AVA

Minnesota Nice – Carlos Creek

November 22, 2010 by admin

Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

On my way back from Walla Walla and before I reached my stop at Bunbury Farm, I stopped at the one winery in the one viticulture area entirely within the state of Minnesota. Alexandria Lakes, as previously mentioned is tucked in between several of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. Currently there is only one winery located in this region, Carlos Creek.

I pulled into the winery’s driveway on a Wednesday morning in June to find the place packed. Maybe folks were taking 4th of July vacations early, but I got the feeling that the place was used to this kind of crowd. The tasting room was large with a rectangular bar in the center. One side of bar was stocked with the wines shelves and related tchotchkes. The other side of the bar had tables for groups to linger at including a cozy firepit.

I walked up to the bar for a tasting ($5.00 which includes a keepsake wine glass) and began to try the wines. I learned that the winery has twelve acres of vines of Frontenac, Foch, Valiant, Swenson Red, La Crescent, King of the North, Brianna, Marquette, Petite Pearl and Edelweiss and fifteen acres of apples including Honeycrisp, the Minnesota State apple. The winery also makes wine from contract grown fruit that is both local and out of state.

I began with the Chardonnay (grown in California as that is not a grape to survive the harsh Minnesota winters. The color was beautiful and tasted dry with a nice amount of fruit although the finish was a shade metallic.

The Woebegone White was pale and offsweet with the flavors of apples and pear and is produced from Frontenac Gris. This wine is part of the wineries “Minnesota Nice” line which are made entirely of locally grown fruit. It is a nice wine for a hot summer afternoon spritzer (my preferred way of drinking sweeter wines). The line also includes the Hot Dish Red, a blend of Frontenac and Valiant and the You Betcha Blush (a phrase, I sadly associate with Alaska instead of Minnesota these days) which is also Frontenac based.

Next I tried the reds. I started with the Marquette. The grape is a recent development from the University of Minnesota which has a strong viticulture program and is the Upper Midwest’s answer to Pinot Noir. It was certainly dry, with distinct tannins and smooth texture. In all fairness though, it was not my favorite as there was a distinct foxiness to the wine.

I then tried the house Chianti which is a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and several estate grown grapes. I liked this wine. Like my favorite kinds of Chianti, it was flavorful and smooth to make it perfect to drink with dinner.

The last wine I tasted was the Trinity, blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah and ended up being my favorite wine of the afternoon. I have to admit to enjoy trying traditional varietals from local wineries. I feel that these wines provide a baseline about a winery. I know what California Cabernet is supposed to taste like. When I try the local options, I am better able to pick up the nuances of varietals that I am less familiar with and terroir. The Trinity was cherry and peppery on the nose with a taste spiced cherries and plums.

At this point in my visit a tour of the facility was beginning, led by the wineries’ owner Tami Bredeson. We learned that she and her husband Kim became interested in wine and winemaking after he was commissioned to produce a carved mantelpiece for a woman who worked for Robert Mondavi. As a thank you, she gave them a bottle of Opus One and the Bredesons decided to learn more about wine before opening that bottle.

I have been on several winery tours and this was about the most thorough that I have seen (particularly for a winery without an extensive history). We learned how they chose the cork for their bottles (Sardinian cork) and the cooperage that they buy barrels from (Kelvin Cooperage). A nice surprise was the cave built under the winery. The Bredeson’s attention to detail is impressive.

Like most wineries, the Carlos Creek hosts a wide assortment of events in addition to the tastings and tours, including weddings, craft shows, live music, surrey bike rides, mazes for the kids, cross country skiing and dog sled rides. This is not your average country winery.

Carlos Creek Winery
6693 County Road 34 NW
Alexandria, MN 56308
320-846-5443

2 Comments

Liquid Sex

November 18, 2010 by admin

Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

I have no idea how I got to be on the same wine vibe as Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, but apparently I am. Last week on their Winesday segment they discussed the pumpkin wine from Maple River Winery in North Dakota. Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so.

Unfortunately, they weren’t particularly enthusiastic about the wine. In all fairness, pumpkin wine is an acquired taste. The problem is that it smells squashy. Why? It is made from squash. On the other hand, I see what the winery was going for… pumpkin is very autumnal. Though they also have several apple wines which would have been very Thanksgiving-y too. C’est la vie.

This week, Hoda and Kathy Lee talked about Sex. For the segment, they drank a wine I am familiar with… M.Lawrence’s SEX. The wine is actually produced by L. Mawby in Leelanau Peninsula. This wine the 10am Today Show gals were more enthusiastic about. And who could blame them. It is a sparkling rose made from locally grown fruit. The taste is full of cherries at the front and dry at the end. I might have wished for more connection between the front and the back but can’t complain overall.

So, my 10 am Divas! What shall it be next time? What wine in my fridge will you be discussing next?

Ooops. I see. You have Beaujolais Nouveau. The wine I bought today… But I selected better!

Bring it!

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Better Know An AVA – Lake Michigan Shore

November 11, 2010 by GMN

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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Better Know the Fennville AVA

November 5, 2010 by admin

Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

As I get ready to start exploring Michigan (still trying to get Marguerite to come with me for some of these….), I ran into the problem of trying to figure out which to do first. After giving it some thought, I decided to go in order of their creation. Which means that Fennville. This viticulture area was designated October 19, 1981 and contains 75,000 acreas of coastal Lake Michigan between the Kalamazoo and Black Rivers. The soils are sandy and glacial and temperatures are moderated by the deep waters of Lake Michigan. The vineyards in the area are capable of producing both Vitis vinifera and Vitis labrusca grapes. Oh, and did I mention that this wines from this area is a great locapour option for those of you living around the Great Lakes? It is true.

