Lehigh Valley Wine Trail's Annual Harvest Weekend event celebrates viticulture, winemaking and farming

As summer winds down, harvest season begins at the nine locally owned and operated wineries of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. It’s the time of year when all of spring and summer’s hard work pays off for these farmers. The grapes they have grown are removed from the vine and their juices extracted for fermenting into the 2016 vintage.

On Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11, the wineries will celebrate the grape harvest with the Wine Trail’s annual Harvest Weekend event during which they will welcome wine lovers for a variety of different activities at each winery such as tastings, vineyard and winery tours, food and wine pairings, and live entertainment. They will also proudly promote the state’s “Pennsylvania Preferred” program by partnering with manufacturers of other Pennsylvania products to showcase their high level of quality. (See below for a list of activities.) Visit www.HarvestWeekendLVWT.com for complete event details.

Event hours are Saturday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon - 5 p.m.  Harvest Weekend is a free event, however each winery sets its own fee policy for wine tastings, live music, and vineyard and winery tours. Please refer to each winery’s web site for details.

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail is a nonprofit organization of wineries whose mission is to promote agri-tourism and to create a premier wine destination and grape growing region while promoting Pennsylvania wines from the region. For more information, visit www.LehighValleyWineTrail.com.

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HARVEST WEEKEND 2016 HIGHLIGHTS

Amore Vineyards, Nazareth - will pair cheese tortellini in a tomato and basil sauce with Cabaret Amore.

Big Creek Vineyard, Kresgeville - will showcase locally grown fruit from Heckman Orchards as well as will have a cheese selection for tasting.

Blue Mountain Vineyards, New Tripoli – now that fall is in swing, the winery will feature food and wine pairing ideas for the big football game. Culinary Experience Catering will offer homemade mac and cheese bites and mini meatball sliders paired with their 2015 White Merlot. On Saturday, Jordan White will perform live from 1-4 pm (no reservations needed; free). For Sunday Blues, the Sarah Ayers and James Supra Quartet will perform from 2-5 pm (reservations preferred; $5 admission). Guests are welcome to take a self-guided tour through the vineyard.

Clover Hill Vineyards, Breinigsville - Bleiler's Produce Patch will have a farm stand with a supply of farm fresh, organic produce for purchase. In addition, the winery will be celebrating its 31st anniversary and offering a 31% discount on all wines from September 8-11.

Franklin Hill Vineyards, Bangor – will welcome back fall with the return of its spiced pumpkin wine Potion X to the wine list, and will also be releasing a brand new cinnamon hard cider called Fire. Pumpkin-Rumtini's featuring Potion X and Social Still’s brand new Spiced Rum will be available to sample or to enjoy by the glass. Kendra’s Buttercup Bakery’s brand new food truck will sell their fantastic baked goods. Other local products such as honey and apple butter will be for sale as well. Tours will be offered at noon and 2 pm all weekend.

Galen Glen, Andreas - will feature “Taste the Grape, Taste the Wine.” Experience the flavors of their featured grape and follow it up with a taste of the finished wine. Walking tours will occur both days at 1 pm. Plus, locally sourced gourmet cheese, honey, and fruit plates will be available for purchase.

Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown - will partner with La Cocina Mexicana from Kutztown. Sal will prepare chicken chimichangas with either salsa verde or salsa rojo and sour cream and guacamole. This savory delight will be paired with either the winery’s newly released Dry Rose (75% Chambourcin and 25% Cabernet Franc), or its slightly sweet Traminette.

Tolino Vineyards, Bangor - will highlight their partnership with Two Rivers Brewing Company of Easton, a farm-to-table restaurant, and their squash bisque, which will be paired with their 2015 Lilly wine. A seasonal beer from Two Rivers will be for sale by the pint and free samples of beer brewed at Tolino Vineyards will be available to taste. The Chris Cummings Jazz Trio will perform on Saturday, and The Moon Dogs will perform on Sunday.  

Vynecrest, Breinigsville - Stuffed to the Grills, a PA Preferred food truck, will be at Vynecrest 11 am – 5 pm Saturday and Sunday with their delicious menu including brie bites with raspberry sauce. In addition, the winery will have samples of pumpkin whoopie pies paired with their Autumn Gold wine, and also available for purchase.

