LEHIGH VALLEY, PA – November 10, 2015 – The nine wineries of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail will debut their first wines from the 2015 vintage and other new wine releases during Nouveau Weekend on November 21 and 22. It is the final Wine Trail event of the year.
Wineries will also feature food and wine pairings for visitors to sample. Nouveau wines are bottled very young, with limited barrel aging, and are light, fruity and semi-dry to dry red wines. The event is based on a tradition started in France and continued each year in which nouveau wines are released the third Thursday of November.
Nouveau Weekend is a great opportunity to purchase wine to give as holiday gifts or to complement holiday meals. Event hours at all of the wineries are Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon – 5 p.m. Nouveau Weekend is a free event, however some wineries charge for wine tastings.
Passports for the 2016 Vino in the Valley event go on sale that weekend at the member wineries as well as online via EventBrite.com. Passports are $35 each. Only 1,800 passports are printed, so wine lovers are encouraged to purchase them early since they often sell out in advance of the March event. More information on this event can be found online: http://lehighvalleywinetrail.com/vino-in-the-valley-passport-program/
The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail is a non-profit organization of wineries whose mission is to promote agri-tourism and to create a premiere wine destination and grape growing region while promoting Pennsylvania wines from the region. All of the member wineries have won numerous awards at state, national and international levels. For more information on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, visit http://www.lehighvalleywinetrail.com/.
NOUVEAU WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
Amore will serve chicken medallions with a variety of dipping sauces, paired with their new release of Chambourcin Reserve.
Big Creek will release a Nouvelle Frontenac Gris paired with mini cupcakes made with a wine-based icing courtesy of MMM Cookies.
Blue Mountain Vineyards is releasing their 2015 Nouveau Beaujolais, which is produced from Gamay grapes grown in their vineyards. They will pair it with a vegetarian lentil stew. In addition, they will offer complimentary live entertainment on Saturday. On Sunday, Adam Motto performs live music from 2-5 p.m. Reservations for Sunday are required; admission is $5 (includes wine tasting). Tickets can be purchased via the website.
Clover Hill Winery is ready to celebrate the first release from their 2015 grape harvest; a new, limited release Chocolate Cherry Chambourcin. This wine will make you feel like you are drinking a cherry cordial.
Franklin Hill will celebrate Nouveau Weekend with the release of their 2015 Seyval Blanc. They’ll offer samples of 2015 Seyval Blanc paired with a delicious butternut squash soup made by Chef Phil from Social Still in Southside Bethlehem. In addition they’ll be celebrating the release of their newest wine, Potion X, a pumpkin spice wine, and the release of their Hard Cider, which is now available in cans. They’ll have fresh apple cider from Kachline’s Farm and fall-inspired baked goods from Buttercup Bakery for purchase as well.
Galen Glen will offer a complimentary pairing of their Thankful White Lasagna paired with one of their aromatic white wines.
Pinnacle Ridge produces a small amount of their NuVo wine made from 100% 2015 Chambourcin. Their NuVo is typically only available for several weeks due to the small quantities. For Nouveau Weekend they will pair a fennel cranberry sausage stuffing with NuVo or Quaff (for a sweeter option).
Tolino will release their 2014 Chambourcin and pair it with vegetarian chili. Enjoy live music in the tank room by Erin McClelland on Saturday and Tom Vicario on Sunday. Learn about the wine making process during their tank room tours at 2 and 4 p.m. They will also give away a copy of I’ll Drink to That, Beaujolais and the French Peasant Who Made It the World’s Most Popular Wine by Rudolph Chelminski. All customers who make a purchase are eligible for the drawing.
Vynecrest will serve their new release of Nouveau Beaujolais made from the Gamay Beaujolais grape. Nouveau Beaujolais is a young, fruity unoaked red wine, the first of harvest season 2015. It will be paired with Sugar ‘n Spice French onion dip on a baguette. They will also feature the following samples from Sugar ‘n Spice:
Vegetable Dips – festive, pesto, bacon horseradish, jalapeno
Fruit Dips – caramel, pumpkin, vanilla
Information Provided By:
Tracey Werner, Blabbermouth Communications
tracey@blabbermouthcommunications.com
