Franklin Hill Vineyards brings back Where's Walter social media photo contest

OUR WHERE'S WALTER SUMMER COMPETITION IS BACK!

Take Sir Walter's Red on vacation with you for a chance to win a free case of wine. Take a picture of a bottle of Sir Walter's Red at your favorite vacation destination. Upload it to either our Twitter or Facebook page using the hashtag #FHVwhereswalter.

On September 22 we will select our favorite entry by commenting on the winning picture with instructions on how to redeem your prize. Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

YOGA IN THE VINEYARD
July 20 at 10 am

Our summer series continues with an hour of restorative and rejuvenating yoga led by Silver Kim of Kula Heart Yoga. Afterwards we invite you to join us on the deck for a light brunch complete with refreshing sangria. Our tasting room will be open for complimentary tastings and a tour of the winery will be offered at noon. This popular event sells out, so please contact the winery to reserve your patch of grass - 610-588-8708.

BYOM (Bring your own mat)
$20 per person
Can't make it? Join us on August 17 for our last event of the series.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH: SUMMERTIME SANGRIA 

To create this beautiful and tasty summertime crowd pleaser, take fresh limes, lemons, strawberries, raspberries and muddled mint, add in our Katie's Creek or Vidal Blanc, and then bubble it up
with seltzer. It's a perfect and refreshing sangria. (You can even add some blueberries to give it a festive look!)

Franklin Hill Vineyards launches new social media hashtag contest for the holiday season

Doors and Windows of Bethlehem

It's that time of year again and we need your vote. The Downtown Bethlehem Association is holding their annual contest to see who can create the most beautiful and unique doors or window. Take a stroll through beautiful Downtown Bethlehem and be sure to vote for Franklin Hill Vineyards starting November 23.

Here we go again...

We know you're crafty. Your table decor is the talk of the holidays. Now we want to give you a free case of wine just for showing off.

Take a picture of your Thanksgiving table, Christmas table or any time you think your table is amazing. Make sure there is a bottle of Franklin Hill wine visible and post it to social media with the hashtag #tablewine. We are accepting submissions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We will judge entries based on creativity, beauty, wine placement and maybe even how delicious everything looks. The winner gets a free case of wine! Yes, you read that right, a FREE CASE OF WINE!

All submissions must be posted by January 1, 2014. We will pick the winner January 6. Good luck and Happy Holidays.

As the holiday's approach we hope you take the time to reflect, cherish and enjoy all the season has to offer.  We have so many loyal and valued customers, and for this we are truly thankful. Cheers!  Elaine, Adam and the Franklin Hill Vineyards family.

Featured Recipe - Apple Cider Sangria
We've found the perfect drink for your Thanksgiving Day guests.
Take a bottle of our Seyval Blanc and add in 2 1/2 cups of fresh apple cider, 1 cup of club soda and 1/2 cup of ginger brandy.  Chop up 3 apples and 3 pears and enjoy.

Extended Holiday Hours - starting November 25

Short on time this holiday season? Let us help. Our retail stores will be opening earlier and closing later,. So whether we're your first stop or your last, we'll be there for you.

Tannersville & Easton -
Mondays - Saturdays: 10am - 7pm
Sundays: 11am - 5pm

Bethlehem -
Mondays - Wednesdays: 10am - 7pm
Thursdays: 10am - 8pm
Friday & Saturdays: 10am - 9pm
Sundays: noon - 6pm

Tasting room hours at the winery in Bangor will remain the same.

Take Sir Walter's Red on vacation with you this summer and enter Franklin Hill's contest

Where's Walter?
Do you take Sir Walter's Red on vacation with you? We bet you do! Take a picture or video of a bottle of Sir Walter's Red at your favorite vacation spot, whether it be the beach or in front of the Eiffel Tower. Wherever you take Sir Walter on vacation, we want to see it!

Upload your picture or video on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Vine and use the hashtag #whereswalter.  Entries will be judged on the uniqueness of your location. The winner will be announced September 20 on Franklin Hill Vineyards Facebook page. The prize is a FREE CASE OF WINE! We look forward to seeing where Sir Walter has traveled this summer!

(Some rules and restrictions may apply.)

Sensory Overload Wine Tasting
Saturday, August 31 at 2 p.m.

Join our winemaker as we learn about wine and have fun. This is a detailed look at the smells and tastes commonly found in wine. We will provide samples and aromas that will help you understand the nuances of wines and identify certain characteristics unique to wine.

