Michigan Wines

For those avid readers of this blog, you may wonder why my postings mysteriously stopped in January, 2007. No, I wasn't buried under a collapsing stack of wine barrels. More simply, the struggling Michigan economy caught up to me and I lost my day job when Pfizer cravenly shut down its Ann Arbor research site. I neglected my wine postings while searching for a job. After a rather short job hunt and preparing my house for sale, I closed up Hidden Lake Estates and moved further east to take a job with an up-and-coming biotech company in Boston, MA (think country kid moves to the big city). If I get time, I'll regale you with stories of the moves (yes, it took two trips to get everything here).

I will sorely miss exploring the wineries of Michigan. I've enjoyed many an hour tastin' and samplin', as well as a good deal of time pickin' and bottlin'. However, after a long hiatus, I plan on morphing this blog from a review of wine and wineries in Michigan and surrounding states into a review on wine and wineries all along the East Coast and Midwest and my own winemaking adventures.

After three months in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment in the heart of Cambridge, my wife and I recently moved into our new house in the suburbs. One of our primary house must-haves was a basement for winemaking and wine storage. Our new house fits the bill and I'm itching to ferment something. Yeah, I'm probably a little psychotic, but it's been 12 months! I'm not quite at the withdrawal stage, but I'm getting close! Since we're in the middle of the Holiday Season, I'm initially planning on taking advantage of a native Massachusetts fruit--the cranberry. Then, on to some Chilean grapes in the spring!! But first, I must get my carboys unpacked!

Stay tuned...

A Wine Student

One of the many thoughts that have been running through my head lately regarding winery operations is the issue of charging for wine tasting. Are free wine tastings really a big advertising pull? Will customers be willing to pay a small fee to taste your wine or walk out the door in disgust?

I have run the gamut in my tasting adventures. From places like Sandhill Crane Vineyards in Jackson, MI where you can (and strongly encouraged!) taste all 16 of their wines for free, to OH & NY wineries that charge a few bucks to taste a limited flight of wines, to some CA wineries that wanted $15 for the privilege of tasting their wine and then had the audacity to charge more for their reserve wine list (OK, I did walk away from that one). But other charging practices include a price to taste, but refunded/waived if you purchase a bottle. Now, one also has to take into account the state & local laws regarding wine tasting--this is alcohol we're talking about after all. CA & MI have pretty liberal laws that allow wineries to offer free wine tastings. Other states require a fee (can't have these liberal wineries pouring free alcohol to any Tom, Dick, or Susan!), so the question becomes a moot point.

From a taster's perspective, I have to admit that I love free wine tastings! I'm probably also more apt to purchase a bottle after a free wine tasting. I have to like it, but I may be more encouraged to like it and purchase a bottle as a gesture of appreciation (I find it extremely difficult to walk into a winery and not buy something). However, from the winery's perspective, free wine tastings could be a financial nightmare. You're literally pouring your product out the door in hopes of attracting sales. Which has to lead to higher bottle prices because the winery has to recoup the production cost of the tasting room wine in every bottle that's sold. I think this is especially a concern of smaller wineries. If you only make 200 gal of a wine, how much can you afford to pour away in order to sell the rest?

I open the floor for debate. If the practice is up to the winery, would you choose to patronize a winery because they did or did not charge a tasting fee? If you're willing to pay a small fee to taste a winery's product, how much is too much? And is that price location dependant?

I look forward to your comments!

Regards,
a Wine Student

Tasting the zinfandel from Raven's Glenn last night (see previous post) inspired me to dig out my notes from our visit to Raven's Glenn Winery (www.ravensglenn.com) in spring 2006. Ironically, it was that visit that inspired me to start a blog of my tasting adventures and I fully intended to start the blog with a description of Raven's Glenn. Well, as you can see it's taken 9 months to dig out my notes and put pen to paper. Thankfully, it didn't take that long to start the blog!

I first saw a flyer for Raven's Glenn in the tourist attraction rack in the Hampton Inn in Newcomerstown on I-77 (Exit 65, US-36) in southern Ohio when we were on our way to the Outer Banks, NC for a vacation. We were hitting the road at 8:00 AM, so the winery wasn't open, but I kept the flyer since we would be coming back along the same road. On the return trip, our timing was much better and we were able to stop in while they were open. The winery is located 8 miles west of I-77 on US-36 just east of Coshocton and had been open for 3 years when we visited. Housed in a fairly large gray metal building with a red roof, the tasting room shares space with a 150-seat Italian restaurant (didn't try). We were waited on by Sheila (if I remember correctly) who was willing to give us lots of details about the winery operation (and the wines)--we were the only tasters while we were there. The owners made their fortune in the nursing home and elderly care business and started the winery as a retirement career. Their son learned how to make wine and became the winemaker. The family history in the elder care industry is well evident as the tasting room & restaurant were designed for easy handicap access and bus tours from the nearby Longaberger Basket factory in nearby Newark & Dresden, OH. Very airy and open with a long soapstone tasting bar. The building may be metal on the outside, but nothing but wood ceilings on the inside. Very attractive.

