Vinotology Wine Blog

The Michigan by the Bottle IPhone App Giveaway

I love people who see a need and work hard to fill that need. The wine industry is full of technological gaps compared to a lot of industries. It seems like the industry is just a little behind on taking advantage of the technology that is available to support their interests. My friends at the Michigan by the bottle blog have really positioned themselves as the go-to team in supporting their local wine scene, and the recent release of their IPhone app is just the latest example.

Shannon and Cortney Casey have been tirelessly covering the world of Michigan wine on their blog for quite a while now, and have been really instrumental in my awareness of Michigan wines. They have used blogging, video blogging, and Twitter tastings to spread their local wine gospel, and have now released an IPhone app that has information about every winery in the state of Michigan. There is a surprising lack of local wine apps on the market right now, and I think that this is a segment that could really be exploited to bring attention to various regions, and to help local wine enthusiasts plan tasting trips and make purchasing decisions. I expect to see a lot of wine regions beginning to fund mobile apps in the near future, and MBTB's app could serve as a good case study for how these apps might be useful.

Shannon has graciously offered to let me give away a free download of the app to a lucky Vinotology reader. If you have any interest in Michigan wine, if you would be interested in reviewing the app with an eye toward creating a regional IPhone app for your area, or even if you are just curious, leave me a comment on this post to be entered into a random drawing for the app download key. To whoever wins the drawing, I'm sure Shannon and Cortney would appreciate that you leave a rating and review of the app after you have had a chance to try it. Also, if you are just interested in purchasing the app, you can do so here.

I Can Name That Varietal in Two Sips

Today's post is a guest post by my friend, and fellow Wino League fantasy baseball team owner, Mike Fifer.

So you think you know your wine??  Been sipping and tasting wine for some time now?  Some of you even blogging about your experiences? You think you know your varietals by just sniffing and tasting? Ever put yourself to a real test??

A couple of weeks ago, I put my palette to the test.  The results were about what I expected -- I did not have high expectations-- but the experience was a lot of fun and very interesting.

Lisa Ribaudo, Director of Wine Operations and a Certified Sommelier for the Andiamo Restaurant Group here in Michigan organized a "Name that Grape" event involving 10 wines -- 10 different varietals.  Your challenge:  Name the varietal AND where the wine was produced.  I gathered small group of “wine know-it-alls” and we put our palettes and our egos to the test!

The Test

On the outside patio of Andiamo in Dearborn, Michigan, we gathered on a perfect evening to meet our wines.  This was a strolling wine tasting so each participant was given a glass and could approach the bar at their convenience.  At the bar sat 10 well covered bottles.  Lisa gave us a minimal amount of information on each wine. . . just enough to get us started on our "test".  Wines #1 through #4 were white wines.  #6 through #10 were red. 

My "strategy" was simple. . . use all of my limited wine tasting experience to try to determine what I was tasting and then take my best shot at the locale from which it came.  I thought Lisa would stick to the 'usual' varietals and not go too far outside the norm (i.e a Torrontes or Lemberger), so I concentrated on those varietals as a basis for my answers.

I have been sampling wines for several years now but I am by no means an "expert".  I am a consumer and not at all part of the wine industry, so my experience with wine is limited by my ability to seek out and try new varietals, the educational opportunities n which I engage and the wine experiences that I have amassed over the past several years.

We had roughly 2 hours to sniff, taste, and discuss the 10 wines presented to us.  Yes, “cheating" off your friends was allowed but competition amongst my wine buiddies was fierce.   It was a grueling and exhausting experience.  The pressure was intense.

At the end of the two hours, it was time for the answers to be revealed.  How did I do?  Well, before the big reveal, I thought I had nailed the white varietals.  They seemed, to me, relatively easy to identify.  The reds on the other hand, were difficult to distinguish.  I tried to look for certain characteristics to help me along.  For instance, the first red had fresh bright red fruit flavors with a hint of dirt-- but, I noted that I could see my fingers through the wine in the glass--must be Pinot Noir I thought. 

The Reveal!

Before she revealed the wines and regions, Lisa asked if anyone thought they had gotten all of the wines correct.  A few brave 'brown-nosers' thought they had-- not so much.  Lisa gave them and "atta-boy" and sent them back to their seats (I did not have the ego or the courage to be ridiculed by Lisa, so I did not show her my answers).

