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Howard W. Hewitt

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Howard W. Hewitt

Tag Archives: Vignoles

Summer Whites for Hot Days

30 Monday May 2016

Posted by Howard in France, Indiana, Newspaper Column 2016, Oregon, Uncategorized

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Entre-Deux-Mers, Lange Winery, Pinot Gris, summer whites, Vignoles

One lesson from eight years of wine writing is recommending types and style of wine instead of specific bottles. Many often think of summer as a time for big Cabernets, Syrah, or Malbec with outdoor grilling.

Grape Sense LogoThe annual pitch for readers to try dry Rose’ was the previous Grape Sense column. Today the topic is summer white wines by varietal and style. A good, chilled, white wine is great with summer foods and perfect for late evenings on the patio or porch.

Let’s start with French whites. One of the greatest values of the wine world is Bordeaux white wines. The traditional white Bordeaux is a mix of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon and/or Muscadelle. Sémillon is used in dry and sweet wines in the south of France.

It’s seems odd that a region known for the world’s most expensive reds would offer up the most drinkable and affordable whites but that’s just part of the paradox of French Bordeaux. It’s unlikely you’ll find Bordeaux Blanc in most liquor stores. But better wines shops will have a few different labels. Really good Bordeaux Blanc is often found for $10-$18.

The wines are refreshing and often described as light and fruity. White Bordeaux pairs really well with salads, seafood-stuffed ravioli, grilled tuna or shrimp, and try it with asparagus or sushi. A personal favorite is the Bordeaux Blanc from Entre-Deux-Mers and the Saint Emilion region.

They’re light and refreshing, perfect for a hot summer day. Just look for Entre-Deux-Mers on the label.

langeOregon Pinot Gris is much easier to find in the Midwest than Bordeaux Blanc. Pinot Gris is equally affordable with plenty of choices in most wine shops. The most notable characteristic of Oregon Pinot Gris is a bright and pronounced acidity. That makes the wine a good pairing with seafood. Most bottles offer bold tropical citrus flavor with balance achieved from that pronounced acidity.

Most Oregon Pinot Gris wines are in the $14-$20 range. For years Oregon winemakers had a hard time giving the stuff away. But in more recent years many wineries have upped their Pinot Gris production. Chardonnay has also been hot in the Willamette Valley. Most are made in a Burgundian style with little or no oak.

The classic Oregon Pinot Gris or the stylistic Oregon Chardonnay are great summer white wines.

Finally, a plug for Indiana. One of the most under-appreciated whites is the hybrid grape Vignoles, originally from France. Vignoles is grown and produced by many Hoosier winemakers. The wine scares some people off because it’s often categorized as a semi-dry or semi-sweet wine. When Vignoles is well made the wine has pronounced fruit with a dry finish.

On the palate Vignoles offers up hints of pineapple, melon, peach, and if you concentrate on the mid-palate and finish you might find a hint of banana. Vignoles won the Indy International Wine Competition top wine in 2012 and 2013.

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Huber Wins Top Indy Competition Award

19 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by Howard in Indiana, Newspaper Column 2013

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Chambourcin, Huber's Orchard & Winery, Indy International Wine Competition, Ted Huber, Vignoles

Indiana is on a roll.

For the second straight year an Indiana wine won top honors at the prestigious 22nd Annual Indy International Wine Competition held in early August at Purdue University.

Grape Sense LogoHuber’s Orchard, Winery and Vineyards took the honor for the competition’s top wine with its Vignoles. A year ago River City Winery won the prize also with Vignoles.

“I think Vignoles really hits a consumer sweet spot,” Ted Huber said in explaining the second straight Vignoles win. “Consumers want nice fruit but more and more without the sweetness.”

The wine comes in with a modest .73 percent residual sugar and a light 12 percent alcohol. The Vignoles is grown on the Huber 80-acre vineyard. Vignoles is a French hybrid grape that has been found to grow well in the Midwest.

Ted Huber pouring in his Starlight, IN. tasting room.

Ted Huber pouring in his Starlight, IN. tasting room.

Characteristically, the wine is semi-dry with low sugar and tastes of pineapple, honey and melon. On my palate it was the honey and a maybe a Honey Dew melon flavor that dominated the wine. Some wine drinkers not familiar with Vignoles might compare it to a Gewürztraminer. It has a bit of a floral characteristic on the nose but doesn’t overpower the wine. The wine can have an odd banana-like flavor that is, fortunately, missing from Huber’s wine.

“It’s always very well-received in our tasting room,” Huber says. “People are bashful about trying a semi-dry wine but pleased once they do. The tropical fruit on the palate makes it approachable. There’s nothing else quite like it. It really holds its own.”

Success is nothing new to Huber’s 80,000 case operation and tourist destination. “I think we’ve won something like 20 Governor’s Cups,” Huber said. The Indy International presents the Cup to the Hoosier winery with the most medals each year.

Huber's were harvesting Traminette Monday.

Huber’s were harvesting Traminette Monday.

