April 19–26, 2001

food

State of the Grape

PA pioneered American winemaking, and now local vineyards are blooming again.

by Peter Burwasser

Blue belle: Blue Mountain Vineyards served a delicate Riesling.

Serious winemaking is going on in some unlikely places these days. Texas, Idaho and even Long Island are now home to enthusiastic and innovative vintners. Add Pennsylvania to the list. Ironically, winemaking is another Pennsylvania "first": The Pennsylvania Vine Company, established in 1793 by Pierre Legaux 13 miles northwest of Philadelphia, was the nation’s first. As with so many other ventures that were pioneered here, other areas took the lead and ran away with it, but the situation is coming full circle. The number of wineries here has gone from zero a half century ago up to two in 1969, and is now more than 50 and growing fast.

There are some very good reasons to make wine in Pennsylvania. First and foremost, this is still a great farming state, and growing grapes is farming. Even without counting the wine grapes, Pennsylvania ranks fourth in the country in grape production. Also, almost all of the new wineries are small, boutique-style ventures open to visitors, hence the concentration in vacation areas, such as Bucks County and especially Lake Erie, whose great mass of water regulates the climate for proper wine-grape growing.

But anyone making wine on a commercial basis in Pennsylvania has to deal with the byzantine bureaucracy of the Department of Agriculture and the PLCB. For example, a Pennsylvania winemaker who wishes to mix his blend of locally grown grapes with, say, some fruit from a New York State vineyard would be prohibited by law, which allows Pennsylvania vintners to use only Pennsylvania grapes. And of course, the wineries are utterly beholden to the dreary State Stores to market and sell their products in their home state.

And yet they merrily persevere. A Book and the Cook-sponsored dinner last month was an all-Pennsylvania affair, with tastes from 14 wineries available to sample, as well as matings with local food. The evening was a celebration of Pennsylvania Preferred, a Book and the Cook stepchild that connects small, mostly organic farmers with the marketing department of St. Joseph’s University, where the dinner was held.

At the dinner, there was the opportunity to attempt such pairings as farm-raised bison steak with two delicious Pennsylvania reds: a bold and racy Cabernet Franc from Mazza Vineyards and a beautifully balanced Merican from Chaddsford (a blend of three classic Bordeaux grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc). Both worked splendidly with the outstanding meat, which was as tender and flavorful as any beef and prepared by chefs Walter Staib and Cary Neff in a coating of wild mushroom sauce. A crisp, even brittle Chardonnay from Stargazers Vineyard washed down herb-crusted ostrich breast.

Among the wines served before dinner were some Pennsylvania wine producers working with grapes relatively unknown beyond these borders. Chambourcin grapes are being used by a number of vintners to produce a distinctive dry red, and Auxerrois grapes are used by Stargazers to make a luscious, low-alcohol white that is highly reminiscent of Alsatian Gewürtztraminer. Stargazers, by the way, does not grow the grapes. They buy them from a vineyard in Chester County that is run by four physicians in their spare time (they keep the beepers on when on the farm) called Paradocx (get it?).

There were many familiar names on the labels as well, including a truly elegant Pinot Noir from Presque Isle Wine Cellars. There was a preponderance of whites, not surprising, given the cool, abbreviated growing season of much of the state. A delicate Riesling from Blue Mountain Vineyards and a crisply satisfying Seyval from Seven Valleys Vineyard chased a savory assortment of Zooks Organic Cheeses.

With some effort, you can seek out these intriguing, lovingly made wines at the State Stores. But the best way to sample these wares is at the source. There are at least a dozen wineries within an hour’s drive of Center City. Check out the website of the Pennsylvania Wine Association — www.pennsylvaniawine.com — for a complete list.