The Make America Grape Again Podcast

The 2016 Dry Riesling from Empire Estates provides our introduction to New York State in our eleventh episode of The Make America Grape Again Podcast.  This wine is sourced from a number of different vineyards in the Finger Lakes AVA.   With 100 wineries and roughly 11,000 planted acres of vineyards, the Finger Lakes AVA has one of the highest concentration of wineries outside of California.  Indeed, New York as a whole ranks third in terms of grape production (by volume) after California and Washington.

In this episode, we talk a little bit about the history of Riesling, and about the etymology of grape names, which can be a fun, exciting philosophical endeavor.  We also talk about how simplicity can be a very good thing with wine, and why Riesling does not have to be sweet, despite what the few bottles in your grocery store seem to tell you.

From the Tech Sheet for the 2016 Dry Riesling (which we did not have when we recorded this episode, sadly): Harvest occurred over a two-week period from October 6th right up to a major rain event on October 21st; allowing the grapes to be picked at peak ripeness. Each vineyard site was vinified entirely separately to best bring out individual character; from cold soaking decisions, to fermentation style, to storage in stainless steel or neutral oak. After resting through winter and spring, the wines were then blended together and bottled in early summer. The vineyard sites have a mix of mineral soil types ideal for dry Riesling, including: shale & gravel, shale & clay, sand over shale, and limestone & shale.

Welcome to the Tenth episode of the Make America Grape Again podcast, showcasing Illinois.  Today's wine is the Blue Sky Vineyard 2014 Estate Cabernet Franc, from Blue Sky Vineyards in the Shawnee Hills AVA.

The Midwest is a pretty active wine region, overall, as I am constantly reminded by visitors to my tasting room for my day job. The Shawnee Hills AVA is a thriving wine scene in Southern Illinois that currently has about 55 vineyards and 300 planted acres, and is booming. Already, this AVA has dramatically improved the economic setting of the region. The soils here in this area, thanks to the lack of Pleistocene Glaciation. This wine provides our first brief encounter with how local geology affects the terroir of a wine region.  While a Cabernet Franc, this wine is very different from the Colorado vintage in our previous episode; this wine is a lovely fruit bomb with the classic Midwest musty character. 

This bottle was acquired thanks to Scott Albert, who is the winemaker for Kite Hill Vineyards, also in the Shawnee Hills AVA.  He was kind enough to do a bottle trade for some Arizona wines when he approached me when I first announced this podcast over on The Wine Monk.  Thanks, Scott!   I was really impressed by this vintage and am looking forward to recording more episodes with the wines you have contributed.

Cabernet Franc Count: 3

Welcome to Episode 9 of the Make America Grape Again Podcast; in this episode, we will be exploring Colorado for the first time!

Colorado is a land of extremes, with everything from towering mountains that scrape the heavens to high plains and deserts. It is also a land with some fascinating viticultural potential, producing both vinifera and fruit wines. The Palisades region, also known as the Grand Valley AVA, is perhaps the central point of the thriving viticultural industry in Colorado. Our wine of the day, the 2015 Colorado Cabernet Franc from Sutcliffe Vineyards, is sourced from this AVA.

This episode provides an introduction on how to approach making wine tasting notes, and Old World versus new world approaches to viticulture, as we were all gathered to help my friend Jen Condon (who provided the bottle) with some homework for her classes in the viticultural program at Yavapai College.  An entire podcast featuring Old World vs. New World wines and their approaches will be posted on my other website in the near future.

Cabernet Franc Count: 2

We are going to something just a little different for the time being when it comes to our first episode featuring the Equality State.  Or the Cowboy State.  Whichever. 

You see, when Gary was travelling through Wyoming a few months ago, he couldn't find any wines in the local liquor and bottle shops that were made locally.  He was told by staff in these places that there wasn't any wine at all made in Wyoming. (Which is wrong, there are at least three wineries in the state of Wyoming, and one of them even grows their varietals on site, but so it goes.)

But he did find a whiskey.  A Bourbon Whiskey, to be precise.  As it turns out, there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding what, exactly, a Bourbon is.  Bourbon, as it turns out, does not have to be made in Kentucky after all.  Pull up an Old-Fashioned glass and plug in your headphones for our examination of the Wyoming Whiskey: Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey.

In Episode Seven, we focus on New Mexico, Arizona's Neighbor to the East. The wine in question is the 2015 Barrel Select Pinot Noir, from Gruet. Gruet Winery is one of the oldest wineries in New Mexico, specializing mostly in sparkling wines, but they have some still wines available also.   

