Bucks County Taste » Bucks County Wine Trail

Bucks Food Calendar: April 30, 2010

Lynne Goldman — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:00:49 +0000

What’s that you say? More beautiful weather in Bucks County this weekend? And lots to eat, of course.

Strawberries, yes, strawberries. While most local strawberries won’t be coming in until later in May, you could say this weekend is the official welcome of the lovely spring fruit. Peddler’s Village will celebrate on Saturday and Sunday with their 41st Annual Strawberry Festival. Earl’s Bucks County will be serving a special Strawberry Arugula Salad and – are you ready? – “Chocolate Covered Strawberry Beer” (Lancaster Brewing Company Strawberry Wheat Beer finished with Rogue Chocolate Stout). Town Crier Bakery has everything from chocolate covered strawberries to strawberry pie to strawberry fritters.

And if you’re about to complain that strawberries aren’t “local” yet, Shady Brook Farm reports that their strawberries will be ready for “pick-your-own” this Monday. For an update on their crops, call 215.968.1670.

To market, to market. The Wrightstown Farmers’ Market opens this Saturday, May 1st with Personal Chef Karen McGinn giving cooking demonstrations on spring vegetables. The New Hope Farmers’ Market starts their season this Thursday, May 6th, with Chef David Zukerman of Earl’s Bucks County providing a cooking demo. And of course the Doylestown Farmers’ Market started a few Saturdays ago. Look for spring greens – spinach, lettuce – and radishes, rhubarb, herbs and bedding plants. Market products also include flowers; pastured beef, chicken and lamb; cheeses and yogurt from pastured animals; pastured eggs; bread and baked goods; preserved products; handmade soaps and lotions; honey, maple syrup and beeswax candles; organic, fair trade, locally roasted coffees; and prepared foods.

Fresh produce for those in need. The Bucks County Foodshed Alliance, who run the Wrightstown Market, is partnering with the Bucks County Housing Group and market shoppers to provide fresh produce to the Housing Group’s food pantry on Durham Rd. in Penndel. They are inviting shoppers to purchase fresh produce items at the market and donate them. The (tax deductible) produce donations will be collected at the Foodshed Alliance table and delivered at the end of the market each Saturday. Volunteers are needed to help with delivery too. See the Foodshed Alliance table at the market for more information.

Bucks County Wine Trail. Not only is this weekend the Bucks County Wine Trail’s Spring Fling - celebrating the first wines of the season – but the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce is holding its very popular Bucks County Wine Tour on Sunday (Oops. Sorry, it’s sold out). What a great weekend to sample some local wine – sun, warmth, sitting outside sipping wine. Does it get any better?

The Doylestown Food Club is becoming the Doylestown Food Co-Op…and you can be part of the process. The five month old Doylestown Food Club, a collection of 50 households who buy locally produced goods and produce collectively is moving quickly towards a co-op structure. This Sunday, May 2, from 2 – 4 pm, and Thursday, May 27, from 7:30 – 9:30 pm, the Food Club will hold Town Hall meetings to gather input and answer questions about the development of the co-op. If you are at all interested, please come! You can also get on the Food Club/Co-op’s email list to stay in the loop.

For more details, please go to our full calendar, Food Events in Bucks County. Have a lovely weekend!

Friday, April 30th:
Forecast – Sunny, 81°

Jim Popik @ Pennsylvania Soup & Seafood Company, Doylestown [6 - 9 pm]
Barbara Trent @ The Centre Bridge Inn, New Hope [7 - 11 pm]
Kindle Cafe Supper Club @ Rojo’s Roastery, Lambertville [7:30 - 9 pm]
Simon & Garfunkel Tribute @ New Hope Winery, New Hope [8 - 10:30 pm]
Dave Marion Duo @ Vader’s Bar & Grill, Southampton [8 - 11 pm]

Saturday, May 1st:
Forecast – Sunny, 88°

Spring Fling – Bucks County Wine Trail, Various Bucks County Wineries
Doylestown Farmers’ Market, Doylestown [7 am - 12 pm]
Wrightstown Farmers’ Market, Wrightstown [9 am - 1 pm]
Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [9 am - 3 pm]
41st Annual Peddler’s Village Strawberry Festival, Lahaska [10 am - 6 pm]
Wine Tasting @ Phillips’ Fine Wines, Stockton [12 - 5 pm]
Beerfest @ McCoole’s, Quakertown [12 - 9 pm]
Family-Style Roast Beef & Ham Dinner – Trinity UCC, Pleasant Valley [4 - 7 pm]
Ham Dinner @ Riegelsville Fire Company, Riegelsville [4 - 7 pm]
Ham Dinner @ First Baptist Church of Lambertville, Lambertville, NJ [4:30 - 7 pm]
Jazz Night! featuring Eric Mintel Quartet, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown [8 - 11 pm]

