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Welcome
to Russel's Ramblings™! This is the latest installment of my
addition to the website, which focuses on the various aspects of the
joy of the table- WINE! In this installment, I discuss our return to
the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail in Pennsylvania and Blue Mountain
Vineyards. Read on and click
here to send me your comments and questions. |
Greetings!
Tonya and I recently did a return trip to the Lehigh
Valley Wine Trail. I return to report to you that this
wine trail is better than ever! From Amore Vineyards to Vynecrest
Winery, they have really done a great job. At each and every winery
we had a very pleasant experience tasting and hanging out with the
winemakers and staff. From Millie at Big Creek to Sarah at Galen
Glen, the people were genuine and the wine was superb.
The
Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, consisting of Amoré Vineyards, Big
Creek Vineyard, Blue Mountain Vineyards, Cherry Valley Vineyards,
Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Franklin Hill Vineyards, Galen
Glen Vineyard & Winery, Pinnacle Ridge Winery, and Vynecrest
Winery has been around for a few years now. They grow a number of
very familiar wines: Chardonnay,
Riesling, Pinot
Noir, Merlot,
Cab Sauvignon,
Cab Franc,
and Pinot Grigio.
They
also grow some that you might not have heard of: Leon
Millot, Dechaunac,
Traminette
and Frontenac.
The grape of choice in this area is the Chambourcin
grape. It is one that you probably will not see in other areas of the
country, although we have had it in New Jersey. It grows well in the
area and can be crafted in many different styles of wine. We tasted
it sweet, dry, rose and also blended with other grapes. This will
definitely be the signature grape of this wine region and something
that will please the palate as you expand your range from the usual
grape varietals.
For
the entire four day visit, we stayed at the Dockside Bed and
Breakfast in New Tripoli, PA. Dockside is a bed and breakfast that we
have enjoyed in the past. The rooms are modern, well appointed and
feature all the luxurious amenities. You have a TV, VCR and DVD
player so you can enjoy yourself in the room. You also have a
whirlpool tub that is very relaxing (with a TV in the bathroom!).
They also provide a small refrigerator for the room, which is perfect
for storing the wine you will buy. It is centrally located on the
wine trail, which makes it easy to visit all the wineries in the
Lehigh Valley. You are also close to the Berks County Wine Trail.
Tonya and I highly recommend the Dockside Bed and Breakfast for
anyone traveling to the Lehigh Valley.
The
first day we arrived we went to Blue Mountain Winery. It was located
less than half a mile from Dockside B&B. We were fortunate to
enjoy the wines poured by the winemaker himself, Joe Greff. Joe has a
great memory and a great personality. He also makes a nice bottle of
wine! He makes sweet blush wines that are very popular locally and
some impressive dry Italian style wines. You can see on our wine list
that we have had some of their wine in the past. At this tasting
Tonya and I tried a number of reds and whites and had a great time!
We really enjoyed their Blue Heron Meritage, which is an estate blend
of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This is a wine that
you can really enjoy. It is also a wine that you can hold onto and
cellar for some time. You get a little pepper from the Cab Franc and
some nice oak from the nine months it spent aging in barrels.
We
also enjoyed the Vidal
Blanc. This was a nice dry white wine, with a green apple
taste and a nice smooth finish. We also liked the Riesling, which was
a semi-dry style with a lot of fruit up front. It had some mineral
notes on the finish. Both these whites are very quaffable and are
particularly enjoyable on a nice summer day.
One
of the great things about these wines is that they are low in sulfites.
Joe explained to us sulfites are often added to the wine as a
preservative. He noted, however, he does not add much if any to the
wines he makes. This helps reduce the "headache factor"
with wine.
Blue
Mountain Winery is beautiful. They have a large tasting room and a
deck area where you can sit out with a nice bottle of wine and a
picnic lunch. They also offer music on Sundays as part of their
Sangria Sundays. You can spend a few minutes tasting or a few hours
just relaxing and relating with a partner!
Cheers!
Russel
Click
here to send me your comments, recommendations and questions |
