Rival Michigan trumps Ohio in the vineyards — this time

By Mark Fisher | Friday, November 6, 2009, 12:53 PM

Woody Hayes might just be rolling in his grave.

Even though it’s been a glorious 2,176-plus days since the University of Michigan Wolverines beat the Ohio State Buckeyes on the football field, it’s a whole ‘nother story in the vineyards.

Michigan handily defeated Ohio in the 2009 Ohio vs. Michigan Wine Clash held last month in Columbus and Ann Arbor.

Eleven top wines were chosen from each state and judged in both Columbus and Ann Arbor by panels of wine lovers, writers and professionals. (I was one of the writers who served as a judge in Columbus.) Michigan reigned supreme by having the top-scoring wine of the 22 — Longview Estate Bottled “Winter Ice” 2007 — and four of the top five wines based on the aggregated judges’ scores. The wines were tasted “blind” — judges didn’t know the identities or the origins of the wines.

Ohioans can take consolation in the fact that its top 5 finisher — 2007 Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Franc from our friends Ron and Nancy down near Ripley — was half the price (or less) of any of the four top Michigan wines. The third-ranked Kinkead Ridge costs $17.95, while the Michigan-produced cab franc that finished second, 2 Lads Reserve Cabernet Franc 2007, retails for $40, and the first-place ice wine costs $60 — for a half bottle.

So let’s declare Ohio the winner on value.

The Ohio-Michigan wine clash is organized by Andrew Hall, a Columbus-area wine enthusiast and member of the Columbus chapter of Slow Food Nation, an organization formed in response to the negative effects of fast food on people’s lives. Slow Food Columbus is the primary sponsor of the “wine clash” as part of its Taste Education program and support of local agriculture and artisanal food industries, Hall said.

Hall also wanted to bring some exposure to the excellent wines being produced from homegrown grapes in both states, and timed it not-so-coincidentally just before The Game between OSU and UM. This year’s was the second clash (click here for 2008 results.)

“The take home message from this tasting is that both states produce quality wines which deserve a place on the table, especially if you are interested in local ingredients and foods,” Hall said. “There are dedicated winemakers in both states who have really raised the bar and shown what can be done, despite the challenges.

“I think the results show that restaurants with a local focus should make an effort to offer local wines and consumers should give them an honest try.”

Hall’s right. The red wines, in particular, were a revelation to taste — collectively the best red wines I’ve ever sampled from Ohio and Michigan, thanks in part to a long, warm growing season in 2007 that allowed red grapes to ripen fully in the upper midwest.

“2007 was a remarkable vintage in both states,” Hall said. “When conditions are right, we can produce really great wines here. And from all I hear and taste from barrel samples, 2008 looks to quite strong as well.”

Hall chose the “starting team” of 11 wines from each state after tasting extensively across Ohio and Michigan earlier this year. He also used other wine competitions such as the Ohio Quality Wine program, the Ohio Wine Competition and Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition to help nominate potential finalists. And he assembled tasting panels to help him narrow down the final lists of 11. Price was not a consideration.

“The selection process was very hard and rigorous this year with so many quality wines from both states,” Hall said. “Any of the entrants would be welcome on my table.”

My scorecard nearly mirrored the overall tasting panel’s: I placed the Michigan ice wine first, although I had the Kinkead Ridge second in my rankings rather than third. (For a bit of the Michigan perspective, click here to read Ann Arbor Chronicle wine writer Joel Goldberg’s column on the clash.)

Here are the results, in order of the full panels’ aggregate ranking, with number of first place votes in parentheses:

1. Longview Winter Ice 2007 (Dessert Wine) Leelanau Peninsula MI, $60 (4)

2. 2 Lads Reserve Cabernet Franc 2007 (Dry Red) Old Mission Peninsula MI, $40 (2)

3. Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Franc 2007 (Dry Red) Ohio River Valley OH, $17.95 (2)

4. Gill’s Pier Cabernet Franc-Merlot 2007 (Dry Red) Leelanau Peninsula MI 2007, $35 (1)

5. Wyncroft Avonlea Pinot Noir 2007 (Dry Red) Lake Michigan Shore MI, $45 (1)

The Ohio-born-and-bred Raven’s Glenn White October 2008, made in Ohio from Chardonel grapes, placed sixth, by the way, and also cost just under $18.

Before anyone goes out to Dayton-area wine retailers searching for the Michigan winners, be forewarned: you’ll likely strike out. Hall said he doesn’t believe any of the top-scoring Michigan wines are available at Ohio retail wine shops, and he took a few shots at the Ohio laws that he said are “stacked against consumers” because they create barriers for small wineries.

“The distributors in Ohio have shown little interest in carrying small-production, high-quality wines from the neighboring states,” Hall said. “Many of the wines sell out directly from the winery’s cellar door as well, so the producers don’t have an incentive to deal with the bureaucracy and mandated cut to the distributor that selling across state lines would involve.”

Andrew Hall pours brown-bagged samples at the Columbus-area judging for the 2009 Ohio vs. Michigan Wine Clash, held at the Twisted Vine wine shop in Grandview.

Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment More: Ohio wines, wine competitions

In every corner of southwest Ohio, wine tastings abound

By Mark Fisher | Friday, November 6, 2009, 07:09 AM

If someone were to stack every bottle of wine offered at Dayton-area wine tastings over the last 30-plus years (and yes, Dayton WAS among the trailblazers in drop-in wine tastings) end-to-end, how far would the stack reach? Hundreds of miles? Thousands? Just wondering …

Here’s the finest and most comprehensive list of wine and beer tastings, dinners and other events to contemplate, and it comes to Uncorked via the heroic efforts of a Dayton-based listserv that compiles the irresistible information. Click on “continue reading” if the list doesn’t appear immediately below, and enjoy!

