Fenn Valley Winery Features Ethnic Winemaker Dinner

Image by ulterior epicure via Flickr

An ethnic food extravaganza is scheduled April 24, at Fenn Valley Vineyards and Wine Cellar, 6130 122nd Avenue, Fennville, Michigan. The winemaker ethnic dinner takes you on a culinary excursion to Africa. The meal, prepared by Chef Christine Ferris, is as follows:

First: Tomato and beet salad with Injera. An earthy salad of roasted beets, tomatoes, red onions and a fresh lemon cumin dressing, garnished with cilantro and served with the traditional flatbread, Injera (spongy crepe like bread made with a sour teff flour sponge). Served with Cabaret Rose 2009.

Second: African peanut soup (Ghana). A spicy chicken stock based soup flavored with peanuts, red chilis, ginger and scallions. Served with Riesling 2009.

Third: Piri Piri shrimp (Mozambique). Grilled shrimp basted with a chili sauce and served in a creamy tomato, coconut sauce. Served with Edelzwicker 2009.

Fourth: Sosaties (South Africa). Grilled lamb kebobs marinated in an apricot jam, apple cider vinegar and curry blend then grilled and served o a bed of Moroccan spicy vegetable couscous with condiments on the side of ginger-dried apricot chutney and sweet and sour seckel pears. Served with Cabernet Franc 2008 and
Dry Riesling 2008.

Fifth: Date cookies (Tunisia). A saffron infused semolina dough which is deep fried with a date filling (infused with orange, clove, cinnamon and black pepper) then dunked in a honey syrup ... served with cinnamon orange sorbetto. Served with “42” Ice Wine.

The cost is $75 per person, which includes tax and tip. Space is limited, so reservations are required and are accepted beginning March 1. A brief cellar tour is offered at 6:00 followed by Sparkling wines and assorted cheeses at 6:30, and the dinner begins at 6:50.

Call (269) 561-2396 or e-mail winery@fennvalley.com.

Wine N Bloom Weekends Set For Vines and Wines Trail

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The Vines and Wines wine trail in Northeastern Ohio is scheduling their annual Wine N Bloom Weekend event. You sample wines and collect flowers at the 14 participating wineries. This is a great way to ring in spring. The event is scheduled April 30, May 1, 7 and 8. Tickets go quickly, so don't delay.

This is a self driving tour of the wineries in northeast Ohio. You have two weekends (4 days: Fridays & Saturdays, Noon to 6:00 PM each day) to visit all the wineries participating on the trail. Sample great wines, enjoy delicious appetizers, collect Bluestone Perennials. At a designated winery you will receive and basket to collect your perennials in and a Schott Zwiesel crystal wine glass.

Bluestone Perennials is a local family business that grows and ships over 1,000 varieties of beautiful perennials across the country. Their catalogs and information will be available at the wineries as you travel the trail. Please call 1-800-852-5243 or visit http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/ for more information.

The participating wineries are:

Biscotti Family Winery in Conneaut,

Buccia Vineyards in Conneaut,

Debonne Vineyards in Madison,

Emerine Estates in Jefferson,

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante in Geneva,

Grand River Cellars in Madison,

Laleure Vineyards in Parkman,

Maple Ridge Vineyards in Madison,

Old Firehouse Winery in Geneva-on-the-Lake

St Joseph Vineyards in Thompson

The Barrel Room in Wickliffe

The Lakehouse Winery in Geneva-on-the-Lake

The Winery at Spring Hill in Geneva,

Virant Family Winery in Geneva

Make your reservations early, only 150 tickets are being sold and will sell out early. The cost is $45 per couple and $35 per single. To make your reservations call 800-227-6972 or click Wine N Bloom Weekends.

Wineries Unlimited Keynote: California Overtaken As U.S. Wine Leader? It Could Happen

California currently produces about 90 percent of the wine in the United States, followed by Washington, Oregon and New York. It wasn't always the case.

Until around 1890 Ohio was the leading producer of wine in the U.S. and 80 of Ohio's counties reported growing grapes as a crop. In fact, in 1890 in Erie County alone, 2.5 million gallons of wine were produced -- that's three times the production of Ohio's modern wineries!

