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Get ready to usher in the summer festival season at the third annual Brandywine Food & Wine Festival, unfolding on June 14 from 12– 6 p.m. at the Myrick Conservation Center in West Chester.
The festival will celebrate all things local, from food and wine to music and crafts. Attendees will get to taste their way through nine local wineries, including six wineries of The Brandywine Valley Wine Trail.
“Vintners in this region work hard to produce high-quality wines. Many people do not realize that there are a number of wineries in this area,” said Karen Cline, Executive Director of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail. “This festival provides a chance to taste, learn about and enjoy local wines.”
With so many wines offered, it’s difficult to discern which sips to sample. Eager to find out who is pouring and what to taste? We’re sharing our top picks below.
Black Walnut Winery
Sassy: This bright-flavored, refreshing wine has a light aroma of honeysuckle and melons. The blush wine has flavor highlights of strawberry, honeydew melon and a touch of peach with a strong tart apple finish. Sassy is a perfect accompaniment to a lazy summer day.
Tryst: A 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Merlot that presents with an aroma of violets, vanilla and a touch of cherry, Tryst has an upfront sour cherry flavor with a soft taste of raspberry. This wine has a light body and a nice soft finish with a touch of spice. Grab a sip of this wine with your sweetheart and relax in the sunshine.
Penns Woods Winery
Bancroft Moscato Rose NV:This refreshingly sweet Merlot blended with Moscato possesses flavors of white peach, strawberry, and grapefruit. It is smooth, sweet and easy to drink. You can enjoy this wine after you sample some of the festival food as a dessert drink, but we think it tastes great any time.
Sunshine Sangria: No outdoor festival is complete without a fruity glass of sangria. Penns Woods’ version is made with their Pinot Grigio and a variety of seasonal fruits. Each batch is made fresh daily and is filled with the flavors of summer.
Paradocx Vineyard
T-Wine: A repeat people’s choice winner, “T” is a white wine blend enhanced with subtle tea flavors. Pour some in a glass with ice, pull up a chair and unwind. Take home a bottle for those nights that you want to sit on the porch and stargaze.
Pail Pink: As a blush wine with soft floral aroma and red berries, Pail Pink has just the right amount of sweetness to be enjoyed alone or alongside some of the best bites of the Brandywine Valley. Grab an overstuffed kimchi slider from Ka’Chi Truck and some raw milk cheese from Farm Fromage, lay out your picnic blanket and listen to some live tunes.
Kreutz Creek Vineyard
Steuben: This semi-dry wine is full of strawberry flavors and spices that will perfectly compliment spicy dishes. Perhaps something from Downingtown newcomer Bangles Indian Cuisine? Take a bottle (or two!) home because this wine makes a great slushy.
Ruby “K” Port: This port has a great cherry flavor that is complimented by dark chocolate. We like to pour it over a scoop of vanilla or chocolate Kilby’s Cream ice cream or sip it alongside a truffle from Bridge Street Chocolates.
Other wineries pouring at the Brandywine Food & Wine Festival include BVWT members Borderland Vineyard and Patone Cellars, and Brandywine Valley neighbors Stone Barn Cellars Winery, Grace Winery, and Ten Gallon Hat Winery.
Tickets to the Brandywine Food & Wine Festival are $15 in advance and include 10 tasting tickets, a bottle of water and a tasting glass. Additional wine samples can be purchased at the event. More details are available at www.pawinefestival.com.
