Part 5 - The Last of our Top 10 Wine Recommendations of 2010

UPDATE on one of our Top 10!

Pinnacle Ridge's 2007 Veritas won "Best Vinifera" and "Double Gold" at the 2011 PA Farm Show!!  Congratulations Brad!


Below are our last two Top 10 Wines of 2010.  Next week, we'll list a few "honorable mentions."  
If you did not read about the previous 8 of our"Top 10," read the archive of this blog. 

The top 10 are NOT in any particular order, are all different varieties, are from different wineries, and are from the USA and around the world. 

These are all wines we've written about during 2010.  We've updated information about availability in Pennsylvania and costs for those that are still available.

Give us feedback, telling us which (if any) of these were your favorites and if we left any of your favorites off of our list.

Vynecrest Lemberger (Silver Medal at the 2011 PA Farm Show)

This is a full-bodied dry red.  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. 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.  After tasting, relax in 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/

St. Supery Moscato 2008 (only a few bottles remain at a few PLCB stores)

Made from 100% muscat blanc grapes, St. Supery's Moscato is a still wine from the Napa Valley.  It is “deliciously floral, yet delicate with wonderful stone fruit aromas and flavors."  The acidity balances its slight sweetness and makes it light and crisp with a long lasting floral finish.  Great as an aperitif or with desserts.  Serve slightly chilled.  It is not a "dessert wine" but is a great accompaniment to dessert.  We've had it several times and especially liked it with yellow cupcakes.

St. Supery’s 2008 Moscato is a Chairman Select, but only a few remaining bottles are listed and in only a few PLCB stores.  If you can find it, it's selling for $6.99 (originally, it was still a great buy at $11.99).  It's PLCB product code 18314. 

Spring 2011 Wine Classes

We are reducing the cost of our Wine Classes to $35 per person for the classes below.

Open Enrollment Classes Spring 2010
$35 per person, includes wine, cheese, crackers and LOTS of good information about wine.

New Location - These classes will be held at the PDIDA Office, 139 East High Street, right in downtown Pottstown.  Plenty of on-street parking.  
Additional detail about these classes is available in our previous January blogs.

All on Thursdays, 6:30-9:00 PM
March 24 - Wine Blending Bordeaux Style
March 31 - Wines of the Finger Lakes II
April 7 - Surprising Wines under $15
April 14 - Wine Gems from Our Cellar

Home Schoolin'
Wine Classes and Educational Tastings
·    In your home, at your business (within 15 miles of Pottstown**)
·    $250 for up to 8 people.  Includes wine, cheese, and crackers
·    Add $200 for an additional 8 people*
*  Additional discounts available for more than 16 people.
** Additional distance may require a travel charge.

Checks and cash only.

For more information or to discuss a customized class, email us or call us at 610.469.6164.

Fun Fact!

Lemberger is also known as Blaufrankisch in Austria and Kekfrankos in Hungary.
There will be another quiz someday!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Beer Class at Weak Knee Home Brew (linked to website)
January 25
Wild Game and Beer Pairing Dinner

Berks County Wine Trail (linked to website)

Wine and Chocolate Weekend (linked to website)

February 12-13, Noon-5 PM both days.

March Madness on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail (linked to website)

Buy a passport and visit any Lehigh Valley winery on any weekend in March.

Vintage Connections Spring Wine Classes
See previous January blog entries.

Part 4 of our Top 10 Wines of 2010

This week and next we'll continue to list our Top 10 Wines of 2010.  After that, we'll list some "honorable mentions."  If you did not read the last three weeks' wine recommendations, you can review them through the archive at on our blog at http://vintageconnectionswineinfo.blogspot.com/

The top 10 are NOT in any particular order.

The top 10 are all different varieties, are from different wineries, and are from the USA and around the world. 

These are all wines we've written about during 2010.  We've updated information about availability in Pennsylvania and costs for those that are still available.

Give us feedback, telling us which (if any) of these were your favorites and if we left any of your favorites off of our list.

Pinnacle Ridge Winery's Veritas 2007

In good years, winemaker Brad Knapp blends several "Bordeaux" grapes to make his vintage Veritas.  We have bottles from several previous vintages, and truly miss the years the grapes are not good enough for Brad to blend this premier red wine.  2007 was a fine year and Brad has produced an outstanding Veritas 2007.

