It's a Road Trip!

 

Yadkin Valley Wine Trip

 

Join us on a spring trip to the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina to visit and sample the best of North Carolina wineries and wines June 5-8.

 

The Yadkin Valley is an easy seven hour drive from downtown Pittsburgh and is probably the fastest growing wine region in the U.S.  When we first visited in 2001, there were less than six wineries in the area – there are now over 50!  The Yadkin Valley as well as Swan Creek areas have been designated AVAs.

 

We are hoping to start the weekend off with a welcome reception on Thursday at Round Peak Vineyards located in Mt. Airy.  Then off to the motel in Yadkinville.  We plan on visiting four wineries on Friday and again on Saturday.  I am working on us touring the Surry Community College’s Center for Viticulture and Enology again this year.  One of the lunches will be North Carolina Pulled Pork prepared by Snooks Bar-b-q, rated as one of the state’s five best bar-b-que shacks by Saveur Magazine.  We will also have a wine dinner with winemakers in attendance to talk about their particular wine being served with each course.

 

We are also invited to the home of Tom & Linda King for a casual cook-out – and weather permitting, to swim in their pool – so pack your bathing suits and towels.  Linda is a long-time AWS member and is one of the founders of the Pittsburgh Chapter.  She retired last year as a winemaker and consults for wineries in the Yadkin area.

 

An estimated cost of around $275 per person includes all winery tasting fees, lunch both Friday and Saturday, the cookout at the King’s residence, the winemakers’ dinner and all taxes and gratuity.  Your motel and travel costs are your responsibility (the motel is less than $80/night).

 

If you are interested, please e-mail me at kristofik432@comcast.net to be put on the list.  As soon as I have all the particulars nailed down I will be able to give you a firm price.

 

 

 

A Taste of Pennsylvania

Our tasting, this month, features wines from Pennsylvania, and will be presented by Terry Germanowski.  Terry knows most of the winemakers personally, so we’ll certainly have some insightful commentary.  Our hosts for the evening are Julie and Millard Underwood.

The first documented commercial vineyard in Pennsylvania was the Pennsylvania Vine Company, established in 1793 along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. Over the next century, Pennsylvania vineyards spread first west to York and then north to Erie. However, the 1920s Prohibition movement destroyed most of the wine production in Pennsylvania. People still drank wine, but only for sacramental reasons. During this time, the grapes no longer used by wineries were used instead to produce grape juice. 

In 1968, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania passed the Limited Winery Act, which gave residents the right to produce and sell wine in Pennsylvania. This law allowed for the establishment of small, family-owned wineries in the state. Since then, the state has witnessed growth and expansion of numerous wineries. The number of Pennsylvania wineries has skyrocketed over the past decade, growing from 40 to 130.

Make your reservations EARLY!

Members: $15 Guests: $20

RSVP by March 5, 2014 to:

aws.pittsburgh@gmail.com

or

Kathleen Simpson  412-657-1861

Make checks payable to AWS and mail to:

Dr. Dennis Trumble 1302 Arch St. Pittsburgh PA 15212

Remember the meeting will be on WEDNESDAY MARCH 12th at 7:00 pm in Ross Township, at the Evergreen Community Park, 3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237.

Reminder

It’s that time again!  If you haven’t paid your annual dues, now is the time to do so.

National Dues:

Annual (calendar year) $62.00 per individual or couple.

Join at www.americanwinesociety.org or pay by check at an AWS Pittsburgh Chapter meeting.

Local Dues:

Annual (calendar year) $10.00 per individual or $15.00 per couple.

Pay by check (payable to AWS) at an AWS Pittsburgh Chapter meeting.  Or mail to:

Dr. Dennis Trumble 1302 Arch St. Pittsburgh PA  15212

What Can You Do With a Couple of Grapes?

 

Deb Mortillaro from Dreadnought will present two grapes, a German Riesling and an Italian Corvina, and show us what changes occur in the taste as the winemakers alter their techniques.

If there’s one wine that is often misunderstood, it’s Riesling.  With the wide variety of styles, ranging from very dry to extremely sweet, it can be difficult to decipher which one will suit your taste.  Deb will guide us through the Wonderful World of Riesling and the amazing German words that accompany those styles (practice saying Trockenbeerenauslese).

