Wine Tasting - Pennsylvania!

When I first started conducting wine tasting classes over ten years ago, I never dreamed that one day I would feature Pennsylvania wines.  My experience had been that they were either too sweet, too thin, too rough, or too harsh and not at all interesting or complex, most of them produced from native varietals or hybrids that just did not compare with the vitis vinifera European styles.

Lo and behold, over the years, the quality of Pennsylvania wines has noticeably improved and there is now a growing number of wineries that are producing quite respectable European style wines (in addition to the sweet, fruity, native varieties).   Not only that, but the wineries themselves have become very pleasant and picturesque destinations for day trips, often featuring live music, special events, and tutored tastings.  Indeed, I visited each of the wineries listed below and can highly recommend a visit without hesitation.  Although prices for the top quality wines may be a little dear,  you can take heart that you're supporting local businesses and ensuring a bright future for a burgeoning industry.

Galen Glen Gruner Veltliner 2018 http://www.galenglen.com/

Origin: Lehigh Valley

Varietal: 100% Gruner Veltliner

Production/Tasting Notes: Second oldest Gruner planting in the US; aromas of white grapefruit, passion fruit with sweet minty herbal note; bright acidity; subtle creaminess on palate; long, honey-tinged finish

Food  Pairing: aperitif; seafood, sausage, schnitzel

Alcohol: 12%

Stargzer Arneis 2015 http://www.stargazersvineyard.com/

Origin: Chester County

Varietal: 100% Arneis

Tasting Notes: "Delicate aromas and flavors of pears, with a hint of almonds and a lingering finish" (Winemaker's notes)

Food pairing: spaghetti with garlic and olive oil; calamari; Waldorf salad

Alcohol:  12.5%

Karamoor Estate Meritage 2013    https://www.karamoorwines.com/

Origin: Ft. Washington, Montgomery County

Varietals: 35% Merlot; 27% Cabernet Franc; 23% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Petit Verdot

Production/Tasting Notes: Aged for 16 months in 65% French oak, 20% American oak, 15% Hungarian, of which 30% was new oak; plums, currants, and traces of dusty leather open up to opulent, dark fruit on a silky textured palate; well-managed tannins create velvety mouthfeel and allow for aging potential.

Alcohol:  13.7%

Stargazer Cabernet Franc 2015

Origin: Chester County

Varietal: 100%  Cabernet Franc

Production/Tasting Notes: Aromas of violets, flavors of bramble-berry; expansive, deep contours on the palate; soft tannins

Food  Pairings: roasted game; broiled salmon

Alcohol: 13.5%

Penns Woods Novi 2018 https://www.pennswoodsevents.com/

Origin: Chadds Ford, Chester County

Varietals: 100%  Merlot

Production/Tasting Notes: Unoaked; carbonic maceration; nose of plump red fruit, banana; light body; dried fruits, soft tannins on the finish; best served chilled

Food Pairing: Soft, creamy cheeses, brie, comte, fresh goat cheese, mild cheddar; ham, pate, charcuterie; roasted turkey with pomegranate and cranberry sauce; smoked salmon

Alcohol: 12.%

Fero Saperavi 2017 http://www.ferovineyards.com/

Origin : Lewisburg, Union County

Varietal: 100% Saperavi

Production/Tasting Notes:  18 months aged in oak; primary grape of the Republic of Georgia; 

extremely dark grape skin and juice due to red anthocyanin pigment; fragrant, fleshy, grapey, floral; 

creamy vanilla; faintly herbal meaty notes; moderate acidity; long finish

Food Pairings:  beef stew, lamb, khachapuri (Georgian style bread)

Alcohol: 13%

Winery Notes

STARGAZERS Vineyard and Winery was founded by Alice and John Weygandt. The Vineyard was first planted in 1979; the winery was established in 1996. The Vineyard overlooks the Brandywine Creek from its south facing slopes just north of Unionville, PA in Southern Chester County.

The Vineyard is near the "Stargazers Stone" which marks the location of the observatory Mason and Dixon used in surveying the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland. They were known as "the stargazers" because they used celestial navigation to correct their measurements over the ground. For more about the Line see www.mdlpp.org

We have an excellent vineyard site in the heart of southern Chester County on a south-facing slope with heat retaining, well drained, schisty soil. Situated on a hill above the Brandywine Creek, Stargazers Vineyard has its own special environment and microclimate.

Penns Woods Winery is the result of Gino Razzi's lifetime of experience in the world of wine. A respected importer and distributor of wine, Gino is an Italian immigrant from Abruzzo, in southern Italy. He settled in the Delaware County area in 1962, where he was fostered by the area's Italian-American community. Gino served four years in the United States Marines then attended college in California. After graduation, he returned to Pennsylvania to rejoin family and friends. With three decades of success as a wine importer, in 1995, Gino turned his experience towards the craft of winemaking.  He finished his first wine in 1997. Symposium, a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was his first commercially released wine, and was awarded 95 points by Wine Spectator Magazine.  This publication recently honored this wine again with its inclusion in the retrospective article "Italy's Golden Vintage - the 1997 Harvest" in 2007.
Gino's pursuit of perfection led him to his own back yard. In 2002, he began to craft wines from Pennsylvania–grown grapes. To his surprise, he found that great wines can be made in Pennsylvania.

After a two year search for an ideal vineyard site, Gino decided to purchase the Smithbridge Winery, in 2004, to take advantage of its 25-year-old vines. Gino is convinced that Pennsylvania has the capability to produce world-class wines, and hopes to contribute to the legacy of hard work and artistry of his predecessors. As a symbol of these aspirations, one dollar from the proceeds of each bottle of Penns Woods wines will be used to further wine and grape research in Pennsylvania.     

Karamoor Estate's vineyard is 27 acres of densely planted, immaculately maintained vinifera vines.  The vineyard was designed and architected by Lucie Morton  who was highlighted in Vineyard & Winery Management's "Top 20 Most Admired People in the North American Wine Industry".  In 2003 (when she began working with Karamoor); she chose the varieties of vinifera grapes that we would plant here and she chose where they would be planted.

Lucie is a big advocate of high-density planted vineyards.  The normal vineyard may have about 600-800 vines per acre, but the vineyards that Lucy designs on the east coast have an average of 1600-2000 vines per acre.  The reasoning behind high-density planting is that it promotes even and full ripening by asking the vine to produce less fruit (esentially, making the vine do less work, allowing it to concentrate on fully ripening a smaller crop).

In 2006, the first 10 acres were planted, in 2008, an additional 5 acres, and in 2013, the final 10 acres were planted.  As far as varieties of grapes; we grow Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Malbec, and Pinot Gris.