Try Indiana's Signature Wine - Traminette

It’s a fair guess most Hoosiers didn’t know Indiana has a “signature wine.” Sure, California has Cabernet, Oregon has Pinot, and Italy has Chianti – but Indiana?

Last fall Indiana’s Department of Agriculture, Office of Tourism and the Indiana Wine Grape Council introduced Indiana’s first signature wine – Traminette.

Would it help if it’s noted Traminette is much like Gewurztraminer? Hmm, guess not!
Traminette is a grape that is ideal for Indiana’s climate. Currently 23 of Indiana’s more than 40 wineries offer a Traminette. For many years Indiana seemed limited to the Concord, Niagara, and Chambourcin grapes but many wineries are really expanding their crops.

Indiana has a booming wine industry with more than a million visitors last year.
The great thing about this wine is it’s very likable. It’s incredibly floral on the nose with some spice. Most of Indiana’s Traminette is on the sweet to semi-sweet side of the palate. There are a few wineries making really interesting dry Traminette. (Note my picks at the bottom of the column.)

Indiana is up to 46 wineries with no end in sight. Most make wines based on the sweet grapes that have flourished here for so long. But there are wineries like Huber’s at Starlight now growing Malbec and Petit Verdot. Jim Pfeiffer at Turtle Run is experimenting with interesting blends unlike anyone else in the state.

As the vines in Hoosier vineyards mature, so are Indiana’s winemakers.

On recent visits, Easley (Indianapolis), Huber, and Turtle Run (east of Corydon) are pouring great Indiana wines. Recent tasting opportunities, including six to seven newer Indiana wineries last summer, has convinced me Indiana’s wineries are taking a big step forward. Most Hoosier wine remains on the sweeter side, but I’ve learned to appreciate well-made wine even if it doesn’t suit my particular palate.

There is a winery near you wherever you read Grape Sense. The Indiana Wine Grape Council has a website listing all wineries, wine events, and lots of other great information.

Indiana also has a couple of great wine festivals where you can taste the wines of many wineries in a really fun atmosphere. One of the two biggest is coming up at Story, Indiana, April 24. Story is near Nashville, Indiana. You can find plenty of details for the Indiana Wine Fair online.

The other big show is Vintage Indiana June 5 in downtown Indianapolis. It is held in Military Park near the Eiteljorg and IUPUI.

The great thing about these two festivals is almost every Indiana winery participates. For a flat cover fee, you can select from hundreds of different wines to taste.

These are all fabulous one-day trips. And with Indiana’s wine trails, you can easily visit four or five wineries in a single day!

Howard’s Picks:
Turtle Run 2008 Dry Traminette – There is a lot of Indiana Traminette I have not tasted, but Turtle Run offers the driest version I’ve found. This is going to be similar to a dry Riesling or a dry Chenin Blanc for someone who has yet to try Indiana’s signature grape. ($12)

Easley and Huber Traminette – I find both of these wines similar with strong floral hints and a beautiful balance. Both are semi-sweet wines that really express the grape boldly. Both wines are selling for approximately $15.
Howard W. Hewitt, Crawfordsville, is a wine enthusiast who writes about wine in this column and his blog – Grape Sense – at www.redforme.blogspot.com

You Must Try Chile's Wonderful Carmenere

If you like a red wine with big, bright, and dark fruit flavor with a mild finish it’s time to try Chile’s signature wine, Carmenere.

Chile’s explosive growth and ever-increasing quality has been a major wine story in recent years. It’s fueled in no small part by Carmenere. The Chileans are also producing nice Cabernet, Syrah, and experimenting in some areas with Pinot Noir.
The Colchagua, Rapel, and Maipo valleys have long been the leaders in Carmenere production.

Like so many varietals, Carmenere is believed to have been originally grown in the Medoc region of Bordeaux, France. It was used primarily for blending of the great Bordeaux wines.

Chile came by its signature wine somewhat mistakenly. For years many thought Carmenere to be Merlot or a Merlot clone. Scientific studies have shown it’s more likely to be a clone of Cabernet Sauvignon. Carmenere was believed to have first appeared in Chile in the mid-1800s.

