Each year upwards of 10 million wine enthusiasts take to the countryside of France to taste fine, world-renowned wines. Next to Napa Valley, California, which sees roughly 4 million wine-lovers each year, France is one of the premier travel destinations for wine.
According to the Pennsylvania Winery Association, a nonprofit trade association representing the state’s wineries, Pennsylvania has more than 270 wineries and is the fifth-largest grower of grapes nationwide. More than 1 million gallons of wine – many of them award-winning – are produced in Pennsylvania each year.
Instead of renewing your expired passport and booking a flight for wine travel, why not look at what’s outside (almost literally) your backyard. Pennsylvania is quickly becoming its own wine destination. With the proximity of wineries on regional wine trails, including the Bucks County Wine Trail, wine enthusiasts can make a day or weekend of sampling locally made wines.
Wine-lovers seeking a sampling of French winemaking can taste it at the seven family-owned wineries along the Bucks County Wine Trail. The area’s climate and growing conditions are like those of France’s Bordeaux region, which help winemakers create a robust selection of Chardonnay, Chambourcin and Cabernet Sauvignon, among dozens of other special, dessert and seasonal favorites.
Bucolic Bucks County, with its scenic views and rolling hills, is a hub, in its own rite, for award-winning wine. Seven family-owned, Bucks County-based vineyards and wineries dot the local countryside, offering a variety of tastes for every palate.
Beginning Nov. 1 and continuing through March 31, 2020, the wine trail is opening its tasting room doors and beckoning visitors for a new adventure – this one with leisurely, self-guided travel (and wine) as its focus. Dubbed Passport to Bucks, guests are invited to purchase a VIP wine-tasting card for $30 and enjoy a world-class tasting at each of the seven wineries. Instead of a stamp as is commonplace when passport-holders visit foreign countries, the Passport to Bucks bearer, with each winery visit, will have his or her card punched. Once all seven wineries have been visited, the card will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win two cases of locally made wine.
Wine enthusiasts can make passport stops at their own pace, over the course of a weekend, a few weekends or seasonally. No matter when you choose to visit Bucks County, the Bucks County Wine Trail invites wine-lovers from near and far to slow down, take it all in, and sample a wide range of locally made passport-worthy wines.
More information
The Bucks County Wine Trail is comprised of Bishop Estate Vineyard and Winery, Buckingham Valley Vineyards, Crossing Vineyards and Winery, Rose Bank Winery, Rushland Ridge Vineyards, Sand Castle Winery and Wycombe Vineyards. Passport to Bucks cards are available for purchase at each of the wineries, as well as Visit Bucks County.
For more information on the Bucks County Wine Trail, visit http://www.buckscountywinetrail.com. To learn more about Passport to Bucks, please click here.
