Unwrapping Wine

What happens when a young wine region decides to define itself on its own terms?

In this episode, we sit down with Emily and Alan of Mixed Meadia Winery in Door County, Wisconsin, to explore the Ledge Blanc project, a collaborative effort to establish a signature wine style for the Wisconsin Ledge AVA. From limestone rich soils along the Niagara Escarpment to the challenges and opportunities of hybrid grapes, this conversation dives into what makes Midwest wine unique and worth paying attention to.

We unpack:

• How Wisconsin's cool climate shapes bright, aromatic white wines
• Why hybrid grape varieties are key to sustainability and regional identity
• The creation of Ledge Blanc, a quality controlled crisp aromatic white that unites wineries across the region
• How collaboration instead of competition is helping grow visibility for emerging wine regions
• The broader challenge of telling a compelling story outside of traditional wine strongholds like California

You'll also hear how winemakers are pushing back against outdated stereotypes, moving beyond only fruit wine perceptions and proving that places like the Ledge AVA can produce expressive wines rooted in place.

Whether you're a wine professional or just curious about what is happening beyond the coasts, this episode offers a fascinating look at how regional identity, innovation, and community are reshaping the American wine landscape.

Anne and Randall are back! In this episode, we dive into our current projects, share our experiences from recent conferences, and discuss the issue of declining vine vigor in our region. Stay tuned for our next episode, where we'll chat with Russ Funk of Carlos Creek Winery about Frontenac.

Episode Overview

Conference Experiences (0:14)

• Recap of various conferences attended.
• Insights on generational wine purchasing habits and marketing strategies from the DTC symposium.
• Networking opportunities and the impact of weather on conference attendance.

Vineyard Vigor (9:14)

• Discussion on declining vine vigor in regional vineyards and potential causes.
• Importance of nitrogen levels (YAN) in grape and wine production, and the need for regular testing.
• Effectiveness of foliar versus ground-applied nitrogen for maintaining vine health.

Wine Projects (17:22)

• Discussion on bourbon barrel-aged wines and their fit in wine competitions.
• Anne's collaboration in hard cider production.

Grafted Marquette and Petite Pearl Project (27:06)

• Reasons for considering grafting grapevines.
• Challenges in sourcing cold-hardy cultivars that are grafted.
• Pros and cons of grafting grapevines.

Other Upcoming Projects and Competitions (38:44)

• Plans for tissue sampling in vineyards to evaluate nutrient levels and vine performance.
• Encouragement for wineries to participate in regional and national competitions for feedback and marketing

Many states have selected a state grape to promote, but Illinois has taken a different approach to that. Given the wide north to south geographic range, there isn't one grape cultivar that is grown throughout the state. Due to this Illinois has focused on a wine style to promote, dry rosé.

In this episode we speak with 3 members of the Illinois wine industry to chat about the Illinois Signature Rosé series of wines.

• Lisa Ellis, Executive Director of the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance
• Peggy Harmston, Massbach Ridge Winery of Elizabeth, Illinois
• Scott Albert, Kite Hill Vineyards and The Holotype Wine Co, Shawnee Hills AVA, Illinois

Episode Notes

• 4:05 Illinois rosé in blind tastings with Whispering Angel
• 10:06 Background of the Illinois rosé project
• 15:18 Kite Hill Vineyards and The Holotype Wine Co. participation in the Illinois rosé project, making a name for Illinois wine, and friendly competition, varieties being used at rosé
• 19:53 How white Zinfandel has impacted the perception of rosé
• 23:00 Coroner elections in Illinois
• 26:50 How Massbach Ridge Winery began in NW Illinois
• 29:13 How rosé can be done successfully in variable weather, and it has a diversity of consumers
• 35:41 More talk about county coroner elections
• 37:09 Marketing the Illinois Signature Rosé project

Scott Albert, the winemaker at Kite Hill Vineyards and Holotype Wine Company joins the show to talk about Chambourcin and how the Shawnee Hills AVA in southern Illinois is unique.

In this episode we discuss the diversity of wine styles that Chambourcin can be made into, ranging from a rosé to a barrel aged red. While we often associate Illinois with flat fertile row crop fields, but we discuss how the Shawnee Hills AVA sets itself apart from northern Illinois. If you are a winemaker, Anne and Scott get into plenty of winemaking details!

