Page 37 - The Hunt - Fall 2023

In 1982, Lee and Eric Miller founded Penns Woods, Folly Hill is now Galer, and Kreutz Creek
Chaddsford Winery and began crafting their vintages from purchased grapes in an old barn along Route 1, a few miles up in the hills west of Brandywine Creek. The Millers have since retired, but the first winery in the Brandywine region is still producing, and its tasting room remains a popular destination.
In many ways, Chaddsford’s history is indicative
of what’s happened to the wine industry as a whole around our region. Though several of the pioneers have moved on over the past 20 years, local wineries have renewed and reninvented themselves. No longer an oddity, their tasting rooms are selling reliably good wines at reasonable prices while providing weekend entertainment and event space.
Twenty years ago, the local wine trail consisted
of eight stops. In addition to Chaddsford, there was Smithbridge, Twin Brook, Stargazers, Va La, Folly Hill, Paradocx and Kreutz Creek. Except for Twin Brook, the other seven wineries are still in operation—not a small accomplishment. But only Va La and Paradocx have retained their original owner/operators, and only four still have their original names. Smithbridge is now
has become Acadian.
Five new wineries have been founded in those
20 years—Patone and Grace in 2008, Wayvine in 2010, Vox Vineti in 2012, and 1723 in 2014. In total, there are a dozen wineries in the Brandywine region that actually make wine locally, from fermenting the grapes to bottling the wines. Only a handful of those wines have drawn praise from national wine critics, even if the overall quality is on a par with everyday wines
from around the world.
Not that there aren’t issues debated among the
winery owners. Should wines be made only from local grapes, or does the source of the grapes matter if the grapes are fermented locally? Should wineries try to accommodate all tastes by making sweet table wines, largely ignored in great winemaking regions? Or should they only offer dry table wines, perhaps adding dessert varieties like port? Most local wineries emphasize using European grape varieties, as all great wine regions do, while some also produce hybrid varietals and those from more pungent native American grapes.
Keeping all of that in mind, we offer a rundown of the 12 Brandywine Valley wineries.
T
5
Th
he
eH
H
u
u
n
n
t
tM
Ma
a
g
ga
az
z
i
in
ne
e.
.c
c
o
om
m
3
3
5