I' was in the mood for having a little nightcap before bedtime this past week, so I opened a bottle of a dessert wine that I picked up during my last winetasting trip to the Finger Lakes region in New York.
Keuka Overlook Cellars Mulberry
Country of origin: USA
Region: New York
Appellation: Finger Lakes Region, Keuka Lake
Stats: 13% ABV, 11% residual sugar, 375 mL
Cost: $12 at the winery
Appearance: Ruby red with hints of orange
Aroma: Mulberries, I guess (it's been a while since I tasted or smelled a mulberry). Dark fruity nose with notes of citrus and cocoa.
Taste: Fruit forward. Not overly sweet considering the 11% residual sugar. It has an interesting smokey, funky aftertaste that got to me after awhile (didn't finish the bottle).
Keuka Overlook is a winery/bed & breakfast with a gorgeous overlook of Keuka Lake (now if I can only figure out where they got the name). The winery is located in the old red barn across the street from the B&B with the very cramped tasting room in the basement. I was intrigued with the mulberry wine because I used to pick mulberries as a kid. Mulberry pie is one of my favorite pies, so I had to try it. I'm not a huge fan of sweet dessert wines, but this was pretty nicely balanced. It's the aftertaste that is a little odd...
Salute,
a Wine Student
p.s. Sorry folks, no label picture. I apparently washed out the bottle and removed the label before I could remember to take a picture.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Fenn Valley Vineyard Capriccio NV
My darling wife made a big batch of spaghetti and meatballs for supper last night, so I descended into the cellar to select a wine to pair with the meal. After some head scratching, I spied my bottle of Fenn Valley Vineyard's Capriccio from Michigan. Yes, you read correctly, this wine was grown and produced in western Michigan along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Fenn Valley Vineyard Capriccio NV
Country of origin: USA
Region: Michigan
Appellation: Lake Michigan Shore (Southwest corner of the state)
Stats: 12.5% ABV
Cost: $12 at the winery (Michigan wineries can ship!)
Appearance: Deep purple red with nice legs, baby!
Aroma: Black cherries and hints of vanilla with a slightly tart finish.
Taste: Initial cherry with a tart raspberry finish. Good body and lingering finish. Soft and smooth tannins. This wine behaves like a good everyday Chianti. Good by itself, but even better with a tomato-based dish (such as sphagetti and meatballs).
Didn't think a good red table wine could be made from grapes grown in the cold climate of Michigan? Well, you obviously haven't read my blog in its entirety! You also need to go sample some Michigan wines. While white wines such as reisling and Gewurztraminer are definitely the stars, Michigan red wines are beginning to get notice beyond the wineries and the state as growing and vinification techniques are improving. I think we can all appreciate that Michigan's climate isn't well suited to grape varietals that require long hang times and hot temperatures to mature. Old Man Winter takes care of that! But a focus on cold-hardy varietals and hybrids is improving the outlook of red wine in Michigan. And Doug Welsh, the winemaker at Fenn Valley, is a pioneer in the Michigan winemaking world. Fenn Valley was actually the first Michigan winery I ever visited in 2001 after a few years of turning up my nose at them--yes, I was a CA wine snob when I first moved to Michigan! I credit Doug with opening my eyes to Michigan's possibilities thanks to his wines (I finally had the pleasure of meeting Doug at the 2007 Wineries Unlimited convention). If your driving north on I-196 along the shore of Lake Michigan, pull off to visit Sagatuck and then drive over the Fennville for a tasting tour of Fenn Valley Vineyards! You won't be disappointed.
Salute,
a Wine Student
Fenn Valley Vineyard Capriccio NV
Country of origin: USA
Region: Michigan
Appellation: Lake Michigan Shore (Southwest corner of the state)
Stats: 12.5% ABV
Cost: $12 at the winery (Michigan wineries can ship!)
Appearance: Deep purple red with nice legs, baby!
Aroma: Black cherries and hints of vanilla with a slightly tart finish.
