Galen Glen releases sparkling wine for the holidays

2014 Stone Cellar Quartz Brut Sparkling wine is a limited release and available for purchase at $17.99 per bottle, while supplies last. This wine is returning after a one year hiatus and just in time for the holidays and New Year. Quartz is a Vidal Blanc-based brut sparkling, fermented in the bottle. It's racy and elegantly crisp. Pop the cork and enjoy it with buttery popcorn, salty chips, shrimp or brie. Pair it with caviar for your New Year's Eve celebration.

This Saturday and Sunday, December 12 and 13, you will have the opportunity to taste this exceptional wine paired with a shrimp dip. This may be the only weekend we offer tastings of this new wine. Get yours before it is gone.

2015 Grand Harvest Awards

On the heels of winning a double-gold medal in the Six Nations Wine Competition in Australia, Galen Glen received notification of the official results of the 2015 Grand Harvest Awards from California. Every wine entered by the winery received a medal. This competition is governed by Vineyard & Winery Management and is committed to the highest standards of competition. Over 1,500 wines are entered.

Galen Glen wines receiving medals were: 2014 Stone Cellar Chambourcin, 2014 Crooked Stick Red, 2014 Riesling, 2014 Stone Cellar Fossil Vineyard Riesling, 2014 Stone Cellar Twilight, and 2014 Stone Cellar Zweigelt. The 2014 Stone Cellar Cabernet Franc won a bronze medal.

Wine supplies getting low

If our young vine Gruner Veltliner is your favorite wine, the supply is depleting and the new vintage will not be available until spring.

Toys for Tots donations still being accepted

We continue to collect monetary and toy donations for toys for tots until December 14 and have a gift for every household who donates.

Chili Cook Off

We have received several entries and have a few more seats available for competing chefs. You do not have to be a professional to enter. In the past two years, the winner has been a home-chef. The competition will take place on Saturday, January 23. If you are planning to enter, please submit your entry form today.

Not a chef? Mark your calendar and plan to attend on Saturday, January 23 from noon - 3 pm. Your $1 admission fee will give you a taste of each chef's chili plus a taste of either Chambourcin or Cellar Red. You are the judge and will vote for your favorite. Your $1 will be matched and a donation will be made to The West Penn Fire Company.

Pinnacle Ridge sparkling wine makes a great Valentine's Day toast to love

Notes from the cellar

We have been working diligently since harvest season has wrapped up to bring you some new wines. We have disgorged more Brut for our sparkling wine and it has been released! We have also recently switched vintages on Chambourcin Reserve (2012) and Merlot & Syrah (2013).

Speaking of sparkling...

We will be hosting our newest Wine Class for our Case Club Members on Sunday, February 8 at 3 pm. This event will be our "Speaking of Sparkling" Wine Class, in which winery owner/winemaker Brad Knapp will lead us through a tasting of French Champagne, Spanish Cava and other sparkling wine from throughout the world.

In addition to this signature tasting, we will also be discussing the method and process behind what makes these wines pop. This is a complimentary members-only event. Call (610) 756-4481 for reservations and details.  

Wine Lover's Dinner
Friday, February 13 at 6:30 pm

Join us for a special evening to celebrate your love for all things - including wine! This four-course pairing will feature homemade dishes prepared with local ingredients and our very own wines.

First course: Homemade puff pastry twists with parmesean cheese. Brie with a Vidal Blanc and orange candied peel drizzle and candied pecans. Paired with our Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine.

Second course: Cranberry chicken, homemade bread crumbs and braised leeks in a Dry Vidal Blanc Sauce. Paired with our 2013 Dry Vidal Blanc.

Third course: Pork shallots in a red wine and currant cream sauce with organic tri-colored carrots and a cognac butter sauce. Paired with our 2012 Chambourcin.

Final course: French-style hot chocolate paired alongside our 2013 Sweet Seduction and candied orange-peel paired with our award-winning 2013 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc.

This event will be catered by local chef and Culinary Instructor Mary Grube. Mary is an instructor at Northampton Community College.

Kick off Valentine's Day Weekend in style!

On Friday, February 13 we will treat our guests to complimentary tastings of our sparkling wines and a little wine and chocolate pairing to finish up each tasting.