Sunday, May 2nd:
Forecast – Sunny, 87°

Spring Fling – Bucks County Wine Trail, Various Bucks County Wineries
Breakfast Buffet @ Plumsteadville Fire Co., Plumsteadville [7 am - 12 pm]
Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market, Hellertown [9 am - 1 pm]
Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [10 am - 3 pm]
41st Annual Peddler’s Village Strawberry Festival, Lahaska [10 am - 6 pm]
2010 Bucks County Wine Tour – Bucks County [12 - 5 pm]
Doylestown Food Club Town Hall Meeting, Doylestown [2 - 4 pm]

Monday, May 3rd:

Complimentary Wine Sampling @ Yardley Inn, Yardley [5 - 9 pm]
Entertain with Ease! @ The Cooking Cottage, Sellersville [6:30 - 8:30 pm]
Dim Sum and Other Asian Treats @ Carlow Cookery, Doylestown [7 - 9 pm]
A Tasting Tour of Spain @ Crossing Vineyards, Washington Crossing [7 - 9 pm]
Soupcon Salon by Kindle Café, Lambertville, NJ [7 - 9:15 pm]

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter!

The holidays come to Bucks County

Lynne Goldman — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:44:34 +0000

I have to admit something. Just a couple of weeks ago I was worried that food events were going to slow down towards the holidays. I know that seems counter-intuitive – I mean, sometimes that seems the main activity this time of year – but not a lot was showing up for the calendar. But, whoa! – now that I look at the weekend, there are a lot of yummy activities.

For starters, what better way to get into the “holiday spirit” than sipping some spirits? The Bucks County Wine Trail is hosting a Holiday Celebration at all Bucks County wineries. Stop by Buckingham Valley Vineyards for some of their just-released Ruby Port or Champagne (officially, “sparkling wine”). I just had some recently at Andre’s Wine and Cheese Shop in Doylestown. More of a semi-dry Champagne and quite delicious. Need I say what a great gift it would make? Crossing Vineyards and Wycombe Vineyards also have some great activities in store for the weekend. Many of the wineries have special seasonal wines – like Spice Wines – just in time for the holidays.

Farmers’ Markets? You betcha. Stockton’s Indoor Farmers’ Market is off to a great start. They are open both Saturday and Sunday (see the Food Events in Bucks County for more details). The Wrightstown Farmers’ Market is having a mini-winter market this Saturday, pre-orders appreciated. And Parkside Orchid Nursery in Ottsville is hosting an indoor Holiday Farmers’ Market with local gift items for sale. The Kitchen Potager will be there with beautiful gift baskets of all local products. They flew off the shelves at last week’s Holiday Market at Linden Hill Gardens. Stop by Manoff Market Gardens in Solebury too at their Holiday Open House. Sip some cider and get the last of the season’s apples.

In addition to the above, several firehouses are hosting breakfasts, and there are cookie sales going on, seemingly everywhere!

Hanukkah begins tonight and continues for eight days, through next Saturday. Look for my upcoming post on some delectable potato pancakes (latkes). Get some homemade applesauce from Manoff’s to go with it!

Have a wonderful, warm weekend. For more details on any of the events below, please click on this link: Food Events in Bucks County.

Friday, December 11th:

Spaghetti Dinner @ Delaware Valley Fire Co., 5:30 – 7:30 pm, Erwinna, PA. Santa Claus will be there!
Kindle Cafe Supper Club at Rojo’s Roastery, 7:30 – 9:00 pm, Lambertville, NJ.