This year Huber won winemaker of the year, given to the winery with the most gold medals. They also won the Eagle Award for the Best Rose Wine, Huber’s Catawba Rose.

Don’t dismiss the Indy International as just any competition. The organizers bill the competition as ‘the largest scientifically organized and independent wine competition in the United States. Judges come from across the county and all wines are tasted blind. This year more than 2,500 wines were entered from 35 states and 15 countries.

“It all starts with agriculture – growing top quality grapes lead to award winning wines,” Huber said. “Southern Indiana has proven this many times with our ability to produce world class wines.”

Hubers won double gold, the highest honor before the top wines are chosen, for Vignoles, Starlight White, Chambourcin, and Raspberry wines. They won gold medals for six other wines, silver for nine wines.

Several Michigan and Illinois wineries also took home medals. See Indy International for full results.

Huber’s Vignoles ($14.99) represents a movement among several Indiana winemakers to reduce residual sugar while maintaining the fresh fruit qualities of their wines. The Vignoles is an outstanding summer sipper but would also be good with creamy cheeses or salty meats like prosciutto.

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Indy Champion Vignoles Isn’t River City’s Only Gem

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by Howard in Indiana

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New Albany, River City Winery, Vignoles

New Albany, In. – Indiana wine as a whole, and River City Winery in particular, made some real history last week. Gary Humphrey was the first-ever Hoosier winemaker to produce the Indianapolis International Wine Competition’s top wine.

River City 2011 Vignoles was judged the best glass of wine out of 2,600 entries from 41 states and 14 countries. Indiana has had a variety win before when Butler Winery claimed the top Rose, but never the best over-all wine in the competition.

For one thick-headed day I tried to figure out how to visit the winery and snatch a bottle of the prize winner. It took most of the day for the fog to clear and remember I had business in Kentucky Tuesday and could easily come back through New Albany to River City Winery and Restaurant.

Humprhey pouring his wines

I have to admit, though River City has been around for about three years, I had seen the name but knew little about it. Humphrey has a unique business model – his winery tasting room is also a full-service, chef-driven restaurant. He does not have any distribution though he does participate in some wine festivals. If you want a bottle of that award winner, you can only get it in New Albany.

That approach allows him to do a couple of things. First, he can charge a bit more per bottle in a restaurant setting than most wineries can charge in a tasting room. But he also doesn’t have any ambition to become a major player state wide, he just wants to make great wine.

Humphrey also honors the community’s history on his labels and in helping lead a downtown revival. I’m going to be writing my newspaper column about River City this week.

Chef Davis’ crabcakes! Yummy!

But the Vignoles was something really interesting. I tasted, tasted again and had a glass with some incredible crab cakes. It has a remarkable freshness you just seldom get from any wine. That had to catch the judges’ eyes. It also had this quirky little hint of banana – yes, banana – that really set it apart from other Vignoles. Now, it has 2.5 percent residual sugar. Some wine lovers will find it a tad on the sweet side. It’s not Frosted Flakes sweet, nor traditional Concord grape sweet, but it is sweeter than a lot of wines. But that said, it was a beautifully crafted wine.

The wine retails for $28 a bottle. Humprhey admitted he learned from others that such a win might be a once-in-a-life-time thing. So he did what almost every big winner always does, he bumped the price pretty good. Let’s just say the wine was under $20 before last week. I certainly can’t find anything wrong with that!

Gary, who maintains his job as a New Albany police officer, recently purchased an adjoining building and has started renovations to expand the kitchen, dining area and add private meeting rooms. The location is downtown with beautiful exposed brick walls and tremendous grub. The winery is in the basement.

Pizza like this Feta/Spinach one has become a signature dish

At one point, Gary disappeared and came back with Executive Chef Nick Davis. Davis is a local who graduated from Louisville’s Sullivan Culinary School. The 23-year-old head chef buys local ingredients and has all sorts of ideas he’d like to try when he gets a bigger kitchen.

I had the best crabcakes I’ve ever had in land-locked Indiana. Davis added a wonderful bed of corn, black-eyed peas, herbs, and a hint of cayenne for a real kick.

The Vignoles isn’t Gary’s only interesting wine by a long shot. He’s working to perfect Riesling he buys from Kentucky and admits his red wine “program” isn’t quite where he wants it yet. He did pour a traditional Bordeaux blend that was “okay” to my palate but showed tremendous potential if he can find a consistent source for Cab, Cab Franc, and Malbec.

As most wine folks know Hoosiers like sweet wines. There is hardly an Indiana winery that doesn’t make a sweet Concord wine. Gary makes one too but he takes the wine and ages it in Kentucky Bourbon barrels for a unique finish. It weighs in at 7.5 percent residual sugar but tastes like much less. It is truly unique.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I will get an update online in the next few days about all of Indiana’s winners from the Indy competition. Oliver Winery won the Governor’s Cup for most wins and title of Winery of the Year. We’ll break down the other awards soon.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

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