Toast the new year with local sparkling wine

Not into champagne but still want to ring in the new year next week with something bubbly? Then try a local  sparkling wine instead. Here are a few suggestions for sparkling wines made by local Lehigh Valley Wine Trail wineries:

Amore Vineyards: White Mist - Slightly dry, tingly and sparkling. Celebration - Pink, sparkling, spicy fun. Blueberry Mist - Sweet and bubbly with natural blueberry flavor. Peach Mist - Sweet and bubbly with natural peach flavor. Blend it with orange juice to make a great mimosa. Strawberry Mist - Sweet and bubbly with natural strawberry flavor.

Blue Mountain: While they don't have any sparkling wines right now the winery recommends mixing their Mountain Frost wine with club soda and canned or fresh peaches for a fun wine cocktail instead.

Clover Hill Winery: Blackberry Sparkler - A sweet, sparkling wine made with blackberry.
Brut - Produced in the traditional method of making sparkling wine, Méthode Champenoise, our Brut has no perceivable sweetness, showcasing yeasty and fruity flavors.
Generations Sparkling Pinot Noir - Made in the Méthode Champenoise fashion, this sparkling wine is produced from 100% Pinot Noir grapes from their Broxspen vineyard. This dry sparkler shows delicate flavors of strawberry mingling with a classic yeasty flavor.

Pinnacle Ridge: Brut Rosé and Blanc de Blanc 

Franklin Hill: Brut (Methode Champenoise)

Vynecrest: Sparkling Chardonnay - A dry sparkling with great balance of acid and fruit, this 100% Chardonnay sparkling wine goes great with seafood and appetizers.

Keep in mind that at this time of year supplies may be limited for some sparkling wines. So we suggest calling ahead to the winery you plan to visit to verify they still have the one you want in stock.

Here are a few tips for your sparkling wine, courtesy of Clover Hill:

• Always have your bubbly well chilled prior to opening. We suggest putting the bottle in the refrigerator for a couple hours and then the freezer for 20 minutes prior to opening. 
• As much fun as it is to shake the bottle and shoot the cork, you do lose most of the wine when you do so! Remove the wire hood on the bottle and keep your thumb on top of the cork. Hold the cork in one hand and slowly twist the bottle. Always have a towel and a champagne flute close by. 
• Sparkling wines always add a festive feel to any celebration, but they are also great food wines. Some of our favorite bubbly pairings include a creamy brie with quince paste, steamed lobsters, crab stuffed mushrooms or smoked salmon. 

February events and specials at Clover Hill Winery

Celebrate February at Clover Hill

Even though the groundhog wished us six more weeks of winter, there is much to celebrate during the month of February! It is a leap year, and we would like to consider this extra day in February to be a good excuse to share a bottle of wine with friends. And our favorite reason to celebrate February is that Generations Sparkling Pinot Noir is back in stock! We love these bubbles and make it our drink of choice for any celebration.
 
Owner's Selection
Our semi-sweet Riesling is bursting with aromas and flavors of peach, apricot, and minerals with a refreshing acidity. This wine pairs beautifully with spicy Thai food or Mexican food with a kick.

Enjoy a 10% discount on Clover Hill Riesling the entire month of February. Receive a 20% discount on the Owner's Selection when included with case purchases. Click here for some of our favorite recipes to go with Clover Hill Riesling.

Upcoming Events

Sweets and Treats
Sat., February 18 from noon - 5 p.m.

Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery will partner with Angel 34 Foundation for a wine and chocolate event.  Angel 34 is a national organization united in the fight against childhood cancer and dedicated to finding a cure. 100% of the funds raised by Angel 34 go directly to providing services and support for children battling cancer. Enjoy your day at Clover Hill Winery sampling food, chocolates, and great wines, all for a great cause. For more information on Angel 34 visit: www.angel34.org.

Wine Rack Sale
All Clover Hill Locations
Feb. 23 – March 4

Visit any of our Clover Hill locations to find big savings on all in stock wine racks. All wine racks will be discounted from 10-70% off. This is our once a year sale on all wine racks. Don’t forget to stock up on Clover Hill Wine while you are shopping.