Giving myself one point for the varietal and one point for the region, here is my scorecard:


1.   Pinot Grigio (Italy)--  2 points!
2.   Chardonnay (California)-- 2 points!
3.   Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)-- 2 points!
4.   Late Harvest Riesling (Michigan)-- 2 points!  (Not many thought it was from Michigan)
5.   Pinot Noir (Burgundy) -- 1 point (I was wrong on the region)
6.   Merlot (California)-- 0 points (I swore it was Tempranillo from Spain!)
7.   Shiraz (Australia)-- 0 points (How did I miss that?)
8.   Zinfandel (California)-- 1 point (Got the region, but thought it might be Petit Syrah)
9.   Cabernet Sauvignon (California)-- 2 points!!
10.  Malbec (Argentina)-- 0 points (My taste buds told me 'Zin')

12 out of 20 points.  "F"!  Well not really. 

This was a great exercise in testing my "knowledge" of wine.  Actually, I scored about where I thought I would.  I was really surprised at how well I knew the white wine varietals (I nailed the Michigan Late Harvest Riesling!).  I was even more surprised at how tough the red wines were to distinguish.

I would highly recommend this test for all of you wine bloggers and enthusiasts.  If any wine professionals are reading this and have the ability to host one of these events, I would also recommend you do so.  It was enlightening, educational and humbling for me as for the friends I attended with.  Most importantly, though, it was a lot of fun.  Based upon my results, I have a great deal of studying to do. . . so I am off to "cram" for my next exam.  Cheers!!

 

Mike Fifer (@WineMonologues) is a wine enthusiast with a passion to learn as much as he can about wine and the wine industry.  He has no background in the "wine business" nor does he claim to be a wine "expert."  He just enjoys the wine world and all it has to offer.  Follow his journey at TheWineMonologues.com. 

 

A Special Mission From Michigan

One of the things that I have really enjoyed over the last few months has been getting to know the wines of some of the less common wine growing regions. Thanks to my friends Shannon and Cortney Casey from the Michigan By The Bottle blog, I have had the pleasure of trying several wines from Michigan recently. The Casey's are great ambassadors for Michigan wine, and have put together a great series of events called, Tweet & Taste Michigan. The next tasting, which takes place tomorrow (June 7th) at 8:00pm Eastern, will feature the wines of wineries from the Old Mission Peninsula. Cortney orchestrated a great intro video that plays on the "Mission" theme.

The tasting will consist of the following wines -

• 2 Lads 2009 Pinot Grigio
• Black Star Farms Sirius Cherry Dessert Wine
• Bowers Harbor Vineyards 2006 2896 Langley (Meritage)
• Chateau Chantal 2009 Pinot Grigio
• Chateau Grand Traverse 2008 Ship of Fools
• Brys Estate 2007 Signature Red
• Peninsula Cellars - 2006 Gewurztraminer

You can find out more information about the Tweet and Taste Michigan tasting here. Make sure and follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #ttmi.

Drinking Down on Shady Lane

 Tuesday night may well have seen more Michigan wine being consumed in the state of Texas than there ever has been before.  Okay, so I have no idea if that is true or not, but what I can tell you that this was the most Michigan wine that has ever been enjoyed at my place. I invited a couple of my Texan friends to partake in the tasting, after all, I am a generous guy. Not only do I freely share my wine with my vino amigos, I also have a slightly less endearing tendency to share my opinion. Here are my impressions on the wines that we tasted last night:

2008 Shady Lane Cellars Dry Riesling

The first thing that jumps out at me on this wine, is the tiny bubbles that were covering the glass. The wine is slightly fizzy with a light straw color. The nose serves up aromas of apricot and granny smith apples, as well as a touch of soap aroma. On the palate, I get even more sour apples, pretty tart, with some big acid. I also get some minerality on the finish. The acid lingers on the palate for a while.

I think that this is an enjoyable dry Riesling, not overly complex, but pretty easy drinking and food friendly. At $15 I think it is worth a try.

2007 Shady Lane Cellars Pinot Noir

The color on this Pinot is a nice transparent redish purple. On the nose, I get a whiff of a freshly torched crème brûlée, as well as some candied cherries and strawberry. The palate has some nice acidity and more cherry and red fruit. I don't get a lot of the earthiness that you sometimes find in Pinot Noir; I'm getting more of the fruitiness on this wine, but the acidity really appeals to me. I think that this is another food friendly offering from Shady Lane.

I am a sucker for a nice Pinot Noir, and I think this is an enjoyable take on the variety. At $22 I would probably purchase this one again.