Apparently, these Longaberg Basket factory bus tours are a large part of the winery's business, stopping at the basket factory and then at the winery & restaurant for some wine tasting and lunch or dinner. One of these bus tours came in as we were leaving, and I can definitely see the advantages of having a semi-captive audience of 50+ folks being dropped off at the winery after a long day of shopping. Sheila readily shared that the winery makes wines aimed at the local largely rural community and the bus tours--soft reds, fruity whites, and more sweet wines than dry. For the most part, their customers are not big wine drinkers, so they don't expect big robust and tannic reds, but tend to prefer softer, more fruit forward, and sweeter wines. But the winery does make a range of wines. Checking their webpage with my tasting notes, not much has changed in the past year, although the Chantilly Lace dessert wine is new.

Dry reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Syrah
Dry whites: Chardonnay & Pinot Grigio
Semi-sweet: Gewurtztraminer, Reisling, Vidal blanc, and White Zinfandel
Sweet: Raven's Rouge (mix of Concord & other estate grapes), White Raven (labrusca varietals), Sweet Sonnet (Niagra/Chardonel blend), and Chantilly Lace (dessert wine from muscat canelli grapes)
Fruit: Apple, Raspberry, Blackberry, Cherry, and Sangria (apple wine based).

Tastings are $2 for a flight of 5 wines. This may be a state law, as I've encountered similar policies at other OH wineries. The red grapes are sourced from Lodi, CA with the white grapes purchased from Ohio, the Finger Lakes, or CA. The vidal blanc, niagra, and chardonnel are estate grown. They use very light or no oak (mostly stainless steel fermentation) to make the red wines, which results in much softer & fruiter wines.

It was an interesting visit and provided a lot of things to consider in opening a winery. Raven's Glenn has taken the big money approach to start big, build nice facilities, and have the financial resources to weather the early years. You have to make wines for your customers, not just what the winemaker likes to drink. They've also made the most of their local tourist attractions by becoming a regular stop on the basket factory bus tours. What similar attractions exist in SE Michigan?

Regards,
a Wine Student

The wife was making spaghetti & meatballs when I got home from work last night, so I decided a nice red was in order to accompany her efforts and chose the bottle of Raven's Glenn American Zinfandel from Raven's Glenn Winery in West Lafayette, Ohio (www.ravensglenn.com) that I had picked up at a winery visit in spring 2006.

Soft and supple, this wine has seen no oak--stainless steel fermentation only. Good medium garnet color. Fruity nose with some hints of earthiness. Cherries and blackberries on the tongue with a good linger and just a hint of tannins in the aftertaste. 14.5% alcohol and $15 at the winery (they can ship throughout OH).

You may be wondering--how does a winery in Ohio grow Zinfandel and make a wine good enough for this old zinfandel lover to purchase? Well, they don't grow the grapes themselves, but source them from Lodi, CA. And they are definitely not trying to compete with the rich, jammy, and tannic zins that I hold dear to my heart. I was intrigued by this wine because they make a zin for their southern Ohio costumers who like a smoother wine. No oak, very little tannin, but thankfully not sweetened! Very different from the robust zins from CA.

Regards,
a Wine Student

Unlike the current weather in SE Michigan, I seem to be into a blizzard of blog posts. My in-laws came over for Christmas yesterday afternoon, and we shared a bottle of Firelands 2005 Isle St. George Merlot with dinner. I've never been a huge merlot fan (that's a story for another day), but I'm a convert with this wine. A dark luscious burgandy color, the big nose hits you with strong aromas of raspberries & cherries with faint hints of black pepper. The taste is soft and supple with a fruity initial taste of cherries, raisins, and faint cassis and ends with black pepper notes. If you want to taste a silky wine, this is it. 12.5% alcohol and I bought it at the winery in September for ~$13.

I've always been intrigued by the Firelands Winery. While home of Cedar Point and the ferry to the Bass Islands, I don't think of Sandusky, OH as being a huge tourist attraction, or a focal point for wine lovers. Yet, Firelands has done very well with a somewhat limited customer base in their immediate surroundings, and has become a tourist destination themselves. Their vineyard location on Isle St. George produces some very good grapes. I don't believe that they distribute their wines very widely beyond Ohio. At least, I do not see them in stores in the Detroit area. Lends hope that a winery just outside of Ann Arbor could be a successful endeavor.

