Franklin Hill joins a farmers market, hosts a food truck and hits the road to a wine festival

Our Festival Crew is packing up and heading out to the Renaissance Faire in Manheim, Pa this weekend, May 23 & 24, for FlavorFEST, one of our favorite festivals of the year! Come enjoy samples from over 20 PA wineries.  Did we mention it's FREE? See you there!

Crepes & Mimosas
May 31 - noon - 4 pm

Full of Crepe is parking their Green Machine Crepe Truck here at FHV. They will offer sweet and savory crepes.

Can't make it that day? No worries; they'll be back on June 14 and June 28. The tasting room will be open and we'll be offering delicious mimosas as well. Sounds delicious doesn't it?

Wino Wednesdays
Blue Mountain Slopeside Pub & Grill

Join us every Wednesday from 5:30-8:30 pm for a night of fun, wine sampling and clams. All wine products are half price and clams are only $2.99 with any wine purchase. Grab a seat inside or outside on the deck. The views are amazing from anywhere.

Monroe Farmers Market
8 am - noon

We're so excited to be part of the Monroe Farmers Market starting this Saturday, May 23. It's located just off Main Street in Stroudsburg at the Courthouse Square. The market has been serving the community since 1979 offering farm fresh produce, eggs, plants, baked goods, homemade pastas, sauces, jams, jellies and of course, wine.

Happy Memorial Day!
FHV will be open Monday, May 25 as follows:

The Winery - 11 am - 3 pm
Tannersville - 11 am - 5 pm
Easton - 10 am - 4 pm
Historic Bethlehem - 10 am - 4 pm
(The wine shop at Social Still will be closed.)

Spend Memorial Day Weekend at Lehigh Valley wineries

Here is what a few of our member wineries have planned for the holiday weekend:

Galen Glen
Join us for one complimentary, enlightening walking tour of the vineyard and wine cellar. Tours depart from the tasting room each day at noon. Please wear sturdy foot gear. No reservations required and tours are held weather permitting.

Also, Summer Slushy season starts! Sample a sweet frozen wine treat. One taste of our legendary Peach Melba and you will be imagining pitchers of slushies at your next party. Slushies will be available for sampling on the wine bar and for purchase.

Saturday – 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday – noon to 5 pm
Monday May 26 Memorial Day Hours – 11 am - 4 pm

Vynecrest Vineyard and Winery Tour
In conjunction with Jazz Sunday, featuring live jazz music the last Sunday of every month, our Winemaker Vineyard & Wine Cellar Tours will be held May 25 at noon for $5 per person. Come tour the “backlot” of Vynecrest where the wine is grown and made… and then come taste the finished product. Enjoy some wine sitting in our Vyneskeller wine bar or patio. Our winery will be open regular hours - 11 am - 5 pm.

Sangria Sundays at Blue Mountain
The weather is finally getting warmer and we are excited to move our Sunday entertainment to our outdoor deck from 2-5 p.m. Pick one our delicious wines to make your own Sangria at your table! We always have a wonderful selection on DiBruno Bros. cheeses available and freshly baked bread but feel free to bring your own snacks and share around the table.

Call for a reservation or buy your tickets on line at http://bluemountainwine.com/events. This Sunday May 25 will feature a performance by Jake Kaligis and Mike Rauscher. Music admission is $5 and includes wine tasting.

Pinnacle Ridge House Concert Series 
It kicks off Saturday, May 24 with The James Supra Blues Band from 2 - 5 pm. James has been known to rock the barn a time or two so come check it out. Great music, great venue, great wine! www.jamessuprabluesband.com

Clover Hill
Memorial Day Weekend is a great time to shop the Allentown Farmers Market. You can find all of your picnic needs and grab a bottle of Clover Hill wine!

Franklin Hill will be at The Great PA FlavorFest
May 24 & 25 - 11 am - 5 pm
Visit our booth at The Great PA FlavorFest - free admission, free parking and free wine sampling

Twenty wineries will provide complimentary samples of some of their most popular vintages, while food and craft vendors showcase their handmade delights. This festival provides a showcase of Pennsylvania’s diverse culinary, wine offerings and the finest in PA artisan crafts and is sure to be a weekend of fun and delicious entertainment for the whole family that signals the beginning of summer.

Summer wine slushies return to Galen Glen this weekend!

