Wine in the Keystone State

The weather in our great state changes so quickly anymore that it is hard to know whether to grab your winter coat or flip flops in the morning.  While most days, I would love to just run out of the house in my t-shirt and shorts, this state’s climate is not always accommodating.  With temperatures changing so drastically lately, it made me wonder what makes Pennsylvania a good choice for wine production.  Not only the temperature, but I know the ground in my backyard is rocky and uneven.  How could that possibly make for viable land to grow vines on? 

So I started looking for the facts.  Pennsylvania has a moderate climate that shows its residents all four seasons with the cold, snowy winters and sizzling, hot summers.  With such varying temperatures, our state’s vintners must not only have a love of wine but also a love of continued learning.  Constantly, winemakers in PA must look for new technologies and techniques to ensure that they provide the highest quality beverages are produced.  Although, some seasons may appear to be a challenge, the moderate temperatures of the cool seasons allow for some of the best growing conditions. 

When it comes to the terrain across the state, the rocky soil may cause some problems in the planting process.  However, the rolling hills and mountains provide some of the best conditions for growing grapes.  East of the Rockies, Pennsylvania is home to the two highest elevation level vineyards in the United States.  Pretty cool, if you ask me.  This crazy land of ours holds over 14, 000 acres of grapes that produce some of the best award winning wines.  From these acres of grapes comes approximately 123 wineries (as of 2008 data).  Another number that is pretty shocking is the total number of gallons of wine produced each year in our state: 971, 191.  In relative terms, this is almost 5 million bottles (.75 liters/bottle) produces annually. 

All of this wine comes from the vineyards and wineries throughout our state that are mostly run by private families.  Having a business that is operated mostly by family members creates a certain feel for customers when they enter an establishment.  Most vineyards are more than just rows and rows of vines today.  They have opened wineries on location that added a special brand of hospitality that can then be associated with the label.   With the ability to have up to five retail locations now, wineries are able to build their brand and establish themselves in the growing wine industry.  To showcase their drinks, vintners can now take their wines to festivals such as the Bear Creek Wine Festival.  This is a fun event to attend with friends.  For a small fee, you are able to walk around the ski lodge and try wines from all different local establishments. 

Another great event to look out in Lower Bucks County is the Bucks County Wine Trail on May 15, 2011.  This is just another way to see the landscape of Pennsylvania while enjoying our crazy weather patterns and award winning local wines.  This is one event that I will not miss this year.  I already bought my tickets!!

 

Looking into our state’s wine industry has showed me that even with the challenges of ever-changing weather and rocky, solid terrain, our winemakers can create techniques that allow them to still make amazing wines.  They have taken their passion and overcome many obstacles to allow their dreams of lush vineyards and rich wines a reality.  A true example of perseverance, if you ask me.  

So next time you uncork a bottle of wine, savor the taste and don’t forget to appreciate hard work it took many passionate people to create such a 
fruitful and delicious beverage.


Random:
On the latest episode of Glee, I fell in love with their version of Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way".  Check it out!!

The Concord Grape.

As my favorite wine, I always wondered about the Concord grape.  Who discovered the fruit? Where does it come from?  What does the actual grape look like and does it taste as sweet as the wine it produces?

I started looking around for information and found a brief history of the grape.  In 1849, Ephraim Wales Bull planted a new seed and produced the Concord grape from the wild grapevine Vitis Labrusca.  Where did he do all of this?  Well, in Concord, Massachusetts, of course.  This seems fitting, since I learned that this fruit is native to North America and is mostly grown in the northern regions of the country.  After planting and harvesting this grape, Ephraim worked to create a superior crop and in 1853his grapes won first place in the Boston Horticultural Society Exhibition.  I knew this grape was good but with awards to prove it, no one can deny the deliciousness of this fruit. 

