'Nouveau' Weekend on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail to Debut November 15

Allentown, PA, United States, 11/08/2008 (GrapeVineTrail.com) - The nine family-owned wineries of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail will proudly introduce their first vintages from this fall’s harvest during the annual Nouveau Weekend event on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 10 am – 5 pm and Sunday, Nov. 16 from noon – 5 pm.

"Nouveau" is the French word for "new" and in wine making it applies to a specific style of wine produced just weeks after harvest. Nouveau typically is a red wine that goes through a rapid fermentation. This style of winemaking produces an aromatic, fruity, soft wine with vivid colors that are delicious and ready to drink shortly after harvest. These Nouveau wines can age for several years, however they are meant to be drank while young and at the height of flavor.

Visitors can purchase wines for the upcoming holiday season to give as gifts or to drink with dinners. The wine trail members will also have special food items available for purchase at the event. Some weekend food and drink highlights include:
• Amoré Vineyards & Winery, Nazareth – will feature new releases of Chambourcin Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay along with Goot Essa cheeses.
• Big Creek Vineyard and Winery, Kresgeville – will turn back the clock, releasing a traditional style of Nouveau, made with Gamay Beaujolais, along with a seasonal spiced apple wine for the holidays.
• Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars, LTD., New Tripoli – will be pairing their 2008 Nouveau with cranberry glazed chicken. Also their Mountain Spice wine will be heated and served with pumpkin spice cake.
• Sorrenti Cherry Valley Vineyards, Saylorsburg - will be pairing "Mary's Marinated Mushrooms” with DeChaunac Wine.
• Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville – will be featuring the new release of Turtle Rock Red. They will be joined by Breakaway Farms of Manheim, Pa. who will be sampling and selling their 100 percent organic and chemical free cheeses and meats.
• Franklin Hills Vineyards, Bangor – will get ready for the Thanksgiving holiday with pairings of several wines with a delicious sampling of roast turkey, stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce.
• Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas – will warm up with Chambourcin mulled wine tasted with Vinkaka (wine cake) made using our Barrel 29, a Chambourcin port-style dessert wine.
• Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown – will be sampling a taste of Austria. Their NuVo follows the Austrian tradition of Heuriger wines. This freshly fermented white wine of the new harvest is offered in the taverns surrounding Vienna. They will be pairing the winery’s white NuVo with Austrian goulash and tiny homemade dumplings.
• Vynecrest Winery, Breinigsville – will release its first vintage of the 2008 season, a Gamay Beaujolais Nouveau wine. They will be pairing it with caramelized onion herb & cheese focaccia bread.

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 of the member wineries have won numerous awards at national and international levels.

This event is the last of the Wine Trail’s six themed events this year. The events begin anew in March 2009 with the annual March Madness for Wine Lovers promotion. Also known as Passport Weekends, this month-long event celebrates the arrival of new vintages as well as the spring. Guests purchase passports which are stamped by each winery and, when completed, are entered into drawings for prizes. The sale of 2009 passports, which are $30 each, begins during Nouveau Weekend.

Visitors interested in staying for the weekend can book a Lehigh Valley Wine Trail travel package by visiting LehighValleyPA.org and clicking on the “Travel Packages” tab on the right side of the homepage.

To request a copy of the Wine Trail’s “A Journey in Wine” brochure, call Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-747-0561 or log onto LehighValleyPA.org. The brochure can also be picked up at each of the member wineries. For more information on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, visit the website or call 866-870-7800.