Memorial Day Weekend Slushies Return!
Slushies return as we celebrate the unofficial start of summer. On Saturday and Sunday, May 24 and 25, we will have samples of our Peach Melba Slushy on the wine bar, plus you may purchase your own frozen delight for just $4. Our peach melba slushy is the perfect combination of peach and raspberry flavors and honors Galen's favorite fruit. We will be offering one walking tour of the vineyard and cellar at noon on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (weather permitting). Please wear sturdy shoes. Our special Memorial Day hours on Monday, May 26 are 11 am - 4 pm.

Details on our next wine dinner
As you may have heard, Sarah is taking a culinary summer road trip and is inviting you to join her.  On Wednesday, June 4 at 7 pm she will be teaming with Executive Chef Zoraida Rivera of The Broadway Grille & Pub in Jim Thorpe to bring a five-course meal with our wine that is sure to delight anyone's palate. Tickets for the event are $70 and can be obtained by calling The Broadway at 570-732-4343.

Seating for this event is very limited, so call early. Payment via credit card is due at time of reservation.

The Broadway Grille & Pub is located at:
24 Broadway
Jim Thorpe, PA 18229

Planning your visit

Tasting:
We offer tastings whenever we are open for a $5 fee, which is refundable with a one or more bottle purchase. Our last tasting begins 15 minutes prior to closing.

Enjoying wine on our property:
All wine sold to be consumed on our property is by-the-glass only. No open bottles are permitted. There is a two glass per guest limit. Guests are welcome to create a mini-picnic from our selection of local cheeses and crackers or bring their own snacks.

No other alcoholic beverages (beer, competitors' wine, cocktails, etc. ) permitted on our property.

Groups:
Reservations are required by phone for 6 guests. Please call 570-386-3682 to secure a reservation time.  Please note that our weekend reservation schedule fills quickly and planning early is advised.  
For more information on planning your visit to Galen Glen go to:
http://www.galenglen.com/winery/hours.php

Vynecrest releases 2012 Chardonnay and plants new vineyard

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.

Mother's Day, Wine in Bloom and Memorial Day events at Galen Glen this month

We toast ladies on Mother's Day Weekend with a complimentary Galen Glen tasting glass.
Saturday, May 11 - 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday, May 12 - noon - 5 pm

Pack a Picnic ...
Our outdoor seating is waiting for you. Bring someone special, enjoy a glass of wine and watch the grapes grow!

Upcoming Events:

May 18 and 19 - Wine in Bloom with the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail
Walking tour of the vineyard and cellar. One enlightening walking tour of the vineyard will be offered each day departing at noon. Please wear sturdy foot gear. No reservations required and weather permitting.


Sunday, May 19 from noon - 5 pm
Jason and Love Hot Dogs are back with gourmet sausages all "for the love of dogs."
www.lovehotdogco.com

Memorial Day Weekend - May 25, 26 and 27
Summer slushy season starts - Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26. Sample a sweet frozen wine treat. You'll be imagining pitchers of slushies at your next party.
One walking tour of the vineyard each day at noon (Sat., Sun. and Mon.). Please wear sturdy foot gear. No reservations required and weather permitting.
Monday, May 27 - Memorial Day special hours - 11 am - 4 pm

Galen Glen's Memorial Day Weekend and June festivities

 Galen Glen Winery in Andreas is open this holiday weekend and welcomes you to their vineyard.

Walking Tours:   
May 27, 28, 29 & 30
One tour each day leaving at noon.
We share our intimate knowledge of the vineyard. Please wear sturdy foot gear, as our hillside location is great for grapes, but difficult for people to navigate. No reservations required and weather permitting. 

Holiday Weekend Wine Tasting Hours:

• Friday, May 27 - Noon - 5 pm
• Saturday, May 28 - 10 am - 5 pm
• Sunday, May 39 - Noon -5 pm
• Monday, May 30 - 10 am - 4 pm

 
Upcoming Events:

June 4 & 5
Summer Slushy Season Starts!
Sample a sweet frozen wine treat. One taste and you'll be imagining pitchers of slushies at your next party.

June 18 & 19
Father's Day Weekend - Bring Dad for our 9th Annual Winter Mountain Red Wine Slushy Tour! 
Tractor and Wagon tours depart at 1, 2, 3 & 4pm, weather permitting.


Regular Winery Hours:   

• Friday: noon - 5 pm
• Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm
• Sunday: noon - 5 pm