Wine Tips - Brandywine Valley Wine Trail

We were so excited about the wines we found at six PA wineries, we bought extra.

So, you can still register for the Wines of PA class until 4 PM, Thursday October 14.
The class is 6:30 - 9:30 PM on the October 14th at MCCC in Pottstown.
Call 310.718.1861 by 4 PM  THURSDAY to register. 


Brandywine Valley Wine Trail
(click this link)

The Brandywine Valley Wine Trail consists of eight wineries, only 7 of which are open regularly.  They are Black Walnut Winery, Chadds Ford Winery, Kreutz Creek Vineyards, Paradocx Vineyard, Patone Cellars, Penns Woods Winery, Stargazer Vineyards, and Twin Brook Winery.  I would guess that nearly everyone has heard about Chadds Ford Winery, but there are other excellent wineries on the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail well worth visiting.

Patone Cellars was only open for the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail Harvest Festival which is now over.

One of our favorite stops along the trail is Kreutz Creek Vineyards. 

Located in southern Chester County outside of West Grove, PA.  Kreutz Creek Vineyards is owned and operated by Jim and Carole Kirkpatrick.  They have been making wine since 1989.  Their fairly new and very attractive tasting room is open Saturdays and Sundays 11-6.  They also have a tasting room in West Chester, PA (this tasting room is pet friendly!)which is open Tuesday through Thursday, 11 AM to 8 PM, Fridays and Saturdays, 11 AM to 9 PM.  They make a variety of wines from chardonnay, both oaked and unoaked, to a virtually unheard of Cabernet Franc Ice wine.  Stop in and try some of their excellent wines!

Another nice stop along the wine trail is the newest winery in the group, Black Walnut Winery.  
 

Black Walnut is located in a newly renovated 200 year old bank barn in Sadsburyville, PA. 

Owners Lance, Valerie, Jack and Karen began making wine in 2001.  Their lovely and inviting tasting room is open Thursdays and Fridays 2 PM till 8 PM and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 AM till 6 PM.  There is a $6 tasting fee to taste 7 wines.  They, too, have a second tasting room.  It opened just a month ago in Phoenixville, PA.  The Phoenixville tasting room is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 PM until 9 PM, Fridays 4 till 10, Saturdays 11 AM till 10 PM, and Sundays 1 PM till 8 PM.   Stop in and taste some wine soon!



USA vs France Wine Tasting Report

Thanks to the 70 people who participated in the USA vs France, aka Bottle Shock Revisited Wine Tasting and Silent Auction on September 18th.  The event was themed after the movie Bottle Shock and the book Judgment of Paris, both of which portrayed the true story of the French versus USA Blind Tasting in Paris in 1976 where a USA (California) Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena outscored excellent French White Burgundies and a USA Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap outscored excellent French Red Bordeaux.

We tasted 8 wines, 6 of them for the blind tasting and rating. Including income from the Silent Auction we netted over $3,500 for the AWS Educational Foundation.

Participants began the evening with a choice of aperitif, either Blanc de Blanc from Pinnacle Ridge Winery near Kutztown, PA (made from 100% Cayuga grapes with 2.5% RS) or the dry Simonnet-Febvre Cremant de Bourgogne Brut Rose from Chablis, made from Pinot Noir with a hint of Gamay.

The blind tasting was conducted using three matched pairs of USA and French wines including

1)  Sancerre 2009 by Christian Salmon versus Sauvignon Blanc 2009 by Bogle (California).

2) Red Burgundy 2006, Mercurey, Premier Crus, Champ Martin by Albert Bichot versus Pinot Noir 2007 by Sebastiani, Sonoma Coast, California.

3) Grand Vin de Bordeaux 2004, Appellation Fronsac Controllee, Chateau Les Trois Croix versus Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 by Souverain, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California.

Participants were guided through the blind tastings and scoring of each pair of wines using the AWS scoring sheet and criteria.  After scoring, before revealing the wines which were concealed in mylar bags and coded by colorful ribbons, participants indicated by a "show of hands" which wine they believed to by French and which wine they believed to be from the USA.  About two-thirds of the group was incorrect when guessing the origins of the Sauvignon Blanc pair, while two-thirds or more were correct when guessing which red wines were French and which were from the USA.

Also before revealing each pair of wine, participants voted for their favorite from each pair.  After all scoring and voting was complete, wines and prices were revealed. 

Results do not always total 70 participants as a few had no preference and did not vote.

Results were
Sancerre by Christian Salmon - 46 votes ($20);  Sauvignon Blanc by Bogle - 24 votes ($11)

Red Burgundy by Albert Bichot - 11 votes ($25);  Pinot Noir by Sebastiani - 58 votes ($16)

Red Bordeaux by Les Triox Croix - 30 votes ($25);  Cabernet Sauvignon by Souverain - 40 votes ($18) 

Individual scoring sheets (70 of them) were totaled and averaged to determine the overall "Best of Evening."
Those average scores were

1. Sebastiani Pinot Noir = 15.5  ("Best of Evening")
2. Salmon Sancerre = 14.9
3. Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon = 14.7
4. Les Trois Croix Bordeaux = 14.2
5. Bogle Sauvignon Blanc = 13.0
6. Albert Bichot Mercurey Burgundy = 12.4

The silent auction included over 40 items including many wine baskets and wine-related items, but also two weekly condo rentals, one in Florida and one in Vermont, and a "Get-a-Way" week-end at a cottage in the Hudson Valley near the Shawangunk Wine Trail.  All items were donated free of charge by AWS members, guests, and area businesses and organizations. Although the final bookkeeping has not been completed, it is estimated that OVER $3.500 was raised for the AWS Educational Foundation. 

UPCOMING EVENTS
(click on the highlighted links)

Berks County Wine Trail
Artisan Cheese & Wine Pairing Event Weekend!" Saturday October 9th & Sunday October 10th

Schuylkill River Festival
Saturday, October 9 
11 AM - 4 PM
Pottstown's Riverfront Park
THIS IS NOT A WINE EVENT but an event we support and sponsor each year. See you there!

MCCC Classes
Wines of PA
Thursday October 14
6:30-9 PM

Wines of the Finger Lakes
Thursday, October 28 6:30-9 PM

Mom's House Benefit Wine Dinner

Saturday, October 23

Five course dinner, each course paired with a different wine.  Kimberton Arts Center  6:30 PM, $75 per person or $525 for a table of 8.

Fun Fact

Meritage wines must blend at least two of the Bordeaux wine varieites.  No single variety can make up more than 90% of the blend. (from Professor's House).

Congratulations to Bob and Jacki Folwell, winners of the first quiz.  They choose a free ticket to Mom's House "Wine Tasting Celebration" on October 23.
There will be another quiz someday! 

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