Author Archive

Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

When I decide that I am updating part of the website, I prefer to go all out. And this holds true for our Better Know An AVA pages. As I roll one out with its new improvements I will post here on the main page with a vlog. Bear with me as I am learning how to put this together, though I think I managed to pull this off.

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

This item is going to come up this week.

Do you know what it is?

I will narrow it down for you… it IS wine related.

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

I have been in a rut lately. I have been sucked into a tech hole while making blog improvements. Feel free to check out the changes to the Wineding Road page.

In the meantime, while I toiled away in code, I got a surprise that reminded me that I am not always in a rut and least not when it comes to my wine selections. My official membership certificate to the Century Club! Yeah!

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Continuing my Michigan winery planning I move on to Lake Michigan Shore. Why? Well it contains the Fennville AVA and is the appellation listed on the bottles for the only winery in the Fennville AVA. And frankly, it is the Michigan appellation that is closest to home for me as it takes about 90 minutes (not counting traffic snarls) to enter into Michigan.

Why is this area significant? Well, unlike most northern wine regions, Michigan Shores produces a good number of vitis vinifera grapes, including Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Lemberger, Malbec, Marsanne, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Roussanne, Syrah, and Viognier. The reason? Something we Midwesterners* call “Lake Effect”. The water in the Great Lakes (essentially small fresh water inland seas) moderate the temperatures and the precipitation on lands west of each lake. Temperatures never become as frigid as they would on the east coast of a lake as they do on the west coast. Anyone who has lived in Chicago and Buffalo or Detroit can tell you how they differ (and this blog has a couple of gals who have experienced the difference. Chicago is much colder). This gives the grapes a longer growing season than is experienced in say, Iowa and a couple of weeks makes a big difference. The soils are a relatively uniform throughout the region, consisting of glacial moraines.

In addition to being relative close to home, there are a good number of wineries in the AVA. How many? Well that depends on who you ask and what you count. Why who you ask? Well, the folks at the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail list count twelve wineries as members. Me? I count about seventeen. More is better right? Well, that leads to the what you count part, as several of the wineries have multiple tasting rooms. Tasting rooms are great in a pinch, but frankly I prefer going to the winery directly, at least if it is possible. Given the number of beachfront cottages, condos and other casual getaway places in the area, I would have been surprised if there weren’t tasting rooms trying to take advantage of the numbers of summer people.

I am planning to head out on Sunday (barring teen disasters) to visit a couple these wineries. If you have a favorite? Let me know… contact me at gretchen at vinoverve.com

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

My folks just got back from their fantastic vacation to the Middle East. When they left I asked them to keep an eye out for interesting wine.

I was excited to hear that they managed to snag me a couple of bottles along with some other goodies.

Here they are:

Where is the wine, you ask? Good question. It was confiscated.

Why? Well obviously it was over 4oz of liquid.

Never mind that it was bought at duty free after my folks cleared security. Which leads to this question: What is the earthly point of liquor in the duty free shop? So you can bring the people that you are visiting something that they can already lay their hands on? To swill cheaply in the airport during a particularly long layover?

I have to admit to being disappointed. One bottle was Israeli, the other, Egyptian. Egyptian wine would have been fascinating. I have read that there is a small number of wineries around Alexandria and would have loved to try some. But I got a other fun gifts as well.

Black cumin (which smells great) and the most saffron I have every personally owned. Dad found them in a suq in Cairo.

I don’t even want to know where they came from. But I have a couple of ideas and need to find something amazing to make with them. Ideas?

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Marguerite inspired me as she often does. After looking at her list from yesterday, I decided that I absolutely needed to take an accounting of the varietals that I have tasted. A quick review told me that I had at least 85. But last night and this morning I put some thought into it….

Here is my list:

Agiorgitiko
Aglianico
Airén
Albariño
Alicante Bouchet
Aligoté
Arinto
Arneis
Assyrtiko
Auxerrois
Azal
Baco Noir
Barbera
Bonarda
Bourboulenc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Sauvignon
Carignan
Carmenère
Catawba
Chambourcin
Chardonel
Charbono
Chardonnay
Chenin Blanc
Cinsaut
Concord
Colombard
Counoise
Dolcetto
Falanghina
Frontenac
Frontenac Gris
Gamay
Gewürztraminer
Grenache/Garnacha
Grenache Blanc
Grüner Veltliner
Loureiro
Malbec
Lambrusco
Macabeo
Malvasia
Malvasia Nera
Maréchal Foch
Marsanne
Mavro
Mavrodapne
Melon de Bourgogne
Merlot
Meunier
Millot
Mission
Moschofilero
Mourvèdre
Muscadelle
Muscat Blanc
Montepulciano
Müller Thurgau
Nebbiolo
Negroamaro
Nero D’Avola
Niagara
Norton
Piedirosso
Palomino
Parellada
Pedro Ximénez
Petit Verdot
Petite Sirah
Picpoul Blanc
Pinot Blanc
Pinot Gris
Pinot Noir
Pinotage
Prosecco
Rabigato Branco
Riesling
Roditis
Roupeiro
Roussanne
St. Croix
Sangiovese
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon
Seyval Blanc
Silvaner
Steuben
Syrah/Shiraz
Tannat
Tempranillo
Tintilla de Rota
Trajadura
Traminette
Torrontés
Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc
Uva di Troia
Verdejo
Verdelho
Vidal
Vignoles
Viognier
Viosinho
Xarel-Lo
Xynisteri
Xynomavro
Zinfandel/Primitivo

Dear sweet mother of god, I think that is 108. I would like to thank the wines of Greece, Spain and Portugal for this honor. I better get my heinie in gear and join the Wine Century Club! And Marg? I know that your number is higher than that! Just think about Port and Madeira… you get to count those varietals! Recount!