LEHIGH VALLEY WINE TRAIL’S ANNUAL HARVEST WEEKEND EVENT CELEBRATES VITICULTURE, WINEMAKING, & FARMING

As summer winds down, harvest season begins at the nine locally owned and operated wineries of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. It’s the time of year when all of spring and summer’s hard work pays off for these farmers. The grapes they have grown are removed from the vine and their juices extracted for fermenting into the 2015 vintage.

On Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13, the wineries will celebrate the grape harvest with the Wine Trail’s annual Harvest Weekend event during which they will welcome wine lovers for a variety of different activities at each winery such as tastings, vineyard and winery tours, food and wine pairings, and live entertainment. They will also proudly promote the state’s “Pennsylvania Preferred” program by partnering with manufacturers of other Pennsylvania products to showcase their high level of quality.  Visit www.HarvestWeekendLVWT.com for complete event details.

Event hours are Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon - 5 p.m.  Harvest Weekend is a free event, however each winery sets its own wine tasting fee policy. Please refer to each winery’s web site for specifics.

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail is a non-profit organization of wineries whose mission is to promote agri-tourism and to create a premier wine destination and grape growing region while promoting Pennsylvania wines from the region. For more information, visit www.LehighValleyWineTrail.com.

HARVEST WEEKEND 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

Amoré Vineyards & Winery, Nazareth - will pair beef barbecue and Cabaret Amore.

Big Creek Vineyard and Winery, Kresgeville - will showcase lemon squares and sugar cookie fruit tarts from MMM...  Cookies. Pair their treats with Moonlight White for the drier wine enthusiast, or Dulcinea for those who prefer something a little sweeter.

Blue Mountain Vineyards, New Tripoli – will partner with Sweet Finesse who will offer samples of their unique artisan chocolate treats to pair with Victoria’s Passion wine, as well as items for purchase. They are also partnering with Trixie’s Treats, award-winning baked goods and savory treats. On Saturday, they will have complimentary live music by Adam Motto from 1-5 pm. For Sunday Blues, award-winning musician Scott Marshall will perform live from 2-5 pm ($5 admission – advance reservations required). Guests should feel free to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the breathtaking views from the outdoor deck.

Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville – sample its newly released 2014 Pinot Noir. They will have a farm stand selling vegetables from Bleiler’s Produce Patch, an organic farm, which is located only minutes from the winery in Breinigsville. This weekend is also their anniversary sale. As a thank you for 30 years of business they are offering customers a 30 percent discount on wine purchases.

Franklin Hill Vineyards, Bangor – on Saturday join head winemaker Bonnie Pysher for a Harvest Hike through the vineyard at 1 pm. Bonnie will talk about how they harvest from vine to wine. Then return to the winery and enjoy an outdoor tasting under their new pavilion and a complimentary tour of the facility.  In celebration of the harvest they’ll offer cranberry apple sangria and apple cider spritzers by the glass all weekend, and they’ll have local products such as Klein Farms apple butter, McCollians honey, and fall treats and baked goods from Kendra’s Bakery in Nazareth. 

Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas – will offer a complimentary pairing of Late Harvest wine with Mycella blue cheese drizzled with apple caramel sauce. Janet Derkits, renowned cheese monger of Seasons in Bethlehem, will sell cheese plates to enjoy with a glass of wine. Walking tours of the vineyard will be offered each day at 1 and 3 pm.

Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown - will feature Dry Riesling or Vidal Blanc with fresh, locally grown tomatoes. The tomatoes will be sliced and served with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and fresh goat cheese from Kirchenberg Farms.

Tolino Vineyards, Bangor - will welcome wine lovers for wine tastings, wagon tours of the vineyard, and live entertainment by the Boiled Owls on Saturday and Tom Vicario on Sunday. They will also offer guests local apples from Scholl Orchards paired with delicious dips, accompanied with their wine.