No offense to Thomas Jefferson, but the first successful commercial winemaker in the U.S. was Nicholas Longworth of Cincinnati who produced a sweet sparkling wine with the local Catawba grapes around 1830. So, wine in American wasn't always about Napa Valley. This is all ancient history, isn't it? Surely no one could wrest the wine crown from the Golden State -- or could they?

W. Andrew Beckstoffer, the president of Beckstoffer Vineyards and the most highly regarded independent wine-grape grower in Northern California, delivered the keynote address “A California Wine Story: Can it happen again in the East?” to a sellout crowd at the Wineries Unlimited Trade Show and Conference on March 10 at the Valley Forge Convention Center. More than 2,300 from the wine industry representing  30 states as well as Washington, D.C. and four Canadian provinces attended the conference.

He provides background on how Robert Mondavi transformed the California wine industry and holds out hope that this accomplishment could be repeated elsewhere. He specifically references the East coast, but I would say that the Finger Lakes, Michigan, Ohio and Ontario have the terroir and grape production to make things interesting.

Special thanks to Richard Leahy, East Coast editor of Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine for providing the following excerpts from the Beckstoffer address.

"The California story is not unlike the story of a great vineyard. The total equals more than the sum of the parts. But an understanding of the parts can help attempts to repeat it.

"It wasn’t until 1967 that dry table wine sold more volume in the U.S. than sweet wines. So, any modern California story can start there less than 50 years ago. In 1970 Gallo bought 50% of the grapes produced in the Napa Valley. In 1970 the price per ton for Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley was less than the price for the Napa Gamay variety.

"Then came Robert Mondavi and the Napa Valley and California wine business were never the same again. Bob said that wine was part of the good life, and our wines were as good as the Europeans’. He talked a lot and he traveled a lot.

"We promoted quality, and vineyards, and vineyard history and focused on the location of our vineyards, their appellations—whether it be California or Napa Valley. Today there are no vintners in the Napa Valley. They are all “winegrowers.”

"Grape growing is a business and we organized for strength, analytical ability, leadership and a united front for a group of independent entrepreneur farmers. In 1975 we founded the Napa Valley Grapegrower Association to enhance the social, economic and political status of grapegrowers. Through this organization the grape farmers began to demand a seat at the table. The focus on vineyards and sustainability had its start!

"A disaster hit the Napa Valley in 1989. The modern phylloxera infestation ruined 95% of Napa’s vineyards. That was turned into an expensive but major opportunity by the Napa vineyard owners. Combating phylloxera required new rootstock but the Napa vineyardists replaced not only the rootings but also the scion woods, the vineyard spacing, the trellis systems, yield expectations, and most vine manipulation and irrigation schemes. The replanting was complete by the mid 1990’s and a new age of grape and wine quality began around 2000. Napa Valley took on a new leadership role in the world of grape and wine quality.

"Today the top wines are 'vineyard designates' with emphasis on the vineyard’s contribution to quality. California wines are agricultural products-- not products of some chemical manufacturing process.

"For the finest wines prices began to rise and we tied the price of grapes to the final retail bottle price. Generally, in agriculture the grower wants to overproduce and the processor wants to underpay. Our scheme eliminated that. Everyone worked for maximum quality in the grapes and the wine and for effective marketing. This brought an increase in wine quality.

"Before I leave this I would like to mention one item of concern to us all: the American appellation. Today federal labeling laws allow wines with an “American appellation” to contain up to 25% foreign wines. With the current global wine supply situation and cheap labor and government support overseas, it could become a major threat to the integrity and profitability of our business. The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) in conjunction with the New York Wine Grape Growers Association, and the Oregon and Washington associations of wine grape growers, have filed a petition with the TTB to eliminate this foreign component. I strongly urge you to become more knowledgeable about this situation and request your local organization to join us in this petition.

"Is there anything in that story that could not happen here on the East Coast or that doesn’t provide opportunity in 2010? There are 70 million millennium American young people aged 16 to 33 arriving on the scene and they are experimenting with wine early. They have little respect for history and their parents’ tastes. They can be viewed as a threat to California and an opportunity for you.

