WHN Blog :: Wine Smarties

I was recently in Michigan for some family-related stuff and decided to test out some of the wines made up there. Like the finger lakes, NY, grapes grown this far north are limited to cool climate or 'cool-hardy' varietals. Grapes grown in this part of the country are at or around the 45 degree parallel. This is basically on par with Burgundy, France, pushing the limits to the northernmost latitude that grapes can grow (between 30-50 degrees). At this latitude, for grapes to actually grow well, there are many factors that need to be considered.

Let's start with the Macroclimate of a vineyard. This refers to the regional climate. Is the vineyard site close to a body of water? It it windy? What is the latitude? What you will need this far north is a climate that has the moderating effects of being near a large body of water and drying winds, which is why most grapes in Michigan are grown very close to Lake Michigan. Mesoclimate refers to the local climate of a specific vineyard site. This is influenced by topgraphy such as site elevation, slope, aspect and proximity to large body of water. Most vines are grown on a slope, as when heavy fog rolls in, a slope allows it to roll down into the valley. Now, to grow valley grapes, you will need a way to create air circulation to prevent frost. The Microclimate refers to the climate in and around the vines themselves. How are the leaves and the fruit exposed to the sun? The temperature the fruit experiences every day and the wetness of the vines after rains are also important. A grape needs a relatively moderate and dry climate to prevent death to the vine or bacteria and molds from growing.

All of these factors influence whether or not you can grow grapes. Once you have passed all of the above tests and you in fact do have a site that is suitable for grape-growing, you will then need to consider the soil. Soil acidity and potassium levels are paramount to grape-vine success and vines need at least 36 inches for grow down into the soil. If you have a soil that is dense and heavy from being water-logged, the vines can't grow to the depth they need, as they grow by using oxygen, and if it's too heavy, they can get the oxygen they need. So, soils with great drainage are best for vines. There are ways to adjust the acidity in the soil (by adding lime), but most varieties grow well at 6.5PH, which is a touch more acidic than it is basic (7 is neutral).

That being said, we know that Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris are your noteworthy northerners. So, on my journey through the wines of lake Michigan, I tried all of these varietals. Some were good, some were bad, and some where somewhere in between.

My least favorite wines were the St. Julian Pinot Grigio 2007 from Paw Paw Michigan, right outside of Kalamazoo, South-Western Michigan. It tasted unclean. I also dislike the Niagara grape, which is actually a native American grape varietal of the vitis labrusca species. This compares with the vitis vinifera which is the species that most all commercially viable wines are made (Cabernet, Merlot, etc). It tasted foxy or like grapes. It really didn't have any complexity to it.

There were some stellar wines I tasted that were grown in the Leelanau Peninsula of north western Michigan (near Traverse City). My favorite was the Gill's Pier Riesling 2006. It actually tasted like a proper german riesling, with hints of petroleum, green apples, limey finish. The acid was nicely balanced with the sugar in this wine as well. I was truly impressed. Some of the Rieslings from California taste like tea water, but when Riesling is grown in regions that are severely cold (Finger Lakes, NY, Michigan, Germany), it has this amazing clean and zippy quality to them. The other wine that I thought was actually varietally correct was the Black STar Farms Isodore's Choice Pinot Noir 2004. It had 12% alcohol and reminded me of a german Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir) in that it was definitely lean, tart, and acidic, but had hints of red fruits and spices from the American Oak aging. Both the Riesling and the Pinot were noticeably high in acid, but that is expected from a cool climate wine. We are so used to drinking high alcohol, flabby, low acid wines in the New world, that tasting these was very refreshing. These are definitely food wines and would pair nicely with a large range of dishes.

In the end, I enjoyed my tasting journey in michigan, and was surprised at the range of regions and styles of wines they make up there. If anyone has any other regions they have tasted from this Country outside of the west, I am all ears. Happy Tasting and Happy 4th of July!

I just finished a fantastic class on pairing chocolate and wine and wanted to share the observations. I am also knee-deep in preparing for the 2nd annual Women's History Museum Cheese, Chocolate and Wine Festival, so I thought a blog on chocolate and wine pairing would be appropriate.

Here are some highlights of my class with Eclipse Chocolat where we paired exotic chocolate truffles with approachable wines to engage our palates to their fullest!

Chocolate-Pairing Strategies:
1. Mirroring: Mirror body, texture, and character of wine with food
2. Opposites Attract: Fruity chocolate with tangy Sauvignon Blanc
3. Flavor Pairing: Raspberry flavored chocolate with raspberry aromatic Zinfandel

the Challenges:
1. Chocolate - coats the tongue and has a powerful aroma which can drown the subtleties of wine
2. Wine- should be as sweet if not more sweet than the food you’re pairing it to
3. Bitter Chocolate- will make a not-so intense red taste really tannic

the Key:
Balance, synergy, and teamwork!
No overpowering either component. The acids, tannins and sugars must work together harmoniously.