Continue reading "In every corner of southwest Ohio, wine tastings abound"...

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment More: wine tastings & dinners

Dayton: wine crossroads of America

By Mark Fisher | Thursday, November 5, 2009, 09:20 AM

Dayton was a wine crossroads of sorts last week, with two French winemakers whose wines are imported by Berkeley-based Kermit Lynch Wine Merchants — Emmanuel Delaille of Domaine du Salvard and Serge Farigoule of Domaine le Sang de Cailloux — visiting The Winds in Yellow Springs and Dorothy Lane Market’s Springboro store, while Count Sebastiano Capponi of Villa Calcinaia, a winery in the Chianti region of Tuscany, poured his family’s impressive lineup of wines at DLM Oakwood.

The fact that such high-profile European winemakers are making Dayton a stop on their marketing trips to the U.S. certainly says something positive about the Dayton wine market, don’t you think?

Highlights of the tastings includes the pleasantly tart and refreshing 2008 Domaine du Salvard Cheverny Blanc, $16.99; every 2007 Vacqueyras from Domaine le Sang de Cailloux, which range from $40 to $55; the delicious white Villa Calcinaia Comitale 2007, $16.99; and both the Count’s Villa Calcinaia Chianti Classico 2005 ($21.99 ) and Villa Calcinaia Chianti Classico Riserva 2005 ($34.99). These are good days to be a wine lover in Dayton. Just sayin’.

Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment More: France and its wines, Italian wines, wine tastings & dinners

Wine pairings with Halloween candy?

By Mark Fisher | Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 12:45 PM

The fine folks at A Taste of Wine in Miamisburg asked its e-mail-list members whether they have raided their children’s Halloween candy, and suggested the following candy-and-wine pairings:

“For Skittles, Candy Corn and Starbursts, try a sweet riesling. Peanut Butter Cups would pair well with cabernet sauvignon or red zinfandel. And Snickers would be delicious with a 10-year tawny port.”

So now you know.

Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment More: Just for Fun

‘Feminist Wine Club’ will benefit NOW

By Mark Fisher | Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 07:29 AM

The California National Organization for Women (NOW) and Bottlenotes have joined to launch the Feminist Wine Club, according to a NOW news release issued late Monday night, Nov. 2.

“All wines in the Feminist Wine Club have been carefully selected by Bottlenotes to showcase some phenomenal wines made or imported by women, or produced at wineries owned by women,” says the Feminist Wine Club web site. “All proceeds from the Feminist Wine Club go to the California National Organization for Women.”

NOW calls the wine club “an easy, enjoyable, non-intimidating way for women to learn about wine, build community, and support women winemakers and causes as well.”

Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment More: Women & Wine

Miami alums to host wine tasting for scholarships

By Mark Fisher | Monday, November 2, 2009, 08:50 AM

Here’s a news release I received about Middletown-area Miami University alumni hosting a wine-tasting and auction event to support students scholarships:

MIDDLETOWN, OH - A wine tasting party and silent auction will be held at the Miami University Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, sponsored by the Middletown Area Chapter of the Miami University Alumni Association. The evening’s proceeds will support scholarships for students beginning their education on the Middletown campus but may follow them to Oxford, Hamilton or the new VOA Learning Center.

Five wines with accompanying hors d’oeuvres from the Dorothy Lane Markets of Springboro and Dayton will be served. Dorothy Lane’s wine expert, Todd Templin, will provide tasters with information concerning each of the selected wines, including white, red and dessert wines.

More than twenty items will be offered in a silent auction, including an original watercolor painting of the Black (Pugh’s Mill) Covered Bridge near Oxford by the late, renowned watercolorist Frank Martindell. The painting was featured in Mr. Martindell’s one-man show at the Middletown Art Center in 2007. Other items range from massages and spa treatments to Miami and Reds sports memorabilia and sports gear.

Reservations may be made by calling Joanne Harper at 513-529-1451 or by following an on-line link on www.miamialum.org. The cost is $40.00 per person or $35.00 for members of the Miami University Alumni Association. You do not have to be a graduate of Miami to attend. Anyone wishing more information may contact Joanne Harper (harperjh@muohio.edu), Paula Cohen (513-423-4443) or Ellen Kukuk (513-423-1778).

The Voice of America Learning Center is located at the corner of Cox Road and VOA Park Drive in West Chester.

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment

Dayton’s finest wine-and-beer tastings and events list, free for the perusing

By Mark Fisher | Friday, October 30, 2009, 06:47 AM

Week in and week out, this list is simply breathtaking, and this week’s is no exception. Our collective thanks to the Dayton-based wine listserv that compiles this collection of wine and beer tastings, dinners, fundraisers and other events, then graciously shares it with Uncorked. Yes, these events make for fine reading — but even better attending. Check out the French winemakers pouring their wines at DLM Springboro tonight (Friday, 10-30), and the Italian winemaker pouring Saturday afternoon at DLM Oakwood (these people traveled halfway around the world just to pour for us!), or the upcoming beer dinner at Jay’s — something a bit out of the ordinary.

But don’t overlook the very different, special-themed tastings this weekend at Little Sonoma and Jungle Jim’s — unlike any I can ever recall seeing in the many years of these wine lists. Great ideas!

Click on “continue reading” if the list doesn’t appear directly below … Cheers!

Continue reading "Dayton’s finest wine-and-beer tastings and events list, free for the perusing"...

Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment More: wine tastings & dinners