"Wines from the American East Coast could rival import sales in the U.S. and that would be wonderful for all of us. It’s up to you! California will likely always be the major player, but there is a larger spot for the Eastern U.S. wines if you want it. It’s a brand new world and East Coast wines have as much chance as anyone. I can hear a Pennsylvania-born Robert Mondavi saying just that today!"

Photo by Tambako

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Wine Tastings & Events: Week of April 5, 2010

Image of Starry Night Winery via Snooth

Wednesday, April 7
Anderson's Market, Sylvania, Wine Tasting. 6-8:00 PM. Breitenbach! Everyone knows Breitenbach makes great fruit wines, but have you ever tried their varietal offerings? This is your chance! 1. Viognier, 2. Merlot, 3. Cabernet Sauvignon, 4. Solara Cream Sherry. Nominal fee or $8.25 for the flight.

Beer and Wine Cave, 4400 Heatherdowns, (419) 382-6221. 6-8 PM. Ed Hardy Wines. $15.

Manhattan’s Restaurant, 1516 Adams Street, Toledo. Wine Tasting with Uptown Vineyard. 6:30 PM. $15. Five wines and appetizers. In Union Square room. Reservations required. E-mail info@uptownvineyard.com or call (866) 276-1984.

Thursday, April 8

The Andersons, Maumee, Wine Tasting.  5-7 PM. Staff Picks – Kathy’s Picks: 1. Yorkville Cellars – Sauvignon Blanc – Redwood Valley, California, 2.Tangent – Pinot Gris – Edna Valley, California, 3. El Repaso – Bonarda – Argentina, 4. Cleebourg Gewurztraminer – Alsace, France. Nominal fee per sample or $5.50 per flight.

The Andersons, Talmadge Road. Wine Tasting, 6-8 PM. Our Annual Wine and Meatloaf Night with meatloaves from the House of Meats! Since meatloaf is a blend, all of our matching wines are blends: 1. Colombella, 2. Crowe Columbia White,  3. Maculan Pinot & Toi,  4. Nuhar, Sicily, 5. Marietta Old Vine Red, California, 6. Cascade Clifts Goat Head Red, 7.  Lascaux Provence Red, 8. Rook. Nominal fee per sample.

Beer and Wine Cave, 4400 Heatherdowns, (419) 382-6221. 6-8 PM. Ed Hardy Wines. $15.

Corks Wine and Liquor, Promenade Plaza, 27250 Crossroads Pkwy., Rossford – (419) 872-6800. 6-9 PM.  A tour of Italy. Drop in for a crash course on the traditional and not-so traditional (we’re looking at you, Super Tuscans), wines of Italy. Come along as we cruise the boot from heel-to-toe, off the coast, and up the leg for an unforgettable journey of this outstanding country. Cost $1 to $3 per sample.

Vino 100 Shop and Wine Bar, Promenade West, 3355 Briarfield Blvd, Suite D, Maumee -- (419) 866-8466. Noon to 10 PM. Live music scheduled 7:30 to 10:30 PM. Mike Whitty will be playing piano keyboard.

Friday, April 9
* Special Event * Wine by the Glass Pavilion Winemakers Series, Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion, 2445 Monroe St., 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. New French Discoveries. Enjoy four wines, light snacks, and a view of glassmakers working in the Hot Shop.Cost is $15 for museum members and $20 for non-members.

Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. Lake Erie Sweet Wines: 1. Firelands Riesling, 2. Pelee Island Semi-Sweet Merlot, 3. Mon Ami Pink Catawba, 4. Heineman's Sweet Belle. $10 tasting.

Corks Wine and Liquor, Promenade Plaza, 27250 Crossroads Pkwy., Rossford – (419) 872-6800. 6-9 PM.  A tour of Italy. Drop in for a crash course on the traditional and not-so traditional (we’re looking at you, Super Tuscans), wines of Italy. Come along as we cruise the boot from heel-to-toe, off the coast, and up the leg for an unforgettable journey of this outstanding country. Cost $1 to $3 per sample.

Saturday, April 10
* Special Event * Toledo Zoo Vineyard Adventure: Best of the West, 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Enjoy wine, entertainment and hors d'oeuvres in the Great Hall. Price for Toledo Zoo members is $35. The cost for non-members is $40. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance. For information call (419) 385-5721, ext 3092.

Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. Lake Erie Sweet Wines: 1. Firelands Riesling, 2. Pelee Island Semi-Sweet Merlot, 3. Mon Ami Pink Catawba, 4. Heineman's Sweet Belle. $10 tasting.

The Andersons, Woodville, Wine Tasting. 1-3 PM.  Closeout Wines: 1. Hayman & Hill Interchange White, 2. Hayman & Hill 2007 Riesling, 3. San Juliette 2005 Romantique Cabernet, 4. Starry Night 2007 Zinfandel Dry Creek. Nominal fee per sample or $1.50 per flight.

Walt Churchill’s Market, 3320 Briarfield. Maumee, (419) 794-4000. Noon to 5:00 p.m. Napa Valley Part 2– Cabernet Sauvignons.  Premium tasting, special pricing applies. Pay by the sample or flight. 

[Information on tastings can be sent to TWAV@ATT.NET.]

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Walnut Crest 2007 Carmenere Rapel Valley

This was a pick-up at Anderson's close-out sale. It is a Chilean wine that was purchased for less than $5. Walnut Crest is a brand of Emiliana, which is pioneering organic and biodynamic grape cultivation in Chile, a philosophy they sum up as the spirit of Emiliana Organico. The wine is blended with a small percentage of Syrah.

The wine is a deep red color and is lush. It's aged in both French oak and stainless steel. It had a taste of smokiness and dark fruit. It opened up nicely and came across as aromatic and rich.

We tasted this on successive nights and the second night it didn't reach the high marks we gave it the first night, seeming a bit too tannic. In terms of QPR (quality price ratio), this is highly rated but not a truly great wine.

Technorati Tags: wine

Wine Blog Nominations

The nomination period for the 2010 Wine Blog Awards is now open and will run through April 7th. We are humbly requesting your nomination of Toledo Wines and Vines as Best New Wine blog.

Making a nomination is simple. Simply click on the link below and provide a comment. Since Toledo Wines and Vines is going for the Best New Wine Blog category, you need to include how many times we have posted during the contest period. That amount is 201 posts.

•Best New Wine Blog

The nominations come from readers like you and later this year, your votes will determine the winners.
All nominated blogs will be recorded and the judging panel will begin to sift through them starting April 8th.

Since we began the blog on September 13, 2009, we've had a goal of providing a centralized resource for wine lovers in the Toledo area. This came out of my frustration that there was no one location to find out about wine tastings and events in our area. You can see our comprehensive Wine Tastings & Events listing each week (on Wednesdays) featuring  area tastings as well as special events that are sure to tickle the fancy of wine lovers.

We've also tried to provide a boost to local wine shops and regional wineries that are deserving of your patronage. You'll also fine tasting notes on wines we try and other articles of general interest for the wine fan.

Here's a link to our very first post, Hello World.

I guess the blog is a labor of love. It requires quite a bit of "care and feeding." If you think we're worthy, we'd appreciate a nomination (and later, your vote) for Best New Wine Blog. It would really help explain this whole thing to my wife...

Michigan International Wine Expo Slated April 9-10

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The Michigan International Wine Expo, a unique fine wine and gourmet food experience featuring wine tasting and seminars along with sampling of light hors d'oeuvres from the area's premier restaurants, is scheduled April 9-10 in the Diamond Ballroom at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, Michigan.

The Michigan International Wine Expo attracts the prestigious companies and vineyards in the wine and food industries. More than 100 exhibitors are at the show to meet and educate you. With over 300 wines being poured, a variety of food being sampled, and a selection of wine and wine related products on hand, there is something for everyone at the event.

Along with wine tasting, this year's expo will offer comprehensive seminars featuring some of the area's top wine experts, as well as cooking demonstrations featuring an all-star chef line-up.

ZAP (The Association of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) from California will have an impressive presence at The Michigan International Wine Expo, bringing 15 of its member wineries to sample its wines. ZAP is dedicated to advancing public knowledge of and appreciation of American Zinfandel.

Show hours are: Friday, April 9, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM and Saturday, April 10, 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM. For information and ticket purchase go to: www.michiganwineexpo.com/home.php