What's New on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail

Now that the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail's is over, wine afficionados can visit the eight wineries that make up the trail at their leisure.

Each winery has new and special offerings this year, in addition to the rich landscapes of vineyards stretching across rolling hills. Here’s a taste of what the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail is bringing to the table for 2012:

Franklin Hill Vineyards is in Lower Mount Bethel Township. Their newest wine, , which was just released in March, is a combination of three grapes: 50 percent Chambourcin, 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25 percent Cabernet Franc.

 signature wine is the Sir Walter’s Red, a three-time gold award winner in Pennsylvania wine competitions.

Big Creek Vineyard in Kresgeville is concocting vintages from new grapes, as owner Dominic Strohlein explained.

“The ones that we’ve been working with, that are new to us, is the Regent, a red grape that makes a dry red from Germany, and the Muscat,” Strohlein said.

Big Creek is a quiet little winery found atop a steep hill. The winery also carries high-quality stemware from Germany made of a titanium crystal.

“The glass you drink wine from is pretty important,” Strohlein said. “They fit your face… your mouth and nose have to fit in.”  

Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars in New Tripoli just released a 2011 unoaked Chardonnay. “Unoaked” means that the wine was made in stainless steel barrels, rather than the traditional oak barrels, which reflects greatly in the flavor.

The winery also released a 2011 Vidal Blanc, a dry white wine.

Blue Mountain, which is perched beside a man-made lake filled with fish and turtles, supports local music and local wine by having live musicians every Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. 

Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery in Breinigsville has one of the largest tasting rooms on the trail, and sells a wide variety of wine racks and accessories.

Their signature wine is the semi-sweet Turtle Rock Red. They also bottle their Generations line of vintage limited-release wines, which includes a red, a Chardonnay, a Riesling and Three, a wine composed of three different grapes.

Galen Glen Winery in Andreas might be the furthest away, but it’s also (arguably) the most picturesque visit on the trail.

This year Galen Glen released a new variety of Grüner Veltliner, a dry white that was previously only available in a stone cellar variety. The non-stone cellar Grüner is a new released for March Madness.

Several others favorites, like the dry and semi-dry Rieslings, returned as new vintages.

If your favorite Galen Glen wine has sold out, don’t fret: New vintages are being bottled and will be coming back in March, April and May.

On April 21, the winery is holding a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society with a Raspberry wine -- another favorite returning to the list -- and cheesecake pairing.

Pinnacle Ridge in Kutztown is keeping their wine list pretty consistent, with a couple of new additions. Right now they have a dry rosé called Oasis and a late harvest Vidal Blanc.

This summer, Pinnacle Ridge will once again be bottling and releasing their Trio wine, a collaborative effort between themselves and two other Pennsylvania wineries, Allegro Vineyards and Manatawny Creek.

“We all get along and like each other’s wines,” explained owner Brad Knapp. “We basically try to help each other make better wines.”

Each winery lends one-third of the Trio blend, which consists of Cabernet Franc, merlot and Syrah. Trio was released as a 2007 vintage, and this summer it’ll be available again as a 2010 vintage.

As far as Knapp knows, it’s the only collaborative wine in the state.

Vynecrest in Breinigsville hasn’t released any new wines yet in 2012, but has been coming out with a few new vintages. Recently the winery brought out a 2011 Chardonnay -- a very fruity variety with a hint of apricots -- as well as the 2011 Pinot Noir.

“In June, a new sparking Vidal will be coming out,” said co-owner Jan Landis. “Last year was the first time we did a sparking wine, and it was very well-received.”

And last but not least, Amore Vineyards & Winery in East Allen Township has a new addition with their Rapport, port-style semi-sweet red. Amore has also brought out a new dry red called Cabaret Amore.

Amore is prepping their outdoor back patio to be open for late spring and summer for visitors. Patrons can hang out on the patio with a glass of wine, or reserve the space for parties and private events.