Vynecrest Winery, Breinigsville - will partner with PA Preferred food truck Stuffed to the Grills both days from 11 am - 5 pm. They will serve up their tasty sandwiches plus their signature dish of Irish nachos - homemade potato chips covered in cheddar cheese sauce and topped with crumbled bacon and green onion, which can then be paired with Vynecrest’s Autumn Gold wine. Vynecrest will also offer free tours of the vineyard and wine cellar each day at 1 pm.

Harvest 2014 winds down at Clover Hill

For 39 years, we have eagerly awaited harvest, the culmination of our work in the vineyard. During those 39 harvests we have witnessed all sorts of weather - rain, drought, hurricanes, thunderstorms, windstorms - but this year fickle Mother Nature has been kind.

The vineyards came through a very cold winter without any major issues. Spring and summer, though seeming cool, were actually normal with enough rain when needed and temperatures warm but not excessively hot.

The weather during harvest has been perfect - stretches of dry, sunny days with enough rain when needed. The vineyard predators, particularly the starlings, have been kept at bay thanks to netting all the red grapes.

The grape varieties still on the vines are the reds - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Chambourcin. Soon the 2014 harvest will be history. In the meantime, here's hoping for a little more sunshine and warmth to bring it all together for the reds.

Harvest is a great time to visit Clover Hill. Enjoy a glass of wine outside on the patio... and watch us work. Additionally we have a number of fun specials and upcoming events during October. Keep reading for more details. Hope to see you at the winery. - Pat Skrip

Please note: If you are traveling to the winery in Breinigsville, Schantz Road will be partially closed until July 2015. Click here for available detours.

Owner’s Selection for October 
Turtle Rock Red is a flagship wine for Clover Hill Winery. It is produced 100% from Chambourcin, the grape of the Lehigh Valley. The deep purple color, fresh berry flavors, a hint of sweetness and a touch of acidity are characteristics of this wine. This wine pairs nicely with grilled salmon & spicy chili. (Find recipes here.) Now only $12.15.

Wine and Food Pairing 
Boscov’s Fairgrounds Farmer's Market
October 16th - 18th

Stop in the Clover Hill Wine Shop at the Boscovs’ Fairgrounds Farmer's Market anytime during this week for a sampling of a Wicked Turtle made with our Turtle Rock Red. Recipes will be available.

Pumpkin Carving Contest
The Winery in Breinigsville
Entries must be received by October 17. Judging takes place October 18 and 19

How to enter: Carve a pumpkin and deliver it to the Winery in Breinigsville on October 15, 16 or 17 between 10 am - 5:30 pm. Must be 21 to enter.

The Judging: All pumpkins will be on display during Chambourcin Weekend, October 18 and 19 at the Winery in Breinigsville. Visitors at the Winery will be encouraged to vote for their favorite carved pumpkins with any spare change. The pumpkins’ change will be counted on Sunday, October 19 at 4 pm. Winners will be announced at 4:30 pm. All money raised will be donated to Angel 34; a national organization united in the fight against childhood cancer and dedicated to finding a cure.

The Winners:    

• 1st Place ~ $200 Clover Hill gift card
• 2nd Place ~ $75 Clover Hill gift card
• 3rd Place ~ $50 Clover Hill gift card
• All contestants will receive a free Clover Hill t-shirt for entering. 

Vynecrest begins grape harvest

The grapes are coming in! Recently we picked Geisenheim that we use for our Riesling blend, as well as Vignoles and Seyval Blanc. The harvest has been great so far. Next week we will likely pick Pinot Grigio. We started off a little slow this year in terms of ripening but the weather is finally cooperating.

September Specials 
* Wine of the Month - Dry Riesling, additional 10% off
* Three pack of the month - 3 First Blush for $30

*at winery only, 3 pack can't be combined with other discounts

Upcoming Events
September 18 - Macungie Farmer's Market, Memorial Park, 4 - 7 pm

September 25 - Macungie Farmer's Market, Memorial Park, 4 - 7 pm

September 28 - Jazz Sunday - Live Jazz music in the Vyneskeller, 1 - 4 pm, and Vineyard and Winery Tour at noon, $5 per person

Glass Half Empty

Is summer over? Really over? It went by so quickly. 