I will admit right off the bat that this wine blew me away.  Take a listen, and learn about the oldest wine producing area in the continental United States--no, seriously, it's older than California. 

This wine was provided by Gary Kurtz, who acquired it from the Gruet tasting room in Albuquerque, New Mexico for this podcast.

Welcome to Episode 6 of Make America Grape Again! In this episode, we visit Idaho, and meet up with one of the most abundant styles of wine blends: the Bordeaux Blend. Blends in this style, often referred to as "Meritage" blends in the New World, typically are a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, with additional grapes associated with the Bordeaux AOC of France in these blends. The wine in question is the 2014 Seven Devils Red from Hell's Canyon Winery, located in the Snake River AVA.

This wine provides us with an introduction to a region associated with Wine Gags (Like Arizona, Idaho has been subject to a number of gags over the years). The 2014 Seven Devils Red is also a fantastic introduction to the nature of Wine Flaws--are they always bad, or can they provide additional points of interest into a wine? (In this case, the flaw was VA--volitile acidity.)

Again, sorry for the choppy audio quality in this episode-- Audacity was being difficult.

In episode five of the Make America Grape Again Podcast, we move to the Pacific Northwest and meet one of the most infamous grapes of all: Pinot Noir. (At least, it was after the release of the film 'Sideways,' which jumped Pinot sales by a tremendous margin.)

The Willamette Valley AVA of Oregon is world-renouned for producing some of the best Pinot Noir to be found in the New World, but is it, really? This avowed non-fan of New World Pinot Noir puts the region to the test.

This episode also provides an introduction to the idea of rosé: how it's made, why it's made, and just why is it so damn delicious? The fact of the matter is that in this day in age, rosé is finally cool to drink again. (Thank God!)

The wine used in this podcast is the Elk Cove Vineyards 2016 Williamette Valley Pinot Noir Rosé, acquired by yours truly at AZ Wine Company in Scottsdale, AZ.

In other exciting news, I have successfully passed the CSW exam! This means I am now offically certified for drinking and knowing things.

Viognier is a grape with an intriguing history. This white grape, originally from the Northern Rhone Valley of France, and was almost extinct in the 1960's, has now made a home here in America. For some reason, the State of Virginia has chosen this grape as its State Grape.

The Monticello AVA, where this particular wine is from, happens to be associated with Thomas Jefferson, one of the earliest American Vinophiles.

In this episode, drinking the 2016 Viognier from Horton Vineyards, Gary and I honestly wonder why the heck this particular grape has become the State Grape of Virginia... because to be honest, this wine was disappointing for both of us. Why? Take a listen. (You can't win them all, especially if you're going in blind.)

This bottle was acquired by yours truly on a vacation trip to Washington DC, not from the tasting room.

In this episode, the 2014 Cinco Cães from Westport Rivers Winery provides an introduction to the wine industry of Massachusetts. This fun white wine blend introduces us to first to Rketselli, one of the oldest grape varietals in the world. (The 2014 blend also contains Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Muscat, and Chardonnay.)

Furthermore, this wine aids us in a discussion concerning America's take on a wine classification system, known as an AVA (American Viticultural Area). In this case, the Cinco Cães introduces us to the Southern New England AVA; an AVA that will feature again in future episodes about Rhode Island and Connecticut. Lastly, this wine also provides a facinating introduction to the concept wine geeks refer to as terroir.

This wine was purchased on the grounds of the winery, by yours truly.

In Episode Two of the Make America Grape Again podcast, we will look at Nevada. 

Nevada is a bit of a frontier in winemaking, due to the unwieldy nature of legislation focused on winery and vineyard production in this state.  Indeed, Nevada serves as an excellent example of the often ridiculous and Byzantine nature of alcohol legislation that can be a major challenge to winemaking in the United States; something we will explore in this episode.

The wine in question for this episode is the 2015 Silver State Red, a blend of eight different red varietals from Nevada Ridge winery; a label focused on Nevada-grown grapes found at Pahrump Valley Winery.  In this episode, along with exploring a textbook example of viticultural legislation as mentioned above,  we will also be examining the practice of blending wines, along with a discussion about what exactly makes a "good wine."

This bottle was acquired directly from the winery by myself while visiting Pahrump Valley Winery with a dear friend of mine last year.