# Local wines



## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

Anyone else enjoy the wines of their local communities? My wife and I enjoy visiting several of the Missouri wineries. A few of our favorites: Hermannoff, Stone Hill Winery and Adam Puchta.

We have also visited several wineries in California and in the Columbia River valley in Washington.

https://www.missouriwine.org/


----------



## Old Brompton (Jan 15, 2006)

Wine? In Missouri?! 

Good God.


----------



## Concordia (Sep 30, 2004)

I've had a good riesling from Michigan-- goes well with the lake perch.

There are some very acceptable wines from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, although Long Island is more reliably good in that department.


----------



## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

Old Brompton said:


> Wine? In Missouri?!
> 
> Good God.


Actually there has been wine in Missouri for a very long time, and Missouri wineries saved both the French and California wineries from destruction caused by the root louse. A winemaker from Neosho, MO, named Hermann Jaeger and George Hussman, a University of Missouri professor, found a cure for the plague. By grafting the more sensitive vines onto hardy American root stocks, an immunity to the louse was created.
In California's case though, they were too proud to go directly to Missouri wineries for help and instead bought the Missouri-born root stocks from France. The French however were very grateful and in 1889 bestowed the Cross of the Legion of Honor and the national Order of Knighthood on Hermann Jaeger. A statue of a young woman holding an older woman -- symbolic of the young America helping its motherland -- was erected on the campus of an agricultural college in Montpellier with a plaque thanking the Missouri wine industry for saving the French vineyards.


----------



## johnjack11 (Oct 13, 2006)

I agree, Tabor Hill has some decent wines. Not my favorites but good nonetheless!



Concordia said:


> I've had a good riesling from Michigan-- goes well with the lake perch.
> 
> There are some very acceptable wines from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, although Long Island is more reliably good in that department.


----------



## Droog (Aug 29, 2006)

I work as a hobby job at a regional winery, Chaddsford, here in Pennsylvania. The winemaker does a great job; otherwise, the hobby job wouldn't be any fun. Many other wineries here in southeast Pennsylvania can produce a few, if not several, very creditable wines.


----------



## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

Droog said:


> I work as a hobby job at a regional winery, Chaddsford, here in Pennsylvania. The winemaker does a great job; otherwise, the hobby job wouldn't be any fun. Many other wineries here in southeast Pennsylvania can produce a few, if not several, very creditable wines.


Any recommendations?


----------



## Droog (Aug 29, 2006)

Laxplayer said:


> Any recommendations?


Laxplayer,

For the 5th year in a row, Pennsylvania's most active wine group, presented its annual "PA Excellence Award" at the Hilton Harrisburg last week. This group, the PA Wine Society, has long been a supporter and promoter of regional wines. All wineries in PA are invited to submit their best wines, which are judged by a high-quality panel of impartial judges. Ten wines are selected as finalists and presented at an event that has come to be fondly called the "Academy Awards" of Pennsylvania wines.

Chaddsford Pinot Grigio 2005
Pinnacle Ridge Cuvee Chardonnay
Arrowhead Chardonnay
Allegro Riesling 2005
Pinnacle Ridge Pinot Noir 2005
Chaddsford Pinot Noir 2005
Chaddsford Pinot Noir, Miller Estate, 2004
Chaddsford Chambourcin, Miller Estate, 2004
Manatawny Creek Cabernet Franc 2005
Chaddsford Merican 2002

The Chaddsford Merican is a Bordeaux-style blend.

Regards.


----------



## OldSkoolFrat (Jan 5, 2007)

*miracle*

OMG, my wife just uncovered a bottle of our own home made Merlot in a 1.5L bottle. been sitting around for years. Going to pop that cork within the next hour. :icon_smile_big:


----------



## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

OldSkoolFrat said:


> OMG, my wife just uncovered a bottle of our own home made Merlot in a 1.5L bottle. been sitting around for years. Going to pop that cork within the next hour. :icon_smile_big:


How was it?


----------



## A Questionable Gentleman (Jun 16, 2006)

Chaddsford was usually on offer at wine and cheese receptions when I was at Villanova. My recollection of it was quite favorable. Unfortunately, it is not, in my experience, indicative of the general quality of PA wine. There are a number of wineries within 30 miles of my Central PA home who are all trying valiantly. The results are generally satisfactory to those who think that Kool Aid is just a bit too dry. The attempts at dry wines just aren't there. I'd question whether our soil and climate make those a forlorn hope.

EDIT: Droog, I still have a bottle of some Chaddsford red or other that I lifted from a reception. I held onto it because it was labeled specially for Villanova's sesquicentennial celebration. The stuff's 14 years old, now. Is it drinkable or is it vinegar?


----------



## Droog (Aug 29, 2006)

AQG,

It is possible that the wine is yet drinkable if it was barrel-aged, but it is definitely getting long in the tooth. If you can tell me the label and vintage, I might even be able to get Eric Miller (Chaddsford owner/winemaker) to give an opinion.

