2016 Vino in the Valley Grand Prize Winners announced!

Congratulations to the following 30 Grand Prize Winners of the 2016 Vino in the Valley passport drawing.

You will receive in the mail in the coming weeks a $25 gift certificate to the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail to be used toward the purchase of wine only. Gift certificates are valid for one year only.

Thank you for participating in this year's passport event!

Gloria Ambolino - Quakertown
Ann Christman - Palmerton
Deb Cinamella - Palmerton
Dave  Furman - Wayne
Diane Granitz - Allentown
Sharon Gross - Collegeville
Ken Hanna - Bethlehem
Brian Hugo - Walnutport
Kendra Kachline - Bangor
Laura Karns - Palmerton
Stacy Kovacs - Allentown
Nicole Larrison - Nazareth
Carol Sue Miller - Bath
Kristy Molitoris - Whitehall
Denise Nolt - Fleetwood
Megan Papuc - Bethlehem
Michele Pierce - Easton
Lisa Rodriguez - Whitehall
Ashley Romanishan - Danielsville
Carla Rowland - Easton
Jim Scheirer - Bethlehem
Paula Schmelz - Saylorsburg
Carl Schumacher Jr. - Easton
Cathy Smith - Allentown
Tammy Smith - Palmerton
Allison Solley - Bethlehem
Michelle Sterner - Allentown
Andrew White - Allentown
Eric Whitters - Easton
David Williamson - Nazareth

The start of Vino in the Valley is just a few days away!

Our annual March passport program is starting this coming weekend, March 5 & 6 at all 9 of our wine trail's member wineries.

Online passport sales ended last week but a limited number of passport remain for sale at:

• Amore
• Blue Mountain
• Clover Hill
• Pinnacle Ridge
• Tolino 

Passports are $35. You can pick them up this week, or this weekend if there are any left by then. Call ahead before visiting one of these wineries to ensure they still have passport left to sell you.

Read the Passport Program Rules before heading out, as well as our Tips for Traveling the Trail here.  One of those tips is that we recommend you plan on visiting no more than three wineries a day so you can get the most enjoyment out of your experience without being rushed. DO NOT try to visit all 9 wineries in one day. You will be too rushed and need to allow for time to drive from winery to winery safely. And of course, remember to always have a Designated Driver.

Group Guidelines:

No commercial vehicles of any type (buses, limos, vans, etc.) are allowed at the 9 member wineries during weekends in March. If you are traveling by car with a group of 8 or more people, appointments, scheduled in advance, are required at each winery you plan to visit.

Food and Wine Pairings:

Review the list of what each winery has planned for its food and wine pairings each weekend here, and then plan which wineries you will be visiting each weekend.

Where to pick up your passport holder gift: 

On the top left corner of your passport is a passport number. It correlates to a chart entitled "Pick up your gift" on the front of the passport. Check the chart to find out at which member winery you are to pick up your gift.

10 Important Things to Know about Vino in the Valley

If you are new to this annual event, or even if you've participated in it in the past, check out our blog post offering even more tips and advice to make it a great experience.

FYI - We will be launching a redesigned web site this Friday that is mobile friendly to make it more helpful when you are viewing it on a smart phone.

And the winning event name in our recent contest is...

We are excited to announce the winners of our contest to rename the March Passport Program:

2nd Prize Winner is Roy Hicks of Kutztown, Pa. who suggested "The Wines of March Tour."
1st Prize Winner is Darin Kitashima of New Tripoli, Pa. who suggested "Vines of the Valley."

And the Grand Prize Winner, and the official NEW event name is... "Vino in the Valley" suggested by Corey Marie Phillipeck of Summit Hill, Pa. 

Winners will be contacted by email later today! Congratulations to all of them and thank you to everyone who entered!

Help us rename the March Passport Program in our new contest!

We're asking for your help in coming up with a new name for our annual March Passport Program event, and we're running a contest on our web site to collect the best suggestions.

(To learn more about the March Passport Program, visit this page of our site.)

Multiple entries from one person are permitted as long as each entry contains a different name suggestion.

Go to this page of our web site to enter!

