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When thinking about York County farmland, traditional crops like corn, soybeans, and potatoes come to mind.
But to an ardent group of vintners, grapes are their crop of choice.
Vineyards and wineries have been making inroads into the county's cropland for more than 30 years.
Passion and dedication to the craft of grape growing and wine making are hallmarks of every county winery, regardless of the size and scale of their business.
Following is a brief look at some of York County's wineries.
NAYLOR WINE CELLARS: The largest York County winery and first in the county, Naylor got started in 1974 when owner Richard Naylor purchased a 52-acre farm in Hopewell Township.
Naylor planted his first grape vines in 1977, seven grape varieties on 1¼ acres in twelve 400-foot rows. The next year, he and his wife Audrey planted an additional 2¼ acres of vines.
Eventually expanding to 7½ acres in cultivation within the next few years, the winery was soon producing 1,600 gallons of juice.
Naylor's first wine was a white blend, York White Rose.
Ten years after that first purchase of 52 acres, Naylor bought an additional 28 acres for a total of 80 acres today.
In 2007, the crop yielded 20,000 gallons of wine.
SEVEN VALLEYS VINEYARD & WINERY: Located in Shrewsbury Township, Seven Valleys Vineyard was established in 1976. The winery started bottling wine in 1994 with Country Red and Proprietor's White. Vidal, Chardonnay, Seyval, and Little Round Top currently their most popular wines.
Fred and Lynn Hunter are owners of Seven Valleys, with 30 acres in vines and 70 acres total.
FOUR SPRINGS WINERY: Situated adjacent to the York County Heritage Rail Trail, Four Springs Winery is located in Seven Valleys.
The first wines were bottled there in January 2005. Those varieties included Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Vidal.
The winery produced 900 gallons of wine that first year. The most current figures show that production increased to 4,000 gallons.
According to Charles Aldinger, one of the winery's owners, the most popular wine they produce is a Concord named "Fat Cat." His favorite grape is Chambourcin and favorite wine is Cabernet Franc.
Lloyd Mortorff and Leroy Mortorff are the other Four Springs owners.
ALLEGRO VINEYARDS: The first vines at Allegro Vineyards were planted more than three decades ago.
Winemaking at the Brogue, Chanceford Township, establishment began in 1980.
Today the vineyard, owned by husband-and-wife partners Carl Helrich and Kris Miller, has six acres in vines.
The winery emphasizes dry reds, specifically Merlot.
If you go
ALLEGRO VINEYARDS,
FOUR SPRINGS WINERY, 50 Main St., Seven Valleys; 428-2610; www.fourspringswinerypa.com
FOX RIDGE VINEYARD & WINERY, 3528 E. Market St., Springettsbury Township; 755-3384; www.foxridgewinery.com
MOON DANCER VINEYARD & WINERY, 1282 Klines Run Road, Lower Windsor Township; 252-9463; www.moondancerwinery.com
NAYLOR WINE CELLARS, 4069 Vineyard Road, Hopewell Township; 800-292-3370; www.naylorwine.com
SEVEN VALLEYS VINEYARD & WINERY, 885 Georges Court, Shrewsbury Township; 235-6281; www.sevenvalleys.com
Source: www.uncorkyork.com
Did you know?
PENNSYLVANIA'S MODERATE CLIMATE and rolling terrain provides some of the best growing conditions on the East Coast. Here, more than 90 wineries produce a delightful array of wine varieties, perhaps more kinds than any other wine region.WITH APPROXIMATELY 14,000 ACRES of grapes, Pennsylvania ranks fourth nationally in the amount of grapes grown (including juice grapes). The state also ranks eighth in the production of wine.
PENNSYLVANIA IS HOME to the two highest-elevation vineyards east of the Rockies.
IN ADDITION TO SELLING FROM THE WINERY, Pennsylvania wineries may have up to five retail outlets; they may sell at festivals and make direct sales to restaurants. All other wine sales in the state are transacted in state-owned shops.
THE PENNSYLVANIA WINE/GRAPE INDUSTRY contributes close to $700 million dollars to the Commonwealth's economy every year.
THE INDUSTRY CREATES JOBS and tax revenues, encourages rural development and tourism, and combats urban sprawl.
In 2006, the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Program commissioned a study to review the impact of Pennsylvania wine and wine grapes on the state's economy.
The following statistics are from the 2005 calendar year:
· $661 million in total contributions to the state economy
· 104 licensed wineries in Pennsylvania (up 24 percent from 84 in 2003)
· 150 wine-grape growers in Pennsylvania
· 340,000 cases of wine produced annually
· Fifth-largest wine-grape producer in the nation
· 5,200 jobs created, with a total payroll of $161 million
· 877,000 visitors to Pennsylvania wineries
· $167 million in tourism expenditures (up from $140 million in 2003)
Source: www.pennsylvaniawine.com
Wine history
THE HISTORY OF GRAPE-GROWING in Pennsylvania dates back more than 300 years to the mid-1600s, when William Penn brought grapes to the state.Penn brought French Vitis Vinifera vines with him to Pennsylvania in 1682 on his first trip to the colony that he founded.
Vinifera grapes are grown worldwide, and today popular cultivars include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling.
In the next year, 1683, Penn's gardener laid out a vineyard and planted cuttings of the vinifera vines, also known as 'Old World Grape'.
Unfortunately, grape vine cultivation was spotty at best, and most European vines did not survive in the New World.
Then in 1740, a hybrid of vinifera and labrusca vines was discovered by in the neighborhood of Springettsbury, just above the northwest corner of Philadelphia.
This was also the area where Penn's gardener planted cuttings of vinifera.
Labrusca is a species of grape native to the eastern United States and the source of many grape cultivars, including Concord and Niagara grapes.
The Alexander grape, as it was called, is said to have been an accidental hybrid. The labrusca side allowed the vine to survive, and the vinifera side improved the taste of the grape.
Thus, some speculate it is probable that Penn's vinifera vines entered into the formation of America's first wine grape by pollinating the native labrusca vine.
Source: "A History of Wine in America" by Thomas Pinney
Talk the talk
TERMINOLOGY ASSOCIATED WITH WINE need not be a mystery.Here is a list of commonly used words and phrases you're likely to encounter when buying, tasting, or just talking about wine.
ACID: adds crispness and helps preserve the wine.
BODY: The weight of the wine in your mouth.
BRIX: Term used to measure the sugar content of grapes.
CAPSULE: Plastic or metal film that covers the cork and neck of the wine bottle.
DEPTH: Complexity of a wine and the flavors.
DRY: No sugar to the taste. The opposite of sweet.
ESTATE-BOTTLED: Grapes were grown on the winery property and the wine was made and bottled on the winery site as well.
FINISH: The aftertaste that lingers in the mouth after tasting the wine.
LATE HARVEST: Wine made from grapes that were picked with a higher sugar content.
LEGS: The lines or tears of wine that appear on the sides of the wine glass when swirled.
NOSE: Also known as bouquet or aroma. The scent of the wine.
SPLIT: A six-ounce bottle of wine.
TANNINS: Compound found in grape skins that gives wine a tart taste.
Source: www.pennsylvaniawine.com