Here was the wine-up:

*Petaluma Riesling, South Australia 2006 paired with the Lemon Zinger white chocolate ganache- This was a fantastic example of both flavor pairing and mirror pairing as the lemon notes in both the riesling and the chocolate harmonized well together. Both the chocolate and the wine on their own each were a perfect balance of acid and sugar...sweet tart. And together they made great sense, as the lemon finish of the chocolate definitely was well matched with the zippy lemon finish of the wine. This pairing got a 3.5 (out of 4) stars!

*Martin Weyrich Nebbiolo 2003 paired with the Black Sesame Anise dark Chocolate truffle-Flavor pairing at its' best, as the anise in the truffle brought out the licorice notes in the wine. The wine had enough forward fruit to balance out the bitterness of the 61% chocolate! And the finish brought out dark chocolate notes in the wine and the chocolate. This pairing got a 3 star.

* Inkberry Shiraz-Cabernet, Australia 2007 paired with Banana Rum Cigar Ganache- The wine was a bit too dry for this pairing to work out perfectly. It was interesting, however, as the chocolate was really not very sweet at all, in fact, from the cigar leaves had a nice smokey, earthy component to it. The finish of the wine with the chocolate brought out a nice bitter chocolatey taste, but the fruit in the wine didn't hold up to the ganache. A riper more fruit driven red would have been a better pairer...a really berry-driven australian shiraz would have been perfecto. 2 stars.

• Yalumba nv Muscat Reserve Port paired with the Toasted Coconut Caramel- Can't beat this. This is a technical pairing that, as expected, was dead on. The coconut chocolate actually tasted more toasty than coconutty, which harmonized nicely with the oxidized flavors of the sticky...vanilla, molasses, pecans, caramel. Both finished a bit nutty...4 stars here!

I'd love to hear any comments you have on your own inventive pairings...I love trying new things!

I had a request recently to breakdown Malolactic Fermentation. What is ML, or MLF or Malo, as it goes by? Well, it's a secondary fermentation that converts the harsher Malic Acid (think of a granny smith apple) to the softer Lactic Acid (think Milk) via Lactic Acid Bacteria (LA. How? Well, you warm the wine and add the LAB (which consists of bacterium Lactobacillus, Pedioccocus, and Oenoccoccusoeni), ML is initiated. However, ML can occur spontaneously anytime during or after the initial alcoholic fermentation. The purpose of ML for red and white wines are similar. In reds, ML makes the wine more drinkable younger by lowering the overall acidity and making it softer on the palate. It is used in medium to full bodied reds where complexity is desired over fruitiness. ML in reds emphasizes fermentation aromas over fresh fruity aromas. And it makes the mouthfeel rounder, fuller, velvety, lusher as opposed to super tart (acidic) reds.

For whites, because it can mask fruity aromas, ML is really only desired for Chardonnay or other less 'aromatic' varietals. For example, ML would not be a great idea with a Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling with their very expressive fruit-driven notes. In Chardonnay it adds texture and flavors (complexity) to the wine.

When ML is not desired, to suppress it, a winemaker can filter and fine the yeasts out of the wine, or they can make sure the wine stays cool and add SO2 (Sulphur) the wine. Also, for ML to occur, the wine must have less than 14% alcohol and a PH of less than 3.3. Also grape pulp and yeast sediment is necessary to promote it's growth in the wine.

So, the advantages to ML in reds and some whites is that it adds complexity to the wine. Flavors of butter (diacetyl), caramel, and a lush mouthfeel are the optimal results. Disadvantages to ML are that it can cause the PH to rise (which means lower acidity in a wine, which is problematic for warm climate wines that are naturally lower acid-wise). To counter this problem, winemakers add acidity to the wine. Another problem with low acid wines is that they are prone to bacterial infection and require more sulphiting. Also, Partial ML in a wine bottle can cause unintentional carbonation to occur, which would push up the cork and spoil the flavor of the wine. Take note the next time you order a bottle of wine and refermentation has occured..it will taste sparkling and lacking in clean flavors. Not cool. Another reason to store your wines at the proper temperature!! And it can take up to 2 months, and can start and stop and start and stop, which can be frustrating to the winemaker.

As you can see, there are profound advantages and disadvantages for ML. In my opinion, it should be done with caution and focus and only on certain wines.

If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me!

Lindsay Pomeroy
www.winesmarties.com