Whether the Concord grape is consumed as a wine, juice, or jam, the sweetness of the large, purple skinned round grape satisfies any age group. Young children enjoy it in their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Adults enjoy it in the sweet dessert wine served after dinner.  This is the product of the Concord grape that fascinates me.  On a nice summer Sunday afternoon or cold winter’s night, I love relaxing and enjoying a glass of the "Clover Hill Winery Concord wine.  So my next question, how is this sweet wine made?

After looking around, I found some facts about the wine that surprised.  First, the Concord grape is not as sweet as you may think.  Instead, it contains more pectin and acid that many people find unfavorable in taste.  To help create a more desirable beverage, many producers will add sugar and water to help balance the taste with the acidity of the juice.  Once processing the grapes and bottling the drink, it must age for two years before being considered ready to drink.  While I knew that most wines get better with age, I never knew that this wine was one of them.  I guess when I buy my next bottle, I will start looking for a label with the year 2009 on it. 

To be honest, I have never had a bad bottle of Concord wine.  While I may be biased, as it is my favorite, I ask you to try it for yourself.  Knowing that this wine is native to America, I urge you to try a wine from the vines of our country.  When you do, let me know.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this grape that has been harvested for over 160 years.  If you live in Southeastern Pennsylvania, try any winery near you and I can almost guarantee they make their own Concord wine. 

When you try this amazing, sweet beverage, be sure to toast to Ephraim Wales Bull for creating in the first place!

Random: Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance." - Benjamin Franklin

Let’s Get Down to Business.

Winery or Vineyard?  What’s the difference and how do you decide which type of establishment is right for you?  First, let’s take a look at the two types of businesses:

First, what exactly is a winery?

This is where wine is produced.  Everything from removing the leaves and stems to crushing the fruit to bottling the wine happens here.  When you see images of barrels upon barrels in a facility, this is an image from a winery.  Did you know that it is possible to own a winery without growing your own grapes?  Some wineries purchase grapes from vineyards all over the world to produce wine.  This is why wineries are capable of producing wines from grapes that are not native to that region.  They also do not have as much overhead costs when it comes to maintaining the business than that of a vineyard.

So, what is a vineyard?

This is where the grapes are grown.  When you see images of fields with rows of vines and trees, this is a vineyard.  This is where grapes are planted, grown, and harvested.  From here, they can either be sent to the winery on location or sold to other wineries.  Most vineyards do have their own processing facilities on location.  However, some businesses solely focus on producing and selling grapes.  It all depends on how you structure your business.

Now that you have a quick overview of each type of business, how do you know which one is right for you?

First, look at your budget.  Determine how much money you have to invest in a new business.  Vineyards do require a larger start-up cost and the payback period is much longer since the average time from plantation to the first harvest for grapes is five years.  However, if you choose this option, at the start of your business, you can purchase grapes from other vineyards until your vines are ready to be harvested.  Also in the long run, growing and harvesting your own crop would reduce your purchasing expenses. 

If you aren’t looking to farm and harvest grapes, but love wine and the wine-making process, a winery is the perfect fit for you.  By eliminating the land and vines from your business, you have created an establishment that focuses on developing the science of the wine-making process.  Your investments will focus on processing equipment and technologies regarding wine-making, whereas, if you owned a vineyard, your investments would be spread out between processing and harvesting equipment as well as land management. 

I will not say one venture is better than the other.  Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.  Your personality and business interest will determine which type of establishment is right for you.

Whichever you choose, let me know.  I will want to try your wine!

Random:  Check out this winery in California: Cleavage Creek Winery.  

10% of all profits go to Breast Cancer Research.

Cheers to Breaking a World Record America!

Whether it’s sparkling Riesling or full-bodied Cabernet that you are drinking, it’s pretty cool to know that you are a contributing factor to the breaking news in America’s wine industry.  Recent reports show that the United States has passed France and become the largest wine-consuming nation in the world. 