This really should be the last post for 2006.

Regards,
a Wine Student

You're probably first wondering who writes a blog at 8:00 AM on Christmas Day? Seriously, who does that?

Well, I guess I do! As usual, I have awakened before my darling wife and have some time to kill before breakfast and the present unwrapping, so I thought I'd get one last review written in 2006.

I served the Black Star Farms Sirius Cherry Dessert Wine at a dessert wine tasting party that I held last weekend. Popped the leftovers in the freezer and decided to indulge myself on Christmas Eve after enjoying a bottle of Argyle 2002 "Nuthouse" Pinot Noir from Oregon over supper. The Sirius Cherry really hit the spot at 10:00 last night--just the thing for a late night topper. This little 375 mL bottle packs a punch with 17% alcohol. A gorgeous dark burgandy color, you first get a big cherry and brandy nose (the folks at Black Star distill their own cherry brandy to fortify this wine). Tastes like you're drinking those sweet cherries that you can buy at the roadside farm stands around Traverse City. Sweet, but not overly so. With the engraved bottle, this would make a great present for wine drinkers on your gift list. I still have one more drink left in the bottle, maybe for breakfast....

I like the idea of incorporating various fruit wines into a winery's portfolio, especially since Michigan has such a bounty of fruit growers. A question for future winery visits--are fortified fruit dessert wines better sellers than unfortified fruit wines? I believe making wine with >15% alcohol requires a special license (with associated fees, etc). Is the added cost worth it?

Happy Holidays,
a Wine Student

I recently stopped at a winery (no names to protect the innocent) and had a revelation. OK, this wasn't exactly the clouds parting and a booming voice from above, but something I wanted to archive into my memory for future reference. The glasses that they used for tasting appeared to be the standard multi-purpose wineglasses that one can buy at Bed, Bath & Beyond with the winery's name and logo etched on the side. Not a bad choice, except that the 1 oz pour looked really, really small in the relatively big bowl of the glass and the wine's aroma got lost, as well. I'm assuming that the glasses held about 13 oz of wine

Here's the revelation--there's a reason why CA wineries typically use a smaller 6 oz glass in their tasting rooms. A 1 oz pour looks like a big pour into the smaller bowl! The nose is able to nicely fill the bowl and it just makes for an enhanced wine-tasting experience. Spend the money and use the smaller glasses even if they are a special order item and more expensive.

Regards,
a Wine Student

p.s. Thanks, Sharon, for your comment on my last post. Made my day! Happy holidays to all!

Man, it's been awhile since my last post. To all of my loyal readers...oh, wait a minute... As far as I can tell, absolutely no one reads this thing. If by chance, someone actually reads this as you're stumbling wildly through cyberspace, take a brief moment of your time and send me a comment about one of the posts. Is the information amusing, interesting, helpful, boring, absolutely of no interest? I think you know which side of the spectrum I'd prefer to be on...

In the meantime, I'll continue to talk to myself.

Anyway, I recently hosted a dessert wine tasting party. To get the taste buds prepped and lubricated, I popped open a couple of rieslings--Bonny Doon's Pacific Rim Dry Riesling and Leelanau Cellars 2004 Reserve Late Harvest Johannisburg Riesling to give a dry and sweet contrast. Surprisingly, not a lot of people chose the Late Harvest, so I had plenty of opportunity to taste it the following day.

11% alcohol, RS 4.2%. This wine was cool fermented at 55 °C and then backsweetened with reserved clarified grape juice. A lovely, golden yellow color. The nose bursts with honey, rose, pineapple, melon, and pear aromas. Very silken taste with a clean, lightly sweet finish. Not overly strongly sweet. Light floral and citrus flavors that linger in the middle of the palate.

I was pleasantly surprised--I'm not a huge fan of sweet wines, but this was very pleasant. I enjoyed it over a couple of evenings (a vinuvac is the greatest invention in wine). It was excellently paired with an apple fragipane tart that I had made for the party. I was given this wine as a gift, but the website for Leelanau Cellars lists it as $11.00/bottle.

Regards,
a Wine Student

p.s. I had a good laugh at myself over the apple fragipane tart. I made a Cooking Light version that called for 12 oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese. I intended to double the recipe, so I bought 3 8 oz packages of cream cheese. I ended up with 4 oz from another recipe and found 4 oz in the freezer that my wife had left over. After throwing those both into the mixer, I added the remaining ingredients. It wasn't until the next day that I realized that I had made a Cooking Lighter version! Had completely forgotten to add the other 16 oz of cream cheese! The filling was a little flat--didn't fluff up as much as I expected. But it still tasted wonderful--got rave reviews from the party attenders!