The grapes were planted around Santiago. Chile’s light summer rain and warm temperatures allowed the grape to flourish.

The wine is incredibly delicious, approachable, ready to drink, and inexpensive. If that sounds like my description of Argentina’s Malbec from previous columns, you’d be right!

Carmenere is an extreme value buy. You can find good bottles for well under $15 in most wine shops.

The grape has almost disappeared from France while thriving in Chile. Italy, California and Washington state have limited Carmenere vineyards.

The Chileans have started to use Carmenere as a blending grape with their Cabernets. If you find a Carmenere, you’re likely to find a Cabernet/Carmenere blend from the same label.

The wine has a really bright characteristic to it. Some wine drinkers might use the word “freshness” to describe the palate. It often has characteristics of blackberry, blueberry, and a peppery finish. It pairs well with all kinds of food and is quite drinkable alone.

If you are expanding your wine palate, and taking Grape Sense’s advice to try, try and try new things – you need to buy a Carmenere.

Here are a couple of names to look for: Concha Y Toro, Cantus, Santa Alicia, Terra Andina, Santa Rita, Santa Ema, and Montes Alpha.

The wine is becoming more sophisticated with each vintage. Montes Alpha, one of Chile’s most respected producers, makes a premium Carmenere called “Purple Angel” which sells for $55-$65. I recently participated in a grand tasting of more than 40 wines with eight wine journalists. The Purple Angel was the top scoring wine of the group.

Howard’s Pick:
2006 Santa Ema Carmenere Barrel Select – This wine will just amaze you. It has a huge nose with really intense flavors of licorice and dark berries. It is often scored high in “Best Buy” categories by many of the major publications. The winery has been around since the early 1900s, so they know what they’re doing. The most amazing thing about this wine – the $10 price tag!

Howard Hewitt, Crawfordsville, is a career journalist who now writes about wine. Read his frequently-updated blog at: www.redforme.blogspot.com

Never A Better Time to Buy Better Wine

We are in a golden age for value wine. Emerging New World wines have given $10-$20 wine drinkers more choices than ever before. And the economic downturn is now making high caliber wines affordable.

I recently purchased a $41.99 Spanish Garnacha wine for $17.91! Earlier this spring I bought a California Cabernet I’ve long wanted. I paid $50 for the bottle, something I very seldom do. But the wine normally retails for very close to $100. I’ll share how that happens below but how did we get to this strange place?

Everything starts with the economic downturn which has led to a suppressed market for wines over $25. The Nielsen Company reports wine sales at $25 and higher dropped 30 percent last year. And for the first time in 16 years, California wine sales decreased while global sales continued an upward trend.

Next California’s 2009 harvest was a bumper crop. Fruit prices dropped as much as 75 percent in some cases. So when you combine a decrease in sales and a bumper crop, you have a lot of California wineries sitting on wine.

One movement is to increase direct-to-consumer sales. I was shocked to see one report suggesting only 20 percent of California wineries had a presence on Facebook. But now wineries are creating mailing lists, Twitter accounts, and such to build a loyal customer base and skip the middle man.

But the more beneficial development is some wineries are cutting prices through internet clearing houses or off their own shelves to increase cash flow. There has even been speculation in the wine press (there is such a thing and I read a lot of it) this price suppression could lead to a re-positioning in the market for California’s higher priced wines.

But for consumers it’s a boom in quality for a few dollars more than we’re used to spending. Most people buying outside the supermarket but within the ‘value wine” category are spending $12-$16 for a pretty good bottle wine. Now with some of these internet sites (three are listed below) you can spend $12-$30 and buy incredible wine that might normally sell for up to $30-$60 or more. And the quality difference is very substantial at that price point.

Most of the sites are offering free shipping for a minimum purchase. That minimum purchase often gets you to around $50-$60 of wine. But, here is a way around that. I work in an institution with several people who enjoy wine. I saw a California Alexander Valley Cabernet, which is normally $40, on Wines Till Sold Out for $19. A 4-bottle minimum purchase included free shipping. I didn’t want to invest $80 in wine but ended up splitting the order with a friend to get the incredible price and free shipping!