It’s September, back to school and work, and around here that means Harvest with a capital H. And it’s already started. Yes, we harvested our Geisenheim grapes on August 28. Geisenheim who? It’s a German Riesling hybrid grape which, when blended with our Riesling, adds that necessary bit of acidity which gives our Dry Riesling and our semi-sweet Riesling wines a special added tartness and grapefruit taste.

Also, being one of the earliest grapes to ripen, it attracts those nasty black birds who come looking to spoil our harvest. So by harvesting this grape early, we hope to encourage them to go elsewhere to eat. Meanwhile the rest of the vineyard has a chance to ripen even more.

This is a very special time of year for us as we kick off vintage 2014! We hope to see you soon.

For more information, visit www.vynecrest.com

Winery in Breinigsville - Open seven days a week, 11 am - 5 pm
Vynecrest on Main in Kutztown - Open seven Days a week, noon - 6 pm

Spiced Winter Red is back for the fall at Vynecrest

Spiced Winter Red is available starting today.

The 2013 harvest is going great. We are picking Lemberger and Merlot this week. Just a few more weeks and all of the grapes will be in; we just need this great weather to hold out until then.

It is just about time to set our sights on the holidays. Christkindlmarkt opens in just a few weeks on November 21 and we will have a booth there as always.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Vynecrest is donating $1 to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition for every 3 pack of the month sold.

October Specials 

* Wine of the Month - Chambourcin, additional 10% off
* 3 Pack of the Month - 3 First Blush for $25
(at winery only, 3 pack can't be combined with other discounts)

Upcoming Events

• October 3 - Macungie Farmer's Market, Memorial Park, 4 - 7 pm
• October 4 - Artist Harvest, Kutztown, 5 - 8 pm - Throughout downtown Kutztown the Artist Harvest is a celebration of art at multiple locations. Come explore the town and meet our artists and photographers while enjoying the bounty of the season. For more information and a complete list of participating vendors click here.
• October 10 & 17 - Macungie Farmer's Market, Memorial Park, 4 - 7 pm
• October 19 & 20 - Lehigh Valley Wine Trail Chambourcin Weekend - Vynecrest will be highlighting the versatility of our Jewel of the Lehigh Valley, the Chambourcin grape, by pairing our 2012 dry Chambourcin wine with Sticky Chicken - slowly cooked chicken basted in a flavorful sticky marinade that clings to the chicken. This sauce, made with our Chambourcin wine (recipe available), can be used for Sticky Chicken over rice or Sticky Chicken Wings.
• October 24 & 31 - Macungie Farmer's Market, Memorial Park, 4 - 7 pm

Glass Half Empty
by Jan Landis

In 1999, our son Ben was studying for his MBA at Lehigh University and had contact with ArtsQuest staff members who are involved with Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem. One thing led to another and we signed on to be the winery at this festival for the four-week Christmas season.

Since we prided ourselves in making wines similar to those of Northern France and Germany - Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Lemberger -we felt strongly that we needed to develop a German Gluwein for Christkindlmarkt. We already grew the Baco Noir grape in our vineyard which had a wonderful complex nature, so we researched recipes for a Gluwein and began to develop our own Spiced Winter Red.

Our other son, Sam, was home at the time and John, Sam and I spent an afternoon in my kitchen trying various recipes adding spices to our Baco Noir wine and heating cups of it in the microwave. Various amounts of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and orange extract were tried until we came up with a winning combination.

We chose a black and white Currier & Ives-like photo of the winery for the label, and bottled about 100 gallons. We thought it was a great wine warmed up in a crockpot and served with shortbread or spice cookies; if only it would sell. And sell it did! So well, in fact, it only lasted for the first two weeks that first year at Christkindlmarkt.

Greatly encouraged, we made more of it the next year and again it sold out. We seem to keep making more of this holiday favorite each year as it is also popular with campers in the off-season. We take pride in using freshly ground spices in our recipe which hasn't changed very much since that first time in my kitchen. The only difference is now we make about 1,100 gallons of Spiced Winter Red, and we don’t make it in my kitchen.