2008 Shady Lane Cellars Blue Franc

I'm going to jump the gun, and say that I think that this wine was the real star of the night for me. I have absolutely no experience with Lemberger, or Blue Franc, or Blaufrankish, so this was a treat. The color is deep, deep, deep, purple. On the nose I get lots of black pepper, some smoke, and some herbal notes, as well as some nice blueberry. On the palate I get some more pepper, some cigar box cedar action, as well as more outstanding blueberry components. The finish is long and complex, with cola flavors that last into next week. This wine improves a lot with some air, so I definitely recommend letting it breathe a bit before diving in. There are also some nice tannins at play here that make me think that you could lay this one down in the cellar for a little while and it should just get stronger. 

Even at $22, I would definitely buy this wine in the future. I found myself hoping that Adam would extend his $.01 shipping deal so that I could justify the purchase of some more of this wine to my wife. I highly recommend this one to anyone who gets a chance to buy some.

Final thoughts

I really enjoyed tasting these wines. I thought that these wines got stronger as we went through the lineup, and no, I don't think it was because I got more sauced as the evening went on. All of the wines are worth trying, but I was more and more enthusiastic with each bottle that we tried. If you were going to buy one, I would recommend the Blue Franc, but I also thought that the Pinot was some good juice as well, and the Riesling was also a decent pour. All in all, I thought that Adam Satchwell and Shady Lane Cellars did a great job of representing Michigan wine, and I came away from the event interested in trying more from this region.

If you aren't already, you should really be reading/watching Michigan by the Bottle. Shannon and Courtney Casey have a great thing going with their video podcasts. I love the enthusiasm that they show for Michigan wine, and they are always fun and interesting to watch.

Note: These wines were provided as samples for review by Shady Lane Cellars.

A Taste of Michican in the Lonestar State

Last night I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in Tweet and Taste Michigan, hosted by Shannon Casey from Michigan by the Bottle.  I had a couple of friends over to get their first taste of Michigan wine with me, and had a great time talking with all the other wine lovers who were involved in the event.  This event had great participation, with 54 different people tweeting over 1000 times about the wines from Shady Lane Cellars.  I will be posting a full review on these wines tomorrow, but I wanted to give a quick overview today.

Along with the Michigan wine enthusiasts, there were bloggers and wine lovers from around the country, including my crew in Texas, Josh Wade of Drink Nectar fame in Washington, and Lenn Thompson from New York Cork Report.  The three wines that we tried for the event were a dry Riesling, a Pinot Noir, and a Blue Franc (Lemberger).  I thought that all three wines were enjoyable, and I look forward to reviewing them in more detail tomorrow.

Thanks to Shannon for organizing this fun event, and for inspiring me to organize some similar events for Texas wine (details coming soon), and to Adam Satchwell from Shady Lane Cellars for creating some fun wines and taking the time to share them with us.

A Taste of Michigan Terroir - Adam Satchwell of Shady Lane Cellars

I am honored to have been asked to participate in the upcoming Twitter Taste Michigan event that is being organized by my good friend Shannon Casey from Michigan by the Bottle. This tasting will feature the wines of Shady Lane Cellars. The event takes place next Tuesday, April 13th. Join in on the fun by grabbing some Shady Lane wine, and then tweeting your experiences and questions with the hashtag "#ttmi".

In preparation for the tasting, I thought I would take some time to learn a little bit more about the wine scene on the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan, and specifically about Shady Lane Cellars. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to talk with the winemaker at Shady Lane Cellars, Adam Satchwell.

Vinotology: First of all, thank you for taking the time to talk with me about your winery and your wines.  Tell me a little about yourself.  What is your background?

Adam: I have been in the wine business my entire adult life. I got a job in Kalamazoo, MI as a sales clerk in a wine/spirits/specialty food store very soon after graduating high school in 1976 and I've been at it since. In 1977 I moved to California, enrolled in the viticulture program at Santa Rosa Junior College, worked in some wineries as a cellar rat, continued my studies at U.C. Davis, worked in some more wineries, then found myself unexpectedly back in the Wash. DC area where I had graduated from high school. I continued in the wine industry in retail, eventually moved to NY to be the winemaker at Benmarl, then moved back to MI where I spent my "formative" years, and always considered "home". I worked retail again for a short period and then came on at Shady Lane Cellars in 2000. 2011 marks my 11th vintage here and my current capacity is winemaker and general manager.

Vinotology: Living way down South from you guys here in Texas, I know that there probably isn't a much bigger contrast in climates than our two states have. What are some of the unique features of winemaking and grape production in your area of Michigan? How does the climate affect your choices in varieties that you produce?