The problem that I am having with this AVA is determining is whether there are any wineries producing wine with the Fennville Appellation AVA. Per an article in 2007 at Appellation America indicated that only one winery existed in the viticulture area, Fenn Valley Vineyards. However, when I checked the website for Fenn Valley, I found that the wine pictured at their site was labelled under the Lake Michigan Shore appellation in which Fennville is completely contained. So, am I confused? yes. I will let you know if I have answers soon.

In the meantime, I have prepared the map for the possibly useless AVA.

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Shawangunk Wine Trail ~ Hudson River Region AVA, New York

October 28, 2010 by MTB

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

By the time I arrived home from my Maine trip that Friday afternoon in mid-August, I had visited 10 wineries in 4 states in just 7 days. With only two days left until I was due to return to work, I decided Saturday and Sunday would be best spent at home, relaxing, doing laundry and making the mental shift from vacation back to work-mode.

But I still had the Shawnagunk Wine Trail Summer Pass in my pocket and 7 wineries left on the trail. So the following weekend found me back on I-84 heading west.

85 miles north of Manhattan and about 120 miles west of me here outside of Hartford, CT, the Hudson River Valley lays claim to being the oldest wine region in the United States. French Hugenots planted the first vines in 1677, and wine production has continued in the region through the present day. The region boasts the oldest continuously operating winery, Brotherhood Winery, and the oldest continually cultivated vineyard, Benmarl Vineyards in America.

In 1982, the Hudson River Region AVA was designated, running along the banks of the Hudson River under the shadow of the Shawngunk and Catskill Mountains, from White Plains in the south to just below Albany in the North. Today the region is home to 20 wineries, most in the southern portion of the AVA, well within an easy drive of New York City, Albany, Connecticut and northern New Jersey.

In the heart of the AVA lies the Shawangunk Wine Trail. On the western banks of the Hudson River at the base of the Shawangunk Mountains, the trail is comprised of 11 wineries that stretch between New Paltz and Warwick, New York, along some spectacular scenic drives. The area was lovely in the height of the summer and must be absolutely stunning in the Fall.

Throughout the year, the Shawangunk Wine Trail hosts special events and promotions, including the Summer Pass which had prompted my first visit to the region. Coming up is the Wreath Fineries promotion, which runs three weekends in late November/early December. At your first winery stop you’ll receive a Shawangunk Wine Trail wine glass, a holiday wreath crafted from grapevines, and a holiday ornament to hang on the wreath. At each subsequent winery you can pick up additional ornaments until your wreath is complete. 1-day and 2-day passes are available, and the event runs the weekend before Thanksgiving (November 20-21) and the first two weekends in December (December 4-5 and 11-12). Tickets can be purchased online through the Shawnagunk Wine Trail website.

That second trip to the region was a relatively short one – I left late and managed only one winery stop, Adair Vineyard, which will be featured here on Vino Verve beginning Tuesday. But there are 6 wineries still remaining on the Shawangunk Wine Trail and at least 9 more in the larger Hudson River Valley – enough material for several months at least.

3 Comments

Me & Fiona Apple Want Some Wine

October 25, 2010 by admin

Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

I’ve been a bad, bad girl.

I’ve been careless with a wine blog

~ Gretchen with much assistance from Fiona Apple

Yes, I played blog hookie today. Ok, technically not since I am catching up tonight… still. You get the point.

I went kayaking today, having just taken possession of my new kayak late last week.

Today I used it and got something that doubted was possible.

An October sunburn.

I am celebrating with Michigan bubbly from L. Mawby which I picked up a bit a go at a little shop called Provenance. (hoping that Fizz doesn’t mind if I come up and visit sometime!)

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Wineding Road – Michigan

October 20, 2010 by admin

Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Yes, I have a lot of material from places that I have already been, but I have a little ADD. I sometimes, just need to move on to a new topic and this is one that I am pleased to get to… as it is about local wine. It is my home state of Illinois’ neighbor to the east, Michigan.

Why Michigan? Well, a lot of their wines are within 100 miles of my house making them very locapour…

Michigan has been producing wine from local wine grapes since the late 1600s. Yes, 1600s.

Currently the 2,000 acres of wine grapes planted in Michigan are a mixture of American (vitis labrusca), Eurasian (vitis vinifera) and hybrid varietals. Michigan is home to over 100 wineries and four viticulture areas: Fennville, Lake Michigan Shore, Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula. Michigan is famous for its fruit wines, ice wines and also for their sparkling wines that have made the wine lists of some of the best restaurants (Charlie Trotter, The Girl and the Goat to name a few).

So let’s begin our exploration of Michigan wine! As always, if you have a favorite, please let me know (and Marguerite too).

4 Comments

Lists for Locapours – Browntrout

September 29, 2010 by GMN

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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Fermentation – The Movie

September 20, 2010 by admin

Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Sadly, this is our last installment of Wollersheim Winery videos. After this we were tasting and well, it was just too hard to keep up with videoing. Hope you enjoyed!