Taste: Initial cherry with a tart raspberry finish. Good body and lingering finish. Soft and smooth tannins. This wine behaves like a good everyday Chianti. Good by itself, but even better with a tomato-based dish (such as sphagetti and meatballs).
Didn't think a good red table wine could be made from grapes grown in the cold climate of Michigan? Well, you obviously haven't read my blog in its entirety! You also need to go sample some Michigan wines. While white wines such as reisling and Gewurztraminer are definitely the stars, Michigan red wines are beginning to get notice beyond the wineries and the state as growing and vinification techniques are improving. I think we can all appreciate that Michigan's climate isn't well suited to grape varietals that require long hang times and hot temperatures to mature. Old Man Winter takes care of that! But a focus on cold-hardy varietals and hybrids is improving the outlook of red wine in Michigan. And Doug Welsh, the winemaker at Fenn Valley, is a pioneer in the Michigan winemaking world. Fenn Valley was actually the first Michigan winery I ever visited in 2001 after a few years of turning up my nose at them--yes, I was a CA wine snob when I first moved to Michigan! I credit Doug with opening my eyes to Michigan's possibilities thanks to his wines (I finally had the pleasure of meeting Doug at the 2007 Wineries Unlimited convention). If your driving north on I-196 along the shore of Lake Michigan, pull off to visit Sagatuck and then drive over the Fennville for a tasting tour of Fenn Valley Vineyards! You won't be disappointed.
Salute,
a Wine Student
Saturday, May 10, 2008
2005 Can Blau Montsant
Grab your suitcases and find the nearest Concord jet, we're heading east--way, way, all the way across "the pond" to Spain! I did mention this was a blog on Random Wine Trails, didn't I? I was in the mood for a dark, hearty red a couple of days ago and chose the Can Blau 2005 from my cellar to while away the evening.
Cellars Can Blau, 2005 Can Blau Montsant
Country of origin: Spain
Region: Priorato
Appellation: D.O. Montsant
Stats: A blend of syrah, garnacha (grenache), and carinena (carignan).
Cost: $19.99 (label still on bottle).
Appearance: Lovely deep, dark purple-red.
Aroma: Initial burst of bright cherries, blackberries, and plum followed by a vanilla and coconut finish.
Taste: Smooth and fruity initial burst. Good mid-palette with a lingering finish. Some minerality in the end. Soft tannins that made this wine a pleasure to drink.
The D. O. Montsant appellation (Denominations of Origin) has only been recognized since 2002, but has experienced tremendous growth with the original 28 wineries blossoming to more than 40. It is located in northeastern Spain, in the Catalonia province to the east of the city of Tarragona. An inland area, the climate is Mediterranean, but Montsant is surrounded by mountain ranges which also give it a bit of continental flavor that results in large day-night temperature variations. During the dry season, the humidity from the ocean brings much needed rain. The area is very hilly with three main soil types. The syrah in this wine was planted in chalky soils, the carinena in sandy clay, and the garnacha on llicorella slate.
For those that really pay attention to these kind of things, Robert Parker gave this wine 90 points.
Salute,
a Wine Student
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Wine Country Farms 2001 Late Harvest Műller-Thurgau
Well, I've been bouncing around the wine country lately. South America, Virginia, France, California, and Michigan... Well, let's head back to the West Coast but aim a little higher to the north and land in Yamhill Country, Oregon. Back in 2003, my wife and I took a little trip to Portland, the Oregon coast, Crater Lake, and of course the Willamette Valley wine country to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. What a fun trip--one highlight was taking an early morning hot air balloon ride across the Willamette Valley and then enjoying a champagne brunch!
