Local Love – Wine Edition

I have the fortune of living amongst several great wineries here in PA.  I once knew a guy that told me he “refused to drink local PA swill.”  LOL…pretentious much?  As a matter of fact, PA is at the same latitude as some of the best European wineries.  When also taking into account climate and terroir, PA, and theNortheast and  Mid-Atlantic regions have created a notable market for wines.

I happen to live on the border of the Lehigh Valley and Pocono Wine Trails.  I can drive 15 minutes in any direction from my house and be at an urban winery (making wine from juice that is trucked in) to an estate vineyard (making wine from grapes grown onsite, sometimes combined with juice that is trucked in).  This means that my wine cabinet is always stocked and it also means frequent trips to a winery, just because.  In this particular post, I want to highlight 3 of my favorite wineries, all of which I have visited in the past 7 days.  Each possess their own unique qualities that make me love them.

First up is Franklin Hills.  This winery is our current favorite and you can find Matt and me there most weekends.  The remote setting really makes a difference for us.  It sits on top of a hill in Bangor, which is about 7 miles from our house.  You drive backcountry roads to get there and there is a one-lane farm road that leads you to the tasting room and shop.  It’s very relaxing and a great place to kick back and enjoy wine.  Due to COVID restrictions, the indoor tasting room is closed, but there is a lovely patio with tables and there are additional tables along some of the grapevines.  You can purchase wine tastings, flights, or our favorite, wine pouches (adult Capri Suns).  They also provide snack boxes, chock full of cheeses, chips, hummus, and guac to accompany your wine purchases.  They always have seasonal sangrias that will make your mouth water.  You may also be greeted by the sweet orange cat, who appreciates a taste of your cheese, or Franklin, the resident peacock, who now has his own wine called Blue Hen (a delicious blackberry wine that is AMAZING when mixed with lemonade).  If you are lucky, you will run into Elaine, who is the owner of the winery.  She was the first female winemaker in the Lehigh Valley and a legend amongst our local wine community.  She is also the mother of the gentleman who owns Social Still, a local distillery in Bethlehem, PA.

If you travel from Franklin Hills into the actual town of Bangor, you will come across Clever Girl winery.  This is a new, urban winery that sits downtown.  Matt and I attended a Winemaker’s Tasting there this past week.  During this event, we were able to taste all 10 wines that Clever Girl produces, accompanied by a delicious charcuterie plate and a bottle of your choice to take home.  In addition to the wine and food, we had the opportunity to learn a little about the winemaker, Don, and his wife Pam.  The wines range from dry to sweet and are all named after super-spunky women from movies. Our favorite that we sampled was Claire, named after Molly Ringwald’s character in The Breakfast Club.  It is a sweeter Pear wine that is so delicious and different from anything else that I’ve tasted.  It is also their best seller.  Don is a great storyteller and his passion for wine comes through both in his words and in the glass.  Matt and I walked out of that tasting with 6 bottles of wine!  We certainly look forward to hanging out there more, now that we’ve had a chance to experience Clever Girl.

Last, but certainly not least is Blue Ridge Estate Vineyard and Winery.  This place will always hold a special place in my heart.  Randy Detrick, the owner, and winemaker is a force to be reckoned with.   His passion and energy are unmatched by anyone I have ever met in my life.  I first met him about 4 years ago.  I enrolled in a Wine Specialist Certificate program at our local community college.  This was an eight-course program to learn about wine production from the growing of grapes, to the harvest, to wine production.  In a way, this program is responsible for Cow & Wine, as well as Clever Girl Winery, Easton Wine Project, and many other local wine businesses.  Randy was one of my instructors in the program.  I was able to go from listening to him lecture in the classroom, to harvesting grapes from his vines, watching him press them to drinking the finished wine months later in his tasting room.  When I first started going to Blue Ridge, it was a quaint vineyard up on the hill.  A place to grab a glass or a bottle and head out onto the deck, overlooking a Christmas tree farm and enjoy life.  Fast forward a few years to now.  It is a booming, destination vineyard that is rated #1 on the East Coast.  It is chock full of bachelorette parties, proposals, and lots of parties.  While I miss the quiet tranquility of Blue Ridge, I’m amazed and proud of Randy’s success.  This is a success that he could not achieve if he was not producing AMAZING wines.  Matt and I were just there today.  We sat amongst the grapevines in the crisp air, enjoying the best Chardonnays, Pinot Grigios and Rieslings that you will find at a Northeast Vineyard.  In fact, I’m enjoying a glass of Pinot as I write this…and did I mention that I am not a lover of white wines?  I love every wine that Randy produces and I love his passion and energy even more.  

Now that I have shared 3 local gems with you, I have to tell you that there are more.  I didn’t even get to tell you about Renegade Urban Winery (owned by Randy’s brother, Britt), Tolino’s Winery, or Easton Wine Project.  And then there are the wineries further out from me like Black River in Bethlehem and Folino’s in Kutztown.  As time goes on, I promise to share my thoughts about them with you.  If you take nothing else from this post, hear this… DO NOT BE A WINE SNOB.  There are likely great wineries (or breweries or distilleries) in your neighborhood.  Don’t be afraid to drop in and sample some of their goods.  Follow them on social media.  Go to their special events.  You may very well find some of the best drinks (and food) in your area.  You will also make new friends and support your local economy.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  I look forward to sharing more with you from my neighborhood.  And if you are relatively local to me, I look forward to taking you there and experiencing the fun together.