This classic Bordeaux-type blend is made with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.   It is deep, rich red in color with aromas of "toasty oak, vanilla and black fruits".  It was aged for 16 months in American oak barrels and is extremely well balanced with flavors of blackberries and other dark fruits and has a long pleasing finish.   Alcohol is about 12% by volume.  

The 2007 Veritas is $20 per bottle at the winery near Kutztown.  Pinnacle Ridge's website is http://www.pinridge.com/

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.   In addition to this reserve, Brancott produces several other Sauvignon Blancs available in PLCB stores. We recommend buying several, having some friends over and doing a little taste comparison.  Summer on the deck would be best, but why wait?
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. 

  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 $17.99.  Available a most PA Wine and Spirit Stores.

Spring 2011 Wine Classes and Gift Certificates

Wine Classes

We are reducing the cost of our Wine Classes to $35 per person for the classes below.

Open Enrollment Classes Spring 2010
$35 per person, includes wine, cheese, crackers and LOTS of good information about wine.
Thursdays, 6:30-9:00 PM

New Location - These classes will be held at the *PDIDA Office, 139 East High Street, right in downtown Pottstown.  Plenty of on-street parking.  *Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority.  Sounds like a Quiz question.

March 24 - Wine Blending Bordeaux Style - Learn about and taste Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc individually, then blend them and experience how they complement each other and how blending produces a more complicated aroma and flavor.

March 31 - Wines of the Finger Lakes II - Learn about and taste wines from the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Famous for Reisling, the Finger Lakes region also produces other excellent whites and in good years, excellent bold reds.

April 7 - Surprising Wines under $15 - It's often difficult to find a good wine priced under $15, but some are very good and reliable in this price range.  Learn about very affordable wines and taste a few of our favorites.

April 14 - Wine Gems from Our Cellar - "Someday we're going to drink this!"    Tonight's the night!  We'll pull some of our favorites from our cellar, taste them and talk about wines that should be aged or not, and the effects of time in the bottle. 

Home Schoolin'
Wine Classes and Educational Tastings
·    In your home, at your business (within 15 miles of Pottstown**)
·    $250 for up to 8 people.  Includes wine, cheese, and crackers
·    Add $200 for an additional 8 people*
*  Additional discounts available for more than 16 people.
** Additional distance may require a travel charge.

Sample classes - Many other options are available.

Wine for Beginners      Basic Red and White       Wines of the World
                 Wines of the USA            Wines of the Finger Lakes    
          Wines of Pennsylvania                       What's in a Name     
Blending Wine Bordeaux Style             Surprising Wines under $15

              

OR - We'll design a CUSTOMIZED CLASS FOR YOU (costs may vary)

Gift Certificates for Spring 2011 Wine Classes

What a unique and fun gift!  Give the gift of a wine class.

$35 for a seat in any of our open enrollment Vintage Connections Wine Classes listed above.

$250 for a Home Schoolin' Wine Class as described above, for up to 8 people, provided in your home, business or other appropriate location (within 15 miles of Pottstown  - other locations may require a travel charge).

For more information or to purchase a gift certificate, email us at  Vintageconnections@comcast.net or call us (Dean or Lisa) us at 610-469-6164 or 610-310-9942.

Checks and cash only.

Fun Fact!

Bordeaux (red) is always a blend, usually predominated by either Cab Sauvignon or Merlot, often with Cabernet Franc and sometimes Petite Verdot and Malbec.  Carmenere is technically another allowable Bordeaux grape, but is seldom (if every) used in the blend today.

There will be another quiz someday!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Vintage Connections Spring Wine Classes
See feature article in this issue.

Wine and Beer Classes at Weak Knee Home Brew
January 11
Wine Making Class

January 18
Beer Making Class

January 25
Wild Game and Beer Pairing Dinner
Contact us to register for classes,  to schedule a wine class or wine event in your home, at your business, or for your organization, or to buy a gift certificate.

Top 10 Wines of 2010 - Part 3

This is Part 3 of our top 10 wines of the year.  We'll continue to highlight two wines a week for the next 3 weeks and then list some "honorable mentions." If you did not read the last two weeks' wine recommendations, you can review them through the archive at on our blog at http://vintageconnectionswineinfo.blogspot.com/

The top 10 are NOT in any particular order.

The top 10 are all different varieties, are from different wineries, and are from the USA and around the world.

