The Call of the Wine in Lancaster

It was a perfect Spring day: The birds were singing, the flowers were growing, the sky was the deepest blue-and the wines were calling. I had heard that a new winery had opened in Manheim. Wow, what great timing to check it out - for me, anyway. Carl (my partner from Harvest Moon Bed and Breakfast) was too busy to get away. And so off I went alone….hey, it’s a tough job but someone has to do it.

I drove across the county…through Ephrata and Lititz and then into Manheim, passing lots of farms along the way. It seemed that people everywhere were working….plowing fields, planting flowers. Just a little guilt crept into my mind, but I fought it off. After all, I was working too! This is what is called “research” for one of our wine tours.

Just outside Manheim, as I headed farther into the country, I saw them - row after row of grapes. I turned up the drive and went over the hill and arrived. What a view….it was almost as though I were back in Napa Valley….the long rows of vines…the quiet except for the song of the birds…just the slightest breeze. The only telltale sign that I was in Lancaster was the silo rising from the ground at the end of the rows.
Waltz Vineyards is owned and operated by Kim and Jan Waltz. They’ve been growing grapes for the past twelve years. If you’ve tasted any of the best wines that Pennsylvania has to offer, chances are good that you’ve tasted their grapes. And grapes they have – 80 tons of them each year, all hand-picked by local folks in the Fall. I settled in for my tasting, joining a group of four women who had brought a picnic and clearly were enjoying the wine, food and weather.

Everything is beautiful here – the meticulous vineyard, the marble counter in the tasting room, the French oak barrels, the patina of the old tobacco lathe from the family farm, the brand-new winemaking equipment that just arrived from Italy.

I must admit that I love big, bold red wines, and Waltz’s delivered. But I also liked their Chardonnay. The crisp cool taste would be lovely on the porch of The Artist’s Inn with cheese and apples!

Jan and I talked a lot about the terroir – the unique soil conditions that exist in Lancaster County and the fact that some of our favorite wineries in Pennsylvania and Virginia were the same. These are not only smart vintners that they have hosted many viticulture lectures and workshops – but they are so, so nice.

We talked, scheduled a wine tour date, discussed the details, and before I knew it, two hours had flown by. “One last tasting”, Jan said, as he pointed to the fermenting room where I got to sample the Merlot right out of the tank.

So, the next time you feel the “call of the wine,” be sure to head to Waltz’s Vineyard just outside Manheim. Or, better yet, join us on our Wine and Cheese Tour on Saturday, July 25 and really get to know these new wines and the folks behind them. Jan has promised a very informative session.