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Upcoming wine happenings with the Berks County Wine Trail....!
The Berks County Wine Trail welcomes you
to join us for our next event:
A TASTE OF SPRING!
Saturday April 25th & Sunday April 26th – Noon to 5 PM both days
Join all eight wineries along the Berks County Wine Trail for a self-guided tour of the wine trail’s anniversary event weekend “A TASTE OF SPRING!”
As part of the trail’s celebration of its 5th anniversary, trail winemakers and culinary students from Reading Area Community College’s Culinary Arts program are pairing up. Yes, pairing up to create amazing wine & local food pairings! So jump in your car, grab a wine trail map or your GPS device, follow the grapevines from winery to winery during this event weekend, and help celebrate five years of wine trail events, tasting, and award-winning winemaking here in the Berks County area.
Winemakers & our own Chefs of the future will be challenged to cook up eight pairings of wine and fresh menu items created from locally grown foods! Such creativity and great food experienced during last year’s event inspired everyone…RACC, the wine trail, and our wine trail customers to say “hey, let’s do this again!”
Please visit our EVENTS page again soon… as updates (as they become available) about this A TASTE OF SPRING! event will be posted prior to the event weekend including information about the students, the menu of delightful wine food pairings being created PLUS what fabulous wines will be featured at each winery! Spring is in the air as new vintage releases and award-winners will certainly be the high-light of the weekend!
Wineries & Culinary Students participating in the event will be:
Bashore & Stoudt Country Winery - Shartlesville (610-488-9466)
Winemaker Bob Stoudt and Chef Terry Wilson Jr. are cultivating a Canapé-Styled Chicken dish. Shaved locally grown chicken breast is topped with bok choy chiffonade and a homemade plum sauce. The chicken will be marinated in a plum vinaigrette, made from Bashore’s own Shiro Plum Wine for depth of flavor. This dish will be deliciously paired with Bashore’s signature SHIRO PLUM wine.
About Terry: First year student from Kutztown, Terry started his culinary journey at the age of 5, learning family recipes in his Grandmother's kitchen. Since then he has been hard at work to share this passion with others, and he would gladly share with you, as well.
Blair Vineyards - Mertztown (610-682-0075)
Winemaker Richard Blair is building a spread with Chefs Heather DeTurck and Michael Landis - a Springtime Vegetable Cream Spread made with local vegetables of the season - piped on infused-butter wine bread bites; and a Mushroom Caviar infused with Blair’s own white wine, Enlightenment on herb crustinis. No fish-eggs in this caviar! It’s all local mushrooms! And the breads for both the spreads are homemade! Paired with the ‘caviar’ will be ENLIGHTENMENT, a Pinot Gris/Riesling blend; and with the veggie spread, the PINOT GRIS. Both are white wines from Blair.
About Heather & Michael: both students had SO much fun participating in this event last year that they wanted to do it again. This time they’ll be working together as a team in creating an incredible dish to sample.
For Heather, who will graduate this Spring, "It's all about the Food” in her mind. In addition to owning her own catering business in Reading, she cherishes her experiences with RACC’s Chef Moyer and how the program has influenced her business and educational growth.
A native of Oley, Michael’s a second year culinary arts student and a proud Eagle Scout. Originally a junior at RACC's main campus in Reading, he had been pursuing an environmental sciences degree. Three years into his studies, he decided to follow his true passion (He Loves Cooking!) and changed his academic focus so he could pursue his studies in the Culinary Arts. Michael's ultimate goal is to one day have is own restaurant.
Calvaresi Winery of Bernville (610-488-7966)
Winemaker Tom Calvaresi and Chef Joe Hubbel will be baking homemade sticky buns slathered with apple crumbs made from local apples…all paired with Tom’ s ever popular CAYUGA WHITE.
About Joe: Check back soon for his bio, but by nature Joe is the grilling guru – give this second year student some meat and a real BBQ and wow!
Clover Hill Winery of Robesonia (610-693-8383)
Winemaker Kari Skrip and Chefs Julie Swavely & Ashley Antonowich are master-minding work with locally grown chicken to create Applewood-smoked Sausage. Hand-pumped and wrapped in homemade pretzel dough. Yum! Paired with slices of this tasty treat will be an off-dry white wine full of spring time flavors of citrus and green apple, VIDAL BLANC.