We'll select three winners:

* Grand Prize Winner will receive four passports to the 2015 March Passport event; $100 Lehigh Valley Wine Trail gift certificate; a Wine Trail wine tote bag; and your entry used as the official name of our event.
* 1st Prize Winner will receive two passports to the 2015 March Passport event; $50 Lehigh Valley Wine Trail gift certificate; and a Wine Trail tote bag.
* 2nd Prize Winner will receive one passport to the 2015 March Passport event; $25 Lehigh Valley Wine Trail gift certificate; and a Wine Trail wine tote bag.

Contestants must be age 21 or older.

Contest ends Saturday, May 31, 2014 at midnight.

2014 March Passport Program winners announced!

We are excited to announce the winners of the 2014 March Passport Program contest. 

Each winner will receive a $25 Lehigh Valley Wine Trail gift certificate which will be sent to them in the mail in the next 2-3 weeks. 

Congrats to all who won and thanks to everyone who participated in this year's event!

Jennifer Saccketti	Hazle Township
Laura Walters	Lancaster
Meghan Geiger	Walnutport
Dianne M. Trevis	Coopersburg
Ceil Connelly-Weida	Bethlehem
Angela Bashaw	Catasauqua
Kirk Schlamp	Bethlehem
Randy Nystrand	Bangor
Midge Kirchner	Allentown
Robyn Klem	Bethlehem
Laura Wisser	Center Valley
Lisa Rodriguez	Bath
Angela Pell	Boyertown
Lauren Hale	Bethlehem
Bob Shiffert	Whitehall
Bill Hanna	Hershey
Beth Loftus	Howell
Jennifer Springer	Allentown
Joe Carmina	Flanders
Jack Fliter	Bethlehem
Dave Smalley	E. Stroudsburg
Rosalie Viscomi	Bethlehem
Ann Marie Tietz	Macungie
Shawn White	Macungie
Mark Fritzinger	Fogelsville
Valerie Holzhauer	Harleysville
Cindy Watras	Boyertown
Tammy Solt	Lehighton
Raymond Hause	Horsham
Alicia Pell	Boyertown

March Passport Program and Wine & Food Inspiration this month at Clover Hill

What a long winter it has been, and if you are feeling anything like us you are looking forward to shedding your jacket and welcoming spring. At Clover Hill we are anxiously awaiting the snow to melt and the vineyard to return to life. Our first spring task will be to prune all six Clover Hill vineyards.

During the month of March we welcome friends of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail for the March Passport Program. The first four weekends in March we do a special wine and food tasting at the Winery in Breinigsville.  This year we are featuring foods from the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers' Market. Passports for this event are sold out at our winery, however if you would like to visit just Clover Hill and partake of the wine and food pairing, you can purchase a one-time pass for $5 per person. Or you can purchase an event passport at one of the other wineries on the trail until they run out.

Here is our wine and food pairing menu for the remaining three weekends of the event:

March 8 & 9
 - Jambalaya and homemade cornbread served with Sangiovese. Blackbottom cupcakes served with Concord.

March 15 & 16 - 
Meat & cheese plate paired with Cabernet Sauvignon and Vignoles. Baklava served with Vignoles.



March 22 & 23 - 
Black and Gold Turkey Filets with Mushroom & Onion Risotto served with Vidal Blanc. Baklava served with Vignoles.

We welcome spring with a glass of Clover Hill wine in hand, with fantastic farmers market foods and surrounded by our customers and friends. From all of us at Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, we look forward to your visit.

Owner’s Selection
Save 10% on your purchase of Pinot Grigio.

We make our Pinot Grigio in the Italian style, meaning it expresses crisp fruit flavors with fresh acidity.  This wine shows delicate flavors of citrus fruits, such as pink grapefruit and lemon. Pinot Grigio is the quintessential pairing with seafood. Try with steamed clams, mussels or smoked salmon.
Now only $12.14
Receive an additional 10% discount when included in a case purchase.

Upcoming Event

Wine & Food Inspiration

Allentown Fairgrounds Farmer's Market

Saturday, March 8 from 11 am - 4 pm 


Visit the Clover Hill Wine Shop for a special St. Patrick’s Day wine and food pairing. We will be sampling corned beef and cabbage paired with Pinot Noir or Clover Hill Rosé. The corned beef is from Peter’s Brothers Meat Market and the cabbage is from Bedway’s Fresh Produce. This food inspiration will be just in time to order the corned beef brisket for St. Paddy’s Day.

