Get to know... Bonnie Pysher of Franklin Hill Vineyards

Our new blog series introducing you to the staff members at our wineries continues with Franklin Hill Vineyards Winemaker Bonnie Pysher:

Which winery do you work for and how long have you worked there?

Franklin Hill Vineyards for 34 years. I started the harvest of 1982 and the winery opened at Christmas 1982. Most visitors ask me how I got into winemaking. I tell them I had twins and they look baffled. That is actually how I got into making wine. I had 3-year-old twins when I started working at FHV in 1982. Elaine asked me to come help her label wine for Christmas and my response was "Oh to be able to talk to some adults would be great!” The rest is history. Now my twins are grown and I have four grandsons.

What is your favorite wine that your winery makes, and why? What do you like to pair it with?

That is a tough question. Fainting Goat which is black cherry and I pair it with Coke or Pepsi and lots of crushed ice. It tastes like adult Dr Pepper Black Cherry. Or our Crush which is Pomegranate Peach. I mix that with cranberry juice and lots of crushed ice. I pair both of them with "vacation.”
       
What is the most popular question you get asked by visitors about Lehigh Valley wine or wineries, and how do you answer it?

Not so much a question as a statement: "We didn't know you could grow grapes in PA.” My answer to that is that our little spot in PA is just like you would find in Germany. We have very shaley soil, just like Germany.

What do you like most about local, Lehigh Valley wine and wineries?

I love proving to people that you can grow grapes in PA and make good, quality wines here. I like the diversity of all of our wineries. Most of us use the same grapes, but the wines are all different.
 
What is the one piece of advice you offer to wine lovers traveling along the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail?

Take your time and enjoy our little piece of heaven. I think our area is so beautiful during every season. When visiting Franklin Hill Vineyards, you think you are driving to “no man’s land”, but you just don't know what you will find on your way back along our 1-mile long driveway. I live 2 miles from the winery and my traffic jam in the morning could be a tractor or a flock of turkeys or some deer standing in the lane!

A holiday message from Pinnacle Ridge Winery

The December e-newsletter from Pinnacle Ridge Winery in Kutztown is out and we wanted to share some of it with the followers of our blog:  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM OUR WINEMAKER!

December has arrived once again and it is a great time to look back at some of the happenings of 2010. 
 
2010 was a great year for awards at wine competitions.Two of our wines were finalists in the Pennsylvania Wine Society competition. Eight medals were captured at the 2010 Pennsylvania Farm Show including “Best Sparkling” for our Blanc de Blanc. Pinnacle Ridge wines received six medals in the Keystone Wine Competition in April and three medals, including a gold for the 2007 Veritas, in the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. 
 
At Pinnacle Ridge, we were very pleased and honored that our winery was chosen to be the cover story for the March/April 2010 issue of Vineyard and Winery Management magazine. This national journal has been in existence for 35 years and Pinnacle Ridge is the only Pennsylvania winery ever to have been chosen to be the cover story!

In 2010 Pinnacle Ridge was included in the newly released “Opus Vino,” a wine reference book that has compiled information about the best 4,000 wineries in the world. Only two wineries were chosen from Pennsylvania and Pinnacle Ridge was one of them!
 
Another wonderful happening in 2010 was the fabulous vintage. Mother Nature cooperated and gave us hot, dry weather that resulted in outstanding grapes from our vineyards. We will have an overview of the vintage and the new wines in the January newsletter. Some of these wines are just now being bottled (Riesling and Naked Chardonnay) and others will continue to arrive as spring approaches. 

All in all, 2010 was a great year for Pinnacle Ridge. As we reflect back about the past year, it is obvious that what really made 2010 great was YOU (our loyal customers). We are fortunate to have so many fantastic customers. Thank You for your business! Have a great holiday and we’ll see you in the tasting room!

Pinnacle Ridge shares Chili Cook-off recipes

The latest edition of Pinnacle Ridge's e-newsletter is out and it contains the recipes for the two chilis that owners Brad and Christy made and served to visitors as part of their Chili Cook-off. Here are the details (and the recipes!):

Last month's Chambourcin weekend was a blast. Our customers had a great time voting for their favorite chili. As many guessed, husband and winemaker Brad provided the meat chili recipe. Wife Christy made the  vegetarian chili. The results: Meat won on Saturday, Veggie on Sunday! Meat numbers were slightly higher overall: 180 votes to 167. Not a bad showing for either!
 
Special thanks to our daughter’s best friend, Cait Rodriquez, sous chef, for chopping all the onions, garlic and other veggies that went into two great chilis!

  NOT YOUR MOMMA’S CHILLI
  Serves 6-8

  1 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck cubed
  1 pound pork shoulder cubed
  ½ pound onions, chopped
  1 red pepper, chopped
  1 ½ cans whole plum tomatoes with juice (28 oz. cans)
  ½ cup of Pinnacle Ridge Chambourcin red wine
  1 cup of beef stock
  ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  1 tablespoon cumin
  ¼ cup of chili powder
  Salt
  Black pepper
  1 can black beans (19 ounce can)

Brown cubed meat in small batches in a tall stockpot in vegetable or olive oil. Avoid putting too much meat into the pan at one time; the goal is to quickly brown the meat on all sides. Remove meat and saute onion and red peppers until just slightly soft. Add garlic and chili pepper and sauté until you can smell the garlic being careful not to burn the garlic. Add tomatoes, wine, pork, beef, and beef stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.  Simmer the chili for at least three hours or until meat falls apart.  Add the black beans and simmer another 20 minutes.  Enjoy with a glass of 2008 Chambourcin Reserve!

  VEGETARIAN CHILI
  Serves 6-8

  1/3 cup olive oil
  2 cups finely chopped onions
  ¾ cup chopped celery
  1 cup chopped green peppers
  1 cup chopped carrots
  1 tablespoon minced garlic
  2 cups chopped mushrooms
  (we used a mix of button and oyster mushrooms)
  ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  1 tablespoon ground cumin
  ¾ teaspoon dried basil
  3 tablespoons chili powder
  ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
  2 teaspoons salt
  ½ teaspoon pepper
  2 cups tomato juice
  ¾ cup bulgur wheat
  2 cups chopped tomatoes
  2 cups (1 20-ounce can) drained kidney beans
  1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  ¼ cup Pinnacle Ridge Chambourcin red wine
  2 tablespoons chopped canned green chilies (or to
  taste)

Have all the ingredients chopped and ready. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Over high heat, add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the celery, green peppers, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, spices, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, stirring.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.  Serve with a bit of shredded jack cheese on top.  Enjoy with a glass of 2008 Chambourcin!