Grape harvest 2013 begins at Vynecrest

The grapes are starting to come in. Recently we picked Seyval Blanc and a grape named Geisenheim that we use for our Riesling blend. Now we are picking Vignoles, Chardonnay and Traminette. The harvest has been great so far. Soon we will pick Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir.

It was a big week for Vynecrest at the Great Allentown Fair. Once again, John Landis was a chocolate cake judge, and then on September 1 we participated in the Great Grape Stomp along with Clover Hill Winery.

Our team was the politicians - Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, Lehigh County Commissioner Percy Daugherty, Lehigh County Executive Matt Croslis, and Pa. Rep Gary Day, who stomped against Clover Hill's team of media representatives. It was a very close finish with the slight edge going to Clover Hill. It was all in good fun to emphasize the importance the impact of our local Lehigh Valley wineries have on Pa. agriculture and local business and industry in the Valley. The stomp was followed up by a cupcake tasting with our Cherry Divyne wine.

September Specials 

• Wine of the Month - Riesling, additional 10% off 
• Three pack of the month - 3 Vynecrest Red for $30

(at winery only; three pack can't be combined with other discounts)

Upcoming Events

• September 19 - Macungie Farmer's Market, Memorial Park, 4 - 7 pm
• September 26 - Macungie Farmer's Market, Memorial Park, 4 - 7 pm
• September 29 - Jazz Sunday - Live Jazz music in the Vyneskeller, 1 - 4 pm
• October 3 - Macungie Farmer's Market, Memorial Park, 4 - 7 pm

Glass Half Empty
by Sam Landis

Harvest.. September usually signals a lot of similar thoughts to many people. Back to school. End of summer. The beginning of football. But for me, for the last 30 years of my life, September has always meant one thing - harvest.

We began picking grapes recently, in what is now the 36th harvest at Vynecrest Winery. Some things have changed such as grape varieties, equipment, people, and vineyards. Some things have not changed such as paper, rock, scissors between Malachi and I to see who picks up the heavy lugs. Stupid fights with my dad over how to hook up hoses. Cold Miller lights at 7 p.m. as my mom brings us appetizers while we clean up.

But the biggest change at harvest at Vynecrest is that we are starting to look differently at what picking grapes really means. For years we would look at the grapes as grapes and see how we could grow the best possible grapes and then see how we could make the best possible wines from those grapes. Now, this is not the worst blueprint in the world, mind you, as it has served us well for many years.

But, recently in the last few years we have started working backwards. All grapes have their own identity (Ph, TA, Sugar, Tannin,), and that all stops once you make that final snip of the stem and they fall into the press. So we have started to work off the wine we want to make first as the determination of when we pick the grapes. Some of our wines are better served with higher Ph or lower acid or higher alcohol or lower alcohol, and these decisions are made in the vineyard and not the wine cellar.

There is still a lot to learn and we still make mistakes, but we are getting better and better every year and that is a pretty cool thing to be a part of and a very rewarding thing.

But I still like that some things never change. We are picking Chardonnay now so I am looking forward to a couple cold Miller Lights tonight at 7 p.m. with some snacks, waiting for the beginning of football... ah, harvest.

Vynecrest Winery announces new releases and live music lineup

The vineyard is coming back to life after a mild winter. It's a great time of year to sit on the Vyneskeller patio and listen to live music which we have in the Vyneskeller every Saturday and Jazz Sunday the last Sunday of every month.

Vynecrest on Main, our new tasting room in Kutztown, is up and running. Thank you to all of you who have come in to say hello and welcomed us to the Kutztown community. If you have not had a chance to visit the new store, come on out and enjoy a glass of wine and the best view in Kutztown.

The 2011 wines are rolling out and they have to be tasted to be believed. One of the most exciting things about wine is how the same wine can change from one vintage to the next. Our most recent releases are:

• Pinot Grigio
• Chardonnay
• Vynecrest White
• Pinot Noir
• Chambourcin

April specials

• Wine of the Month - Riesling - additional 10% off (at winery only, not to be combined with other discounts)

• Three Pack of the Month - 3 Niagara for $25 (can be combined with other discounts, so if you buy a case, the wine of the month is 20% off.)