Cost: $35 per person. Reservations required. Reserve your spot by calling 610-332-WINE.

Musikfest 2013 - August 2-11

Stop by our Downtown Bethlehem store in the Main Street Commons building anytime during Musikfest. Sangria and wine by the glass will be available for purchase.  

Galen Glen extends winery hours and the dog starts a blog

It's spring and vines are not the only thing growing at Galen Glen Winery. We're adding staff and hours as well as watching our Facebook page come out of its dormant winter state into a full-blown spring growth.  Have you "Liked" us yet? If not you've been missing out on our updates and contests.

We are offering things like "Fan Friday" contests, information on BYO restaurants and establishments that carry our wines, giving general and fun wine facts, sharing our photographs of the vineyard and informing you first of upcoming events.

Plus, rumor has it that Clemmens the dog has started his own winery blog. Please "Like" us on Facebook and join in the conversation with other fans who are writing on our wall.

We also wanted to share some great news with you. Beginning June 12 the winery will have additional weekday hours. We are adding Wednesday and Thursday and will be open from noon to 5 pm. Please stop by to see us.

Galen Glen Winery LLC

255 Winter Mountain Dr

Andreas, Pennsylvania 18211

(570) 386-3682

Connect with our wineries on Facebook and Twitter

We're excited that our wineries are embracing social media. All eight Wine Trail members are now on Facebook and would love to have you "Like" them. Here are links to their pages:

• Amoré Vineyards & Winery, Nazareth
• Big Creek Vineyard and Winery, Kresgeville
• Blue Mountain Vineyards, New Tripoli
• Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville
• Franklin Hill Vineyards, Bangor
• Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas
• Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown
• Vynecrest Winery, Breinigsville 

In addition, three of our wineries are also active on Twitter. Please give them a follow.

• Vynecrest
• Blue Mountain
• Franklin Hill

And just in case you haven't already connected with the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail via social media yet, here are links to our various accounts:

• Facebook 
• Twitter
• LinkedIn 
• Flickr 
• YouTube

Before hitting the trail, check out our web site

If you haven't checked out the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail web site lately, you might not know about all of the information you can find on it about our wineries, special events and more. Here are some highlights:

• On the web site's home page you can sign up to receive our free monthly e-newsletter and download a PDF of our new promotional brochure to print out at home. You can also find icons linking to our social media accounts with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr.
• Across the top of the web site find buttons for each of our eight wineries' pages where you will find their contact information, links to their own social media outlets, a list of their wine shops, hours, driving directions, tasting policy, and a brief overview.
• On the Events tab, get the dates for this year's six wine trail weekend events and details on each one. In the weeks leading up to an event we add specifics such as discounts, food and wine pairings, live music and more that will be taking place at each winery during the event.
• The Just Pressed page features news from our member wineries including recent awards, specials and discounts, and events.
• Our Trail Friends page features a list of area restaurants where you can find some of our wines for sale, and local hotels, inns and B&Bs that are our partners. We will soon be adding a list of local farmers' markets that several of our wineries participate in.
• The Media page is the place to find our current press releases, which are great sources of information whether you are a member of the media or not!
• Use the Google map on the Directions page to see winery locations, and click on a pinpoint for a pop-up box which links to driving directions.
• And finally, under the Contact Us page, feel free to drop us a line with any questions or comments you have about the wine trail.

Thanks for visiting our web site and for connecting with us on social media!

Wine Trail Web Site Update

If you haven't checked out the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail web site lately, give it another look.

Just Pressed
We've been making regular updates to the Just Pressed page with entries on what's happening at our wineries. This includes upcoming winery events, special promotions and discounts, wines that are back in stock, awards and more!

E-newsletter
Sign up to receive our monthly e-newsletter right on our homepage. It's quick and easy to do. All we need is your email address. And we promise not to sell it or give it to anyone else to use. It's safe with us.

Brochure
You can download a PDF of our Wine Trail promotional brochure to print out and take along with you when hitting the trail. It includes short overviews on each of our eight wineries, addresses to plug into your GPS, and driving directions as well.

Or look for a printed copy of our brochure at one of the more than 60 brochure racks around the region managed by Discover Lehigh Valley.

Social Media
And don't forget to connect with us on Twitter and Facebook, and check out our videos on our YouTube channel and our pictures on Flickr.

