Wine Tips of the Week # 12 - Clos Reissier Pouilly-Fuisse` and Vynecrest's Lemberger

"Cheers" from Vintage Connections
Dean and Lisa Foster, Wine Educators and Consultants

Thanks to those of you who participated in Wine after Five with Chocolate on Saturday night.  Special thanks to Cathy, Erika, and Julie at the Gallery School, to Chef Steve O'Donnell for the wonderful chocolate desserts, and to Betsy Chapman for her romantic interludes on her harp.  It seems like everyone had a wonderful time.

This Week’s Wine Tips!

Clos Reissier Pouilly-Fuisse` - From the village of Chaintre`, France.   100% Chardonnay - "the" white wine of Burgundy.  Wine in France is named after the region in which it is grown and made, not the grape variety.  Since this chardonnay is grown and made in Pouilly-Fuisse` rather than Burgundy, it's a Pouilly-Fuisse` not a Burgundy. 

This chardonnay is rich and full-flavored.  Lovely straw-colored, it has a pleasant fruity flavor, is lightly oaked and has a pleasantly long finish.  Clos Reissier Vineyard is one of the most famous vineyards in the Pouilly-Fuisse` region.  We’ve had other chardonnays from the Pouilly-Fuisse` region, but this was the best wine so far, in our opinion.  Alcohol is 13% by volume.   PLCB code 22292.  At the time of this writing, it was available at PA Wine and Spirits stores in Lionville Shopping Center, Collegeville and Limerick at  $17.99 per bottle.  Check the PLCB website for availability near you, or ask your local store to order it for you.

Vynecrest Lemberger – This is a full-bodied dry red, also known as Blaufrankisch in Austria and Kekfrankos in Hungary. It is a German varietal and is deep red in color.  It's distinctive flavor makes this wine an interesting alternative to the usual red table wine.  Lemberger can be either very bold or gently light.  The Vynecrest Lemberger tends to be more boldly flavored.  It has good tannins so that it can be cellared for a few years, but is also great to drink now.  It has a long finish.  Alcohol is 13% by volume and is available at the winery for $14.99. 

Vynecrest Winery is located in Breinigsville, PA.  John, the owner and winemaker, has a PhD in Chemical engineering.  He and his wife Jan began their journey into viticulture in 1972, purchased the farm in Breinigsville and began doing research into winemaking and planting their first vines in 1974.  They have since expanded their farm and their vineyards to encompass nearly 35 acres.  Their son Sam has joined the business as well.

Vynecrest makes a large variety of excellent wines, from luscious whites like Dry Riesling and Pinot Gris to wonderful reds like Lemberger and Chambourcin to the ever popular sweet wines.   Not too long ago, they opened the Vyneskeller where you can sit and enjoy a glass of their wine, have a small snack and maybe hear some live music.   Their website is http://www.vynecrest.com/

Up-coming Events

March Madness

This extremely popular event at the Lehigh Valley wine trail wineries takes place during the month of March and at most of the wineries is truly madness.  “Discover wine’s East Coast valley! The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail is home to nine family-owned vineyards and wineries that have brought home the Governor’s Cup for eight out of the last nine years and won countless regional, state, national and international awards, including more than 50 for wines made from Chambourcin, its signature grape.

Designated an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 2008, the Lehigh Valley is Pennsylvania’s fastest growing wine region. The fertile farmlands of the area provide an ideal growing environment, and the area’s close proximity to Philadelphia and New York City make the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail a beautiful and easy escape for wine lovers across the Mid-Atlantic region.”(excerpted from the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail http://www.lehighvalleywinetrail.com/

Each participant must purchase a March Madness passport for $30.  This gains you admission to each of the wineries on the trail where they will have special wine and food pairings on each weekend during the month of March.  Passports are available at most of the wineries, though Amore, Blue Mountain, Clover Hill and Franklin Hill, Vynecrest and Galen Glen are already sold out.  Passports are also available on line.  Check the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail website for more information.  Go to the winery, get your passport stamped and enjoy a special wine and food pairing.  Just so you know, this event gets extremely busy at all the wineries and you may need to wait for space at the tasting bar. 

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail website is http://www.lehighvalleywinetrail.com/


Pottstown Mercury Blog Site
The Pottstown Mercury has started publishing our Wine Tips of the Week on-line in The Grapevine, a blog you can access through the Mercury's on-line edition at http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/pottstown/grapevine/blog.html  and make a comment about our Wine Tips of the Week.

Thanks to those of you who have posted comments on our blogs.  Please take a look and post some comments of your own.  We'd really like to get some wine discussion going on about the Wine Tips of the Week.  Did you try them, like them, not like them?  What are YOU drinking?


Additional Upcoming Wine Events in the Pottstown Tri-County Area

Thursday, April 22, Wines of the USA, one night wine seminar at Montgomery County Community College's West Campus in Pottstown, 6:30 - 9:30 PM, $52.

Thursday, April 29, Wines of the World, one night wine seminar at Montgomery County Community College's West Campus in Pottstown, 6:30 - 9:30 PM, $52.

Wednesday, May 5, Cinco de Mayo, wines from Spain, Chile, and Argentina at the Gallery School of Pottstown.
Begins promptly at 6:30 PM.  Cost TBD.

Saturday, October 23, Mom's House Benefit Wine Tasting Dinner.  Location, Time and Cost TBD.

Many other events are TBD.  Contact us to schedule an event in your home, at your business, or for your organization.

Vintage Connections provide  

* Wine Appreciation Classes and Seminars

* Customized Educational Wine Tastings in your home or at your business

* Wine Consulting

* Benefit Educational Wine Tastings for non-profit organizations

 
Vintage Connections
Lisa and Dean Foster