Wine Tips of the Week - Brancott Reserve Sauvignon Blanc and Brandywine Wine Trail

 

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

This week we are providing one Wine Tip and Wine In Depth about the Brandywine Wine Trail.

This Week’s Wine Tips!

Brancott Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2008 - From Marlborough, New Zealand.  We are constantly looking for good Sauvignon Blancs and those from Marlborough seem to be consistently good.  The Brancott Reserve is no exception.   

 

As the chief wine maker Jeff Clarke states about the 2008 vintage “the flavors are bold, ripe and zesty, exactly what you’d expect from a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc”.  Light straw color with slightly green highlights, the aroma is full of tropical fruits and grapefruit.  The flavor is full of fruit and has well-balanced acidity for a long and lingering finish.  Brancott feels that this wine could be cellared for 2 to 3 years to develop its complexity.  Alcohol is 13.2% by volume. 

Brancott Wines is celebrating their 30th anniversary of making Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.  A monument was dedicated in 2009 in Marlborough that states “Wines from here will become world famous”.   When the first Sauvignon Blanc vines were planted in 1973, Sauvignon Blanc wines were an “unheard of variety from an unknown country”.  Look how things have changed!  Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs are the most consistently good sauvignon blanc wines available. 

This vintage of Brancott Reserve Sauvignon Blanc was grown in the southern Wairau and Awatere valleys.  The juice was allowed to stay on the skins for a few hours to extract as much of the distinctive flavors as possible, then gently bagged pressed to maintain “the fresh, clear, elegant juice”.  The juice was then allowed to ferment slowly at low temperatures.

PLCB product code is 9326 and is currently on sale for $16.99.  Available a most PA Wine and Spirit Stores.

Brandywine Valley Wine Trail - Consisting of eight wineries in the Chester County area of PA, this is a wine trail worth the trip.  Each of the eight wineries has something unique to offer.  From the brand new Black Walnut Winery to the well-known Chadds Ford Winery, there is something for everyone in the Brandywine Valley.  All but Patone Cellars offer tastings throughout the year in beautiful settings at unique and tasteful tasting rooms.  

As the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail website states about themselves: “Eight wineries. Beautiful estate vineyards in the rolling hills of Chester County, PA. Charming tasting rooms and barrel-aging cellars filled with premium wines that showcase our unique terroir. This is what you'll find along the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail. We invite you to gather some friends, pack a picnic lunch, and come visit for a tour, tasting, or one of our great activities!” 

Just in time for trips to ease the winter “cabin fever”, the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail is having their annual Barrels on the Brandywine wine tasting during the month of March.  A passport, good for tastings at all eight wineries, is available on-line for $25 per person and at the wineries.  Only a limited number of passports are sold, so we recommend calling your closest participating winery to make sure they still have passports available.  Order by Tuesday on-line for delivery before the following weekend.

With a Barrels passport, visitors may taste the newest vintages and experience many special features at each winery.  The eight participating wineries are Black Walnut Winery, Chadds Ford Winery, Kreutz Creek Vineyards, Paradocx Vineyard, Penn’s Woods Winery, Stargazers Vineyard, Twin Brooks Winery and, Patone Cellars (open only for the Barrels on the Brandwine). 

Brandywine Valley wineries’ hours of operation and tasting fees vary.  Check their websites or give them a call for details.

 The Brandywine Valley Wine Trail website is http://www.bvwinetrail.com/

You can link to all eight of the wineries’ websites and find their phone numbers from there.

So get out there and experience the Brandywine Valley and all they have to offer.

 

Up-coming Wine Events in the Pottstown Area

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

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

Wine Making and Tasting Appreciation, sevens Wednesdays, March 31 through May 19, 6:30-8:30 PM (no class April 21).  Montgomery County Community College's West Campus in Pottstown, $189 per person.

Additional information about these classes is available at    

http://www.mc3.edu/Media/Website%20Resources/pdf/coned/brochure.pdf

Register for these classes by going to the College's website at  

http://www.mc3.edu/workforceDevelopment/register.aspx

Cinco de Mayo, Wednesday, May 5.  Wines from Spain, Chile, and Argentina at the Gallery School of Pottstown.  Begins promptly at 6:30 PM.  $45 per person. 

Register for Cinco De Mayo by going to the Gallery School's website at  http://www.galleryonhigh.com/wineafter5.html

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

Contact us to schedule an event in your home, at your business, or for your organization.

Vintage Connections
Lisa and Dean Foster