors of this wine. Don't forget to sniff first to best enjoy the sweet aromas of grapes in the glass.

Enjoy a 10% discount on Catawba the entire month of October. Receive a 20% discount on the Owner's Selection when included in a case purchase.

Chambourcin Weekend
At the winery in Breinigsville, PA
Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16 from noon - 5 p.m.

Cheers to the Chambourcin grape! Chambourcin is known as the grape of the Lehigh Valley and if you’ve ever tasted it you will agree it makes a wonderful glass of wine. Chef Nathan Grube will make a return appearance to do cooking demonstrations to be paired with our 2009 Chambourcin and Turtle Rock Red (made with 100% Chambourcin grape). Cooking demonstrations will take place at 1, 2, 3, and 4 p.m. both days.