As I browsed through the latest “tweets” on my Twitter account (@kmack717), I came across one from PA Wine Association: “Reason to celebrate?  U.S. Passes France as World’s Biggest Wine-Consuming Nation: http://cot.ag/eQ7kUw”.  According to Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates, a wine-industry consulting firm, wine shipments to the U.S. have increased over 2 percent to 329.7 million cases in 2010 (9.1 million more than France).  Considering our population is more than five times the size of France’s we have the potential to continue growing and keep this #1 status.  “With the U.S. being the biggest, it means we’re a target for everyone in America and around the world that produces wine,” Fredrikson said. “Everyone wants to be here.”

This new record for the U.S. shows that consumers are now drinking wine at more than just special occasions.  This drink is becoming an accepted part of everyday life.  This is partly due the growing interest from the younger generations of Americans.  We are finding new ways to learn about wine through social media and marketers are taking advantage of it.  So I tell them, keep it up.  Wine is becoming the drink of choice and I, for one, will toast to that!

From Grapevines to Wine Glasses

From the classic “I Love Lucy” grape stomping episode to modern movies like “Sideways” and “A Walk in the Clouds”, Hollywood has uncorked some of the mysteries behind the winemaking process.  While technology has improved many of the processes shown in old movies and TV shows, I began to wonder how my favorite wines were made.  I have two wines that must be kept in my house at all times – Concord and Niagara.  While both are sweet wines, one is red and the other is white.  For the most part, they are developed through the same process.  Ever wonder how that is possible?

Well, here’s a light-hearted look into the winemaking process:

1.) Harvesting and De-stemming the grapes - This stage is pretty self-explanatory.  This is where the grapes are removed from the vines, depending on the time of the season, and then removing the stems from each grape.

2.) Crushing - Once the grapes are cleaned, they are placed into pressers and crushed.  Everyone remembers that “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy crushes grapes by stomping on them in a large vat.  While this stage is generally not done by manual labor anymore, that scene has become iconic in US popular viticulture. Now done with large machines, this stage does not require manual labor to extract the juices from the grapes.  The liquids and paste from this stage are then placed in vats and the next stage begins.  At this stage, it is determined what parts of the grape will be used to make either red wine or white wine.  While the type of grape is a major factor, other parts of the grape such as the skin, seeds, and juices will determine the overall flavor and color of the wine.  

For example, most white wines only use the juices generated from the crushing process for the rest of the stages.  On the other hand, most red wines allow more time for the juices to have contact with the skin before extracting only the juices for the rest of the winemaking process.  This creates a full-bodied red wine as opposed to the light body of a white wine.

3.) Fermentation - Undoubtedly, the most important component in the winemaking process is yeast.  When it is added to the wine juices, it starts the fermentation process.  Without getting into the science of this stage, fermentation is simply the conversion of the sugars in the grape juices to alcohol.  The yeast is the agent that allows for this process to happen.  It changes the grape sugars and produces the aroma and flavors of the wine.   Winemakers use different types of yeast to produce a certain wine – dry, semi-sweet, or sweet (to name a few).  The type of container used in this stage also helps create a specific flavoring to the wine.  For example, if the wine ferments in oak barrels, it will have a “woody” or richer taste than a wine that fermented in a stainless steel vat.

4.) Clean Up, Lock Down, and Seal it - Once all the juice sugars have been converted into alcohol, the wine is then filtered to separate the liquid from any dead yeast cells, sediment, and other grape parts (known as racking).  This is especially important for red wines since the skins are used to add flavor.  After the wine is cleaned, it is then ready to be bottled and sealed.  While some wines are bottled immediately after fermentation is complete, others must mature in barrels.  This is why in some movies, like the classic Disney Movie “The Parent Trap”, you will see scenes with barns and large facilities filled with stacks of oak barrels.  Once the wine is in the bottle and sealed with a cork and ready for consumption.

And that’s how it’s made!  So the next time I open a bottle of Niagara, I know how much hard work went into making one bottle of wine.  From the stomping of the grapes to sealing the bottles with corks, winemakers take pride in their business.  It is not only a science, but an art to create such a wonderful drink that I can end my day with!

