Set amid antique autos from around the world, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board earlier this month showcased some of the best its Wine and Spirits stores have to offer at the Vintage & Vineyards wine festival. About 160 kiosks, manned by knowledgeable representatives from various wineries and importers, were situated throughout the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
The experience was two-fold. Sipping on oak-aged chardonnays while standing mere feet from a 1925 Ford Model T Speedster is difficult to describe. Tasting a super-premium Napa cabernet sauvignon in view of a fire-engine-red 1930 DuPont Model G is impossible to describe. The auto-enthusiast setting mixed with the elegant wine selection made the event, overall, irresistible and unique.
Ticket holders were greeted at the door and handed a generously large wine glass by a PLCB representative. Guests’ mouths were watering, eager to get to the tastings. Of course, before you could get to the tasting area, a wall of wine-for-sale items had to be navigated. As eager as I was to flood my mouth with wine, it was hard to play ignorant and forget that the event is all about making money. Economics aside, the event got off to a busy and crowded start around 6:30 p.m.
In the basement level of the museum, more than 60 foreign wineries were treating Pennsylvanians to imported wine treats from France, Italy, Germany, South America, and even Asia. The various winery and importation representatives were, generally, very helpful and answered all our questions. They were typically eager to demonstrate the uniqueness of their offerings. There seemed to be a lot of interest in Alsace and German rieslings, based on the crowds surrounding the F. E. Trimbach kiosk as the reps poured their Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile.
The first floor of the museum was dedicated to showcasing domestic wines from all over the country, with many hailing from the west coast. There were a surprising number of Washington and Oregon wines available for tasting, but California, as expected, dominated the scene. A strong emphasis seemed to be placed on the chardonnays, sauvignon blancs, and pinot noirs.
Some of the varietals I was looking forward to trying, like Chateau Montelena’s prized Estate Zinfandel or Stag’s Leap’s exclusive SLV Cabernet Sauvignon, were left off the table for the “ordinary” taster like myself. I later found out that some VIP guests were able to try these more exclusive wines at a private event held earlier in the evening. (Perhaps, Curiata.com will be invited to this soirée next time.)
From California, many Napa, Sonoma, and Central Valley wineries were featuring spring-favorite rosé wines, typically fashioned from pinot noir or a blend of grenache and syrah. Most notably, Francis Ford Coppola Winery was going for the latter in its Sofia line, named for the daughter of the famed Hollywood director, an accomplished movie director in her own right. It is a much more European style of rosé, popular in the south of France. Wine Enthusiast recently rated this affordable wine a 90 out of 100.
A number of great wines left an impression on me. Here are three domestic offerings that really stood-out as “must try” wines:
- Ken Wright Cellars 2010 Guadalupe Vineyard Pinot Noir — Rusty ruby in color. Earthy w/ noticeable spice, tannins, and a late-coming minerality and leather, but yields to a smoother than expected finish.
An interesting fact about Ken Wright Cellars: the winery specializes almost entirely in pinot noir production, bottling many different pinots, all of which are grown, harvest, pressed, and fermented exactly the same way. The only differences among them are the soil and location of the vineyards in which the grapes are grown (all in the Northern Willamette Valley region of Oregon). It’s an interesting experiment that results in surprisingly different-tasting wines. Guadalupe Vineyard, specifically, has soil that results in highly concentrated, small-cluster pinot grapes that are slightly more tannic than those grown in a more sedimentary soil.
Check out the entire line of Ken Wright Cellars pinot noirs, but for a truly delicious one, I’ll refer you to the Guadalupe Vineyard. The winery representative stated that the 2010 vintage is in its prime window for drinking now thru 2018.
Retail value is about $44.99.
Score: 4.25 out of 5
- Chateau Montelena 2011 Napa Valley Chardonnay — Made from grapes grown away from the estate, this Napa chard pours the typical pale golden hue, with noticeable butter, plus subtle toast and citrus notes. The acidity is tame and soft, with a nice carbonation level; a truly balanced wine that yields its tropical fruit to an almost European-style minerality. This is an amazingly balanced wine and my wife’s favorite of the night.
We shouldn’t expect anything less from Chateau Montelena. This is, after all, one of the wineries that was essential in bringing the world’s attention to the potential of California wines, especially chardonnay (check out the movie Bottle Shock
). The winery representative told me that Montelena’s chardonnay is very cellar-worthy and can age well under the right conditions; he mentioned a recent uncorking of 1990 and 1991 vintages at the winery that he was fortunate to partake in. He recommended that purchasing magnum-sized bottles (1.5-liter) or larger for cellar aging.
Retail value is about $39.95.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
- Saintsbury 2012 Carneros Vin Gris of Pinot Noir — A 100-percent pinot noir. On first sip, a dry, crisp edge and solid, almost abrasive initial acidity to balance it out when paired with food. We bought a few bottles of this and it has paired well with everything from soft cheeses to desserts and even Chinese take-out food.
According to the Saintsbury wine representative, the grapes are grown in mountainside, volcanic soil, getting a lot of late afternoon sun. The terroir is evident in the drink. As the wine opens up and becomes more and more drinkable, the stone minerality and earthiness of the wine emerges.
Saintsbury has been making this wine since 1989, and it’s one of their best-received. Vines in this vineyard are a mix of old and young; the older vines are low-yield, but produce highly concentrated, juicy grapes. Honestly, a very pleasing wine, and what I would call the “best buy” of the evening.
At the show, it sold for around $11 a bottle, but was on sale the next day as a “Chairman’s Selection” at the state-run Wine and Spirits store for only $8! Not just a best buy, but a great buy!
Score: 4 out of 5.
A wine festival is a perfect opportunity to try a variety of new wines at an affordable price. Don’t pass up the next chance you have, and be sure to tell us about your favorites in the comments below or on Twitter.