berks county wine trail presentation to the berks county board of commissioners – august 2009
TRANSCRIPT
Berks County Wine TrailPresentation to the Berks County
Board of Commissioners – August 2009
Welcome to the Berks County Wine Trail and its member wineries
8 participating family-owned wineries in the Berks Region:
Bashore & Stoudt County Winery Kog Hill WineryBlair Vineyards Long Trout WineryCalvaresi Winery Manatawny Creek WineryClover Hill Vineyards & Winery Pinnacle Ridge Winery
trail organized in 2004
share unique philosophies to quality winemaking
encompass winemaking with locally grown grapes and fruits – from Chardonnay, Merlot, Vidal, Chambourcin to Peaches, Mulberry, Apples, Raspberries and more … a true celebration of local agriculture!
About us…
Berks CountyWine Trail 2009 member wineries
span the entire Berks region
Public enjoys seeing agricultural farmland & tourism attractions during their self-guided exploration of our wine trail
collaboration between the wineries supports 4 annual events each year:
Chocolate & Wine Cool Wine TreatA Taste of Spring! Artisan Cheese & Wine
the opportunity of the wineries’ daily activities also promotes PA winemaking, viticulture and agriculture
About us…
each of us loves wine, winemaking and agriculture
we each enjoy sharing this passion with the public who stops by to experience a taste of Berks County
we love it when they not only buy a bottle for themselves but buy one for a friend or loved one who doesn’t know yet that great wines are made here
Why we do it…
some of the wineries grow their own fruit as well as produce the wines; others purchase fruit from other growers in the region, producing the wines here in Berks
at the more established wineries, the winemakers work fulltime at their craft
while others, still in transition, juggle a day job or corporate career while carving out time for their second career & true passion – winemaking
How we do it…
crushing
bottling
culture of winemaking - PA philosophy of winemaking – BCWT soil & climate characteristics grapes (vinifera) & fruits grown & produced into wines spectrum wines found along the trail include…. crops this year – weather (rain!) impact on orchards, berry patches, vineyards
BCWT & winemaking
grapes
vineyard
we enjoy a steady growth in consumer/tourism attendance since our inception
wine trail events attract new patrons as well as encourage regular patrons to pay a visit
wines sales up nationally & in PA (combination of consumer interest in wine and the recession)
Consumer interest in locally grown foods is booming
The combination of locally grown fruits/grapes…domestic wine popularity…and consumers staying close to home to enjoy the fruits we produce – makes wineries like ours very fortunate
Our fruitful vantage point
the bonus in all of this: our visitors find themselves immersed in the agricultural landscape of our region when they come to visit any of our wineries
each year event attendance and overall awareness increases significantly, since we became a trail, visitors to the wineries has more than doubled.
we continue to explore ways to keep expanding this awareness of what Berks County has to offer via the avenue of its wineries
Our fruitful vantage point
Wine produced by the Berks County Wine Trail Wineries…
…stems from a year round agricultural process
A visual tour of the eight wineries along the
Berks County Wine Trail…
Long Trout Winery
Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery - Robesonia
Calvaresi Winery
Manatawny Creek Winery
Kog Hill Winery
Kog Hill Winery
Pinnacle Ridge Winery
Bashore & Stoudt Country Winery
Blair Vineyards
Young vine takes root in a protective covering
Vineyard ready for harvest
Oak barrels used to age wine
Stainless steel tanks are used toferment and/or to age wine
Festive wine pairings are oftenfeatured at wine trail events