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As part of my Drink Local Wine education and an early jump
on Regional Wine Week coming up next week I organized (with help from Margot as always) an all New England wine
tasting. The tasting featured twenty-two bottles from the six New
England states. In organizing it I tried to represent wines of all the types
you might typically find in the region, from dry reds and whites to fruit wines,
dessert wines, ciders, and mead. I also tried to pick multiple producers from
each state, and in a simple sense accessibility of the wines in local shops or
those that were shippable from out of state played a key part in which wines
were included. I could have ordered more, spent more time looking and had a
different lineup, but my gut tells me our experience was well rounded enough
not to fuss over such details. There is a listing of all the wines at the very
bottom of this post.
We invited our friends Chris & Nancy Obert, the authors
of The Next Harvest about the New England wine scene, to join us. They are the
only other people I know that have ever surveyed wines from all the New England
states in one place before. We also invited friends from many of our past
tastings to help us sort out what was going on in the region in 2011.
As we kicked off I asked tasters to keep the question of
“Could you adopt a local wine drinking habit based on what you learn today?” in
their mind as they worked through the wines. I was curious about this myself,
something I hadn’t been able to answer yes to in the past, but have always
assumed that the passage of time would impact my future answers.
One point is needs to be made right here. The group found
the quality of the wines to be mixed, and I would say as mixed as any batch of regional wines
I have ever tried. That excludes the flawed wines as they don’t often
get poured by producers who tend to catch the issues first. The feedback is fair based
on the experiences folks had and should be taken in the spirit it is being
given. All of us sincerely want to support our local producers and know that we
need to keep sourcing the wines, tasting them and letting the wineries know how they
are doing. How else could they grow to serve the communities they represent?
Which Wines Really
Worked For Me?
Chamard Estate Grown Chardonnay (CT) – baked fruits, with
whisps of old oak in the nose. Not super fruity, rather focused and dry to a
quick exit. It is balanced well and positive attributes all the way around. It
has hints of MLF and old oak, but nothing very forward. This is a Chardonnay
that I would recommend for an all occasion wine and for decent coverage with
food pairings.
Travessia Winery Vidal (MA) – this was one of the few repeat tastes
for me. It was sweeter than I recall, but had that mellow perfumed nose and
peachy, citrusy finish I recalled from past tastings. Very well put together.
Eden Iced Cider (VT) – this was another repeat for Margot
and I, and one of the most important wines we included in the tasting in my
opinion. Orange/gold in color this cider pours like light amber syrup when
cold. The nuances from the nose full of apples are intoxicating. The intense
shot of apples and spice in the mouth is fantastic! So many people commented
that they had never had such concentrated apple flavor before and that it was
incredible to sip. I would have to agree.
Truro Vineyards Cranberry Red (MA) – I liked this wine on its own, feeling that
the combination of the light red wine base and tart red fruit from the
cranberry was perfectly blended. I’ll be sipping on the rest of this watching
the Ken Burns Prohibition special on PBS shortly! Sadly, I didn’t get a picture
of this bottle when it was full. It is a real shame since it is a beautiful lighthouse
shaped bottle.
Candia Vineyards Marquette (NH) – when I bought this wine some time
ago I drank one bottle right away. I enjoyed it but don’t recall it grabbing me
as much as the tasting pour I had had that led to the purchase. I then forgot
about it. The age has helped this wine emerge beautifully. It has a warmth and
spiciness to the nose that really drew me in. It has that wildness I often find
in the cold-weather-hardy native and hybrid red grapes. I like that, although
some people can’t accept it. It is moderately concentrated and dark with solid
dark red and purple fruits. The finish is a bit tart and very clean.
Which Wines Did I
Hear Positive Feedback About?
Chamard Estate Grown Chardonnay (MA) - clearly this was the
standard dry wine everyone like the most. I tasted it after Noel commented on
his positive experience and confirmed everything he had said. Everyone we ended
up recommending try it had positive feedback as well.
Truro Vineyards Cranberry Red (MA) – Margot mentioned the pleasant
tartness, and Lorie (@winingways), Noel & others all commented on how drinkable it was.
Missy and Richard blended it with the Tanguay Hard Frost Cider and raved about
the result. This wine also shows up again in the next section, but you’ll have
to keep read to find out why.
Eden Iced Cider (VT) – this is an exquisite product to be
sure, and almost everyone who had it was savoring each sip. I have orders to fulfill
when I visit Eden in the wintertime!
Turtle Creek Winery Chardonnay (MA) – quite a few people said that
really liked this wine and would no doubt buy it again. It was one that was
positive on as well, the dried fruits and spices in the nose were very
pleasant.
LaBelle Winery Heirloom Apple & Maple Dessert Wine (NH) – I was
very happy to hear so much feedback about the apple wines during the tasting.
Amy LaBelle is the only local winemaker that I know that can really make an
apple wine versus apple hard cider, flavored or not. They are NOT the same
product and apple wine in my experience is harder to make. That’s me, and I’ve
tried it. This apple wine infused with maple flavor is a great example of local
flavors creating enjoyable sips.
What About The Reds?
The red wines underperformed on the day. We did have the New
England Red though. Who makes that wine you ask? Well, not any of the
producers, and it didn’t come from any one of the states we tried wines from.
It is a blend of wines from producers in four of the six states.