Upcoming Events

April 14 - Live music in the Vyneskeller, Jake Kaligis, 1:30-4:30 pm
April 14 & 15 - Bear Creek Spring Wine & Food Festival,  1-5 pm both days
April 21 - Live music in the Vyneskeller - Connie Edinger, 1:30-4:30 pm
April 28 - Live music in the Vyneskeller - Mike Pilgermayer, 1:30-4:30 pm
April 29 - Jazz Sunday, Live Jazz music in the Vyneskeller with Andy & Dan 1:30-43 0pm
May 5 - Live music in the Vyneskeller, Jake Kaligis, 1:30-4:30 pm
May 12 - Live music in the Vyneskeller, The Large Flowerheads acoustic trio, 1:30-4:30 pm
May 19 - Taste of Kutztown, 3-8 pm

May 19 & 20 - Lehigh Valley Wine Trail Weekend - Wine in Bloom

We will be releasing our 2011 vintage of Lemberger, made from our estate-grown red vinifera grapes. We will be pairing it with Amish farmstead Goot Essa woodsmoked cheddar cheese. There will be a winemaker’s tour both Saturday and Sunday of the vineyard and wine cellar at 1 p.m. On Saturday, there will be live music 1:30-4:30 p.m. by Art’s Acoustic Oldies in our Vyneskeller Wine Bar. Open to the public with no charge.

In The Vineyard

The pruning is done and the buds are starting to open up. It is nice to see the vineyard come back to life in the spring. Over the next few weeks we will be planting another two acres of grapes and keeping our fingers crossed for no late-spring freezes.

Live music, new releases and wine specials from Blue Mountain Vineyards

New releases

2011 Vidal Blanc
There are hints of green apple on the nose before giving way to a rich burst of pineapple.

2011 Chardonnay
This unoaked fruit forward wine exhibits flavor of pear, citrus and green apple, leaving a lasting palette impression.

April specials

$1 off 2004 Chambourcin
$1 off Mountain Spice

Sunday Blues schedule

04/15 ~ Scott Marshall & The Hillbilly Souls
04/22 ~ Wow Brothers (Come wish Davey a Happy Birthday!)
04/29 ~ Jake Kaligis & Mike Rauscher's Dynamic Duo

Please call or email for reservations. $5 admission includes a wine tasting. If reservations are made, we ask that you arrive no later than 2:15 p.m.    

Festival season is here!

April 14 & 15 ~ Bear Creek Food & Wine Festival (Macungie)
April 21 ~ Flavor Festival (Phoenixville)
April 27 ~ ARCH Annual Wine Tasting & Auction (at the Winery)
May 5 ~ Wings & Wine Fest (Tunkhannock)

What a spring frost means for local vineyards

This article was featured in the April edition of the Pinnacle Ridge Winery e-newsletter.

Spring has sprung - early! A prolonged stretch of unusually warm weather in March has sent a message to many plants that it is time to grow. This early warm weather launches the growing season earlier than normal which means (everything else being equal) we should have an earlier harvest than normal. Years with an early harvest are generally better years as the fruit has more time to hang and get fully ripe in warmer weather. It tends to be especially helpful in getting the late red varieties fully ripe. However, there is one caveat that can not be overlooked - the danger that Mr. Jack Frost will visit while tender green shoots are exposed.

In the last 20 years of growing grapes, we have observed killing frosts as late as May 20. It is not normal to have frost that late but it does happen. The first week or two in May would generally be regarded as the last frost date. So what happens to the vines in this situation?  Like most things it is not as simple as it seems.

Typical spring frosts in our area occur on very clear, cloudless nights. The absence of clouds allows the warmer air to move up into the atmosphere while the colder (more dense) air sinks to low spots. Naturally any low spots in a vineyard are prone to freezing before higher spots. So within a vineyard site there will be  areas that are colder than others.

The other variable is the level of exposure of the new shoots on the vine. Closed buds on a vine can withstand cold weather down to zero degrees or lower. As the root systems awaken in the spring and push sap into the vine. the cold hardiness of the buds diminishes. As the bud swells and starts to open it becomes more and more susceptible to frost/freeze injury. A swollen bud can withstand temperatures down to around 25 degrees whereas new shoots with several leaves showing will suffer injury at 30 degrees.