About Julie & Ashley:
Second year Culinary Arts student, Ashley previously attended Berks Career and Technology Center West Campus in high school for Culinary Arts. Her passion for cooking got started at a young age in her Grandmothers' kitchen. Watching her Grandmother cook, she was fascinated with it. When not at school she’s assistant chef at a small, private German club called the Reading Liederkranz and works at the Exeter Pizza Hut.
Julie, a first year Culinary Arts student, enjoys spending time with her family and friends by cooking for them. She started her college education with a major in elementary education but decided that her true passion was to cook. Her goal after graduation is to open her own restaurant.
Kog Hill Winery of Morgantown (610-913-6609)
Mike O’Neill and Chefs LuAnn Franklin & Karen Andino are engineering Homemade Filo-dough cups to wrap inside Berks County grown, marinated Portabella Mushrooms; all paired with Kog Hill’s white wine, VIDAL BLANC.
About Karen & LuAnn: check back soon for their bios…but we know that LuAnn loves crafting amazing sauces for her dishes and Karen is drawn to anything baked! Both are first year students from Reading.
Long Trout Winery - Auburn (570-366-6443)
Winemaker Tom Leibensberger & Chef Brendan Miller will fashion their very own Berks County Cheesesteak using homemade bread, locally grown beef, shaved thin from Bixler’s Meats in Schuylkill, and melted on top - goat cheese from Dove Song Dairy of Bernville. Long Trout will serve this up with their very cool SMOKE ON THE WATER wine - berry flavor with a hint of smoked hickory.
About Brendan: check back for his bio…but we already know this first year student from Leesport loves tye-dye t-shirts and cooking spicy foods!
Manatawny Creek Winery - Douglassville (610-689-9804)
Winemaker Joanne Levengood & Chef Lesle Harwood being berry creative are baking Petite Berry Cakes infused with Vidal Blanc Sabayon to be paired with festive, springtime fruit wines BLUE BEAR EASE or RAZZ BEAR EASE wines.
About Lesle: After having such an inspired time during last year’s event, Chef Lesle was proud to join us again. Cooking and food knowledge had been a hobby her whole life. When she needed a career change, she was delighted to find that RACC had culinary education programs and has found them to be well-rounded and highly educational and a heck of a lot of fun!
Pinnacle Ridge Winery - Kutztown (610-756-4481)
Winemaker Brad Knapp and Chefs Leeland Williams & Amanda Vanucci are a trio jamming with Fresh Homemade Mozzarella on homemade baguettes with a tomato bruschetta; a Stromboli filled with locally grown chicken from Peter Bros of Lenhartsville, filled with cheese and locally grown springtime vegetables asparagus and mushrooms; and Pasta Primavera made with bowtie pasta, peas, shredded carrots and fresh parmesean cheese sprinkled on top. Samples of these three dishes to be paired with a white, a red, and a rose: NAKED CHARDONNAY, CHAMBOURCIN and CHAMBOURCIN ROSE.
About Lee and Amanda: Check back soon for their bios, but we do know that Lee, a first year student, absolutely loves to work with seafood. Amanda, a first year culinary student, is really into baking but also loves serving up hearty Italian dishes as inspired by her grandmother. Both Amanda and Lee are from the Reading area.
To learn more about
Reading Area Community College’s Culinary Arts Program – click here
This event is free** and no reservations are required. Though it is recommended that if you are a group of 10 or larger to call ahead to the wineries you plan to visit and give them a heads up.
**This pairing event is free; individual wineries may have other
tasting fees for their regular list of wine samplings.
Please visit individual wineries' pages for further details.
Visit our "maps" page for downloadable trail map; or visit the "wineries"
pages for individual winery directions so you can design and plan your
own self-guided tour of chocolate & wine!
Want to make this event a weekend getaway so you can fully enjoy great wines, great food and scenic PA countryside? Check out the WINE TRAIL SPECIAL RATE at nearby Hilton Garden Inn. $84/night!
Hilton Garden Inn/Allentown West
Near Route 100 & I-78 (near Fogelsville)
http://www.allentownwest.hqi.com
Phone: 610 398 6686
For more information about this event, email:
berks_county_wine_trail@yahoo.com
Loved this event? Want to know about more wine trail events? Visit the Berks County Wine Trail again in 2009 for events including:
Chocolate & Wine Valentine’s Wine Pairing Event Weekend – February 14th & 15th
Taste of Spring - April 25th & April 26th
Cool Wine Treat Weekend - August 8th & August 9th
Artisan Cheese & Wine Tasting Weekend - October 10th & October 11th
Check back later this year for posted details about these events and wines featured!
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