With Thanksgiving looming before us this week (Please keep your Christmas references at bay, please… I can only handle one holiday at a time), many people are trying to decide what to have for the big feast.

Turkey is the obvious choice (though venison would be traditionally correct as well, as the local Wamponoag people brought five deer to the feast)

One thing that we can be sure of? Those people celebrating their first feast of thanksgiving in Plymouth (or Virginia) dined on local food. There was no Beajolais Nouveau or Beaujolais Vieux for that matter…

What seems totally appropriate?  Drinking local.  During the colonial period, the Pilgrims would have had beer from home grown barley, or cider from home grown apples or even wine from from native grapes (fox grapes named for their flavor… think Concord and tell me if you can avoid thinking of grape jelly!) or other local fruit.

So my plan?

To drink as much local wine as possible…  The thing holding me back?  Well… my parents are hosting our feast.. and Dad does have all of those wine clubs that he is a member of…  I will do my best to bring more wine than Lionstone International can send my father.

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So after all that discussion of the Ohio and the Firelands, did I finally get around to tasting any wine? Of course I did!

I began with the Pinot Grigio, currently the most popular wine according to the ladies in the tasting room. I could taste green apple and grass. It was a little less crisp than some of the pinot grigios than I have had in the past, but this is a good thing… Sometimes, those wines get too bitey and for some reason that makes the hinge of my jaw hurt. (I never said that logic was my strong suit).

Next up was the Riesling. This was advertised as tasting of apples but I thought it had more of a honeyed flavor that reminded me of pears. This is made in what I consider a more traditional style, in that it was semi-sweet. I love the new modern dry Rieslings as well, but there is something to be said for the full, fruity and floral tones of the traditional method.

I even sampled the Gewurztraminer which I had tasted with Henry Bishop, Rory and Kevin (albeit not the same vintage). It is still an excellent blend of tropical fruits and rose petals. The best of two different worlds.

Additionally, I tasted both the Pinot Noir (a wine that I have enjoyed from Great Lakes regions, i.e., Niagara Escarpment) and the Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet was herbal and lightly spicy and nicely dry. The Pinot Noir was smoke with anise and cherry.

Additional offerings under the Firelands label include:

Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Chardonnay
Barrel Select Chardonnay
Rose de St. George
Country Estate Red
Walleye White and
Ice Wine

Additional wines from the other Lonz, Inc. labels were available including the Mantey, Dover, Mon Ami and Lonz (from grapes produced on Middle Bass Island). I picked up a Mantey Cream Sherry for my father. He has always been a fan of Ohio sherries and am looking forward to tasting it with it in the near future (most likely Thanksgiving).

Additionally, the winery is a source for homewine makers and sells juice in the autumn (until it runs out).

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We toasted her with Rebel Girl and Rose Ole and a delicious cake with a buttercream peony. We told stories about our love for her and hers for us. Finally, at 1:00 am the birthday girl headed off to bed. Overwhelmed and happy.

I was glad that my wine was part of the celebration. Happy Birthday, Nanny.

– Posted From My iPhone

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Happy Birthday, Nanny!

Frankly, I always think that wine is an appropriate gift. But in this case the Birthday Girl (which is always capitalized at my house) will be 102.

Yes, I have decided at the last minute to visit my grandmother for her birthday this weekend (though her birthday is tomorrow. GO Nanny!) This is why today’s post is so late. I have been calculating cost benefit analyses about whether to fly or drive (15 hour drive/flexibility of having own vehicle to explore wineries and cheapness even if including rental car and gas v. trying to get a reasonably priced flight less than 48 hours out) – driving won.

So if you know of any good wineries along major highways from Chicago to Virginia through the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland or Virginia please let me know..

I am reachable on Facebook and Twitter!

Oh, and Nanny will be getting wine…. and maybe I will be sharing with the cousins too….

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Sometimes things get lost in my wine “cellar”. Even things that I brew myself.

And this is what happened with the Cider of Eden.

I was looking around for something unusual. And there it was…

So I opened it. There was a champagne-like “pop” as the cork came out. And the contents in the bottle began to fizz.

It fizzes as it poured into the glass. The taste? Apple-y. And bone dry. With a hint of ginger. (I fermented the cider with sliced ginger floating in it)

It seems a bit strong, but then I have only had a slice of toast and two chicken wings today so that might do it too.

I am definitely doing this again!

– Posted From My iPhone

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VinoVerve Editor

I have been talking about how I should rack this rose for a while. And by “rack” I mean separating the clarified wine from the gunk on the bottom.

Racking the Rose

The truth is that I should have racked this baby about a week ago…. but truly, I was going to let the wine age this long at least anyway, so I am not entirely certain why I am being persnickety about. (Clearly I am a professional vintner with my la-di-dah attitude)

That being said, it was well past time today when we finally got to the task. In the end, the wine was still a bit cloudy. I am going to let it sit a couple of days and try again. I unfortunately think that I disturbed the sediment at the bottom. And this would not be good for the clarifying process. When push comes to shove, I probably need a filtering system. Sadly, that is NOT on the agenda at this point.