Enjoy A Clip!

Random: 

“Wine is like people. The wine takes all the influences in life all around it, it absorbs them and it gets its personality." - French Kiss (1995)

A Celebratory Toast to Wine

Birthdays, Graduations, Anniversaries, Holidays.  At any of these occasions, you can find several bottles of wine on my family’s dining room table.  So,at brunch this past Sunday, my family shared a bottle of Sparkling Riesling for my mom’s birthday.  Raising our glasses, we toasted to happiness and health.  To continue the celebration after brunch, my mom and I  decided to stop by my Aunt Janet’s to share another bottle of wine.  As we sat around the kitchen table and split one of my favorites, Concord wine from Clover Hill Winery, my aunt asked if this little “get-together” would make it into a blog post.  Well, I mention it now because as we sat there and chatted about life, school, and work, I began to wonder - when people decide to get together, why is wine a common beverage of choice? 

This tradition dates back to the ancient times of the Greeks and Romans.  Wine had not only been a beverage of choice at parties, but also a conversation piece among other topics such as art and literature.  Knowledge of wine had proved to be a sign of sophistication to the upper class.  And as years went by, this image remained throughout Europe.   With such a wide variety of flavors and tastes, every individual could find a wine that suited his or her palate.  The tradition and reputation of wine even crossed the Atlantic Ocean and settled in America with the early colonists.  However, the wine industry did face hardship during the 1920’s and 1930’s with Prohibition.  Wine’s image had disintegrated and nearly crippled the industry in America.   However, once the 18^th Amendment was overturned and vineyards could begin producing high-qualty beverages, wine consumption began to grow and gain a whole new reputation.  As stated in an article by Field Maloney, wine “has cleaned itself up, with a freshly shaved face and a fashionable suit of casual clothes, and is headed uptown.”  Shedding its elitist image, wine became a drink of the masses and the expansion of the middle class led to a social change.  Men no longer went out to the local bar and left their wives home.  Instead, couples started hosting dinner parties where wine is offered.  The significance of wine has shifted through the centuries, while the overall culture surrounding this beverage has remained.   It simply was a drink that could bring people together.

In today’s world, this culture and transformation can be seen with the growing number of wine clubs across the nation.  These clubs are popping up all over, even on the internet.  With the first wine club starting in 1976 in California, these groups form creative outlets for people to learn more about wine.  From sampling various wines to learning about proper food and wine pairings, people are able to come together and share common interests with others in their communities.  Some clubs even started to target certain demographics in the US.  For example, since statistics show that the number of women who drink wine in the United States is increasing and we now account for around 60% of wine sales, groups like “The Women Who Wine” are growing in popularity.  These wine clubs are ways for individuals to discover and attend upcoming events and parties such as wine trails and festivals. 

So sitting around the kitchen table sharing a bottle of wine with my family is just another example of how wine can bring people together.  As we sat and enjoyed that bottle of Concord wine, my mom, aunt, cousin, and I decided to make it a monthly occurrence, essentially forming our own wine and book club.  So to answer my question, why choose wine, it’s simple.  There’s a flavor out there for everyone and we can share it with friends.  So after starting my own wine club, I encourage all of you to get together with your friends or family and share a bottle of your favorite wine.  It’s a great way to stay updated on everyone’s lives and an even better excuse for a party!

Random:

“Wine cheers the sad, revives the old, inspires the young, makes weariness forget his toil." - Lord Byron

First Wine Tasting

I took a few pictures from my first wine tasting!  I thought I would post them for you all to see what a vineyard looks like in southeastern Pennsylvania, especially in winter.  It is pretty cool how different a vineyard looks with tons of snow surrounding it.

~ Vines in Winter ~

I hope to have more images uploaded soon.  My next post is also on its way.

Random: "The biggest jump in the whole world is jumping to conclusions."