I know that Eric selected the Brandywine Valley to site Chaddsford when he was starting out in the late seventies because of its geology and weather. In fact, the Brandywine Valley has a 5-day longer growing season than Burgundy.

Quite right that regional wines can be hit or miss. There's just more "misses" in areas that do not have a long-standing winemaking tradition. So much depends on the skill of the winemaker him/herself. See my next post.


----------



## Droog (Aug 29, 2006)

```
Thought some of you might find this interesting.
-----------------------

[B][FONT=Arial]Bordeaux[/FONT][/B][B][FONT=Arial] center of gravity shifts from grape-grower to winemaker[/FONT][/B][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]by Beatrice Le BohecThu Oct 5, [/FONT][FONT=Arial]11:56 AM ET[/FONT][FONT=Arial][/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]The French winemaker's mantra has always been "grow good grapes and the wine will make itself," but for all save the most prestigious estates letting nature take its course is no longer good enough.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Indeed, a perfect storm of over-production, withering domestic demand, and pitiless competition from the [/FONT][FONT=Arial]New World[/FONT][FONT=Arial] has forced the center of gravity in [/FONT][FONT=Arial]France[/FONT][FONT=Arial]'s wine business to shift from the grape-growing to increasingly technical art of winemaking.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]While often loath to admit it, many French producers are now crafting their wares to suit consumer tastes rather than expecting consumers to adapt to the product.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]In [/FONT][FONT=Arial]California[/FONT][FONT=Arial] or [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Australia[/FONT][FONT=Arial] this is seen as a common-sense approach, but in [/FONT][FONT=Arial]France[/FONT][FONT=Arial] -- where the mystique of "terroir" has always reigned supreme -- allowing the market to dictate what the wine will taste like is a vaguely heretical notion.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]There is no better measure of this profound change than the growing influence and importance of wine chemists -- also called oenologists -- in [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Bordeaux[/FONT][FONT=Arial], [/FONT][FONT=Arial]France[/FONT][FONT=Arial]'s premier wine producing region.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]"In 10 years, oenologists have evolved from vine doctor to winemaker," said the president of association representing [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Bordeaux[/FONT][FONT=Arial]'s wine chemists, Nicolas[/FONT][FONT=Arial]Guichard.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]"Whereas before there was no problem selling, today the wine producer must call into question the product he is making."[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]More and more small-scale wine producers are turning to wine chemists for guidance throughout the entire winemaking process, from crushing the grapes to bottling, regional experts say.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]"The tilting point was economic -- all production is for naught as soon as it is disconnected from the market," said Jean-Philippe Gervais, head of the vine-and-wine services department of the [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Gironde[/FONT][FONT=Arial] region's Chamber of Agriculture. "The oenologist today has a better understanding of marketing, and the imperatives of supply and demand."[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]For Laurent Charlier, scientific director the trade organization that groups [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Bordeaux[/FONT][FONT=Arial]'s wine makers, the growing role of oenologists also stems from improved technology, especially in analytic tools.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]"Before, we were only monitored the sugar and acidity levels in the grapes, but today we can measure aromas, tannins and many other variables. We have discovered that other molecules can be a good measure of a successful fermentation," he said.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Tannins, found primarily in the skins of grapes, produce an astringency essential to the flavor and stability in wine.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]In general, winemaking has evolved from alchemy to science, becoming a highly technical process in which dozens of variables can be manipulated through chemical and mechanical means.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]The six centers in [/FONT][FONT=Arial]France[/FONT][FONT=Arial] that churn out graduates armed with the prestigious national diploma of oenology are changing to meet the new demands of the market place, said Gervais.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]In theory, wine chemists adapt to the needs of the grape-grower and winemaker, more often than not the same person in [/FONT][FONT=Arial]France[/FONT][FONT=Arial].[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]But an increasing number of private laboratories are adopting new techniques to produce wines that -- while high in quality -- are, some critics say, uniform products divorced from the specific characteristics of the soil and climate of a given micro-region, what the French call "terroir."[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Gervais, during a recent wine tasting in [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Bordeaux[/FONT][FONT=Arial], admitted recognizing the signature taste of a particular consultant. "But we have not yet become like standardized yogurt manufacturers, far from it," he insisted.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]New World[/FONT][FONT=Arial] producers have long emphasized the importance of what happens after the grapes are picked. One top American wine writer recently explained why [/FONT][FONT=Arial]California[/FONT][FONT=Arial] should not adopt a French-style classification system based on grape-growing regions.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]"The perfect classification system of [/FONT][FONT=Arial]California[/FONT][FONT=Arial] wines wouldn't be based on estates or vineyards but on the winemakers themselves," opined Lettie Teague, executive wine editor of Food and Wine. "It was the winemakers, after all, who first made [/FONT][FONT=Arial]California[/FONT][FONT=Arial] famous," she wrote.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]It is still true today that the darlings of the [/FONT][FONT=Arial]California[/FONT][FONT=Arial] wine world are not the grape growers or even estate owners so much as for-hire winemakers.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Professor Bernard Doneche, head of the faculty of oenology in [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Bordeaux[/FONT][FONT=Arial], graduates 60 new wine experts every year. He says their job is to improve the raw on the raw material to make a better wine.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]"But to succeed in the market, he should also be capable of producing the kind of sweet or oak-flavored wine that one finds everywhere these days," he acknowledges.[/FONT]
```


----------



## Droog (Aug 29, 2006)

An article about regional wines in the NYT.