Saturday, December 12th:

Holiday Celebration - Bucks County Wine Trail, Various Bucks County Wineries.
Cookie Sale @ West Swamp Mennonite Church, 9 am – 12 pm, Quakertown, PA.
Cookie Walk & Fruit/Nutroll pick-up, 9 am – 12 pm, St Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church, Warrington, PA.
Indoor Stockton Farmers’ Market, 9 am – 3 pm, Stockton, NJ.
Wrightstown Farmers’ Mini-Market, 10 – 11 am, Wrightstown, PA.
Indoor Holiday Farmer’s Market, 10 am – 2 pm, Parkside Orchid Nursery, Ottsville, PA.
Holiday Open House @ Manoff Market Gardens, 10 am – 5:30 pm, Solebury, PA.
Holiday Wine Festival @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery , 12 – 6 pm, Washington Crossing, PA.
Herbal Holidays @ Tinicum Herb Barn, 1 – 4 pm, 610-847-8452, Erwinna, PA.
Outdoor Chanukah Menorah Lighting & Potluck, 5 – 7 pm, Bristol Jewish Center, Bristol Borough, PA.
Colonial Holiday Dinner, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, The Moland House (Washington’s Headquarters), Hartsville, PA.

Sunday, December 13th:

Holiday Celebration – Bucks County Wine Trail, Various Bucks County Wineries.
Breakfast @ Upper Black Eddy Fire Company, 7:30 am – 12 pm, Upper Black Eddy, PA.
Breakfast Buffet @ Richland Twp Fire & Rescue, 8 am – 1 pm, Quakertown, PA.
Breakfast Buffet @ Silverdale Fire Company, 8 am – 1 pm, Silverdale, PA.
Indoor Stockton Farmers’ Market, 10 am – 3 pm, Stockton, NJ.
Sugarplum/Nutcracker Tea @ Byers’ Choice Christmas Museum & Gift Emporium, 11 am – 3 pm, Chalfont, PA.
Holiday Wine Festival @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery , 12 – 6 pm, Washington Crossing, PA.
Herbal Holidays @ Tinicum Herb Barn, 1 – 4 pm, Erwinna, PA.
A Dummies Guide to Wine Tasting @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery, 2 pm, Washington Crossing, PA.

Winery Notes: Drink locally

Lynne Goldman — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:06:28 +0000

Mark and I have become cheerleaders for Bucks County wine. And, yes, we DO know what good wine tastes like. In fact, we are a bit picky about what we drink. I know my New World wines quite well, and have been getting to know the Italians much better. But we’d like all of our readers to know more about local wine. So I’ve started a series called Winery Notes, to keep everyone updated – and knowledgeable – about what is going on in our backyard.

There seems to be a bit of snobbery afoot when it comes to local wines. Granted, some of them lean towards the sweet side. But there are also a number of local wineries that are shooting for a bit more than a good fruit wine, and harvesting grapes we all know and love – Merlot, Cabernet Savignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Viognier (that’s one of my favorite whites, sort of like a Savignon Blanc, grown in California, New Zealand and other places).

Folks who will gladly drink a mediocre wine from California or South America (“It’s a Malbec…and it was only $8.99!”), won’t touch a local wine with a ten-foot pole. But the reality is that some local wineries are working hard to make good wine. With every vintage year, they are learning more about our terroir - that is, what grows well here in the rich Bucks County soil. And some are producing some damn good wine.

We wrote about Crossing Vineyards when we first stopped there for a tasting last Spring. A lot has been going on at Crossing this fall. They celebrated their 6th anniversary of making wine (11 years since planting their first vines). They also brought back several impressive medals from the Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition in San Diego. On September 26-27, 11 sommeliers from the world’s top restaurants evaluated wines. Of the wines entered, 49 made it to the final round of voting for best of show in five broad categories. Crossing Vineyards’ Merlot 2006 earned a platinum medal in this competition. The Cabernet Franc 2006 scored a gold and the Viognier 2007 earned silver. I will tell you right now from personal experience, all three of these wines deserved it. Drive quickly (but safely) to Crossing Vineyards as soon as possible and buy some.

Another exciting development on the Bucks County food scene is the recent opening of Sand Castle Winery’s store in Warrington. Taste is a gourmand’s idea of a delightful afternoon. Mark and I stopped by recently, and we will write more about it in a future post. But, oh my. Sixteen varieties of olive oil from around the world available for sampling. Twelve kinds of balsamic vinegar. Cheeses, chocolates, and other Pennsylvania-made products. And, of course, Sand Castle Winery’s wines, available for tasting and experiencing. The store is right next to PF Chang’s in the Valley Square Shopping Center (also near Wegmans). Stop by to pick up wine for Thanksgiving and gifts for the foodies on your holiday list.