A Ban on Wine Consumption?!? Thankfully, That Didn't Last.

One of my favorite classes back in high school was U.S. History.  I had this teacher that would show us old movie reels, probably originally used in the 60’s and 70’s to teach lessons on World Wars, presidents, and even Prohibition.  That may seem like a boring class to today’s students, but it was the old clips that kept my attention for the 90-minute class.  Thinking about those history lessons made me realize that it actually related to my current project.  What did Prohibition mean for the wine industry?  How did they bounce back from a 13 year ban nationwide?  So, I started doing some research.

The passing of the 18^th Amendment and Volstead Act did not have the effect that government officials thought it would.  Instead of stopping the purchase and consumption of alcohol including wine, it set the country up for bigger problems.  From bootlegging to speakeasies and backroom deals, it actually made the nation more violent with open rebellions by its citizens.  Statistics show after the passing of the Volstead Act there were anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 speakeasy clubs throughout the nation.  It just goes to show that taking away Americans’ freedom of choice may only cause them to fight back against the system. 

Temperance and Prohibition caused many problems for the wine industry in the United States.  While there were exceptions such as the use of wine for religious ceremonies, it did hinder the US economy and advancement of the wine industry tremendously.  Instead of investing in new technologies for winemaking that many other countries such as France and Spain used, the United States wineries’ only option was to spend money on juice making technology.  Improving their grape juice production is what kept the industry alive.  

When Prohibition ended and the Amendment was repealed, other states began opening wineries again and added in retail stores.  Pennsylvania wine businesses, on the other hand, had to wait till 1968 when the PA Limited Winery Act was passed and allowed for the production and sale of wine again.  The state had to wait because while Prohibition ended back in the 1930’s, the regulating power was transferred from the federal to state level.  These extra thirty years are the main reason that Pennsylvania is known more as a grape juice producer and not as much for its wine production.  When the state’s vineyards began producing again, the grapes were sweet and produced a beverage that was often too fruity; therefore, it could not be deemed as a “serious” wine.  To help the industry beat these current challenges in PA, vintners replanted grape seeds on their land to help produce a greater variety of flavors.  This allowed for a greater selection of wine and therefore, PA was able to appeal to a larger audience of wine drinkers.  In recent years, many wineries such as Crossings Vineyards in southeastern Pennsylvania have started achieving recognition and earning awards such as a gold medal from International Eastern Wine Competition in 2010 for its Chardonnay ’08.

I read in an article from an issue of Wine&Vines that Pennsylvania is “a wine region of the brink of discovery.”  Considering that was an article from 2006, I can only imagine how much the state’s wine industry has grown in just five years.  And I can’t wait to see where it is going in the future. 

Random Addition:

February 20, 2011 – My first wine tasting at Buckingham Valley Vineyards.  Amazing!  We even bought a bottle of their Sparkling Reisling.  I’m pretty excited to try it!

Also, Great song to listen to while doing research: Make You Feel My Love by Adele

There's Even a Greek God of Wine.

Even the Greeks had a strong connection with wine.  While it has had a strong economic significance for them, what appeared most important to this ancient civilization were the stories behind this drink made from the grapes of the land.  For starters, they believed that wine was the sign of the god Dionysus.  The people of Greece know him as the god of the grape harvest.  Said to be the son of Zeus and the mortal Semele, he is considered only semi-divine or heroic.  Mythological records state that Dionysus was “twice born” – once from his mother after she was killed by Zeus’ lightning bolt and a second time after he is rescued and develops in Zeus’ thigh.  After his birth, Zeus gave Dionysus to a small group of nymphs to raise him.  While many did not see Dionysus as a true god and was a late arrival in the Greek world, he was still worshiped by many as the god of madness and ecstasy. 