Galen Glen to bring Ice Wine back to the tasting list in March

Chili Cook Off recap
Thank you to everyone who made our first Chili Cook Off a huge success. We had about 120 people taste the six contestants' chilis and the competition was hot. Todd Keller of Kutztown won first prize, Julie Hamilton of Northampton won second, and Shelly Babinchak of Tamaqua came in third. We have decided to make this an annual event, so watch our website, Facebook and Twitter for details to enter next January. Stop by during Chambourcin Weekend to taste Todd's winning recipe.

Case Club News
Thank you to everyone who came in to renew their annual case club membership in January.  We trust you are enjoying the benefits of membership.  We have not yet scheduled our Winemakers Dinners and as soon as we do, active club members will receive an invitation.  For now, mark your calendar for Saturday, August 2 when we will hold an exclusive case club event.

Upcoming Event - Vintage Opportunity Weekend 
Do you have a favorite wine from the current vintage? Join us Feb. 22 & 23 for a complimentary pairing of our current vintages with gourmet cheese. Take advantage of the opportunity to stock up on your favorites while they are available. Beginning in March many of our wines will transition into the new vintage year. Saturday - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday - noon to 5 p.m.

Passports & Ice Wine
Yes, you read that correctly... Ice Wine is returning to the tasting list. We will host our Ice Wine Debut at the end of March.

Also, we have a new stock of Lehigh Valley Wine Trail March Passports to sell ($35 each), and they are also still available online until 2/25.

Food and wine pairings announced for March Passport Program

The annual Lehigh Valley Wine Trail March Passport Program begins in less than a month but there's still time to purchase passports and join us. Which food and wine pairing are you most looking forward to trying? 

(Just a reminder that food and wine pairings are samples only. They are just meant to be tastings, not a meal, so please expect them to be small.) 

Amore

Week 1. Chicken Picatta Medallions served over lemon butter tri-color orzo paired with Chardonnay

Week 2. Tortellini in a sundried tomato and basil sauce paired with Cabaret Amore

Week 3. Beef Stroganoff with bowtie pasta paired with Chambourcin

Week 4. Chicken Medallions and Pasta Florentine, roasted red peppers, artichokes and mushrooms in a light white wine sauce paired with Gregg Gregio

Big Creek

Big Creek will pair "Zuppa di Lenticchie Verdi ala Milli" with their off-dry Moonlight White. There will be a special treat on the fourth weekend compliments of Lisa.

Blue Mountain

Week 1

March 1

Mushroom Gruyere crepes compliments of “French Girl Creperie,” (crepes will be available for purchase) paired with Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pumpkin spice cake, paired with warm Mountain Spice

March 2

Pizza fondue, paired with Chambourcin

Pumpkin spice cake, paired with warm Mountain Spice

Week 2

March 8 & 9

Meatballs in blue cheese Bordelaise sauce, paired with White Merlot

Chocolate fondue, paired with Cabernet Sauvignon or Victoria’s Passion

Week 3

March 15

Chicken, lime and tortilla soup, paired with Riesling

Delectable chocolates by “Sweet Finesse” (a selection of chocolate will be available for purchase)

March 16

Chicken, lime and tortilla soup paired with Riesling

Strawberry with Nutella crepes compliments of “French Girl Creperie,”(crepes will be available for purchase) paired with Victoria’s Passion

Week 4

March 22 & 23

Chicken and pears with tarragon, paired with 2011 Chardonnay

Chocolate fondue, paired with Merlot or Victoria’s Passion

Clover Hill

For the March Passport Program 2014, Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery is celebrating the foods of the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market. This local farmers’ market has been a long time favorite of Clover Hill’s and the Skrip Family. The Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers’ Market is a food lovers dream and we couldn’t think of a better place to find menu items for the March Passport Program. Passports are required for the wine and food pairing or you can purchase a one-time pass for $5 to do the wine and food sampling at Clover Hill ONLY. We are looking forward to an Allentown Farmers’ Market inspired wine and food pairings!  For more information on the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmer’s Market, please visit www.allentownfarmersmkt.com.  

March 1 & 2

Black & Gold Turkey filets served with Edamame Salad paired with Vidal Blanc. Blackbottom cupcakes served with Concord

Market vendors include Mr. Bill’s Poultry, Gannon’s and Amish Bake Shop.

