I was Eastern Wineries Exposition 2013 in Lancaster, PA, tasting at the opening evening gala. Wines from all over the east coast were there, especially Pennsylvania and the north east. As I was going through the tables, I saw a bottle that intrigued me. Reid’s Orchard Zin on the Skins.
Reid's Orchard & Winery is located in beautiful and
historic Buchanan Valley, in Adams County, Pennsylvania, which was settled by
pioneers as early as 1750. It was here
in Buchanan Valley that young Mary Jemison, the White Squaw, was taken from her
family during a tribal raid on white settlers.
She came to be known as the White Squaw and spent the rest of her years
living with her captors. St. Ignatius of
Loyola Church, the Catholic Church in Buchanan Valley, is also referred to as
the White Squaw Mission.
This farm was originally settled back in the 1850's by
descendants of the Hall family. The
smoke of muskets and cannons, as well as the sound of the battle itself,
infiltrated the peace of this valley and this farm during those three horrible
days in Gettysburg during the Civil War.
Over the years, parcels of land were broken off from the original tract
and put to various uses.
Dave Reid purchased one of these tracts from June and Donald
Hall in November, 1976. Eventually we
recovered three other tracts of the original farm and now farm 100 acres of the
original tract in this historic valley.
Our farm's soil type is unique within Adams County,
classified as Highfield Channery loam, and possesses many of the same desirable
characteristics of the soil found in some of the best and most productive areas
of farmland in France.
Reid's Orchard & Winery is our family owned and operated
fruit farm and winery located in beautiful Buchanan Valley, Pennsylvania.
Reid's Orchard came into existence in November 1976 when
Dave purchased the home farm. Since that time, Dave’s family has grown and so
has his farm! From the beginning they have direct marketed their produce at
farmers' markets in the Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia
area. In addition to our more traditional plantings we also have a large
selection of heirloom apples and tomatoes.
In March 2009, they opened the doors to our winery tasting
room and began doing business as Reid's Orchard & Winery. They are on the
Mason-Dixon Wine Trail that weaves through the Pennsylvania/Maryland border. In
addition to their farmers' markets, Ried’s Orchards now have two winery tasting
rooms - the Winery Tasting Room at the Home Farm and the Winery Tasting Room at
Jennie's House in Gettysburg, the historic birthplace of Jennie Wade, the only
civilian killed during those three days of battle in Gettysburg.
Dave and his family have a belief in stewardship of the
land. “Reid's Orchard & Winery farms with the knowledge that we are
stewards of the land. The land that we farm today is land that has been farmed
by the generations that came before us. The land that we farm today is ours to
cultivate and nurture for the time we are here. The land that we farm today
will be farmed by those generations who choose to follow us as farmers and
vintners. As responsible stewards, we make choices in land and crop management
based not only on the needs of this year's crop but also considering the
long-term effects of our decisions on the land and on the environment.”
According to K.L. Sullivan in The Wine Traveler, “Reid
believes that the wines in this region of Pennsylvania have the potential to be
the best in the state. Reid produces red, white and fruit wines. Some of these
include Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Strawberry,
Cherry, Peach and Blueberry. We visited at a time when the winery tasting room
was closed and only one wine was available for tasting. Troika was a blend of
Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. This ruby colored wine offered dark fruit
notes including blackberries and plums. The fruit yielded to earthy tones with
mild tannins.”
So, I gave the wine a pour. This was a nice big, round wine.
Obviously made from Zinfandel, it was a
nice medium-bodied red, with some big dark cherry and plum and raspberry up
front. Good balance of acids and tannins. Very, very drinkable. A really,
really pleasant surprise!