There are several of these internet sites. I’m listing three that I know ship to Indiana, which is always an issue.

Howard’s Picks:

Cinderella Wine (www.cinderellawine.com) – This site is operated by Wine Library, New Jersey. That is Gary Vaynerchuk’s empire. I’ve watched these sites for about a month and this site probably has the best deals. Prices are often 50-70 percent off retail.

Wine Till Sold Out (www.wtso.com) – All of these sites post a featured wine and when they’re gone, they’re gone. I have ordered a couple of times from WTSO and been very happy with the service.

Cellar Thief – (www.cellarthief.com) – Here is another site offering up three different wines at a time, the other two feature just one. The operators have family in the Chesterton/Valparaiso area so they have some Hoosier roots.

News Note: A big welcome to readers in Shelbyville, Avon/Brownsburg, and the area of Portage, Chesterton, Valparaiso, and Hobart to Grape Sense.

Please, Anything But Another Chardonnay

Specific wines come in and out of vogue every few decade. There’s been much debate about the movie Sideways’ impact on Pinot Noir and Merlot sales.

Argentina has re-introduced the world to Malbec, Chile to its Carmenere, and Australia to big, fruity styles of Shiraz. South Africa wine is emerging as ‘the next big thing.”

White Zinfandel helped launch the American wine industry. Chardonnay is now the dominant white varietal in the U.S.

But before all of these trends was perhaps one of the most versatile of all white wine grapes, Chenin Blanc. Chenin Blanc dominated California’s white wine scene until the late 1970s. The grape can produce wonderful dry table wines, sparkling wines, age-worthy wines, and even rich dessert wines.

Chenin Blanc is great by itself or with light foods. It pairs well with light fish dishes, salads, and like many others I love it with some cheese. The wine often has floral characteristics along with honey, peach, and melon notes. It is aged in stainless steel instead of oak to produce a light and easy-to-drink wine that almost anyone can enjoy. It’s relatively low in alcohol with modest to sometimes strong acidity.

The growth of the California wine market in the 80s and 90s almost killed off Chenin Blanc. Critics would say California killed off Chenin Blanc because the wines became sweet, too thin and just not very interesting.

A recent trip to two sizable wine shops found only two choices for California Chenin Blanc.

The grape remains celebrated in its birthplace, the Loire Valley in France. Keep in mind French wines are identified by geography and not the grape, I’d advise any wine drinker to try a French Vouvray or Saumur.

I tasted my first Vouvray in an Italian wine bar in Florence just a few weeks ago. Vouvray is a small wine-producing region in Loire that makes a delicious and rich Chenin Blanc. The wine can be aged with an incredibly rich and smooth-textured result. I drank a 1996 Domaine Freslier Vouvray with soft French goat cheese that was one of the best pairings I’ve ever enjoyed.

The Saumur region makes a bigger, drier Chenin Blanc that might please red wine drinkers. It is perfect for food with a stronger minerality than the Vouvray wines I’ve recently sampled.

The wonderful thing about these Chenin Blanc wines is the affordability. You can find great examples under $15 at most wine stores. As noted, you may have more success searching for a French Vouvray or Saumur than a California Chenin Blanc.

Howard’s Picks:
Dry Creek 2007 Chenin Blanc – This is one of the easiest to find California Chenin Blancs. I picked up a bit of apricot on the nose with a mildly acidic finish. I thought it was thin at mid-palate but worth a try. You can find the wine at $9-$12. Bonny Doon is a producer often cited for its great version of this wine. I bought a bottle I will be blogging but haven’t tried yet.

Remy Pannier 2008 Vouvray – This was a light colored wine with a beautiful nose. The richness of flavor will grab your attention. This wine is widely available and a great introduction to Chenin Blanc. It ranges $13-$16.

Domaine des Hauts de Sanziers 2008 Saumur – A strong nose of lemon and pear make you sit up and take notice of this $14.95 wine. It has tremendous balance between flavor and acidity.

Political Dollars Determine What You Drink

If you love hazelnuts the best Oregon and Washington state producers would be happy to ship you some.