Different varieties push their shoots at different times and not all shoots push at exactly the same time. Our earliest varieties are our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The shoots on these varieties push weeks earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon or Chambourcin. So during a frost/freeze event the level of damage depends on location in the vineyard and on the progress of shoot development on the different varieties. Frost injury usually ends up hitting one or two varieties harder than others and mainly in lower, colder locations in the vineyard.

Once a shoot has been injured the vines will push secondary or tertiary shoots. On most varieties of vines these shoots will not carry much fruit (if any) but they do allow the vine to produce leaves which allows photosynthesis to occur and the plant to survive. So frost doesn't generally kill plants but does reduce the
yield of grapes. Our buds in the Chardonnay have started to swell and we will most likely have bud break in the first days of April. This is exactly what happened in 2010.

So keep your fingers crossed that we don't have any of those clear, cold nights for the rest of April!

Chambourcin Weekend details announced!

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail will once again celebrate the region’s official wine grape during Chambourcin Weekend on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16.  

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.

Wineries will feature wine tastings, live entertainment, food and wine pairings, and other activities. Event hours at all of the wineries are Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon – 5 p.m. Chambourcin Weekend is a free event, however some wineries charge for wine tastings. Check the Wine Trail web site for details.

CHAMBOURCIN WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS

Amoré Vineyards & Winery, Nazareth - Amore will feature five styles of hand-crafted Chambourcin wine pared with an assortment of artisan breads, dipping oils and cheeses.

Big Creek Vineyard and Winery, Kresgeville - Big Creek Vineyard will pair a "Soupe Chanterelle," made with local Chanterelle mushrooms, with their 2010 Chambourcin.

Blue Mountain Vineyards, New Tripoli - Saturday: Di Bruno Brothers out of South Philadelphia will be sampling their cheeses to pair with Chambourcin. Rob will be playing as free entertainment from 1-4 p.m.

Sunday: They will offer winery tours every hour from 1-5 p.m. Join them for Sunday Blues from 2-5 p.m. featuring Scott Marshall & The Hillbilly Souls ($5 admission to Sunday Blues; includes wine tasting).

Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville - 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 their 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.

Franklin Hill Vineyards, Bangor - Beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday Franklin Hill will feature Pivinski's Premier Polish Prince's Pierogis for tasting paired with 2010 Chambourcin or Simply Red.  Guests may also purchase pierogis to eat at the winery or for sale by the dozen to take home with a bottle of their favorite wine.  While you enjoy the pierogis, enjoy the tunes as Robert Michaels entertains with great acoustic guitar.

Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas - Fiesta for your taste buds. Zesty Taco soup prepared by charismatic Gary and Kathy, who are independent Pampered Chef consultants, will be paired with the winery’s Gold medal Chambourcin or Cellar Red.

Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown - Pinnacle Ridge will be serving tender beef French dip with their Chambourcin wine reduction au jus. For vegetarians they'll be serving sautéed vegetable French dip with Chambourcin wine reduction vegetarian au jus. Pinnacle Ridge 2009 Chambourcin, 2008 Chambourcin Reserve and Sweet Seduction (100% Chambourcin) will be their featured wines.

Vynecrest Winery, Breinigsville - Vynecrest Winery will be partnering with The Farmhouse, a farm-to-table restaurant, to present the following tasting menu to pair with samples of the winery’s Gold Medal 2010 Chambourcin Wine. Chef Javin Small will be at the winery at 1 p.m. both days and will be conducting a cooking demonstration on Sunday.

Saturday’s Menu: Mediterranean herby hummus with Rip Rap artisan crackers. Assorted grilled pizzas with seasonal toppings and manchego cheese with red and black currant jam on French baguette slices. Connie Edinger performs live from 1-4:30 p.m.

Sunday’s Menu: Chinese five spice hummus with Rip Rap artisan crackers, seared herbed lamb lollipops with fire roasted poblano pepper walnut pesto and manchego cheese with red and black currant jam on French baguette slices.