Don’t you feel sorry for people who will only drink a couple of varietals? I do.

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Well, the bubbling of the fermentation tank finally stopped. So, it is time to move the wine to the carboy for secondary fermentation and aging. Previously, we have accomplished this task in about 5 minutes. That was before we stuff floating in the mix. Now I have stuff to fish out.

And a question to answer. What do I do with this stuff? Toss it right away? or try to press the remaining juice out of it. And of course, how to accomplish that as I still have not invested in a fruit press.

I went with trying to get the extra juice out. I used a familiar technique. A strainer and wooden spoon, like I use when making raspberry sauce, though I vow to now strain it so ruthlessly. I want juice, not pulp. It took a while and it was messy. I wish I had a compost pile for all the skins and seeds left behind but with my luck, it would attract rats which is a no-no here in the city.

Next up I have to let it age a bit longer, because the flavor? kinda bitey. But because I have transferred the liquids into a new clean container (called racking) it is legally now wine, bitey wine, but wine, nevertheless. Now I have to figure out how I am going to clarify this stuff. Decisions, decisions…

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Oh, Columbus. We know that you didn’t really discover America. We also know that you tortured and killed the native peoples you encountered. On the plus side, you did bring tomatoes, potatoes, chili peppers, turkeys, chocolate and vanilla back to Europe. Not that this would matter much to the natives that you tortured, killed or transmitted smallpox and other diseases. Though it seems possible that that while you were giving the natives smallpox, they were giving you syphilis, so that might be a more even exchange.

The question, that I have for you is this? What did you drink on the voyage? Because, it appears that we have to guess. And why? Apparently you kept really crappy records. Why couldn’t you have been like John Winthrop and keep track down to the last firkin of butter or pipe of Canary.

Instead, we kind of have to guess. Wheat, olives, rice, lentils, garbanzos, pickled and salted meat and fish, cheese and wine. How much? Hard to tell, but given the fact that the people of the region were forced to pay two of the ships for Columbus’ expedition and provision all three to pay off the fine for piracy, I would guess that the amounts were niggardly at best.

We can guess that the wine would have been local. And the Condado de Huelva DO was established to honor these wines. In fact, it is known that the wines from this area were the first exported from Spain to the new world. The wine was shipped to La Española (Hispaniola) in January 1502 and was worth 1,422 maravedíes. Grapes grown in the area include Zalema, Palomino Fino, Listán de Huelva, Garrido Fino, Moscatel de Alejandría and Pedro Ximénez and the wines that they produce are referred to as Wines of the Discovery of America.

So, Columbus? You might have been a jerk, who never even stepped foot in North America, but you brought wine to America. Thank you.

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Ever go into restaurant and look over the menu and see the Chef proudly proclaim that they are sourcing their proteins and veg from local farms? I see it alot here in Chicago.

Then I take a look at the winelist and there is nothing, I mean NOTHING local on it. When I have asked, I asked I get answers that relate to the economics of distribution (which is complex and a pain to figure out) or I get comments about the quality of the local wines as discussed in the comments of this Huffington Post piece.

So, when I see a wine list that has anything local on it, I want to cheer them on.

Kevin, I and the girls stopped for brunch recently at such a place. Browntrout.

The restaurant bills itself as serving sustainable, locally farmed, and organic products whenever possible. For most restaurants this has meant a trip to the Chicago Green Market. Browntrout grows its own herbs in their rooftop garden as well as establishing relationships with local farmers. Local and artisanal beers are also on the list as is locally roasted coffee and house made gingerale and Gale Gand’s Root Beer. But it is the wine list that interested me most.

Most of the options were labels that I have previously seen and know to be sustainably produced. Ironically, many wine makers use sustainable practices but shy away from using in their advertising so that the focus is on the quality of their wine, not the method of production. I was pleased to see a couple of options on the list from local vineyards, specifically, the Pinot Grigio and Blaufrankisch from the Circa Vineyards in Leelanau Michigan. I was doubly delighted by the Blaufrankisch as it is a varietal that is largely only see in Germany and Austria. Unfortunately, I was eating brunch, so I skipped red wine and enjoyed the Pinot Grigio instead. It was a nice crisp wine with a lot of flavor. Kevin and I are certainly looking forward to trying the red at another point as the food at Browntrout was wonderful. Even the ever world-weary, Celia couldn’t find anything bad to say. That is high praise indeed.

So get out there and support your Locapour restaurants. They aren’t just talking the local, green talk; they are walking the walk too!

Browntrout
4111 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 472-4111

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Do you remember the Superfriends? The ones that hung out in the Hall of Justice? Well, in my world, me and mine hang out in the Hall of Fermentation.

This particular fermentation hall is at Wollersheim Winery as I continue my tour.

Enjoy!

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