I've been
neglecting this blog due to a family issue that required me to spend some time
in the Keystone Commonwealth. Originally from the west side of Penn's Woods, I
never spent much time there but had seen some trade articles about the
resurgence of wine making in the area. I was curious to see what they were
doing back that way. A quick net search (pennsylvaniawine.com) gave me an idea
of who was making what in the area I was visiting and I picked out the nearby
La Casa Narcisi for a taste test.
As it turned out, one of the Narcisi family members was
involved in financial services in the Bay Area and took his winnings back to PA
to help grow their wine business. The facility would look at home out here and
includes outside covered areas and gardens, a large restaurant with upper level
private party area, comfortable tasting room and sizeable gift shop. If they
could have received permission to build it here in California, the probable
cost makes the son's return to his roots a sound decision.
About half the counties in Pennsylvania have wineries and
the state Wine Marketing and Research Board is doing a good job of promoting
and improving the product. They were instrumental in developing nine "wine
trail" tours in the state and an equal number of areas with concentrations
of wineries. A brochure with details and maps is available via the website
above.
Despite prohibition, so called Blue Laws and a sometimes
heavy handed State Liquor Control Board (sales in state run stores only for
liquor and wine), the history of wine making goes back 300 years. William Penn
himself brought European varietals to the area and planted a vineyard in 1683.
In 1787 the first successful commercial winery in the U.S. was operating near
Philadelphia. Shareholders included Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Johns
Hopkins and Robert Morris. Not a shabby start to the nation's first wine club!
Eventually, wine was being made in every county in the state. Even a German
religious group was running a winery with a 30,000 gallon cellar just north of
Pittsburg by the early 1800s. Nearly 200,000 gallons of wine was being made in
Pennsylvania by 1900.
By the end of the Volstead Act, the industry was in ruins
and the state, while allowing wineries, only allowed sales through the stores.
Those running that operation were not wine knowledgeable and until not so long
ago, a bottle of better wine was not to be seen on the shelves. Thankfully, a
few growers in the wine friendly growing area near Lake Erie grouped together
to push for less restrictive laws in the 1960s. By the end of the decade the
Limited Winery Act was passed. Using only grapes grown in the state, wineries
could produce up to 50,000 gallons and sell direct to consumers, hotels,
restaurants & clubs or the Control Board stores.
Much like our California tale, 1969 was a watershed year and
the first two wineries were licensed. The current Pennsylvania Wine brochure
lists 153 licensed wineries, half of which have been started since 1990. Many
of them are not estate wineries but purchase grapes or juice from the areas
that have the soils and weather to support vineyards. Grapes familiar to our
area include Viognier, Syrah, Cab, Pinot, Dolcetto and eight other noble
varieties. Five native grapes, such as Catawba and ten hybrids - among them Seyval
Blanc and Baco Noir are being grown. Many wineries concentrate on fruit wines
and sell related products as well.
So, how are they? I tasted only four wines at one winery but
I wish I'd had more time to investigate further. First off was a 2012 Chardonnay
made from vineyards in the NE part of the state. Lightly oaked and 12.5%
alcohol, it was nicely balanced, lighter than local versions (not a bad thing),
crisp with a distinctly varietal nose accenting the fruit and having a good
linger to the finish.
The 2012 Merlot followed and sourced from the same area.
Moderately deep cherry/cranberry color with 13.5% alcohol, clean and bright and
very leggy. The finish was a bit short but highlighted the fruit and made for a
very drinkable wine. All these wines retailed for under $20 by the way. The
Cabernet Sauvignon was also a 2012 and had a 13.3 level of alcohol. Hints of
berry fruit in the nose and similar color as the Merlot, youthful tannins drove
the taste at this time. I'd like to try it again in a couple of years.
I finished with Traminette, a Traminer hybrid. It turned out
to be a nice surprise and I think it could become popular in a wider market.
The aroma was very Gewurz and pleasant. I expected similar flavor but (as
described by Dorothy my tasting hostess) it has a great backbone with balanced
acid and hints of grapefruit, not unlike some Sauvignon Blancs. Fun summer
lunch wine or for general sipping, excellent value and (here) a conversation
piece to fool your friends.
I suggest that if travel takes you out that way, find time
to try some local flavor.