Sparkling wines for New Year's Eve

This year, leave the champagne behind and try a fun, and sometimes fruity, sparkling wine for your New Year's Eve celebration instead. Here are a few suggestions for sparkling wines made by local Lehigh Valley Wine Trail wineries:

Amore Vineyards

• White Mist - Slightly dry, tingly and sparkling.
• Celebration - Pink, sparkling, spicy fun.
• Blueberry Mist - Sweet and bubbly with natural blueberry flavor.
• Peach Mist - Sweet and bubbly with natural peach flavor. Blend it with orange juice  to make a great mimosa.
• Strawberry Mist - Sweet and bubbly with natural strawberry flavor.

Clover Hill Winery

• Blackberry Sparkler - A sweet, sparkling wine made with blackberry
• Brut - Produced in the traditional method of making sparkling wine, Méthode Champenoise, our Brut has no perceivable sweetness, showcasing yeasty and fruity flavors.
• Generations Sparkling Pinot Noir - Made in the Méthode Champenoise fashion, this sparkling wine is produced from 100% Pinot Noir grapes from our Broxspen Vineyard. This dry sparkler shows delicate flavors of strawberry mingling with a classic yeasty flavor.

Pinnacle Ridge

• Brut Rosé
• Blanc de Blanc 

Franklin Hill

• Brut (Methode Champenoise)

Keep in mind that at this time of year supplies may be limited for some sparkling wines.  So we suggest calling ahead to the winery you plan to visit to verify they still have the one you want in stock.

Here are a few tips for your sparkling wine, courtesy of Clover Hill:

* Always have your bubbly well chilled prior to opening. We suggest putting the bottle in the refrigerator for a couple hours and then the freezer for 20 minutes prior to opening.
*As much fun as it is to shake the bottle and shoot the cork, you do lose most of the wine when you do so!  Remove the wire hood on the bottle and keep your thumb on top of the cork. Hold the cork in one hand and slowly twist the bottle. Always have a towel and a champagne flute close by.
*Sparkling wines always add a festive feel to any celebration, but they are also great food wines. Some of our favorite bubbly pairings include a creamy brie with quince paste, steamed Cape Cod lobsters, crab stuffed mushrooms or smoked salmon.
 
Happy New Year!

Sparkling wines and champagne 101

Our friends at Clover Hill Winery in Breinigsville recently sent out an e-newsletter to remind its loyal customers to pick up their sparkling wines for their New Year's Eve celebrations. It included an overview on sparkling wines and champagne that we thought we be of interest to the readers of our blog. So we are borrowing the information below from Clover Hill. Many thanks to Kari Skrip for sharing it with us!

Sparkling Wine Vs. Champagne

Many of you have probably wondered what is the difference between a sparkling wine and a Champagne. The difference lies in the geography. “Champagne” is a sparkling wine that is produced in the champagne region of France according to strict government regulations. That same carbonated beverage if produced in the USA is properly termed “Sparkling Wine” (it is often nicknamed by wine makers as a “Sparkler”). Somewhere along the way Americans started calling some of their sparkling wines “Champagne”, using the word Champagne in a generic sense. Sparkling wine is made in the USA and Champagne comes from the Champagne region of France.

What is Methode Champenoise?

All true Champagnes and most premium quality sparkling wines, (including Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery Sparkling Wine, of course), are made in the traditional method known as “Methode Champenoise”. According to Methode Champenoise, the wine goes through a second fermentation in the same bottle in which it is sold. With the secondary fermentation in the bottle, the wine becomes more complex, different flavors develop, and each bottle becomes slightly different than the others. Each bottle takes on a personality of its own. The end result is a light delicate wine that produces elegant columns of small tingly bubbles. There are other methods of producing sparkling wines but they are not quite the same, so look for the saying “Methode Champenoise” or “fermented in this bottle” on the label, or even better, just look for Clover Hill’s Sparkling Wine!

Sweet Vs. Dry

Sparkling wine labels can often be very confusing and not very user friendly. Usually American wine labels contain a variety of French terms on the label, for instance, Methode Champenoise, which was discussed earlier. Also the level of sweetness is defined using traditional French terms. These French terms are listed below from driest to sweetest.

Brut Natural – 0%-0.5% Sugar – Bone dry
Brut – 0.5% - 1.5% sugar - No perceivable sweetness
Extra Dry – 1.2%-2% sugar - Slight sweetness
Sec - 1.7%-3.5% sugar - Noticeable sweetness
Demi-Sec – 3.3%-5% sugar – Very sweet
Doux – 5.0% plus – Extremely sweet