Pa. pioneer of sparkling wine recalls that all wasn’t so bubbly at the beginning

The number of regional wineries, including those in Pennsylvania, now producing sparkling wine or pét-nat continues to increase.

National trends certainly have helped with that proliferation among mid-Atlantic producers. Per a report at the beginning of this year by IWSR , a global leader in data, analytics and insights for the beverage alcohol industry, roughly one-quarter of all adults are now sparkling wine consumers – an increase of almost 17%, since 2019.

Part of that is tied to the popularity of Prosecco, and some to the shift from being confined to the holiday to becoming a year-round beverage, and also to more wineries choosing to use other quicker methods than Methode Champenoise.

Among some of central Pennsylvania's best-known producers, Waltz is now making a brut Chardonnay, Nissley just added a dry sparkling in a bottle called Firefly to its canned sparkling wine collection, Grandview makes a semi-sweet sparkling called Diamond Dust 750, and The Vineyard at Hershey has three sparklings in its portfolio , including a Moscato and Moscato Blush. At Galen Glen, which perhaps has the highest national profile of any Pa. winery, Erin Troxell has unveiled her Erin Elizabeth line with a sparkling Gruner and Riesling, each a dry bubbly.

Seeing the long list of sparkling wines is a reminder that back when there were no more than a handful of wineries operating across the state, one producer was ahead of the curve in deciding to make them.

Jerry Forest, at Buckingham Valley Vineyards & Winery, said that while the winery opened in 1973, they started making sparkling in the early 1980s, largely because he enjoyed drinking it.

"We had a very difficult time starting because there was no one I could ask for advice," he told PennLive recently. "That's a very important thing in this business, to build to other people's experience."

He credited two individuals for helping to guide him through the process. One was Ted Moulton, who worked for Great Western in New York State for a while and later would end up in Ohio as the executive vice president of Meier's Wine Cellars . The other was David Tebow, who made wine in several places, including in New York. "They had experience in it, and they shared what they could," he said.

But even with the knowledge, Forest said, it was almost impossible to find the equipment without going overseas. "It wasn't available," Forest said. "There was nothing. Prospero was in business back then, but he didn't have much to offer. Nobody had anything to offer. We had to go to Europe."

Forest said for a few years they made small batches for personal consumption. "Small production equipment was not very available in the United States," he said. "We built storage/riddling cages that held 500 bottles. Bought a 12-bottle neck freezer and manual disgorger/doser and hand corker from Europe. Our first commercial batch of 4000+ bottles was a complete disaster. The issue was inconsistency of carbonation caused by not stirring it sufficiently/constantly while bottling. The entire batch, bottles and all, went into a very large dumpster. "

But those early mistakes provided lessons that they have successfully adapted since then, and the use of automation in the production process has made it more consistent, reliable and easier. What hasn't changed is his perception of the process. "Making sparkling wine on a small level is difficult, time-consuming, expensive, and generally not profitable, he said.

According to Forest, it takes them two to five years to make the half-dozen sparklings they sell. Bottom line, they amount to 10,000 bottles a year, he said.

Forest was asked if sparkling was difficult to sell when they first started out and whether he has seen a growth in interest.

"Sparkling is tough to sell in quantity," he said. "You could always sell a bottle or two to people who stop in at the winery. But if you want to sell 10,000 bottles, it's not easy. We sell some through ShopRite with a different label on it, we sell some to other wineries. But we have a consistent level of sales, and that's where we sort of stay.

"The good thing about Champagne, as you know, is that you don't have to sell it today or tomorrow. You can sell it a year from now, or two years from now. It only gets better."

Forest recalled the first batch was a collaboration with Susan Gross of the now-closed Peace Valley Winery . "We went to her place and on the coffee table we set up an ice bucket with dry ice in it, and that's how we disgorged our first batch. It was really small, and from there, it just grew each time."

Forest remains a fixture at the winery that was a dream of his and his friend Vladimir Guerrero back in the early and mid-1960s. They planted 5 acres in 1966, and a few years later Jerry and his wife Kathy bought control of the vineyard and opened the winery in June 1973, according to "Pennsylvania Wineries." Today, it sources from more than 40 acres of vines.

Located at 1521 Durham Road in Buckingham, Bucks County, the winery is generally open seven days a week although it does close for a few holidays, including Veterans Day. Tastings are five wines for $10. Wines are available by the bottle and glass. Some snacks are offered for sale in addition to the occasional food truck.

Jerry and Kathy's sons Jon, Kevin and Chris are all now involved with the winery, according to the website. Forest, who recently turned 86, said he remains a winery fixture. "I'm still the guy that makes the decisions, and I only work half a day now, just 12 hours. I'm still having fun. When I stop having fun, I will stop this."