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Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Wine Trail: A Winery Lover’s Labor Day!

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Labor Day weekend’s road trip found us on Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Wine Trail.  There are several wineries on the Brandywine Wine Trail.  Headed down the trail in the rolling hills of Chester County we had a truly special time at the “Summer Under the Stars Jazz Festival” at Chaddsford Winery.  We arrived just in time to catch the lively sounds of The Budesa Brothers jazz band. You could readily sense the warm camarderie of the Chaddsford Winery patrons as they happily tapped their feet, mingled about and experienced the wonderful tastings with catered cheeses, salads and meats.   Despite the fact that proprietors Eric and Lee Miller were on vacation, the event was left in capable hands with Winery Manager Gregory Kuhn at the helm.  An amicable guy, Gregory moved about with hospitality and winery staff in tow, all of whom under his leadership were moving about tending to the needs of the winery patrons.

The very charming tasting room was spacious, elegant and impressively filled with Chaddsford Winery’s award winning wines.  We were warmly greeted by alum Nicole Matregano (a graduate ofIMG_0103 Temple University’s Hospitality School) and festival worker Mary Croak. Nicole and Mary guided us to our wine selection, the Chaddsford’s 2008 Proprietors Reserve.  A very nice blend of Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc and Vignoles, the Proprietors Reserve paired wonderfully with our three cheese plate of pepper jack, white cheddar and blue cheese. A straw colored zesty citrus wine with hints of lemon, the Proprietors Reserve nicely complimented our cheese plate and thinly sliced roast beef.

Founded in 1982, and housed in a 17th Century Colonial Barn, the Chaddsford Winery sits in the midst of a very beautiful country setting full of distinct charm.   It is the oldest and largest of the wineries on the Brandywine Wine Trail.  On the 30 acre estate vineyard, Winemaker Eric Miller has produced award winning wines.  We took note of the fact that the winery is winner of eight gold medals and three silver medals in the 2009 PWA Pennsylvania Wine Competition.   Chaddsford Winery holds multiple awards in international wine competitions as well.

Winery lovers may find it a real treat this harvest season to experience the good food, good wine and good company should you make a stop at Chaddsford Winery on the Brandywine Wine Trail.

Pennsylvania’s Bucks County Wine Trail: You Heard It Through The Grapevine!

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IMG_0081Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth is host to over 100 hundred wineries, eight of which are on the Bucks County Wine Trail. This past weekend, my family members and I hit the road visiting Buckingham Valley Vineyards. It was a fun and delightful adventure for a laid back saturday afternoon.  Let me tell you…there are some things in life that should not be kept a secret.  This is one of them.

Buckingham Valley Vineyards.

Located at 1521 Route 413 in Buckingham, Pa, the winery counts itself among the largest of Pennsylvania’s 100 wineries.  What a warm reception we received upon arrival.  While pausing to take a photo in front of the winery entrance, owner Jerry Forest rode out on his tractor to see if we were damsels in distress in need of assistance.  I kindly introduced myself to Jerry and we exchanged pleasant niceties.

As we stood out in the vineyard, it was hard not to look in Jerry’s eyes and not see his passion and love for the vines.  While I was admiring the winery’s outdoor sculpture exhibit Jerry proceeded to tell me a little about his history.  Believe it or not, Jerry built the winery from a pipe dream in a dorm room back in the 50‘s.  I learned Jerry is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.  It doesn’t take long to see that Jerry indeed knows his business.   As we moved towards the tasting room, Jerry and I chatted about his forthcoming plans for this week’s harvest.  Jerry cautioned me that “things were going to get pretty noisy fast” around those parts as the loud machinery would soon be rolled in the upcoming week.