Adam: You might be surprised at the number of similarities our regions share. Don't get me wrong, it's not exactly the same, but anywhere you go in the world the criteria for producing quality wine is similar. You need a certain amount of growing season and heat units to ripen the fruit and some cooling during the night to retain certain compounds in the grapes that translate into many of the aromas and flavors in the wine. The difference between our region and any other is the extent of these seasonal characteristics. That's what makes any region different or unique.

In the case of northern Michigan, which is different than the SW region of our state mind you, we have several distinguishing traits. First, you must realize that we are roughly 250 miles NORTH of the Niagara region in Ontario. Some of us up here refer to our spot on the planet as "the edge of viticultural sanity". Travel a couple of miles in most any direction and you can't do what we do. We do have what is a truly unique set of geographic, geologic and climatic conditions that we call "Continental Maritime". Any where else on the planet you have one or the other. Continental is just that, within and influenced by continental factors, a very large land mass without the influence of a very large body of water. Think South Dakota or central Asia. Hot summers, very cold winters of a longer duration. Maritime is of course influenced by a very large body of water. Think the California coast, Bordeaux, Italy, etc. What we have is both, the only winegrowing region where that occurs, thanks to our location within the North American continent and the Great Lakes. Other continental regions may have what they consider considerable water nearby but nothing large enough to have a significant controlling influence on seasonal definition and weather patterns. So there we are, continental maritime.

The key to success in any winegrowing region is to understand the definition of that region, plant the appropriate varieties and farm them appropriate to the region and how that variety functions within that region. I won't get into individual site selection which is related but mostly one subset of this whole topic. So think Riesling in a warm or hot region such as Napa. Too much daytime heat, nights that are too warm to preserve the essential terpenes that help define the variety, therefore not an appropriate variety match to the region and its climate. Burgundy and Zinfandel, Sicily and Pinot Noir, Mosel and Cabernet Sauvignon... you get the idea. To make good wine you must match the region and the variety. Our region does well with the classic cool climate varieties; Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc and Gris, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and others.

Vinotology: Tell me a little bit about the history of Shady Lane Cellars.

Adam: The property was purchased by Dr. Joseph O'Donnell in 1988 and the original vineyard of 11+ acres total mixed between Riesling, Chardonnay, Vignoles and Pinot Noir was begun in 1989. The winery functioned basically as a hobby farm, some production by neighboring winemakers but no real avenue for showing or selling the product. In 1999 a tasting room was opened and some consideration to sales began. In 2000 I came on with the purpose of taking this from hobby to business. We built our own winery in 2001 and began an expansion of the vineyards. Today we are at 52+ acres of grapes planted to Riesling (our primary variety at 24 acres), Gewurztraminer, Vignoles and Muscat for whites and Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Blaufrankish, Merlot and an assortment of Hybrids for the reds.  Our current production is 5000 cases and growing. We are distributed throughout Michigan, just opened distribution in Chicago and have representation in the NYC Metro area.

Vinotology: In reading about your winery on your website, one thing that really stood out was your commitment to trying to let your wines express their location and to be true to the grapes themselves.  What are some of the ways that Shady Lane accomplishes this goal?

Adam: As I referenced above we are a cool climate winegrowing region and that means something very specific and different than being in a warm climate region such as California. And let me just take this opportunity to address what I see some in California refer to as their "cool climate" locations. They are not in any way, shape or form cool climate. Carneros is not cool climate. Russian River is not cool climate. Santa Barbara, Monterey, Mendocino or any other winegrowing region in California is not cool climate by definition. What they are less warm. There, I have that off my chest. So, what I do to express our region and vineyard, our "terroir" to use a much over used term these days, is look for ways to first preserve and develop the aromatic/flavor/structure components in the vineyard, then bring it out in the cellar. What I want my wines to show is what I call a high tone aromatic component mirrored by the flavors and with a structure that supports these elements while retaining a sense of elegance in the wine. In this respect I see no difference between my white wines and my red wines. I want the same guiding principle to be evident in every wine of mine. Intense aromatics and flavors driven by a focused purity of fruit, persistence of presence on the palate and an finishing elegance framed by lower alcohol and brighter, more vibrant acidity than is the trend in the popular (but I feel often misguided, again a subject for another day) wine publications of the day. Accomplishing this is done by a variety of vineyard practices tailored to the variety and individual site on our property, then guided to the final expression within the winery, but minimally so. The cliche I will throw out is that the wine is made in the vineyard. Absolutely, positively true. If it is not in the grape I cannot create from a void new components in the wine. I do employ the same production principles all winemakers the world over employ. The chemistry and the science is the same, it is in the application of these production principles that mark successful cool climate wines in general and in my wines specifically.