This legend has even been brought to modern culture in the United States.  In the popular television series True Blood, this god is referenced by one of the main characters, a maenad, throughout the second season.  Maenads were the female followers of this deity.  As shown in many episodes of this series, viewers learn the main form of worship – dancing in a trance-like state.  Maenads did this in celebration of a freedom from self-consciousness or constraint.  This ritual is performed by both men and women and induced by the maenad, proving that the series has taken a different approach to the myth of Dionysus than the most common beliefs.  If you are a frequent viewer of True Blood on Sundays in the summer, you know that the series has a different take on many mystical figures such as vampires, shape shifters, and werewolves.  I religiously watch this show when home and have access to HBO, so I can understand why this myth is altered to fit the show’s plot.  The show maintained the same basic beliefs about Dionysus and maenads but allowed for changes to help enhance the excitement and fear in the show.

I love that shows in today’s world still use the ancient tales of old empires.  Writers are able to strategically place old myths and legends into modern storylines and maintain the viewers’ attention.  I like learning about new things in this way.  Who knew the god of wine would show up a popular TV show in American culture?  It really makes this whole process of discovering wine exciting and fun!  I may even go back and watch the second season of True Blood over to fully grasp Alan Ball’s (the show’s creator and head writer) take on Greek culture and Dionysus.

Random:
"Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die, follow your heart kid, and you'll never go wrong. " - The Sandlot

Introduction

As I begin my journey, you may be wondering who I am and why on earth you should be reading this blog.  Well, I’ll start by answering a few unknowns for you.

Who: me, Kimberly Mackiewicz, Penn State student

What: A semester long discovery of the mysteries and magic of wine and the wine making process.

When: Spring Semester of my Senior year at Penn State University as an Agribusiness Management Major

Where: My computer, my room, a winery, wherever I can

Why: I am currently working on an independent study project with my advisor, Dr. Jeffery Hyde, in my last semester and had the choice of any topic to research.  I decided on Wine.  As a 21 year old, I have a new found interest in the mysteries of wine, this beverage my relatives have been drinking for years at parties, on special occasions, and at restaurants.    In the next three months, I want to unlock the mysteries behind the wine making process and the history of wine from grape to bottle, both culturally and religiously.  Aside from the drink itself, I want to learn about the steps to take when opening and operating my own winery and vineyard.  While this special form of alcohol has been around for centuries, its mysteries still remain an interest to American society.  I hope to unfold some of these secrecies to my readers. 

How: To do this, I plan to read as many books as I can (From Wine Encyclopedias to The Idiot’s Guide to Running a Winery to fictional stories).  I will also visit wineries and vineyards in my area to see how it all works.  From wine tastings to tours of the vineyards, I hope to reveal the mysteries about this flavorful beverage made from grapes.  I want to understand what makes each type of wine different from the others.  For example, why is a Chardonnay dry and Niagara sweet?  As I learn and discover new things, I will share them with you on this blog.  I will post links to interesting articles as well as clips to help you uncover the mysteries along with me.

I thought I would end my very first post with a few ways for you to understand more about me than simply my reasons for creating this blog.  From one of my favorite shows, Inside the Actor’s Studio, James Lipton asks his guests these questions from Bernard Pivot’s version of the Proust Questionnaire. Here are my answers:

1. What is your Favorite Word?
• Imperfection, because life shouldn't be perfect.
2. What is your Least Favorite Word?
• Can’t, because anything is possible.
3. What turns you on?
•  Confidence
4. What turns you off?
• Indecisiveness
5. What sound or noise do you love?
• The sound of the coffeemaker
6. What sound or noise do you hate?
   • The buzzing of the alarm clock, if it’s going off before 10am
7. What is your favorite curse word?
• Dammit. – it’s not the worst one out there but gets the point across.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to try?
• Novelist or Entrepreneur – I want to be my own boss.
9. What profession you would never want to try?
• Maid - I have a hard enough time keeping my room clean, I wouldn't want to clean someone else’s.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say to you at the Pearly Gates?
• You did good, kid. Come on in, they’re waiting for you.