One of the most frustrating questions I get is “are local wines any good?”
It’s asked with a bit of guilt in the question, because they’ve already decided they like a local wine or winery and want some sort of confirmation.
Yes, Pennsylvania
, there are good local wines; sometimes, even great local wines. If you find one you like, you don’t need my or anyone else’s yea or nay.
Here we are in “Drink Local Wine” week, when dozens of wine writers around the country dedicate a week to write about wines in their state. Pennsylvania is one of the “other 47″ which doesn’t include the blessed states of California, Oregon or Washington.
When you get off the West Coast, wines are different. The reds probably aren’t as rich, hearty and high in alcohol. The acidity is fresher and cleaner in whites and reds. Pennsylvania and many of the other 47 states often are not ideal places to grow grapes such as cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir – particularly in 2011. In the world of wine, a Pennsylvania cabernet or a chardonnay has lots of competition, so offering something different is important.
I wanted to take a look at three local wineries working the “let’s do something different angle,” turning their location into an advantage.
When Nimble Hill Winery in Mehoopany got cabernet franc fruit that was, well, not up to snuff, the winemaker knew he couldn’t use it in a Bordeaux-style blend. Nimble Hill knew when Mother Nature gives you a bad red vintage, she’s really ordering a rosé.
Stepping away from the oak barrels and maceration bins, winemaker Kevin Durland fermented the cabernet franc juice in steel and added some riesling to the pink juice, producing the refreshing, delicious Rosé of Cabernet Franc. It offers a fresh strawberry character and an herbal note of cabernet franc with a tight finish of cranberry and lime. $14. 4.5/5
I’ve wondered for years why the cool, wet Eastern wine industry struggles to produce California-style red blends that often fall short when they could be making world-class rosés?
As Nimble Hill owner Gary Tozcko said, you have to stick with what you’re good at, not what everyone else is doing.
There are red wine grapes that grow well consistently in this part of Pennsylvania. The problem is that they don’t make the sort of wine people want to drink. That’s the case with frontenac and landot noir. Sal Maiolatesi knew that these grapes could make great port-style wine. He produced a 2010 Port of Landot Noir and Frontenac, a vineyard-designated bottling with a nod to Endless Mountain Vineyards and grower Stan Sowinski on the label. The grapes came from Falls, Wyoming County, so its as local as you are going to get. The wine smells grapey and a bit rustic. The sweetness is right where it should be, but is a bit heavy-handed with the brandy used for fortification. So the wine is intense and powerful, but comes off a bit hot. Still a totally unique wine worth checking out. $18 for a 375 ml bottle. 3.5/5.
You know how people have birthmarks on their head that grow tufts of white hair? The same thing happened many years ago to the red grape frontenac, and that mark produced a cane that made white grape clusters. Grapes from that spontaneous mutation are now known as frontenac gris. There is precious little frontenac gris anywhere. But one place that does have it is Grovedale Winery in Wyalusing, which makes a descent riesling and chardonnay – but the frontenac gris is unique and wonderful. This autumnal wine smells of all spice and gourd and tastes like pecan and baked apple with a great mouthfeel. After drinking casks of chardonnay, Grovedale’s frontenac gris is a rare treat, unlike any white wine out there. $13. 4.5/5
Ask Grovedale proprietors Jeff and Kim Homer, and they’ll tell you why they grow this off-beat variety few people have ever heard off. They produce it because it’s an off-beat variety no one ever heard of – one they can grow and vinify into a very good wine.
The best of the local wine industry is often like that: little-known wines and styles. All three of the wines mentioned could be enjoyed with various parts of a Thanksgiving meal.
Want to see what’s happening with wine industries in other states? Check out www.drinklocalwine.com this week.
GRADE: Exceptional 5/5, Above average 4/5, Good 3/5, Below average 2/5, Poor 1/5.