 
Vinotology: I also noticed that you have been attempting to come as close as possible to using natural practices in your vineyards.  What are some of the things you guys are doing in this area?

Adam: We are currently operating at about 90% organic in the vineyard. First, let me say that organic does not mean a cessation of farming. We still spray for mildews and insects, we just use organic, low risk materials. We have done a great deal of research on OMRI certified materials for use in our vineyard. The challenge has been to find effective materials that we can buy locally and that are effective in our climatic conditions. Many of the materials were not in Michigan but in California, Australia, etc. We have spent several years speaking with manufacturers and dealers in order to make these available to us and so far the choices have widened considerably. We have combined this with weather stations throughout our vineyard with software that models disease pressure and timing to tailor an overall program to our vineyard. The net result is we spray less, we use organic materials every time they are available and effective and we have results that are superior to the past conventional "spray early and spray often" approach that has been used for years in our industry. 

Weeds we control mostly mechanically with a weed hoe and hand hoes. 

Insects are controlled in two ways. We found that the two primary pests that inflict are vineyard are related to neighboring farms and their activities. In the spring when our neighbors to the west start cutting hay it disrupts the favored habitat for these bugs and they move on the wind into our vineyard. We have found that if we mow our open areas on the west side of our farm just prior to this they do not have a sufficient environment to thrive and continue to breed and move. This mowing we do has effectively reduced the insect pressure by 80 to 90%. We just don't get the bugs in our vines establishing populations and wreaking havoc like we used to. Then to further control, if needed we use an organic material called Aza-Direct which acts as a growth regulator and prevents the bug from developing from the immature to mature stage thereby eliminating an established population. This material is also safe for bees which are a very important insect as pollinators around here.

The bottom line to all of this is we must better understand our vineyards as a whole ecological system and learn to operate within that system. We have an appreciation and maintain a tolerance for how our land, the soils, the weather, the place as a whole needs to exist to be healthy and at the same time a beneficial environment for what we do. We don't fight it we embrace it.

Vinotology: What varieties of wine are you producing right now, and what would you consider to be your "signature" wines?

Adam: We produce wines that are focused on the superior aspects of our growing region and to me that means aromatics, breadth of flavor and elegance. Our sufficiently warm days and beautifully cool nights mean development within our fruit that ripens flavors and structure more than adequately yet retain vital compounds that accentuate this high-toned, pretty aromatic component to our wines. And that goes for all of my wines, white and red alike. What we have here is a region that doesn't just do enough to get away with winegrowing (as many people assume about us) but is a superior region for winegrowing of a defined nature. It is all about what is appropriate for any and all winegrowing regions. As an example let's use Napa Valley. Everybody knows that Cabernet Sauvignon does incredibly well there. The match between variety and place makes Cabernet Sauvignon an appropriate choice for Napa. The nature and pace of ripening there favors some things but is wholly inappropriate for others such as Riesling that demands significantly cooler environs to develop this variety to its full potential. Conversely, Germany is a great place for Riesling but not so for Cabernet Sauvignon. The winegrowing world is full of these examples. Burgundy and Pinot Noir is good, Burgundy and Zinfandel is bad. Hermitage and Syrah good, Hermitage and Pinot Noir bad. Finger Lakes and Riesling good, Finger Lakes and Grenache bad. You get the idea. So to answer your question of what we grow I feel it is important to answer the why first. All that said we concentrate on varieties where I can not only capture good ripening but accentuate to their fullest aromatics and elegance. Riesling of course, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Blaufrankish (which we label as Blue Franc) and Cabernet Franc are our focus. I have trouble saying what a signature wine for us is, it is more about signature expression of the how, who, what, why that we are.

Vinotology: What is the main thing that you would like to see come out of this Twitter Taste Michigan event?

Adam: Exposure and most importantly understanding. I want folks to see and experience that we are a truly unique region, a classic cool climate winegrowing location. As I said above we express beautiful yet intensely pronounced aromatics and flavors while at the same time offering a sense of elegance, depth and genuine interest in our wines. Our wines taste like our wines, not like Napa or Rheinpfalz or Barossa or any other place. Our wines have identity and purpose and verve and vibrancy... our wines are genuine.

Images are from the Shady Lane Cellars website