My heart clenches a little when I think that the original recipe would have called for 3/4 of a lb of butter for the filling, not to mention the additional butter between the phyllo dough layers. I used canola oil cooking spray with a few swipes of melted butter for the phyllo dough to give it a little butter flavor.

Man, it's been a while since I've had time to sit down and write. I've been extremely busy with this fall's winemaking season. My attempt to make 9 wines from grapes this fall has led to some very busy days, nights, and weekends. I've also been busy bottling older wines to free up some carboy space. My wife has been rumbling about the cost of the extra carboys that I've bought this fall, so I am trying to use what I have instead of running to buy more. And in between all the wine stuff, I've been trying to get some replacement windows installed and finished before winter sets in.

Anyway, I have been diligently drinking during all the work. One of the bottles that I opened was the Rainbow Hills Ohio Traminette that I picked up earlier this year. Rainbow Hills is located in eastern Coshocton County near Newcomerstown in southern Ohio. If you're looking for a small winery in the middle of BFE--Rainbow Hills is you're kind of winery. My wife and I stayed at the Hampton Inn at the Newcomerstown exit on I-77 on our way to the Outer Banks, NC and picked up a pamphlet for Raven's Glenn Winery. We needed to get on the road long before they opened, but since we were going to be coming back the same way, we decided to stop in on our way home. We visited Raven's Glenn (a story for another day) and discovered that another winery, Rainbow Hills, was just down the road (or so it seemed). After following the directions, we found ourselves on a one-lane gravel road winding our way through the southern OH hills. We finally found the winery and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Rainbow Hills is a small operation tucked in a narrow wooded valley. They don't have a website, but if you're looking for more information: http://www.ohiowines.org/Wineries/rainbow_hills.htm. Don't let the barking dog scare you, she's really a pussy cat at heart and begging to be petted. I forget the winemaker's name, but we spent over an hour talking with him and wine tasting. Lovely setting. Mostly sweet wines that were too sweet for my tastes, but I did purchase their estate Traminette.

Very floral nose with a hint of sweetness. Very light-yellow color. Tastes of papaya and strawberries with buttery overtones. Almost tastes like the wine underwent at least partial malo-lactic fermentation. After taste had some hints of barnyard that weren't very welcome. I remember the wine tasting much better at the winery--perhaps I got a bad bottle. My wife was making chinese stir fry that evening and the wine went fairly well with the meal with the sweet finish somewhat able to balance the spiciness of the stir fry. Honestly, I wouldn't purchase the wine again.

Regards,
a Wine Student

Last Friday was the last Summer Friday at my place of employment. Basically this wonderful benefit means that if one works an extra hour Monday through Thursday then you can only work 4 hours on Friday and get a head start on the weekend. To celebrate (or mourn) the end of another summer, my friend Shelly and I decided to go wine tasting. Our first visit was to Sandhill Crane Vineyards in the east Jackson area (just off of I-94, exit 175, follow the Winery signs). The tasting room is a pleasure to visit, situated on a family farm amidst several fields of vines. We were greeted by Oliver, a very large and friendly black & white cat, and by Rose, a big (somewhat intimidating) Airedale terrier. Instead of standing and leaning against the bar, Sandhill provides bar stools to help encourage you to linger.

The wine list was heavily populated by white and sweeter wines. The only dry red was the Moulin Rouge (see previous post). At first, we were rather disappointed in the 1/2 ounce pours that Anne dispensed, but after getting through the entire 16 wines on the tasting list, we were rather glad we hadn't consumed more. The dry whites, Chanson, chardonnay, Traminette, and vidal blanc, were quite nice. The tasting list quickly delves into sweeter wines with lots of fruit blends and ends in the Raspberry desert wine (13.5% rs).

Most important, we had the distinct pleasure to get to meet Holly, the winemaker. She and Anne gave us a tour of the winery and see the wines that are currently being fermented. The raspberry was a big vat of dark pink mush. What was interesting was the scale. Most wines were being made on less than 40 gal scale. At the time, at least 4 wines were in production with harvesting of the Frontenac grapes in progress. I was intrigued that the apparent goal was to make lots of different wines for blending together, rather than making just a few separate varietals. Had a very nice discussion with Holly and Anne about the trials and tribulations of starting a winery. Their advice was to have plenty of money and jump in with a full time tasting room to avoid alienating one's consumer base by restricting their access to your wines.

I'm sure that I'll have many more posts about activities at Sandhill Crane as I volunteered to help harvest, bottle, etc if they have a need. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them.

Regards,
a Wine Student