White Wine Production Around the Brandywine Valley Is Thriving

Many foodies around the Brandywine Valley region have bought into the idea of eating local, shopping at the area’s many farmers markets and opting for menu items that use ingredients raised or grown on regional farms. Fewer, however, have warmed to the idea of drinking local.

And that’s a shame, as there are several fine local wineries producing enjoyable and affordable bottles. The summer months are perfect for exploring cool whites—not just chardonnay and sauvignon blanc but also more unique varieties made from exotic grapes from around the world.

Ben Cody grew up on a farm in Oklahoma and has a day job that takes him around the globe. But he still has time to grow grapes and make wines at his 1723 Vineyards in Landenberg. One of his favorite grapes comes from the rugged Atlantic Coast of Spain in a region called Rìas Baixas. “Albariño is our flagship wine here at 1723,” Cody says. “The grapes have loose clusters and a genetic tolerance for wetter weather, making them a natural for southeastern Pennsylvania.”

Cody notes that the profile of 1723’s Albariño closely resembles that of the Albariños in the Galician region of Spain. “But our summers are a bit hotter, which creates bolder flavors,” he says. “This effectively turbocharges the grape and resulting wine—somewhat akin to what Napa does to cabernet sauvignon.”

In Spain, the grapes are grown on trellises so the clusters hang down from a canopy of green. Cody worked with the agricultural consultants at Penn State University to create a system that mimics aspects of the pergola-style trellis. “This helps with disease management and brings yield levels up from almost nonexistent to modest,” he says.

Anthony Vietri is known locally and nationally for his premium multigrape blends. He’s planted the many different varieties now growing at his Va La Vineyards in Avondale, trying and rejecting quite a few. “One of the white varieties we use for our La Prima Donna wine is Tocai Friulano,” says Vietri of a grape most commonly associated with northeast Italy and neighboring Slovenia. “The vines grown in our vineyard are now in their 25th year of age. When vinified as a varietal wine, Tocai tends to show an almond and herbal character with low acidity—a bit Viognier-like in that regard. In fact, we also sourced Viognier grapes from a California vineyard and are growing both varieties next to each other.”

When Italian winemaker Davide Creato was recruited by Penns Woods Winery in Chadds Ford, he knew he’d be producing a varietal Viognier from a one-acre plot in the winery’s hillside vineyard. Though Viognier is best known as the elegant white grape of France’s Rhône Valley, it’s also grown in Italy. “Acids of the Viognier drop very quickly in the vineyards in Italy, which means it must be harvested quickly,” Creato says. “We don’t have that problem here.”

“Albariño grapes have loose clusters and a genetic tolerance for wetter weather, making them a natural for southeastern Pennsylvania.”
—1723 Vineyards’ Ben Cody

A second acre of Viognier grapes has also been planted at the winery’s newer vineyard in Parkesburg. “The beauty of Viognier is the aroma it creates throughout the winery when it’s fermenting,” Creato says.

During cooler or wetter growing seasons, Creato sometimes adds sugar (chaptalize) to the wine for balance, a common practice on the East Coast. “I do it when the fermentation is about three-quarters through,” he says. “That slows fermentation, which I prefer.”

Here are few more local whites of note:

• A more familiar variety of grape, Pinot Gris takes up about a quarter of Grace Winery’s six-acre vineyard in Glen Mills. The wine it produces is lively and fragrant, with hints of tart apple and citrus, plus a savory undertaste.
• Stargazers Vineyard founder John Weygandt was a fan of the Austrian Grüner Veltliner grape, not to mention the Arneis from northwest Italy. He planted both at his Embreeville estate, and the current owners continue to take varietals from those mature grapes.
• The Wilson family produces dry and sparkling Rieslings at their Wayvine Vineyards in Nottingham.
• Common in the area, Vidal Blanc is a French-American hybrid grape that adapts well to colder climates. I recommend the excellent varietal from Paradocx Vineyard in Landenberg.

Related: Foraging Offers an Edible Bounty Around the Brandywine Valley