By LeeAnne Mullins & Ryan Hudak
Independence Day weekend marked the 6th annual Big Bang BBQ Weekend, a collaborative effort from six of the finest wineries on the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail.
The trail, which consists of seven wineries in total, comes together every year for the holiday weekend to offer special days of wine tasting, BBQ and music from noon to 5pm at each participating winery. The events were all pay-as-you-go for wine tastings as well as some delicious BBQ offerings.
Event-goers need never worry about getting hungry during their time on the trail, with each vineyard and winery offering special BBQ deals, whether it was hot dogs at Penns Woods Winery, pulled pork and slaw at Kreutz Creek Vineyards, or the broad southern array of goodies from Jimmy’s BBQ parked at Black Walnut Winery. Jimmy’s BBQ was the food highlight of the day, offering delicious pulled pork, fall-off-the-bone ribs and juicy lemon-thyme chicken, making it the perfect all-around dinner stop on the trail.
While the food was great at all stops—and just what everyone was craving on a 4th of July weekend—the real hero of the Big Bang BBQ Weekend was the wine, no matter if it was red, white or peachy-pink rosé. Or, as was the case at Paradocx Vineyard, if it was the color and taste of tea. Yes, tea—Paradocx was offering tastes of their summer sensation named Twine, which consists of tea steeped in white wine to create the ultimate refreshing, albeit dangerous, drink of the summer. It’s an iced tea without the bitterness of tea, a wine without the dry bite of wine, and completely enjoyable to wine drinkers, iced tea lovers and cocktail fanatics alike. On a hot day, this would—and did—go down a little too easily! Another great way to beat the heat on the trail was with Kreutz Creek’s wine slushies, a cool and refreshing take on a children’s treat intended for adults.
At Penns Woods Winery, their white Chamboucin stole the show during the heat of mid-afternoon. This delightful dry rosé tasted of kiwi, strawberry and fresh melon. With only 80 cases produced in total, it’s worth dashing over to Chadds Ford to sample some sips in the tasting room and carry home a bottle or two. Meanwhile, over at Black Walnut Winery, it was the dark and stormy reds that were knocking everyone’s socks off. While the whites are not to be missed, such as the luscious Blanc Franc carrying soft fruit flavors begging to be enjoyed during an evening out on the patio, the reds kept us lingering over the bar in the tasting room just a little bit longer. Some of the standouts here included Black Tie Optional, blended from 4 different grapes to come up with a velvety finish, a 2008 Merlot that managed to surprise even the strictest of Merlot naysayers, and a blend of Pinot Noir and Merlot named Tryst that smells of vanilla, tastes of cherries and finishes with rich jam and berries.
Not ones to want to end a day of wine and BBQ without some quality dessert, our arms were easily twisted into a pairing of Port-style wine to enjoy alongside some chocolate. We were delighted to be presented with chocolate covered blueberries from Bride Street Chocolates of Phoenixville to enjoy with Black Walnut’s More Than ‘M’. An expert pairing of fresh fruit and decadent chocolate, the offering from chocolatier Gail Warner is perfect on its own but outstanding when paired with the wine. It was just the Big Bang we were looking for to close out our day of sips and nibbles on the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail.
Be sure not to miss out on wine trail events happening this summer by visiting the official website at www.bvwinetrail.com. More photos from the Big Bang BBQ Weekend of Brandywine Valley Wine Trail available by clicking here.