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/31/dining/31pour.html?_r=1&oref=sl&ref=dining&


----------



## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Not quite local to me but there are some wonderful English wines (kind of local) - throughout Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Devon, Sussex... Lots of crisp whites, even an occasional red. And some of the sparkling wines (Nyetimber, Camel Valley) are as good as very good new world or champagne).


----------



## eyedoc2180 (Nov 19, 2006)

Chicama on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts is a family favorite. We vacation there on alternate years, and my regret is that the car is too packed to bring much of their product home. Their Summer Island Red is most enjoyable, and simply pouring it takes me back to a summer day on the beach. Happy Holidays! Bill

__________________
the jacket's gonna be cut slim and checked
maybe a touch of seersucker, with an open neck
Pete Townshend


----------



## septa (Mar 4, 2006)

Last night I had a bottle of Sharpe Hill Vineyard's (CT) Select Late Harvest. Good stuff. Not as complex as some of the Sauternes I have tried but very good. It didn't have that cloying sweetness that sometimes comes with lesser dessert wines, and had distinct peach/apricot and almond overtones. Shockingly, this is very much in line with the description I just read on the vineyard's website. 
My Argentine GF was more than a bit dubious about a wine form Connecticut, be she called it one of the best dessert wines she's ever had, and she used to summer in Oporto. 

I really need to checkout the Chaddsford wines, I just have never gotten around to it.


----------



## etp777 (Nov 27, 2007)

Not from Missouri myself, but I'll put in another vote for fact there are some good wines there. I used to live in OKc with family in Chicago, so would drive through southern Missouri along I44 twice on each trip. WOuld generally stop and get some wine as gift for my parenets on way to Chicago, then stop and get some for myself on way back (no, i was not one of annoyign college kids who'd get drunk out in the picnic areas at wineries then get rigght back on road). Like most wineries, there was a typical selection of mediocre wines from American varietals (concord, muscat, catawba, etc), but also some really good wines from more traditional varietals. There's also a barrel making factory there along I44 where you can watch them make barrels, and then they have wine from all over the world that is aged in their American Oak barrels. Place is called Barrels O Fun, and some of my favorite wineries use their barrels (couple in Washington in particular).

Most of the local wines from Oklahoma, at least those I tried, are not worth drinking. Again, both american varietals and some more traditional ones, but unlike the ones I've had from Missouri wineries, won't repeat any of the Oklahoma ones.

Spent the last year living in Illinois, and there's a little winery between my sister's work and where I lived. used to drive past there pretty often, finally stopped in for their tour and tasting a few months back. Was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wine. It certainly wasn't cheap (got two bottles of their regular marechal foche for my mom's bday at $30/pc, and they run up to $120 or so for their most expensive cabernet) like some local wineries, but was EXTREMELY good, even just plain at a tasting, and that marechal foche in particular was very food friendly. The daughter of the owner is also the head chef at a very popular local italian restaurant that serves their wines(of course, since growing up she used to help make them), so owner and his wife have become very good at suggesting food pairings for their wines. Can't remember the name off the top of my head, but if there's anyone out in NW suburbs of Chicago, I'll ask someone from back home to get the name. They may be closed for the season now though, as they have trouble with their parking lot icing up.


----------



## Mark from Plano (Jan 29, 2007)

Texas has had a burdgeoning wine industry for years now and it beginning to produce several somewhat palatable wines. Not saying I'm ready to dump my Napa Cabs just yet, but it's getting there. Several Dallas area restaurants have begun to specialize in Texas wine lists.

Here's a list of Texas Wineries down in the Hill Country (west of Austin & San Antonio):
https://www.texaswinetrail.com/wineries.html

I've had a Becker reserve cab that was really quite yummy. But I'm not a real expert on Texas wines.


----------



## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

I'm not surprised about Texas. Mexican wines are becoming more prominent, too.


----------



## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

Old Brompton said:


> Wine? In Missouri?!
> 
> Good God.


Though not nearly on par with wines from California, there are a few decent varieities from Missouri. In fact, before prohibition, Missouri was one of the largest wine-producing states in the U.S. One of my personal favorites is the Norton from Pirtle Winery in Weston, MO. A slightly spicey, bone-dry red. I find the majority of other wines from Missouri way too sweet for my taste.


----------