Corvina, sometimes referred to as Corvina Veronese, is the grape from which Valpolicella is made, both in the Ripasso style and the Classico.  It’s also used in the production of Amarone and Recioto.   These are premium wines, and premium information, so prepare for a real treat!

Terry Germanoski and Kathleen Simpson will be your hosts for the evening.

 

Make your reservations EARLY!

 

Members: $20 Guests: $25

RSVP by February 3, 2014 to:

aws.pittsburgh@gmail.com

 

or

 

Kathleen Simpson  412-657-1861

 

Make checks payable to AWS and mail to:

 

 Dr. Dennis Trumble 1302 Arch St. Pittsburgh PA 15212

 

Remember the meeting will be on WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 12th at 7:00pm in Ross Township, at the Evergreen Community Park, 3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237.

A little reminder

Our next tasting will be held at the Evergreen Community Park in the North Hills.  The new location is roughly six miles from the Knights of Equity building, and takes about 11 minutes to drive from there (at posted speed limits!).

The new venue is very attractive, has plenty of parking (off street) and it’s right next to a lake!  Our next tasting will take place at this new location.  The address is below.  For some GPS units, it will be listed as Ross Community Park, but it’s the same place.

We will meet on the second Wednesday of the month.  Mark your calendar.

 January 8, 2014! 

3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237

Notes from the Chair

 

Reflection and projection

As we come to the end of one trip around the sun, and the beginning of another, I want to offer a few thoughts and observations.

We had some wonderful tastings in 2013, and are looking forward to more and better ones in the coming year.  The Holiday party was great, and thanks go to our Regional Vice President, Rich Ryba, and our own Co-Program Director Leeana Ryba for all of the efforts that they put into that event.  The raffle at the party raised $316 which was pledged to the Alexis Descaunets Hartung Fund for the AWSEF.

The first of our chapter’s wine raffles went very well, and we’re hoping to continue that feature at the tastings in 2014.  Large format bottles have a unique aspect.  They tend to promote one of the best things about a bottle of wine, and that is sharing it with friends.

I hope that you find some time over the holidays to share a large bottle with family and friends, or even several small bottles!  That “special” occasion is now. Happy Holidays!

 

Come to Firelands!

Participants at the National Conference in November carried home cases of these award winning wines. Now we can taste them in PA!

If you missed the conference, you can now enjoy the wines as declared by the U.S. Government to be specific viticultural area. Wines have been made on the southern shore of Lake Erie near Sandusky since 1880. Firelands was a sponsor of the 2013 Sandusky Conference and their wine maker conducted one of the sessions.

JOIN US!

Make your reservations EARLY!

Members: $20 Guests: $25

RSVP by January 1, 2014 to:

aws.pittsburgh@gmail.com

or

Kathleen Simpson - 412-657-1861

Make checks out to AWS and mail to:

Dr. Dennis Trumble 1302 Arch St. Pittsburgh PA 15212

Remember the meeting will be on WEDNESDAY JANUARY 8th at 7:00pm in Ross Township, at the Evergreen Community Park, 3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237.

 

A change is gonna come!

 

We’re moving!

After many happy years at the Knights of Equity in Millvale, we’re moving our tastings to a new location.  We’re now going to meet at the Evergreen Community Park in the North Hills.  The new location is roughly six miles from the Knights of Equity building, and takes about 11 minutes to drive from there (at posted speed limits!).

The new venue is very attractive, has plenty of parking (off street) and it’s right next to a lake!  Our next tasting will take place at this new location.  The address and a link are below.  For some GPS units, it will be listed as Ross Community Park, but it’s the same place.

We are also changing the day of our tastings.  Due to scheduling conflicts with a Karate group, we will now be meeting on the second Wednesday of the month. (You don’t want to anger a Karate group!)  There will be further details in the next posting, but we wanted to get the information to you so that you can adjust your calendars.  Mark them for January 8, 2014! 

 

F.L.

 

Evergreen Community Park, 3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA15237

http://northhills.patch.com/listings/evergreen-community-park