The good thing? For my Father’s Day gift to my Dad? He got my glass and plastic version of a barrel tasting. The wine was a bit cloudy, but dry, fruity with a full nose of strawberry. Overall? I am really pleased with what I have so far.

Kevin gets the rest

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What is included

Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

If two days ago you told me that you wanted to make wine at home but didn’t want to buy buckets and carboys and other equipment I would have told you that you were out of luck.

But then yesterday I found this new winemaking gadget. In a little bit of counterspace (which is still usually at a premium in most kitchens), you can make 9 liters of wine in just a couple of weeks. The winemaking kit is a scaled back version of the kits that I have been using. Bottles, labels, corks and caps are also included for about $160.

When you are done with your wine, you can purchase additional wine kits to continue your experimentation with home fermentation. Options include Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, White Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet/Shiraz. The refill kits cost about $60.

The plus side of this gadget is that it may spark a further interest in home winemaking. The downside? Well, the options on the refill kits are limited and a bit pricey. The kits that I have been using make more than double the volume of wine, come in almost unlimited options and start in price not much higher than the $60 listed here. But if space is a huge consideration, this system can’t be beat.

The Artful Winemaker is available at their website and also at the Wine Enthusiast.

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When last we left our intrepid home vintner, she was contemplating where she would quickly lay her hands on a new hydrometer as the previous on had fallen and shattered on the hard slate kitchen floor.

Brew and Grow

Naturally, she checked at the geekiest store in her neighborhood, American Science and Surplus where they reported that they DID in fact carry hydrometers. However, the version that they carried was better suited to denser liquids such as milk. Alcohol has a lighter density and therefore requires a hydrometer that is capable of being easily be read just above and below the zero (water density mark).

Now Kevin and I were required to head off to winemaking supplies and home brew houses to find a replacement.

One thing that I have observed from home wine and beer making is that the it is typically done by old (and young) hippie types who started by being interested in more than the mass produced beers and wines that were the only kinds available prior to say… 1980. Not to mention there is a certain, “sticking-it-to-the-man” attitude that comes with not paying the ridiculously high “sin” taxes that come with alcoholic beverage. That being said that I thought I would be remiss in not mentioning that to you, my readers, if for some reason you decide to follow that route.

In my neck of the words there are three stores that I know that sell this kind of equipment (reliably).

Chicagoland Winemakers, Inc., is located at 689 W. North Ave. in Elmhurst, Illinois. They carry a full array of supplies for wine, beer and home made soda making. The only problem for me is that they are out in the suburbs which means that I have to wend my way out there which can be tricky traffic wise. The folks at the store are really friendly and can help you find everything you might need and yes, there is that hippie feel.

BevArt Brewer and Winemaking Supplies is located at 10033 S. Western Ave., in Chicago. They carry a full array of wine and beer making supplies including fresh grapes from Chile. Additionally, they offer classes in beer and wine making and is also home to the Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery. Distance is again an issue being at the other end of the City from my house, so to date, I have not been there and can’t reliably tell you that you will get that hippie vibe. Given the fact that they produce mead has a certain Renn-Faire feel to it, so I will stand by my overall philosophy of these stores.  I will report more reliably on this store later.

The third store, Brew and Grow wins the hippie contest hands down. Not only do they sell beer and wine making supplies but a large number of hydroponic systems and supplies. And though they run an up and up business it does have a certain cache. In fact, I have been in the store when morons come in asking how to grow pot, which inevitable means some sort of sting operation is afoot.  These conversations are ALWAYS closed down quickly and in no uncertain terms.

By proximity to our house Brew and Grow wins every time.  Particularly if you need something basic.  And this was so for us.

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Hydrometer

What is this thingamajiggy?

It is a hydrometer.

It is used in wine and beer making to measure the specific gravity (or relative density) compared with water. Alcohol’s specific gravity will be lower than water and the hydrometer will sink deeper into the liquid. Denser liquids such as milk, acids or brines will have a higher specific gravity and therefor the hydrometer will not sink as far.

To use a hydrometer properly it should be immersed into the liquid that you are testing and given a spin in order to release any air bubbles which might alter the results and then to read the level of the liquid at the meniscus (the center of the curved surface of a liquid)(Sorry, I should have warned you that there would be basic chemistry involved. I promise to avoid getting into Avogadro’s number and other minutiae).

This tool is imperative to determine if there is enough sugar in a liquid in order to ferment and to determine how much alcohol has been produced. Is this an overly simplified answer? Ultimately, yes. I did go to the University of Chicago, but I did take “Rocks” for my Physical Science requirement.

Glass instruments and rock hard floors don't mix

Unfortunately, this instrument is made of glass.

Which means that after using it, it could roll off your counter top and fall onto the floor. And at my house, the kitchen floor is slate, a metamorphic rock. Which is really, really hard.

Sigh. Now to find another in a jiffy.

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Next up? Secondary fermentation.

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