In this episode

• Introduction to Scott and the wineries he works at
• 4:15- The versatility of the Chambourcin grape
• 8:00- Anne and Scott geek out about pét-nat production
• 10:40- What makes the Shawnee Hills AVA unique
• 13:43- Chambourcin as a rosé wine
• 17:10- Thiols in wine
• 17:55- Chambourcin as a red wine
• 22:06- Comparing Chambourcin to Norton
• 25:15- Weather variability
• 30:00- Important vineyard production practices to produce quality Chambourcin wine grapes
• 32:05-Reasons to visit the Shawnee Hills AVA
• 34:38- Hiking with wine: #hikewithwine
• 36:00- Information about Kite Hill Vineyards and Holotype Wine Company

Meet the Hosts:

Anne and Randall met up at the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance conference in late February. A few weeks after that we met up to record this episode that gives a background on us. Anne and Randall got into the grape and wine industry in different ways, but also share some common experiences.

In this episode:

• Recap of the IGGVA (Illinois) Annual Grape and Wine Education and Conference and what makes these conferences valuable (2:00)
• State grapes: what are they, pros and cons, etc. (7:02)
• How Anne and Randall got into the grape and wine industry (14:45)
• What are we up to now (41:05)

This is the second part of our discussion with Tom Plocher from Plocher Vines. In this episode we get into some more macro discussion. We discuss how breeding more resilient wine grape cultivars can help handle adverse weather events. Petite Peal was Tom's first release and we get into what traits Tom thinks Petite Pearl will have regardless of where its grown. This episode is broken into 3 sections: Section 1 (1:20)

• Where Tom's cultivars are grown
• How grape breeding and new wine cultivars fit into sustainability in light of recent weather events in wine production regions

Section 2 (~13:25)

• What characteristics of Petite Pearl in the vineyard and winery should be consistent between regions
• How having options for grape varieties provides wineries with the ability to adapt to their market and regional weather conditions
• How state-centric promotion the wine industry could limit the impact of lesser known wine grape regions and recognition of the wines from those regions

Section 3 (~21:35)

• Are the traits of a wine grape directly correlated with its parents?
• The current gaps in cold hardy wine grape cultivars

In this episode we are joined by Tom Plocher of Plocher Vines, who has been breeding wine grapes in Minnesota. So far Tom has released Crimson Pearl, Petite Pearl, and Verona but more cultivars are on their way.

In this episode we discuss the following:

• How Tom got into grape breeding
• The process of developing grape cultivars
• Tom looks for in a wine grape from both the vineyard and winery perspective
• Why late budbreak continues to be an important trait

This is part 1 of our conversation with Tom, so look for part 2 soon.

In this episode we talk with Jessica Youngblood who makes wine and raises grapes out of her family business Youngblood Vineyard. This estate winery is located on the eastern side of Michigan, near Ray Michigan which just north of the Detroit area.

In the first part of the episode, Jessica discusses her roles in the grape and wine industry and the experiences of starting a winery the opposite side of the state as most wineries in Michigan.

In the second part of the episode (minute 27:15), we explore the red wine grape Marquette. Marquette is Jessica's favorite wine, and they won Best of Show Dry Red at the 2019 Michigan Wine Competition. We discuss the traits of Marquette, and what makes is so appealing.

In this episode we dive into Traminette, the state grape of Indiana. We talk with Jill Blume, an Indiana-based enologist, and Shane Christ of Acres Away Winery.

Traminette is an aromatic white wine grape, that is planted in much of the milder East and Midwest wine regions. Some consider Traminette to be analogous to Gewürztraminer.

In this episode we discuss the following:

• The characteristics of Traminette wines
• How the aroma profile of Traminette changes from the North to South
• Characteristics of terpenes in grapes versus wine
• Shane shows how he is the master of wine analogies, including one with his grandma's completely pink bathroom!
• Shane and Randall are dog people and Anne loves cats...

The global wine market is dominated by a few well-known grape varieties. Join us as we talk with Ellen Landis who is a wine journalist, certified sommelier, and wine educator. Ellen has been exposed to wines made from a wide range of grape cultivars through her diverse experience in wine judging.

She shares her story about how she got into wine, provides insights on how to appreciate these wines, and gives her list of non-traditional wine grape varieties that wine drinkers should give a try.

Ellen Landis's website is http://www.ellenonwine.com/.