Back in 1946, George and Janet Kalb stumbled upon 66 acres of fields, streams and woodlands in Landenberg, Pennsylvania, and fell instantly in love. Even though the eighteenth-century house didn’t have any running water or electricity, Janet Kalb knew that she wanted to raise her family there. Janet and George spent the rest of their lives turning that land, Fall Line Farm, into a home for their three children, Kurt, Karen and Rob, as well as George’s parents, John and Marie.
In 2006 Kurt started reclaiming the farm’s fields from the invasion of honeysuckle, autumn olive, multiflora rose and Canada thistle. In 2008, with some help from Natural Lands Trust, the Keystone Fund and Chester County, Janet Kalb was able to get her family’s land conserved with the easement completed in 2010.
The year 2008 was an important one in the Borderland story, not just because of the conservation of the Kalb family’s land. This was the year that Kurt, and archaeologist by trade, began planting the first grape vines on the farm with the help of his sister, Karen Kalb Anderson, and other family and friends. Kurt wanted to create something with the land that would be useful and alluring to future Kalb generations. Thus, Borderland Vineyard was born.
So, how did the Kalb family delve into the winemaking business? Get to know Borderland Vineyard’s Kurt Kalb and Karen Kalb Anderson below:
PA Eats: When did you first fall in love with wine? How did you learn about winemaking?
Kurt Kalb: My late wife Deborah and I began developing an interest in wine in the mid-1980s. I primarily drew inspiration from wine critic Robert Parker and his Wine Advocate publication. Deb and I conducted our own “blind” tastings and developed the ability to identify varietals and country of origin from characteristics of color, aroma, taste and finish. I am a wine grape grower, not a winemaker. For Borderland’s winemaking, we draw on others with that exceptional skill.
Karen Kalb Anderson: I’ve never been much of a drinker, so falling in love with wine has been largely an intellectual experience for me that began when Kurt and Deb started sharing some of their wines and their impressions of them. Like Kurt, I’m not a winemaker either, but the talented people with whom we work have helped me learn about the process and the many factors—starting necessarily with very good grapes—that can influence the characteristics of the wine. So, my role in the world is to connect with customers, especially those who might find wine a bit intimidating, and share what I’m learning and validate their individual preferences. At our best, our most skilled tasting staff and I help people become a bit more adventuresome in the wines they try and refine their descriptions of the wine-drinking experiences they have.
When did you plant your first grapes? What variety?
KK: The first vines I planted were Cabernet Franc and Syrah in 2008.
What varietals are currently planted, and how many acres are under vine now? Are there plans for more in the future?
KK: We have five acres currently planted with various clones of vinifera vines: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah. Additional vines are planted yearly. Our goal is to eventually have 8–12 acres of wine grapes. In addition to our own grapes, we also use grapes from other vineyards, but they are all grown in Chester County, Pa.
What was your first vintage?
KK: Our first vintage was our 2011 Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay.
How has owning a vineyard with your family brought you closer together?
KKA: I’ve never been more proud and joyful about work than I’ve been as a partner in Borderland Vineyard. First of all, just participating, even as observers, has increased the amount of time that all members of the family have spent with each other. The farm, as it is revived generally and as the vineyard in particular expands, has become the site for more frequent extended family reunions. In addition, when my mother and I were both in better health, I would travel from my home in Rochester, N.Y., to Landenberg as often as every weekend during festival months. I would take my mom with me on all sorts of Borderland Vineyard errands and also spend a lot of time working with Kurt and with my cousin Jay Penrose. My son Eben made the trip down from New York City more frequently than he had in the past, so he’s built strong connections with his grandmother, uncle and cousin.
From the outset, Kurt and I have been clear that we’re investing time and money in Borderland on behalf of the entire family. At our stages of life, it’s easiest for us to take on the bulk of the work and responsibility, but we’ve always sought input from everyone and done our best to respond to their feedback. Our focus is on creating what I call a “bulky heirloom” to pass on to future generations so that the farm supports their dreams as well as ours and keeps in the family the farm that Kurt and I so love and that was a fundamental influence on our character and worldview.
As Kurt and I have faced many recent challenges both in the wine business and in our personal lives, we’ve come to know each other better than we ever did before. We work together very well because our basic values and perspectives are the same where they need to be, while our talents are complementary. My older brother has always been my hero ever since I was an infant. Watching him in action over the past decade has simply shown me how much he deserves that honor.
Which wine that you have produced is your favorite and why?
KK: My personal favorites at present are our Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon (to be released in October 2015) and Merlot.
KKA: I’m most excited about the wines that contain at least some grapes from our own vineyard. Awaiting release in October, these wines include a small batch of Cabernet Sauvignon (25 cases) and our 2013 Reserve Merlot. We’re holding these wines for an October release because they’re still young and benefiting significantly from aging in the bottle. But I’m one of the people who has had a chance to taste these wines already and I believe they will just get better and better as they mature. I can’t wait to share them with others!
Get a taste of Borderland Vineyard’s wines at one of their upcoming events, or purchase bottles at a variety of locations, including BrandyWINES (located at Creek Road and Route 1 in Chadds Ford), Market at Liberty Place, Media Farmers Market, New Garden Growers Market and every other weekend at Headhouse Farmers’ Market.
Borderland Vineyard is located at 332 Indiantown Rd. in Landenberg; phone: (215) 436-9154.
- Photos: Alexandra Whitney Photography
