Did you know that Pennsylvania has quite the wine country? With rolling hillsides and a lot of land to plant vines, it’s no surprise that the wineries here in Bucks County sell our of production annually! I recently visited Crossing Vineyards, which is a winery owned by the Carroll Family since 2000. Since it’s launch, it has added over 120 medals for it’s wines including: World’s Best Chardonnay in Starwine 2006.
As you walk up to the wooden gate, a Tasting Room sign points you in the direction of a beautiful cottage, filled with unique platters, cork cages, wine inspired trinkets, and a wall of Crossing Vineyards wines. This is the store and tasting room, where you will find a friendly staff, Tom Carrol Jr. (Winemaker), and Siggy, the wineries great dane!
I started off tasting the Vidal Blanc ($17), which as funny as it sounds, reminded me of the Fruit Stripe gum from the 90’s (I say this in the nicest way possible). It brought back instant memories from when I was a kid and my sister and I would fight over who got to hold the “zebra gum”. I kind of love when wines bring back interesting memories due to their flavors and aromas. This wine is pretty fruity but not sweet, and the acid is very well balanced. If you tend to like California style dry riesling and other white wines, you will enjoy this wine; i’m sure of it.
Up second was the Chardonnay ($18), which opens beautifully with notes of peaches and honey. Some minerality is present and playful on the palate, and is then followed by smooth stone fruit flavors. This chardonnay is a great aperitif and if you wanted to pair it with some food, I would try a cold Asian Ginger or Peanut Noodle Salad. Honestly, what I love about Pennsylvania wines is that many of the wineries produce a sangria that is typically 11-12% abv. Many of the wineries, including Crossing Vineyards also make sweet wines, and two of my absolute favorites were the Peach ($17) and Chocolate Cherry Truffle ($22)!
The peach wine was delightfully sweet and a wine you could easily fall in love with if you made it into a spritzer or added it to sangria. I’d even go as far as using it in a dessert too; but thats another feature for another day. The chocolate cherry truffle is made in the port style (with brandy) and has actual chocolate infused into the wine. The chocolate is very subtle and you get it more on the back end, while the gorgeous cherry and red fruit flavors shine in this one of a kind, really intriguing wine. This wine is ideal for Valentines Day or for cooking with; honestly i’d do both!
I also had the pleasure of tasting some of the reds. The Pinot Noir Reserve ($25) was 
smooth and elegant with a lot of “Santa Barbara” characteristics. The Cabernet Franc ($22) was fun and funky with notes of barnyard and fennel, which paired beautifully with some cheddar cheese and dried apricots. I also took a liking to the Vintner’s Select Red ($17), which is nice and dry with notes of damp grass, violets, and cooked black fruit. This wine is a blend of 30% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 40% Merlot and is really quite beautiful.
If you’re visiting Bucks County, make it a point to hit some spots on the winery trail. Crossing Vineyards is a wonderful winery and makes for a great afternoon visit. Be sure to taste the award winning wines and don’t forget to take a “selfie with Siggy”!
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