March 8 & 9

Jambalaya and homemade cornbread served with Sangiovese. Black-bottom cupcakes served with Concord.

Market vendors include Southern Delights and Amish Bake Shop.

March 15 & 16

Meats and cheeses plate paired with Cabernet Sauvignon and Vignoles. Baklava served with Vignoles.

Market vendors include Weaver’s Meats and Cheeses and Foods of the Mediterranean

March 22 & 23

Turkey London Broil served with Mushroom & Onion Risotto served with Turtle Rock Red. Baklava served with Vignoles.

Market vendors include Mr. Bill’s Poultry, Julia’s Country Kitchen & Foods of the Mediterranean

Franklin Hill

Franklin Hill Vineyards is pairing up with local restaurants.

Week 1

Vidal Blanc paired with chicken corn chowder from the Broadway Pub in Bangor.

Week 2

White Jade paired with lobster bisque from the Cherry Hill Hotel in Nazareth

Week 3 

Chambourcin will be paired with Pulled Pork from Bethlehem Brew Works.

Week 4

Fainting Goat or Redhead paired with assorted desserts from Buttercup Bakery in Nazareth

Galen Glen

Galen Glen has teamed with Bamboo Asian Cuisine of Allentown to prepare a food and wine pairing that is sure to delight any palate. This year's pairing will be Andy Liu's special homemade dumplings with pork and vegetables paired with one of Galen Glen's Riesling wines. Passport holders will have their choice of either the gold-medal winning Stone Cellar Riesling or the double gold-medal winning semi-dry Riesling.

Pinnacle Ridge

Pinnacle Ridge’s theme is "On a Stick" and they will be featuring a series of fondues and a delicious Coq au Vin.

March 1 & 2: Chicken Club Fondue made with their Dry Riesling, paired with the new 2013 Dry Riesling or the 2012 Cayuga.

March 8 & 9: Goat Cheese Fondue made with Traminette, will be paired with their 2012 Traminette or the 2012 Syrah.

March 15 & 16: Beef & Chicken Coq au Vin made with Chambourcin and served with a Garden Herb Aioli Sauce paired with their 2012 Chambourcin or the 2012 Quaff.

Marc 22 & 23: Bananas Foster Fondue paired their 2012 Sweet Seduction or the soon-to-be-released Blanc de Blanc.

Vynecrest

All-American Slider Month at Vynecrest

Week 1 & 2

Chicken, apple, and bacon sliders with Gouda cheese on slider rolls paired with Summertime red wine.

Week 3 & 4

Chipotle pulled pork sliders with provolone cheese on slider rolls paired with Traminette white wine.

Vynecrest brings home awards from PA Farm Show Wine Competition

The results of the 2013 Pennsylvania Farm Show wine competition are in, and Vynecrest received a medal for all eight wines that were entered.

• 
2012 Lemberger - Double Gold 

• 2012 Chambourcin - Gold 

• 2012 Dry Riesling - Bronze 

• 2012 Riesling - Bronze 

• 2012 Pinot Grigio - Bronze 

• 2012 Vynecrest Red - Bronze 
• 
2012 Traminette - Bronze 

• 2012 Cherry DiVyne - Bronze

January Specials 

Wine of the Month - Spiced Winter Red, additional 10% off 

3 Pack of the Month - 3 Vynecrest White - $25
(at winery only; 3 pack can't be combined with other discounts)

Upcoming Events

January & February - Vynecrest Piano & Wine Bar - Open every Saturday & Sunday, 1- 5 pm

January 26 - Jazz Sunday: Live Jazz music in the Vyneskeller, 1 - 4 pm

February 1 - Super Bowl Chili Saturday: 
Once again, Vynecrest will be pairing chili and wine on the Saturday before the Super Bowl. A popular yearly event, this year we will feature Mr. Bill’s Chili from the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market paired with our recent PA Farm Show award-winning wines.

Mr. Bill’s Turkey Chili (red sauce) is made starting with local grown, antibiotic free, skinless turkey meat from Koch’s Turkey farm, a local Tamaqua premium turkey grower. This recipe has gone through many improvements over the years and it is a great blend of tomatoes, beans, lean turkey and spices. It will be paired with our Gold Medal Chambourcin red wine.

