welcome spring with wine and cheese pairings

To celebrate the season, the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail is inviting wine lovers to visit its nine member wineries May 20-21 for the Spring Wine and Cheese Pairing event, where guests can sample complimentary pairings as follows:

• Amoré Vineyards & Winery, Nazareth, will serve a variety of Italian cheeses paired with wines appropriate to the nature of the cheese.

• Big Creek Vineyard and Winery, Kresgeville, will introduce its wine by the glass program and fan augmented cheese plate.

• Blue Mountain Vineyards, New Tripoli, will feature strawberry and goat cheese bruschetta paired with their 2015 Riesling or 2015 Vignoles.

• Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville, will feature Riesling paired with a Vermont Maple Sriracha Windsordale cheese, and Turtle Rock Red paired with Drunken Goat cheese.

• Franklin Hill Vineyards, Bangor, will offer cheddar, bacon and bourbon Fondue served with pretzel bites and paired with White Jade, which was recently awarded the Best Dry White Wine at the Pennsylvania Wine Association Competition. For sweet drinkers they'll offer Vidal Blanc.

• Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas, will feature its decadent Cannoli Dip and a locally smoked cheese paired with their wines.

• Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown, will team up with Camillo's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria of Kutztown whose chefs are preparing mini cheese pinwheels. They will have two wines available for pairing: full-bodied, French Oak-aged 2015 Chardonnay, or for a sweeter option, the 2016 Vidal Blanc.

• Tolino Vineyards, Bangor, will pair Mama's Rose with Pastae, which is similar to quiche. The touch of sweetness in the fruity rose is a perfect complement to the savory dish. Live music every Saturday by Jeff and Karen.

• Vynecrest Winery, Breinigsville, will pair PA Preferred September Farms Mango Fire Cheddar with their seductive, spicy Traminette wine.

Event hours are Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

For more information visit http://lehighvalleywinetrail.com/events/spring-wine-cheese.