Whether it’s fruit from Florida, books from Amazon, or outdoor clothing from L.L. Bean – those companies will be happy to ship to your front step.

But if you want wine, just start banging your head against the wall now. Wine shipping laws vary from state to state, are contradictory, and unfair.

And one of the dirty secrets is the amount of money state legislators pocket from those wanting to keep the system in place.

Most states are governed by three-tier systems. Nearly all wine is sold producer to wholesaler to retailer. In other words, wholesalers have complete say over what product you can buy off the retail shelf not to mention the additional mark-up in price.

The laws concerning direct shipment to your door are even more convoluted. I was in an Oregon winery in April wanting to buy a case of wine but they couldn’t direct ship it to my home because they do have an Indiana wholesaler. I feel obligated to point out that you read the previous sentence correctly.

But lets’ go back to that dirty little secret.

Grape Sense runs in eight different Indiana communities. I looked up six or seven legislators from the varying communities, not everyone, and found every single lawmaker had accepted campaign contributions from wholesale distributors. As a matter of fact, it seems if you’re in the general assembly you’re guaranteed at least $500 from the booze lobby every campaign cycle. And if your legislator is in leadership, the dollar figure will be higher.

But don’t take my word for it! Check your Indiana legislator’s record at www.followthemoney.org

Every Indiana legislator I researched had contributions from one or more of the major wholesalers.

Legislators consistently repeat the incredibly inane argument promulgated by the wholesalers about “keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors.”

There has never been a single complaint, arrest, or incident of an underage person trying to buy a nice Cabernet for his or her Friday night binge. No, they find someone a bit older to buy their booze at the corner liquor store. Which seems to be the bigger problem?

By the way, to buy booze online you have to have a credit card – something most of us understand.

Between 2000 and 2009 alcohol wholesalers contributed more than $66 million to state campaigns. In Indiana since 2000, wholesalers contributed a minimum of $203,000 in even-numbered election years. They really twisted some arms in 2004 stuffing Hoosier legislator’s pockets with $678,389. (www.followthemoney.org)

What can you do? There is an Indiana website with regular updates and calls to action at wwwvinsense.org

But you can have an impact talking and writing to your state representative and senators. These laws are 70 years old and don’t protect consumers they just inhibit free enterprise. It won’t change overnight, but it starts by educating wine lovers about the self-serving interests who control what you can buy.

Howard W. Hewitt, Crawfordsville, writes regularly about wine. Read his blog at www.redforme.blogspot.com Contact him at: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Finding a Really Nice Chianti

Who hasn’t seen that fat-bottomed bottle of Chianti? It’s the one with the basket around the bottom of the bottle. Or, if you’re old enough, perhaps you remember burning a candle in such a bottle in your younger days.

Italian wine has come a long way from the days of those Chianti jug wines, but if you’re nostalgic enough you can still find those. Chianti and Chianti Classico are readily available with a wide range of value and quality. The history of the grape is a lot of fun. It’s a history that dates back to the 13th Century!

Let’s start with geography. Italy and France are the real “old world” wine countries and designate their wines by region. Chianti is an area just south of Florence, Italy, in the heart of Tuscany. The Chianti Classico region is the very best growing region at the heart of Chianti.

The great Italian red grape is Sangiovese (sän'jō-vēz', -vēs'), the most widely planted grape in Italy. The grape is at the heart of Chianti as well as the big and expensive Brunellos and Super Tuscan wines. Many U.S. west coast producers have started growing Sangiovese in recent years.

Italy, just like France, has a carefully governed wine industry. Wine regions are regulated and wines must contain certain percentages of certain grapes to carry the famous wine names.

Sangiovese is generally high in acidity and moderate in alcohol, which makes it a great food wine – especially with those red sauces associated with Italian food.
For years Chianti was seen as not much more than jug wine or a step above that derisive label. But in the 1970s and 1980 Chianti producers really took the grape seriously and started producing much better wines.

Sangiovese is a tricky grape so producers have experimented with blends. To be called Chianti, the wine must be 80 percent Sangiovese. A number of varietals have been, and continue to be, used to balance the wine. The two most popular choices are Merlot and Italy’s native Canaiolo.

