Lehigh Valley Vineyards to Celebrate “Wine in Bloom” This Weekend

The eight wineries of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail will present a new event called “Wine in Bloom” this weekend, starting Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and then on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The event will celebrate bud break on the vines and the growing season. 

"Wine in Bloom" also highlights the importance terroir (soil) plays in the development of grapes, their flavor and the resulting taste of the wine, and stresses the importance of the A.V.A. designation (American Viticultural Area) in further legitimizing the Lehigh Valley for wine making. Each winery will offer its own variety of activities, from vineyard tours and food and wine pairings, to live entertainment and even a scavenger hunt.

• Amore Winery in Nazareth will celebrate "Wine in Bloom" with a Strawberry Festival featuring strawberry wine paired with a variety of mild cheese, mixed white chocolate treats and assorted strawberry desserts.
• Big Creek Winery in Kresgeville will be pairing its dry white Seyval with corn chowder a' la Seyve Villard.
• Blue Mountain Winery in New Tripoli will offer samplings of a selection of wines paired with gourmet cheeses. Visitors can also show off their singing talents at the first ever Rob-aoke -- live karaoke with Rob -- on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Rob will be playing guitar and backing up any willing participants who have a favorite song they’d like to showcase. Sunday will be Sangria Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and will include live entertainment by Leechboy. Admission is $5.
• Clover Hill Vineyards in Breinigsville will host its annual scavenger hunt.  Check in any time during the day in the tasting room to be given the scavenger hunt details. Whoever finishes the hunt with the most correct answers wins a prize.
• Franklin Hill Vineyards in Bangor will offer tastings and tours of the facility, as well as music on the deck. Cheese plates from Klein's Farm will be available for purchase, and guests are welcome to walk around the vineyards and see how the vines have developed for the new vintage.
• Galen Glen Winery in Andreas will offer samplings of the new Berry Pom-A- Rita Wine Slushy -- all natural with the tart, sweet flavor of pomegranate and blueberry blended with wine and ice. See the vineyard in bloom via tractor and wagon tours and stop by the wine cellar. The free tours depart on the hour between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
• Pinnacle Ridge Winery will celebrate with free tours of the estate vineyard. Tours will depart on the hour from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. In addition to regular wine tastings, the vineyard will pair asparagus -- harvested from the Pinnacle Ridge family garden --  baked in phyllo dough and the 2010 Riesling. Sunday kicks off the summer 2011 season of "Sunday Jazz with Skip Moyer" from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. $5 cover charge.
• Vynecrest Winery in Breinigsville will continue the 2011 Winemaker Tour series on Saturday at 1 p.m. for $5 per person. Reservations are suggested. The winery will also feature Art's Acoustic Oldies in the Vyneskeller from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is no cover charge.

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 member wineries have won numerous awards at state, national and international levels.

The Lehigh Valley region was named an official American Viticultural Area as designated by the Federal Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in April 2008. The Lehigh Valley AVA includes portions of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Schuylkill, Carbon and Monroe counties in Pennsylvania. In order to receive the designation, at least 75 percent of the grapes used to make local wines must be grown within the region. Wineries in the region are permitted to list “Lehigh Valley” as the growing region on labels.

For more information, visit www.lehighvalleywinetrail.com, or connect with the trail on Twitter and on Facebook.