Berks County Wine TrailPresentation to the Berks County

Board of Commissioners – August 2009

Welcome to the Berks County Wine Trail and its member wineries

8 participating family-owned wineries in the Berks Region:

Bashore & Stoudt County Winery Kog Hill WineryBlair Vineyards Long Trout WineryCalvaresi Winery Manatawny Creek WineryClover Hill Vineyards & Winery Pinnacle Ridge Winery

trail organized in 2004

share unique philosophies to quality winemaking

encompass winemaking with locally grown grapes and fruits – from Chardonnay, Merlot, Vidal, Chambourcin to Peaches, Mulberry, Apples, Raspberries and more … a true celebration of local agriculture!

About us…

Berks CountyWine Trail 2009 member wineries

span the entire Berks region

Public enjoys seeing agricultural farmland & tourism attractions during their self-guided exploration of our wine trail

collaboration between the wineries supports 4 annual events each year:

Chocolate & Wine Cool Wine TreatA Taste of Spring! Artisan Cheese & Wine

the opportunity of the wineries’ daily activities also promotes PA winemaking, viticulture and agriculture

About us…

each of us loves wine, winemaking and agriculture

we each enjoy sharing this passion with the public who stops by to experience a taste of Berks County

we love it when they not only buy a bottle for themselves but buy one for a friend or loved one who doesn’t know yet that great wines are made here

Why we do it…

some of the wineries grow their own fruit as well as produce the wines; others purchase fruit from other growers in the region, producing the wines here in Berks

at the more established wineries, the winemakers work fulltime at their craft

while others, still in transition, juggle a day job or corporate career while carving out time for their second career & true passion – winemaking

How we do it…

crushing

bottling

culture of winemaking - PA philosophy of winemaking – BCWT soil & climate characteristics grapes (vinifera) & fruits grown & produced into wines spectrum wines found along the trail include…. crops this year – weather (rain!) impact on orchards, berry patches, vineyards

BCWT & winemaking

grapes

vineyard

we enjoy a steady growth in consumer/tourism attendance since our inception

wine trail events attract new patrons as well as encourage regular patrons to pay a visit

wines sales up nationally & in PA (combination of consumer interest in wine and the recession)

Consumer interest in locally grown foods is booming

The combination of locally grown fruits/grapes…domestic wine popularity…and consumers staying close to home to enjoy the fruits we produce – makes wineries like ours very fortunate

Our fruitful vantage point

the bonus in all of this: our visitors find themselves immersed in the agricultural landscape of our region when they come to visit any of our wineries

each year event attendance and overall awareness increases significantly, since we became a trail, visitors to the wineries has more than doubled.

we continue to explore ways to keep expanding this awareness of what Berks County has to offer via the avenue of its wineries

Our fruitful vantage point

Wine produced by the Berks County Wine Trail Wineries…

…stems from a year round agricultural process

A visual tour of the eight wineries along the

Berks County Wine Trail…

Long Trout Winery

Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery - Robesonia

Calvaresi Winery

Manatawny Creek Winery

Kog Hill Winery

Kog Hill Winery

Pinnacle Ridge Winery

Bashore & Stoudt Country Winery

Blair Vineyards

Young vine takes root in a protective covering

Vineyard ready for harvest

Oak barrels used to age wine

Stainless steel tanks are used toferment and/or to age wine

Festive wine pairings are oftenfeatured at wine trail events

www.berkscountywinetrail.comberks_county_wine_trail@yahoo.com