As a matter of fact, there has been controversy in the last few years over the amounts of Merlot added to the bigger Italian wines to soften their taste.
Never hesitate to ask questions at your wine shop. If the bottle doesn’t tell you the amount of grapes used in the blend just ask. I like the traditional Canaiolo much better than Merlot. If you want a true representation of Chianti, I strongly recommend the Sangiovese-Canaiolo combination.

That combination gives you the rich and deep cherry flavor of classic Chianti. The Merlot blend tends to club the wine with overpowering blandness.

Howard’s Picks:
2008 Ruffino Chianti - This is a wine available in shops and many supermarkets. It’s a Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino blend. It’s got the cherry flavor with a hint of spice. The basket is gone but it’s a nice choice for $9.

Il Fiorini Chianti – This is an amazing Chianti Classico for roughly $13. It’s full flavored with cherry hints and very smooth tannins. This is great Sangiovese-based Chianti with 20 percent Canaiolo.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Two Great Winery Visits in Tuscany

FLORENCE, Italy - One of the great joys of wine is great wine experiences. I just returned from 10 work-related days in Italy but had a full day in Tuscan wine country and a couple of great wine experiences.

The highlight was visiting two wineries in Tuscany. Tour companies wanted up to $200 Euro (or $300) for a day-long wine tour, so I kept looking. I found a U.S. transplant, Anthony Finta, who has lived in Florence for five years. He is trying to start a business bringing small production wines to the U.S. for internet sales.

He arranged visits at two small wineries deep in the Tuscan hills. So while the column is about my visit, it’s also to suggest getting off the beaten path and finding stops many will miss.

Neither winery has a current U.S. distributor, but there are hundreds of small wineries in Italy, and other old world countries, facing the same challenge. Our first visit was to Corzano e Paterno near San Pancrazio, about 30 minutes south of Florence.

The winery was purchased in the 1970s by a successful Swiss architect, Wendel Gelpke. His daughters Arianna, the wine maker, and Sibilla, who heads the cheese making, gave us a wonderful tour.

The estate included the ruins of three old homes the family has renovated as guest houses. They produce a Rosso (table wine), Chianti, Chianti Reserva, and a Tuscan. All Italian restaurants serve table wine but most during our trip was, frankly, terrible. The Corzano Rosso was better than many Chianti wines I tasted – and it sold for just 6 Euro.

The Corzano Tuscan wine was a big beautiful blend of Cabernet, Merlot, and, the traditional Italian grape, Sangiovese. The Tuscan was 23 Euro, aged in new oak, with 14.5 percent alcohol. It was a dynamic bottle of wine. The Chianti Riserva was equally outstanding.

Sibilla was a gracious host in the new cheese-making facility. The farm has 600-700 sheep at any given time. The sheep cheeses were smooth and not quite as earthy as a traditional goat cheese.

Our second stop was at Fattoria di Rignana, located in an old farmhouse that dates back to the eleventh century. The assistant manager was running late but still gave us a tour of the fascinating wine cellar. We tasted their wines in the kitchen of the main house.

Rignana’s Chianti and Chianti Classico were the best Chianti wines of my visit. They were well-structured wines with big cherry flavor and balanced tannins. Rignana makes less than 4,000 cases of wine a year. The two wines sold for $15 and $20 US dollars.

The great thing about both of the wineries was they make wine in a very traditional method. They use no additives, they age their wines in oak and much of the work is done by hand.

So the point is whether it’s Italy or Napa Valley the best treasures and experiences are off the beaten path. As my new friend Anthony put it, you want something that just tastes the same or something that is handcrafted and a little different?

If it’s Napa, visit Mondavi and all the big wineries but stop at some of the smaller wineries for a real treat. If you’re in Italy there is nothing wrong with finding Antinori and Frescobaldi, but the little places are making great wines and need your business!

You can do the same thing when you buy wine in the shop near you. Ask the proprietor for wines from producers who make small amounts. You might be surprised by the quality and the value.

Arrivederci!

In the photo: Arianna Gelpke talks about the wine of Corzano e Paterno with Howard Hewitt