March Madness passports 
Passports are selling like crazy and the supply is limited. Your best bet at scoring a passport right now is to contact Galen Glen Winery or Big Creek Winery. They each have about 100 passports left for sale. Amore and Blue Mountain wineries have about a dozen each left and are bound to sell out this weekend. All other wineries are already sold out. Get 'em while supplies last! $35 each.

Taste the vintages of the harvest during Nouveau Weekend, 11/19 & 20

The eight wineries of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail will debut vintages from their recent harvest this weekend, November 19 and 20, during Nouveau Weekend, their last Wine Trail event of the year. Wineries will also feature food and wine pairings for visitors to sample.

Nouveau Weekend is a great opportunity to purchase wine to give as holiday gifts or to complement holiday meals.

March Madness 2012 passports will go on sale this weekend. Passports are $35 each. A limited supply of passports is printed and often sells out well in advance of the month-long event, so event-goers are encouraged to purchase them early.

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.

For more information on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, visit www.LehighValleyWineTrail.com, and connect with them on Twitter and their Facebook fan page.

NOUVEAU WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS

Amoré Vineyards & Winery, Nazareth will feature our new release Cabaret Amore with homemade barbecue.

Big Creek Vineyard and Winery, Kresgeville will pair its Nouveau Marquette with Millie's Chili.

Blue Mountain Vineyards, New Tripoli will serve authentic Nouveau made from Pinot Noir grapes paired with roasted ham glazed with Tait Farms cranberry chutney. Sample other products produced locally by Tait Farms as well. They will also be releasing their 2008 Merlot and 2010 Chambourcin. On Saturday, Rob will be performing from 1 - 4 p.m. On Sunday from 2 - 5 p.m. will be Sunday Blues featuring Billy Patrick ($5 admission for live music).

Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville will have the first release from this year’s harvest of Boysenberry. Boysenberry is a sweet wine which is a marriage of grapes and Boysenberries in every bottle. Boysenberry displays a very upfront and intense Boysenberry aroma and finishes sweet and crisp. Their partner will be Sorrelli Jewelry from Kutztown who will be onsite Saturday and Sunday hosting a trunk show. Sorrelli will offer a 10% discount on jewelry purchases during the event.  

Franklin Hill Vineyards, Bangor will release their 2011 Seyval Blanc paired with Ginger Butternut Squash soup. Delices Europeennes will be giving samples of her European treats. They will also be releasing their 2010 Evanswood. Try it with Robert Rothchild's Chipotle sauce over meatballs for a perfect pairing.

Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas will feature the Troxell family Thanksgiving favorite, potato filling with their Riesling. Potato filling is a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, and every family has their own version. Galen and Sarah learned to make theirs under the tutelage of Galen’s mother.

Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown will serve salmon chowder made with fresh fennel and dill, potatoes, cream and salmon fillet. They will be pairing the soft and fruit-forward 2010 Naked Chardonnay or their crisp and slightly sweet 2010 Riesling with the chowder.

Vynecrest Winery, Breinigsville will pair their Nouveau Beaujolais 2011 wine made from the Gamay Beaujolais grape with Hereford Country Store Provencal basil dip and Rip Rap artisan whole grain crackers, both of which will be available for sale. Smooth jazz sounds in the Vyneskeller from Dan Harakal and Andy Warren on Saturday from 1 - 4:30 pm. No charge.

Local wineries get hip to social media!

We're delighted that so many of our wineries have embraced social media and now have presences on Facebook and/or Twitter. We hope you are already a fan of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail Facebook fan page and are also following us on Twitter.

Here is the list of our wineries that are active in social media and links to their accounts so you can become a fan and follow them too!

• Blue Mountain - Facebook, Twitter

• Franklin Hill - Facebook, Twitter

• Galen Glen - Facebook

• Clover Hill - Facebook

• Pinnacle Ridge -  Facebook

• Vynecrest - Facebook, Twitter

Connect with our wineries on Facebook

With so many folks using social media today, many of our Lehigh Valley wineries have gotten on-board with Facebook by creating fan pages or groups that you can join. It's a great way to stay in touch with what's going on at each winery such as specials, discounts, promotions, and events.

Click on the name of the winery below that you want to connect with on Facebook to be taken to their fan page or group:

Clover Hill Winery
Vynecrest Winery
Franklin Hill Vineyards
Blue Mountain Winery
Pinnacle Ridge
Galen Glen Winery 
Cherry Valley Vineyards

And of course we'd like you to connect with the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail on Facebook too!