Good Grape Wine Company

September 12 2007

Wine Blogging Wednesday #37 - Indigenous Grape Varieties

Thanks to fine leadership of Dr. Vino, today’s theme for the 37th monthly installment of WBW is indigenous varieties of wine.  That’s simple enough:  pick a wine made from a grape variety that comes from a place it might call home, so sayeth the good doctor. 

However, I immediately took this in the literal sense—find a wine that might call Indiana home.  This, of course, immediately limits you to oh, say, one grape varietal—Catawba—which isn’t noted for knocking the socks of anybody.

Ah, but I was just a bit misguided.  Have you ever been in a corporate team-building exercise (or watched reality television) when a team is given a challenge and it’s along the lines of completing some sort of task with a finite amount of money and scant other detail—but, and this is a big but, the host or leader says, “you can ask any questions you would like, otherwise you’re free to start the challenge.”  9.5 people out of 10 dive headlong into the task at hand, without asking any questions.

I should have asked a question.  I could be drinking a fine Italian Aglianico because I could select ANY wine that calls ANY place its native home. 

Nonetheless, there’s nothing wrong with keeping it local.

Having forsaken the French Lick Winery Catawba at the store and already having drunk the Stone Hill Norton a week or two back, I went back to the store for some more local goodness (I know East and West Coast readers must read these posts with some sort of mock pity to which I reply, “I know” even if I’m contemplating a Catawba wine from a winery named -French Lick-).

I’m drinking BOTH the Stone Hill Winery Chardonel and the Vignoles.  Now, admittedly, both of these are hybrids so I’m actually failing on the count of true indigenous-ness.  But, if Lenn, the founder of WBW, can work the nuance between black and white then so can I.

Stone Hill Winery, based in Missouri is the Crown Jewel of the Missouri wine industry and, like several other prominent Midwestern wineries, they make a ton of different varieties—21 currently for sale.  Something for everyone …

The 2005 Chardonel is a hybrid cross between Chardonnay and Seyval, designed to tolerate cold weather climates (more information on the varietal found at Appellation America).  It’s also aged sur-lie, a technique by which a stainless steel paddle is inserted inside the barrel every few days to continuously mix the wine with the lees, creating an additional level of complexity in the wine.  The body on this wine is light and the flavor profile is similar to that of a Chardonnay.  The amazing thing about this wine is the nose, which is fantastic and rich.  I would want this scent pumped into my house it’s so delicious smelling—a caramelish, yellow cake goodness.  This is a good wine, especially good for a regional offering, enough fruit and acid to keep things interesting and a nice buy at $10.99.

The second wine is the 2006 Vignoles.  Vignoles produces some excellent dessert wines and this rendition is made Midwestern semi-sweet style, more demi-sec aperitif than dessert wine.  It won a gold medal at the recent Indy International Wine Competition and is incredibly luscious on the nose.  The tropical scents barely careen between pleasure and cloying sweetness on the palate, and this would match nicely with some neighborly sociability on the deck during pre-dinner chatter.  At $15.99 I would probably take a pass on re-purchase, but it’s a quaffable wine for what it is.

Thanks to Dr. Vino for an inspired choice for this edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday and please feel no pity for me or these Midwestern wines.  Even though it’s not a Schioppettino from Friuli, I take solace in the fact that now, if you’re ever in Branson, Missouri seeing the Gatlin Bros., you know a decent wine to pick up, and I do too, which is kind of the point. 

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