After tasting all the reds the reviews were mixed and not
very energetic. Noel suggested the Chamard Vineyards Merlot (MA) had a bit too much acid
and that the Boyden Valley Riverbend Red (VT) was too powerful of leafy
characteristics. I like a bit of leaf and greens in a red wine and Cabernet Franc
immediately came to mind. I noted the depth of color and concentration of the Marquette
from Candia Vineyards (NH) and schemed up a blending experiment. A Petit Verdot
analog? Perhaps. Our ultimate blend was 10 parts Chamard Merlot and one part
each of Boyden Valley Riverbend Red and Candia Marquette. When served it was
worth trying the blend as it was and then with a splash of the Truro Vineyards CranberryRed (MA). The whole was definitely more than the sum of the parts, with healthy
acidity, a nice dark color and accessible fruits in both the nose and in the
mouth. There was also a subtle warmth from oak. The splash of Cranberry Red
added bright red fruits and tartness to the finish. I am inclined to believe
that I will be making a cranberry wine in this style to both bottle for
drinking, but also to reserve for the positive role it appears to play in
blending.
While the details are a bit different, I suggested a similar
collaborative red blend when I reflected on the red wines I tasted in Virginia.
I can’t stress this point enough, blends should be a more critical
consideration of wineries in all regions of the world where the winemaking is
still in its youth. Blends of both estate grown grapes by one label AND
collaborations between wineries throughout entire regions have the potential to
channel the very best attributes into wines that capture imaginations and
define the wines people come to the region to find.
The Sakonnet Vineyards Claret (RI) red blend didn’t seem to resonate
with anyone. Some of the feedback wasn’t worthy of printing here. I personally
found that it ended flat and didn’t have enough zip to grab me. I plan to give
it a little air, there was little tightness perhaps, and come back to see if
there is any change. When contrasted with my own, very young, riff on a
Meritage blend the difference was immediately noticed in the expressions of the
tasters. Brighter, fruitier and more nuanced was the general response. Noel
suggested my blend was likely to shine brighter when repeated in a larger batch
with a year in the barrel. I love my wine-making friends!
Problems We Had
Moonlight Meadery Sumptuous – unfortunately this had re-fermented
in the bottle and had lost all the sweetness. It was not drinkable and a shame
to not have been able to enjoy. We’ve had this mead several times in the past,
and this was not it.
Alfalfa Farm Cranberry – this was aged too long, our bad. It
was oxidized and without merit for drinking.
Boyden Valley Seyval –there was piney flavor that was very
pronounced, and very off-putting. This was untouched after several folks
confirmed the finding. Neither Noel or I could figure an angle that would have
created this outcome and let it run under the radar.
Willow Spring Seyval
- this wine came off as very light and diluted to several of us. This is
not typical to the style at all. A few folks tried it only to confirm this
conclusion.
Other Notable Wines
Hopkins Vineyard Night Owl – this is a Vidal based dessert wine that
is very much worth a drink. I actually finished it right from the bottle with
dessert! It has a wild character in the nose, offers considerable
concentration, honey and dried fruits all the way through the tart, sweet
finish.
Flag Hill Blueberry – this was very much unlike what many
folks expected in a fruit wine. It is medium-dry with a pronounced fruit flavor
and clean finish. I don’t often find a blueberry wine I like, and this wine
didn’t personally grab me, but I didn’t hear lots of surprise at how it
presented itself.
Observations &
Follow-up Actions
Maine didn’t show very well in our tasting. With the
exception of the Tanguay Hard Frost Cider neither the Kennebec Hard Cider or
Cellar Door Viognier garnered much attention. I believe this should be spun as
a call to action to source additional wines from Maine to get a better idea of
what is offered from the state. Margot and I will be heading up to Maine this coming
weekend to do just this.
Eden Orleans Aperitif Wine – this is a new product, an
herbed cider wine made to be used as an aperitif or a cocktail mixer. It was
very interesting to taste in this way because it gave people the opportunity to
explore it. I do honestly believe from my own experience that cocktails with
gin, vodka and vermouths are likely to be the best way to apply a wine of this
type. Stay tuned for the requisite experiments to be shared here at the Ancient
Fire Wine Blog.
Rhode Island didn’t fair too well either. The first wine I
ever had from Sakonnet Vineyards, the Eye of the Storm Rose, is still my favorite. We
served this as our pre-game wine for early arrivals and during our prep.
Positive remarks all around. And while neither the Sakonnet Claret (mentioned
above) or Gewurztraminer were highly rated, the later needing some zip to be
more stylistically correct, I think some additional exploration in Rhode Island
is required.
How About That Local
Wine Drinking Habit?
I came away thinking that I was closer to being able to
suggest house wines and all-occasion wines from the New England region than I had ever been
before. Because I make so much wine, they become my house wines and gifts for
others, but I do still buy commercial wines. A few of those I tasted here are likely to
make the cut in future buys. Many of my red wine drinking friends answered no
to the question, understandable if you read the section above, and I suggested
we focus on reds in another round of New England wines in the near future. Some
research and sourcing effort might pay off.
Cheers!
Jason
Wine List
New Hampshire
Moonlight Meadery Sumptous
Candia Vineyards Marquette
Flag Hill Winery & Distillery Blueberry
LaBelle Winery Apple/Maple
Connecticut
Chamard Vineyards Merlot
Chamard Vineyards Chard
Hopkins Vineyard Night Owl
Rhode lsland
Sakonnet Vineyards EOS
Sakonnet Vineyards Meritage
Sakonnet Vineyards Gewurztraminer
Maine
Cellar Door Winery Viognier
Kennebec Hard Cider
Tanguay Hard Frost Cider
Massachusetts
Travessia Winery Vidal
Turtle Creek Winery Chard
Willow Spring Seyval
Truro Vineyards Cranberry Red
Alfalfa Farm Winery Cranberry
Vermont
Boyden Valley Seyval
Boyden Valley Riverbend Red
Eden Iced Cider
Eden Orleans Aperitif Wine
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
