If you haven't been keeping track, the latest newsletter from the Pennsylvania Wine Association contains some eye-opening information.

The association now has 74 member wineries, including nine new members this year alone. How successful has the industry become? The state boasted 50-some wineries when we started this column in 1995. Wine production stood at 560,000 gallons in 2000, up 42 percent from 1998.

All this inspired us to check first-hand some of this new growth. We recently stopped in at Kreutz Creek Vineyards, which at the time had been open for three weeks. In the gargantuan basement hollowed out under his West Grove, Chester County, home, Jim Kirkpatrick poured generously and filled us in on how the winery started.

A chemist by training, Kirkpatrick started home winemaking in 1989 with a kit bought by his wife, Carole. He entered amateur competitions and later planted grapes to sell to other wineries.

In turning commercial, Kreutz Creek teamed up with nearby vineyards Folly Hill and Paradocx, which now make and sell their wines at Kreutz Creek. This team concept, permitted by a law enacted in December, will allow tasting of some 14 wines from three different soils when all of the wines are released.

Kirkpatrick told us he likes to focus on the fruit in his wines. This philosophy came through again and again as we tasted. The citrus in his Chardonnay ($14.99) charmed us because it wasn't blotted out by intense oak. We particularly liked the crisp Vidal Blanc ($8.99), which is a great summer wine, and a great value.

Red wines can be tricky to make in Pennsylvania, but wineries in the southeast part of the state are proving that doesn't always hold true. Kreutz Creek's Kordeaux ($19.99), a traditional Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, is lush and boasts vanilla and oak. On the lighter side, the Steuben ($8.99) is a fun wine filled with strawberry flavors that is surprisingly dry. The Wickerton Red ($8.99) is a red for all foods, a blend of Chancellor and Chambourcin.

The wines were accompanied by spectacular views and friendly folks who are devoted to their product.

All of this really should inspire you to hop in the car and visit a new (or even an old) winery this weekend. Check out www.pennsylvaniawine.com for a list. You'll find a lot of new entries, including some that will open in the coming months in Barto and Morgantown, both in Berks County; Chester Springs in Chester County, and Newtown Square, Delaware County.

We can't say it often enough — you can't beat the experience of tasting wine poured by the winemaker in a peaceful vineyard setting.

EVENTS

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail will host its first Grape Escapes weekend for wine lovers this weekend. Guests at 20 local bed and breakfasts will enjoy free wine tasting and food pairing at the trail's eight wineries plus a 10 percent discount on purchases when they show their room key. Information: 866-870-7800 or www.lehighvalleywinetrail.com.

Blue Mountain Vineyards is holding Sunday Blues Wine Tastings through this weekend, 2-5 p.m. Reservations preferred. 610-298-3068.

The Wegmans Great Tastes Culinary Festival will be June 6-8 at Cedar Creek Park in Allentown. Information: www.wine-dine.org

Kristin Casler and Jack Kraft are freelance writers. Write to them at P.O. Box 609, Oaks, PA 19456, or e-mail to kcasler@comcast.net.