New to Mr. Bill’s is their White Chicken Chili. A blend of Bell & Evans chicken breast meat and ground chicken are the base for this chili. Mr. Bill does not use a cream-based sauce, but instead they puree the white beans and add sautéed onions, garlic, celery and a unique spice blend as well as whole white beans. This slightly spicy chili lends well to a pairing with our Bronze Medal winning Traminette, a white Gewurztraminer hybrid with a flowery bouquet and seductive spicy finish.

Customers will have a chance to sample both of these delicious chili and wine pairings and the chili will be available for purchase by the bowl to eat in our Vyneskeller Wine Bar or for take out. 
A great start to your Super Bowl weekend.

February 23 - Jazz Sunday, Live Jazz music in the Vyneskeller, 1 - 4 pm

March - Lehigh Valley Wine Trail March Passport Program: 
There are still passports available for sale. The winery will be open for tastings but all food pairings are exclusively for passport holders. Tickets can be purchased online or at the winery.

Weeks 1 & 2 Pairing: Chicken, apple, bacon sliders with gouda cheese on slider rolls paired with Summertime red wine.
Weeks 3 & 4 Pairing: Chipotle pulled pork sliders with provolone cheese on slider rolls paired with Traminette white wine.

Hours of Operation 
Breinigsville - 7 Days a week, 11 am - 5 pm 

Kutztown - Tuesday - Sunday, noon - 6 pm

Glass Half Empty
by Sam Landis

Many days at Vynecrest are spent doing rote, repetitive, mindless tasks. Whether it is bottling, cleaning tanks, or pumping wine, these jobs require very little skill and provide very little reward. That's why our winemaker Malachi and I really enjoy the next few months. People may think wine making is simply the process of adding yeast to juice and fermenting it into wine. By definition yes this is true. But the real trick of the trade is the process of taking 30 different tanks of wine and combining them into 18-20 final blends. So how do you do this you ask? We drink a lot!

Behind each finished wine is on average 8 to 10 different versions that we put together on a small scale and blindly taste and make notes on. Sometimes we differ on opinions, sometimes we agree, but most of the time we pick and choose and tinker until we both feel like we finally have it. You would be amazed at the subtle nuances of what 5% of this or 10% of that makes in the overall make-up of a wine, but when you put them all blindly side by side it's a really fun and creative process - one that makes us realize why we do all of those other crappy jobs the rest of the year.

So next time you sit down with a bottle of our wine remember how hard we worked drinking sample after sample after sample after sample after sample after sample so you could enjoy it.

Wine Dinner, Happy Hour and more at Franklin Hill this winter

We hope you enjoyed your holidays and wish you the very best 2014 has to offer. We are grateful for your patronage throughout the past years and look forward to your continued support in the years to come.  e always strive to be our best and can honestly say "we love what we do."

Elaine, Adam and the Franklin Hill Vineyards Family

Wine and Dine at the Broadway Pub
62 Broadway, Bangor, PA 18013
January 22 at 7 p.m.

Franklin Hill Vineyards and the Broadway Pub are pairing up to offer you a spectacular dining experience. Each of the four courses have been created to complement one of our wines. From lobster to creme brûlée, it's a feast you won't want to miss. $50 per person. Call to reserve your table - 610-332-9463.

Introducing Happy Hour! (It's not just for bars anymore.)

Franklin Hill Vineyards is excited to announce Friday Night Happy Hour at all of our retail locations. From 4-6 p.m. we'll be handing out samples of creative cocktails made with our wines and a light snack to pair it with. Every week we'll feature a different combination of deliciousness so stop by and join the fun.

Restaurant Week in Downtown Bethlehem

Downtown Bethlehem presents the most delicious weeks of the year in Bethlehem's Historic District and South Side Shopping District. January 26 through February 1 over 30 restaurants will be offering fixed-price menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Reservations are strongly recommended and can made by contacting the restaurant directly.

Don't forget to swing by our Bethlehem's location on Main Street for a bottle to enjoy at any of the BYOB restaurants. Or dine at the Apollo Grill and ask for a glass of Trio.

March Passports now on sale

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail 2014 March Passport Program is right around the corner. All eight of the wine trail wineries open their doors the first four weekends in March and invite you in for pairings, tastings and more. If you haven't purchased your passports yet stop in any of our locations today or buy online. $35 each. (cash only)