By Kris Porter

When I was growing up, vineyards were almost unheard of in Pennsylvania. California was wine country. Today, Pennsylvania has more than 300 vineyards that produce delicious wines and have won many awards.

The Pennsylvania Wine Association is one of the organizations that host an annual wine competition. Local winery Galen Glen in Andreas won Best Wine in State for 2019 for their Riesling Fossil Vineyard 2018.

On Jan. 4, the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show also held a wine competition and many of our local wineries were recognized for their quality vintages.

In the northeast region, Stony Run Winery in Breinigsville won Best of Show in the Sparkling category for its 2017 Brut. Sparkling wines are bubbly like Champagne.

In the Double Gold Awards, our region’s wineries picked of several awards.

• Blue Mountain Vineyards and Cellars Ltd. in New Tripoli won Gold for its NV Rottie White, Silver for its 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, and Bronze for its 2018 Riesling;

• Sorrenti Cherry Valley Vineyards in Saylorsburg won Silver for its 2018 Blackberry Noir, 2018 Vignoles, and Bronze for its 2018 Raspberry Blush, 2018 Chambourcin, 2018 Cranberry Blush, 2018 Arancia Rossa, and 2018 Salute;

• Franklin Hill Vineyards in Bangor won Silver for its 2018 Chambourcin, and Bronze for its 2018 Vidal Blanc, 2018 Fainting Goat, 2018 Passion, and 2018 Sir Walters Red;

• Tolino Vineyards in Bangor won Silver for 2017 Gracie, and Bronze for 2017 Cabernet Franc, 2017 Papa’s Red, 2017 Mama’s Rose, 2018 Lilly, and 2016 Chambourcin;

• Sleepy Cat Urban Winery in Allentown won Silver for its 2018 Feline Fine Fredonia, and Bronze for its 2018 Smokey’s Midnight Treat, 2018 Sleepy Cat Red, and 2018 Kitty Kisses, and;

• Deerfoot Vineyards and Winery in Shoemakersville won Gold for its 2018 Norton, and Bronze for 2017 Cabernet Franc, and 2018 Chambourcin.

Not every winery in Pennsylvania competes in every competition. Many pick and choose which competitions they want to enter. And sometimes they compete one year and not the next. Some don’t compete at all.

If you’re like I was (ready to give up on wine because I couldn’t find one I liked at the state store), then visit the wineries and taste some before you buy. It’s really the best way to find out what you like. And it’s lots of fun, too.

The Pennsylvania Wine Association’s website, www.pennsylvaniawine.com, groups the wineries by region. Just click on a region and the map shows you where each winery is located. In a quick peak, it gives you the address and contact information with links to the winery’s website.

The wine association also created wine trails with a list of wineries where you can go to their tasting room to sample the wines, for a small fee of course. See the list at https://pennsylvaniawine.com/wine-trails.

I took a look at the wineries listed on the Pocono Trail, Lehigh Valley Trail and Berks Trail. Some of them are listed on multiple trails, and some of them left me wondering why it was on that trail, but here you go.

By the way, the address is actually a store location with a tasting room for some of them. Feel free to visit them in any order, and you might want to do this in multiple trips with meals in between.

Enjoy the New Year and maybe add a wine trail to your list of new things to do this year. I know it’s on mine.