Pennsylvania wines offer a gift for every taste
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Looking for a gift the recipient will keep and enjoy? Give the fruit of the vine.
"We never have any returns," quipped Kenn Starr of Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery in Curwensville. "(Wine) is the gift that is never expected but always appreciated."
Area wineries offer a variety of seasonal favorites and offer tips on what pairs well with holiday foods.
Shopper Heidi Sprouse of Altoona stopped recently at the Woody Lodge Winery in Ashville.
"Wine is my filler and go-to gift," she said. "If I am $10 or $20 away from the goal I have to spend on each person, I buy them a bottle. Everyone I know likes wine."
When Woody's co-owner John Gailey Jr. asked Sprouse if she wanted a receipt she replied with a laugh, "No, I'm not going to return it."
At Starr Hill Winery, Starr said its most popular holiday sellers: Cranberry Bog and Holiday, a spiced wine made from Aurora grapes and seasoned with spices and cinnamon, while Liquid Fun, a peach and pear fruit blend, is popular every season.
He recommended the Cranberry Bog be served warm or at room temperature.
"When you serve it warm, it brings all the flavors and spices to the palette," Starr said. He suggests warming the wine in a crock pot where cinnamon sticks can be added to an individual's taste.
Not sure what a gift recipient prefers? Woody Lodge offers "splits" -- smaller, 187 ml (6 ounces) bottles compared to a standard bottle's 750 ml (25.4 ounces).
"They make great adult stocking stuffers," Gailey said, adding a customer can create a sampling basket for a recipient.
"A lot of people ask, 'what is the best wine' to buy," Starr said. "The answer is the wine you like." Jennifer Eckinger, executive director of the Pennsylvania Winery Association, said, "A locally produced wine always makes a special gift, but for a truly unique bottle, you might want to consider a native or hybrid varietal like Cayuga or Chambourcin, which may be less familiar than a vinifera wine and make great conversation-starters."
Pennsylvania is the nation's seventh largest wine producer, according to the Pennsylvania Winery Association, and the fifth largest grape producer.
Oak Spring Winery in Altoona checks off several boxes on Eckinger's list.
"A Christmas tree-shaped bottle, crafted in Germany and filled with a semi-sweet blend of Concord, Catawba and Niagara grapes with a dash of cinnamon is a top seller and has been for several years," Oak Spring Winery's Scott Schraff, winemaker and general manager, said. The bottle can also be re-purposed into a lighted bottle -- Oak Spring even sells the special wicks. These bottles -- and their Holiday wine content -- have been customer favorites for several years.
In Bedford County, Briar Hill Vineyard & Winery, owned by married couple Jean and Tod Manspeaker boasts the largest area vineyard with 10 acres with 10,000 vines. Starr Hill's vineyard has 3,000 vines on 2 acres; Oak Spring about the same.
All area wine producers -- Woody Lodge, Starr Hill, Oak Spring and Briar Valley-- have received prestigious recognition through various wine competitions over the years. The Briar Valley vineyard is located near Everett -- about eight miles from the East Pitt Street store, in downtown Bedford. Jean Manspeaker, is a rarity among winemakers as one of a handful of females in Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia.
"When you are trying to play it safe," she said. "We recommend people give a Chardonnay or a Reisling. They appeal to everyone's tastes. A Reisling is a good lighter-bodied fruity wine. On the red side, a Lemberger is a light-bodied red. It's not as heavy as a Pinot Noir. Some people like a Pinot Noir with ham as it has notes of white and black pepper."
When serving appetizers, a Chardonnay brings out the best cheeses such as Brie and sharp cheddar. Bacon-wrapped dates go well with a Cabernet Franc or a Merlot, Jean Manspeaker said.
Woody Lodge's mild or medium-spiced Jalapeno-flavored Dirty Jack wine goes well with a hot pepper jelly served on a simple butter cracker, Gailey recommended.
"The medium jalapeno is flying off the shelves. It's the hottest craze here," Gailey said.
Holiday meals that feature turkey or ham, go well with a blush wine that is lightly sweet, Schraff recommended. If serving leg of lamb, Lemberger or a Cabernet Franc pairs well. And, for Italian-American families who serve a traditional all seafood meal, Chardonnay is a great pairing.
A hearty prime rib or steak tastes best with a heavier red, such as Proprietor's Red, created from a red Bordeaux grape blend, Jean Manspeaker said.
"I tell people to drink outside the box," Schraff said. "I have people come in and say they only drink dry wines and they leave with our Berry Berry, which is a slightly sweet rose."
All vintners agree a sweet dessert pairs best with a sweeter wine.
"Our Merlot pairs best with a dark chocolate," Jean Manspeaker said. The wine can be reduced -- cooked down -- into a sauce that can then be poured over a flourless chocolate torte.
Oak Spring's Blackberry goes well with cheesecake and Christmas cookies, Schraff recommended.
And, don't forget New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebrations.
"I enjoy drinking a Riesling or Traminette with pork and sauerkraut, both varietals that would also pair well with ham," Eckinger said. "A local Pinot Noir would pair beautifully with either turkey or ham, too. If you're looking for fruit wines, there are apple and cherry wines that are produced in your area, which would also be lovely choices."
Schraff said his customers compare Oak Spring's Spiced Apple to tasting like "grandma's apple pie" and Chocolate Cherry (cherry wine with chocolate flavoring) tastes like chocolate cordial cherries -- both make nice after-dinner sipping wines, Schraff said.
Still unsure? All the wineries offer pre-made or custom gift baskets and sell gift certificates.
Visit PAWineLand.com or subscribe to the PA Wine Land Post for more pairing information and wine festive event listings at PAWineLand.com.
Staff Writer Patt Keith is at 949-7030.