These are all wines we've written about during 2010. We've updated information about availability in Pennsylvania and costs for those that are still available.

Give us feedback, telling us which (if any) of these were your favorites and if we left any of your favorites off of our list.

Errazuriz Chardonnay 2007 

This Chardonnay is from the Escultura Estate in Casablanca Valley in Chile, this Chardonnay was made from wild yeasts that are naturally present on the grape skins and in the air.  Grapes are hand-picked, the juice fermented at low temperatures and then allowed to sit for 10 months in French oak barrels.  It has tropical fruit aromas with toasty, nutty flavors and a long finish.

La Escultura Estate is located just twenty miles from the Pacific Ocean, so it benefits from the moderate temperatures of the Pacific breezes during the ripening period.  In 2007 when the grapes were ripening the weather was unusually cool allowing the grapes to mature slowly which benefited the final product by allowing the grapes to "maintain their natural fruit flavor and acidity".

Allowing the juice to ferment with wild, native yeasts "produces different concentrations and proportions of by products, adding distinctive flavors - and therefore more complexity - to the wine". Seventy percent of the wine also went through malolactic fermentation.

Errazuriz Chardonnay is light  yellow straw colored and is medium bodied.

We were a little concerned with what this wine was going to taste like having been made using the wild, native yeasts rather than the tamer yeast additives usually used.  But we wanted to try it anyway.  "Nothing ventured...."  We were very happily surprised and thoroughly enjoyed the wine.  So much so that we have decided to use it paired with plantain chips at the upcoming Cinco de Mayo celebration at the Gallery School in Pottstown.

Alcohol is 13.5% by volume.  PLCB product code is 22502 and is sold for $14.99 a bottle but only a few PA Wine and Spirit stores have any left.  Search the PLCB website using the product code for availability, or ask your local store if they can ship any to their location for you.

J. Lohr South Ridge Paso Robles Syrah

We've enjoyed this wine several times and recommended it to friends who have enjoyed it as well.

This remarkably well-balanced Syrah is made from 2 clones: French Chapoutier and Australian Shiraz #2 grown in the Estrella Hills area of Paso Robles, CA.  With aromas of black cherry and blackberry, it is rich, dark and fruity with a light toasted oak flavor.  It underwent primary fermentation in stainless steel, then malolactic fermentation in French and American oak barrels for 14 months.  A great wine with grilled meats.  The J. Lohr Syrah is still available at a few local PA Wine and Spirit stores for $15.99.  PLCB product code is 6311. Alcohol is13.5% by volume.

Spring 2011 Wine Classes and Gift Certificates
We are reducing the cost of our Wine Classes to $35 per person for the classes below.

Open Enrollment Classes Spring 2010
$35 per person, includes wine, cheese, crackers and LOTS of good information about wine.
Thursdays, 6:30-9:00 PM

New Location - These classes will be held at the *PDIDA Office, 139 East High Street, right in downtown Pottstown.  Plenty of on-street parking.  *Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority.  Sounds like a Quiz question.

March 24 - Wine Blending Bordeaux Style
March 31 - Wines of the Finger Lakes II
April 7 - Surprising Wines under $15
April 14 - Wine Gems from Our Cellar

Home Schoolin'
Wine Classes and Educational Tastings
·    In your home, at your business (within 15 miles of Pottstown**)
·    $250 for up to 8 people.  Includes wine, cheese, and crackers
·    Add $200 for an additional 8 people*
*  Additional discounts available for more than 16 people.
** Additional distance may require a travel charge.

Sample classes - Many other options are available
Wine for Beginners      Basic Red and White        Wines of the World
                  Wines of the USA             Wines of the Finger Lakes    
          Wines of Pennsylvania                       What's in a Name     
Blending Wine Bordeaux Style             Surprising Wines under $15
              

OR - We'll design a CUSTOMIZED CLASS FOR YOU (costs may vary)
Gift Certificates for Spring 2011 Wine Classes

What a unique and fun gift!  Give the gift of a wine class.


For more information about classes, see last week's blog.

Questions or to purchase a gift certificate, email us at  Vintageconnections@comcast.net or call us (Dean or Lisa) us at 610-469-6164 or 610-310-9942.

Checks and cash only.

Fun Fact!
Syrah is the same grape as Shiraz (Australia just has to be so DIFFERENT).
There will be another quiz someday!