But I digress, so back to the wine. This week, I've been enjoying a desert wine that we picked up on our Oregon trip as an after dinner aperitif, Wine Country Farms 2001 Late Harvest Műller-Thurgau. I really don't remember why we stopped at Wine Country Farms. I vaguely remember reading a review in Wine Spectator magazine, but I could be wrong. Perhaps we just read about it in the Yamhill County wine map brochure and were intrigued by the boast of "Voted Best Inn in Oregon's Wine Country", or it may have just been on the way to another winery and we pulled in. At the time, it was more of a B&B overlooking a vineyard that just happened to have a winery tasting room. The views across the vineyard and the valley were tremendous. This particular wine was produced and bottled for WCF by Eola Hills Wine Cellars in Rickreall, OR (near Salem), but WCF seems to have hired their own winemaker in 2006, so look for interesting things to come.
Wine Country Farms 2001 Late Harvest Műller-Thurgau
Country of origin: USA
Appellation: Williamette Valley, Oregon
Sub-appellation: Yamhill County
Cost: unsure, but the 2002 presently sells for $14 at the winery
Stats: 8% ABV, very sweet
Appearance: Dark golden yellow
Aroma: Apricots, strawberries, honey, and leechee fruit (I think). Smells almost like a mead
Taste: Apricots and raisins with a honey-sweet finish. Possibly a bit oxidized with the raisin taste, but still a good pre-bedtime finish.
Műller-Thurgau was a grape we first encountered on this trip to Oregon and have not run across since. This is a varietal created less than 125 years ago as a cross between reisling and Madeleine Royale and has been widely planted in Germany and makes up a large part of inexpensive sweet German wines like Piesporter. It was also heavily planted in the Oregon area, probably because it is an early-ripening grape suited for a slightly colder climate. M-T is known for producing fruity, but low acid wines, and most that we tasted on this trip were nice easy-drinking dry or off-dry sippers that would work well on the patio during the summer. Unfortunately, this grape has fallen out of favor because althought the vines are extremely productive, they produce mostly less interesting, flabby wines. That all being said, I wonder how the varietal would do being grown in the East or other more cold-climate states?
Salute,
a Wine Student
But I digress, so back to the wine. This week, I've been enjoying a desert wine that we picked up on our Oregon trip as an after dinner aperitif, Wine Country Farms 2001 Late Harvest Műller-Thurgau. I really don't remember why we stopped at Wine Country Farms. I vaguely remember reading a review in Wine Spectator magazine, but I could be wrong. Perhaps we just read about it in the Yamhill County wine map brochure and were intrigued by the boast of "Voted Best Inn in Oregon's Wine Country", or it may have just been on the way to another winery and we pulled in. At the time, it was more of a B&B overlooking a vineyard that just happened to have a winery tasting room. The views across the vineyard and the valley were tremendous. This particular wine was produced and bottled for WCF by Eola Hills Wine Cellars in Rickreall, OR (near Salem), but WCF seems to have hired their own winemaker in 2006, so look for interesting things to come.
Wine Country Farms 2001 Late Harvest Műller-Thurgau
Country of origin: USA
Appellation: Williamette Valley, Oregon
Sub-appellation: Yamhill County
Cost: unsure, but the 2002 presently sells for $14 at the winery
Stats: 8% ABV, very sweet
Appearance: Dark golden yellow
Aroma: Apricots, strawberries, honey, and leechee fruit (I think). Smells almost like a mead
Taste: Apricots and raisins with a honey-sweet finish. Possibly a bit oxidized with the raisin taste, but still a good pre-bedtime finish.
Műller-Thurgau was a grape we first encountered on this trip to Oregon and have not run across since. This is a varietal created less than 125 years ago as a cross between reisling and Madeleine Royale and has been widely planted in Germany and makes up a large part of inexpensive sweet German wines like Piesporter. It was also heavily planted in the Oregon area, probably because it is an early-ripening grape suited for a slightly colder climate. M-T is known for producing fruity, but low acid wines, and most that we tasted on this trip were nice easy-drinking dry or off-dry sippers that would work well on the patio during the summer. Unfortunately, this grape has fallen out of favor because althought the vines are extremely productive, they produce mostly less interesting, flabby wines. That all being said, I wonder how the varietal would do being grown in the East or other more cold-climate states?
Salute,
a Wine Student
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