By Monica Fragale
Contributing Writer

At Paradocx Vineyard, every sip and every glass of wine tells a little about the more-than-quarter-century-year-old winery in Landenberg.

“Every sip is a great story,” said Trish Brown, Paradocx’s general manager. “We are 26 years old, but it still feels like there’s constant striving to embrace the new and think outside the box.”

One of those new ideas came to fruition Feb. 1 – Paradocx’s latest location in Phoenixville, inside the Tai Me Up restaurant on Bridge Street. Brown described Tai Me Up as boasting “a fantastic, high-end Thai menu.” The name fits in with Paradocx’s, as both are plays on words, she said – the winery’s name refers to its four owners being doctors.

“The owner of Tai Me Up, Jason Dye, is a neighbor, long-standing customer and fan of Paradocx,” Brown said. “We were just talking, enjoying excellent Thai food and great wine, and came up with this great way to better serve his customers and invite new Paradocx customers  in Phoenixville.”

Another new idea will be unveiled soon.

“We have exciting new ideas for our wine,” according to Brown. “Mum’s the word now, but please stay tuned.”

The winery has 15 different wines on its current menu, everything from reds to whites to sweet wines. Two of those red wines, the 2022 Cabernet Franc and the 2022 Chambourcin, are silver medalists from this year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show Wine Competition.

“Wine is a really unique industry,” Brown said. “You grow and harvest fruit in one year, and  it’s one, two, three years or more before you release the wine.”

Paradocx won bronze medals in the 2024 wine competition for their 2021 Pinot Gris, their 2021 Cabernet Franc, and their 2023 Pail Pink.

The Cabernet Franc in general is Brown’s personal favorite, which she said could be paired with food or enjoyed by itself.

“I’m a huge fan of wine and chocolates, so a dark caramel with a Cab Franc is outstanding,” she said.

The Cab Franc has “an intense ruby color, aromas of cherries, black olives with hints of fresh coffee and vanilla,” according to the winery’s website.

Other red wines include the Barn Red, described on the website as “a medium bodied wine with aromas of red berries and plums combined with pleasant notes of oak”; the Merlot with “aromas of cherry, earth, and tobacco, with notes of blackberry and cherry, and hints of bell pepper”; and the Chambourcin, which for Paradocx is a dry red.

“It has really good earthy qualities to it, and is fruit forward” Brown said. “It’s an excellent choice with mild cheese or any pasta dish. We have a customer who loves it with grilled cheese sandwiches.”

There are six different white wines currently on the menu – the White Wash, the PDX Chardonnay, the Pinot Grigio, the Vidal Blanc Semi-Sweet, the Vidal Blanc Dry, and the Yield.

The five sweet wines include Spiced Red, the Niagara,  Pail Pink, Catawba, T-Wine, and Peach Twine!

Brown said the white grapes provide different ways to challenge the palates.

“We have a solid white program – Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, and Vin Gris – which is a fun way to challenge our best palates,” she said. The difference between the three is how the wine is made; the pinot grigio is made in a stainless-steel vat, while the pinot gris matures in a French style.

The vin gris, she said, “touches the skins for a very short period of time,” bringing the wine “ a different texture and a little bit of color. Some people call vin gris the orange wine.”

The winery’s commitment to sustainability has been constant throughout their history and will remain so into the future.

“Our core mission is still the same – to be excellent stewards of the land, to make our wine passionately and authentically,” Brown said, adding that the four owners – Drs. David and Carol Hoffman and Drs. Mark and Joanne Harris -- make that the way of life at Paradocx.

David is the head winemaker, and his wife Carol is a key to many of the “thinking-outside- the-box” ideas, according to Brown. Mark Harris is the vineyard manager, and Joanne Harris “is committed and focused on sustainability, being excellent stewards of the land, and staying true to the commitment of all our customers, which we all refer to as the Paradocx Family.

We are a family operation.  The artwork for all of the labels is done by Alice James, Carol Hoffman’s mother. This includes the fun paint can labels.  The story of the paint cans as wine containers comes from gifts in paint cans that someone gave the owners’ puppies.

“They thought what a great gift idea, what if we tested this idea for wine?” Brown said. “They worked to find the best source to offer paint cans and how to make it fall into our sustainable pathway.”

So when a customer buys one of the wines in the customized paint can, they can bring it back to Paradocx for $2 off their next wine purchase, and Paradocx upcycles the used can.

The main Paradocx location on Flint Hill Road in Landenberg hosts events, wine tastings, trivia nights, and more. The winery is family friendly, she said, and offers a small food menu. A calendar on Paradocx’s website has a listing of events for those who would like to plan their visit.

For those who would like to visit but don’t know what wines to try, Brown recommends that they check with the staff for recommendations.

“We have solid offerings for all wine lovers – dry, sweet, white, red, and rose,” Brown said. “We have an exceptional, educated staff led by our tasting room manager Taylor Dunn who can help you find  your favorite!

“I want people to know that we can be their resource for wine, events, date nights, and so much more” Brown said. “We want to be part of the family and to help them build memories.”