At the tasting room, we were warmly greeted by Buckingham Valley Vineyard’s tasting guides Mary Louise Zilli and Courtney Forsberg.  With warm smiles and welcoming hearts, Mary Louse and Courtney introduced us to the wide range of Buckingham’s varietals for consideration as a part of our tasting experience.   Upon inquiry about our possible selections, it was clear both these ladies were at the top their game.  They made us feel right at home while guiding us through our choices. The tasting room was a very comfortable space, both open and inviting.  It was filled with neat gift items including hats, t-shirts, and Buckingham Valley Vineyard memorabilia.  We found it very relaxing as we browsed through the items while enjoying our tasting experience on a lazy laid back Saturday afternoon.

We chose three wines to taste during the visit.  Our white wine selections included a  premium dry Pinot Gris, and a slightly sweet aromatic Riesling.  We also selected the oak aged dry Chambourcin, a full bodied red. You can taste Jerry’s 30 years of experience in the wines as we found them to be smooth, lively and very well balanced.  Others may have known that too, as the tasting room rapidly filled up with a bachelorette party of 15 women donning matching t-shirts (I will censor myself on what those shirts read) on behalf of a bride to be.   Kindly we extended our thanks, said our goodbye’s, and left Buckingham Valley Vineyards in the hands of the bride to be and other guests   As we look back on the day, we’re left with fond memories of Buckingham Valley Vineyards, a family centric business with Jerry and Kathy Forest at the helm, along with sons Joe, Kevin and Chris.

The next time your family and friends are looking to experience a fun-filled Saturday afternoon adventure,…take them to Buckingham Valley Vineyards on the Bucks County Pennsylvania Wine Trail. When your friends and family ask you where you discovered this wonderful winery, tell them…You heard it through the grapevine!

Intergenerational Transitions and Succession Planning for Wineries

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estate-planning-attorney.jpg 425X282 pixelsWhat’s Love Got to Do with It?

I read an article recently about the family feud taking place at the Korbel Champagne Cellars Winery between father and daughter. Both parties are embroiled in a fight to the finish currently entangled in a defamation lawsuit wherein millions of family dollars are now at stake.

While dysfunctional families can be found in almost any business today, the wine industry is not immune from its fair share of family friction. Family feuds have caused damage to the reputation of some of America’s finest wineries. The battle for power between the Mondavi brothers of the Charles Krug Winery in 1965 or the 1986 trademark infringement suit between the Gallo brothers– Ernest, Julio, and Joseph represent just a few of the scathing yet bitter battles that can go on within a family.

Many of Pennsylvania’s winery and vineyard operations are multi-generational closely held family owned businesses. When the time comes to change hands and hand down a family owned business, family rivalries can ensue. With millions of dollars at stake, it’s easy for love and happiness to take a back seat to sibling rivalry and jealous behaviors. It is not at all unusual for family hostilities to seep into the family business, eroding the united front and focus that makes for a successful business. Building a successful presence in the community should be reflective of a family business that can also transfer leadership for the benefit of continuing the family legacy.

Succession Planning is about the future. When the time comes, carrying the family brand into the future can be the single most critical and difficult challenge a family business has to endure. It can also be an opportunity to reinforce and embody the founder’s mission and core principles long after the business has changed hands.

Looming questions about how to treat the family members equitably, planning for the surviving spouse, and determining who should be at the helm are just a few key decisions to be determined. Oftentimes, these decisions are made in a vacuum by the founder or virtually not at all. This can result in family conflicts and friction later as one heir seeks to retain the business while the other heir seeks to acquire his or her value and move on.

Winery owners who are able to embrace family members in an open dialogue regarding succession planning will stand to be more successful in the future. Thus, you should consider long term succession planning in order to:

  • Establish guidelines to define the transition.
  • Identify the next generation of leadership for the business.
  • Maintain wealth preservation and asset protection for family members.
  • Determine timetables for retirement, estate and tax planning purposes.
  • Educate the next generation on operational, financial and interpersonal issues.
  • Minimize tax liabilities passed down to heirs

The future of your business deserves well executed succession planning. If the founder’s dreams are not the same dreams shared by their heirs, the likelihood is greater that the transitioning winery will end up in the hands of a third party. Prepare for the future. Leave a legacy for the company founder because at the end of the day, love’s got everything to do with it!!