A Pennsylvania Concord takes the Governor's Cup

Well, this article sure made my day ...

The Concord wine, made from a native American grape variety also a traditional choice for jelly and juice, stirs emotions, says Clover Hill winemaker John Skrip III.

''When people sample it, they say it brings back memories of the taste they experienced when plucking and eating grapes from their grandparents' grape arbors.''

Link to the full story: Clover Hill's Concord wine takes top honors at the Farm Show

I grew up a few miles from Clover Hills Winery. Their Concord is not really my thing (very sweet, which is fine, except not enough acidity to balance it), but my parents love it.

I'm happy to hear that the winery is doing well!

Thanks Lizbeth. "Very sweet" is a red flag for me personally, and a quick check of their website also reveals that their Concord is a non-vintage wine. Therefore, two thumbs down in my book ... but I still give them 6 fingers up (minus the middle ones of course ) for producing a Concord that won an accolade for our heirloom grape.

[Robin Garr]

Clover Hill's Concord wine takes top honors at the Farm Show

Before we get too excited about this accolade for a sweet, non-vintage Mogen David clone, Paul, you might ask about the credentials of the Farm Show. Did you notice that among the past winners (in 2004) was a "Raspberry Spumante ... sparkling fruit wine"?

LOL, I was going to mention the fact that most of the judges are 70+ years old with very little wine knowledge. But the farm show is still great...where else can you see a sheep to sweater competition?

[David M. Bueker]

There is some quality wine being made in PA (some of it from hybrids by the way), but that Concord is unlikely to be considered part of the club.

Granted, I acknowledge that some or all of you may be right, and my enthusiasm was indeed dampened when I noticed that the wine was non-vintage and apparently "very sweet". That said, one always hopes that somewhere out there are winemakers willing to grow the grape with a bit more love, tend to it with more care than your average mechanized juice farm, and treat it with that extra bit of TLC throughout the winemaking process than mass-market industrial examples get - all with an eye to creating pure, fragrant, non-syrupy examples. This is coming from someone who just bottled his '07 dry Concord last weekend, some of it oaked - and I'm very pleased with the results.

[David M. Bueker]

That said, one always hopes that somewhere out there are winemakers willing to grow the grape with a bit more love, tend to it with more care than your average mechanized juice farm, and treat it with that extra bit of TLC throughout the winemaking process than mass-market industrial examples get - all with an eye to creating pure, fragrant, non-syrupy examples.

Paul - I think you found the guy.

Growing up in the state of Connecticut my father made a great deal of Concord and Elderberry wine. My sister who is a lawyer said she chose her profession so she could sue our father for child abuse. He insisted we taste it dummed down with a little water, terrible stuff!

Hi Paul,
I don’t know if this would make you feel better, but the wine did take a Double Gold in the 2007 Keystone Wine Competition.

Salute

Victor, that makes me think that they really should re-evaluate standard practice at the winery and start making it a vintage wine. There may be no economic reason to do so if it's really popular, but it would be so fitting to have a year on the label of each distinct release!

Thanks for chiming in.

Next time I'm visiting my parents, I'll take a trip to the winery and ask about the NV/vintage Concord issue.

I just noticed that its Vignoles won a silver medal. It sounded familiar to me, and sure enough, I tasted it back in 2005. All my tasting note says is "Honey flavored Kool-Aid." That may give you an idea of their style of winemaking...