Who says you can’t buy groceries and wine at the same time in Pennsylvania? Stop by None Such Farm Market in Buckingham and pick up some wine from Buckingham Valley Vineyards while you are shopping for dinner. They’ve added a special kiosk just for Buckingham Valley wines. Now this is progress!

Carlow Cookery is offering a class, “Great Wines for Holiday Fare” this Monday, November 23rd, from 7 – 9 pm. Bill Mickel will explain how to match seasonal food with wines that truly complement their flavors. The class includes some great food and wine, so don’t miss it. Carlow Cookery is in the Doylestown Shopping Center on 432 North Main St.

I’ll be doing another post later this week on some good local wine pairings for Thanksgiving, so please check back.

“Tweet-Up” and Drink Up!

Lynne Goldman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:45:33 +0000

Join the Bucks County Wine Trail for its very first “Tweet-Up” event this Saturday, November 7th. Sample great wines around Bucks County and meet your fellow Twitterers. Special wine offerings and/or discounts may apply at different wineries. Mention you’re there for the tweet-up!

For more information follow visitPA on twitter http://twitter.com/visitpa

Impulse Turn #1: Crossing Vineyards

Strawberries, Wine and Thou

Lynne Goldman — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:35:06 +0000

Another delicious weekend coming up in Bucks County. Here’s a round-up of some of the food stuff happening. Check out our online calendar, Food Events in Bucks County for more details.

Wine Concert Series at Shady Brook Farm, 6 – 9 pm, Yardley. Weather permitting. Free admission. Dogs Playing Cards will be the musical entertainment. (Friday)
Pancake Breakfast at The Plumsteadville Grange, 7 – 11 am (Saturday)
Doylestown Farmers’ Market, 7 am – Noon, Doylestown (Saturday)
Hoagie Sale Fundraiser, 9 am – Noon, Quakertown (Saturday)
Roast Beef Dinner at the Riegelsville Fire Company, 4 – 7 pm, Riegelsville (Saturday)
Sip and Spa – Mother’s Day Candle Light Dessert Tea at The Talking Teacup, 6 – 8 pm, Chalfont (Saturday)
Strawberry Festival, 10 am – 6 pm, Peddler’s Village, Lahaska (Saturday & Sunday) – Check out the new outdoor seating at Sweet Lorraine’s while you’re there!
Spring Fling – Bucks County Wine Trail, various wineries throughout Bucks (Saturday & Sunday) – New wine releases!
Breakfast at the Orion Masonic Lodge, 8 am – Noon, Frenchtown, NJ (Sunday)
Sunday Funday: Perennial Festival, Shady Brook Farm, Noon – 4 pm, Yardley (Sunday)

Have a great weekend!

Impulse Turn #1: Crossing Vineyards

Mark Feffer — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:15:01 +0000

An impulse turn is what happens when we’re driving along and one of us says, “Let’s turn in here,” to check out a place we’ve done no research on, just because, for whatever the reason, it seems like a good idea at the time. Last week, as we were driving home from Trenton, Lynne thought we should turn into Crossing Vineyard and Winery at 1853 Wrightstown Road in Washington Crossing. All I can say is Lynne has good impulses.

Photo courtesy of Crossing Vineyard and Winery

Walking up the path into the winery is kind of like walking into a piece of California. The vineyards beyond the path, the warmth of the wine store, the cool of the barrel room where wine tastings are held all have the feel of Napa Valley. Later on Tom Carroll, Sr., Crossing’s president, told us that was no accident: From the beginning, he, his wife Christine and son (and vintner) Tom, Jr., wanted to bring California-style, world-class winemaking to Bucks County.

Tom is a friendly, engaging man. We ran into him by accident, after we’d finished Impulse #1A – a wine tasting, which is among the most rewarding ways to spend $8 that I’ve experienced in a long time. His family’s energy seems to infuse the place: From the moment we walked in, we noticed how everyone around was engaged in friendly conversations about wine and food: staff members with customers, of course, but also customers with customers and staff members with staff members. Everyone was perfectly content to talk, no one’s in any hurry.

Photo courtesy of Crossing Vineyard and Winery

Crossing’s wines have won medals around the world, something Tom detailed for us with quiet pride. We’ll be talking to the Carrolls in more detail soon. In the meantime, check out the Crossing Web site for more of their story, and if you’re in the area stop in and taste some wines for yourself.

See more details about the vineyard’s numerous events, and other happenings, at our calendar, Food Events in Bucks County.