What We Drank: December 30, 2009

Sorry this is so late. Heading out of 2009 with some interesting drink choices...

Evan Dawson: Mon Ami Winery 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (Ohio)

I was surprised to find that a family member had recently visited some wineries in Ohio; I was utterly stunned to find that they returned with a bottle of Ohio cabernet sauvignon. Because if they say that God can't ripen cab sauv in Virginia, well, the big guy has no chance in Ohio, right?

Turns out that this is "American" wine, which means the grapes or juice came largely from somewhere else.

But it leads me to wonder: Why is an Ohio winery bottling a cabernet sauvignon at all? Do their customers truly demand some bulk-juice, mystery-origin cabernet? I can't imagine that this is true. But then, some winery owners have told me that customers expect a full lineup of recognizable varieties. Sigh.

It was reasonably drinkable, but not memorable. If you've drunk some real Ohio wine, let me know in the comments.

Lenn Thompson: Highland Park 12-Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky  

Lots of (maybe even too many) great wines and beers have made their way into my glass over the past several days. It's the holidays after all.

So why did I pick this single malt, brought over on Xmas day by my step-sister-in-law's ex-husband?

Well first of all, how often does one get to include step-sister-in-laws's ex-husband (SSILEX) in a post? This was one such time and I wanted to take advantage of it. Second, and more importantly, it was downright delicious.

When it comes to whisky or whiskey (the spelling matters) I'm a bourbon guy. In fact, bourbon is one of the few spirits I drink with any sort of regularity, often at the end of a night of wine and/or beer. Scotch gets more love from experts and gurus though, so I was up for trying some of this.

Keep in mind that my SSILEX stopped by around 11 a.m. when I tell you that the five of us -- me, SSILEX, father-in-law, brother in-law 1, and brother in-laws 2, finished the bottle by mid-afternoon. It was poured over a couple ice cubes and sipped as we caught up, talked about the holidays and got a little nostalgic too.

Smooth, complex and really interesting as the water melted and the flavors changed, I was impressed. When round two and then three was offered, I wasn't going to say no.

Am I ready to become a "Scotch guy"? No, but it left me wishing I had brought some Bourbon with me on this trip. Thanks for sharing it, Danny and happy hoildays.

Tom Mansell:Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Rosé 2006  

I discovered this wine among a sea of hard liquor bottles and plastic beer cups at a family Christmas party this week. It's still got big acid, a fact broadcasted by the brownish-red tartrate bundle on the bottom of the bottle (see poor-quality cell-phone pic of tartrate smiley face in my cup). 

The previous owners had probably done some cold stabilization on their own (i.e., kept it in the fridge for 2 years).  Strawberry on the nose with an interesting aged/smoked gouda note. It was a welcome respite from Milwaukee's Best Light.

Comments

[R. Olsen-Harbich]

Evan,

I had some beautifully made wines from the Ferrante Winery in Geneva, Ohio. Nick Ferrante makes some Riesling and Gewurtz that really impressed me. Elegant and very well balanced. Here's their website:http://www.ferrantewinery.com/

[Lenn Thompson]

Evan, I've had some nice reds (cab franc, cab sauv, syrah) from Kinkead Ridge Winery in OH as well. Nice stuff, truly.

[Nancy Bentley]

And we're proud that all of our wines are estate! We do it the hard way.

[Ryan Reichert]

Evan - Ohio does actually make some good wines. I think the state is often lumped into those "sweet swill" producing states, and I think producers that import so much fruit are doing the state and drinkers a diservice. If people want a cabernet from California, there are plenty of $10 bottles. Why would anyone pay more for something made from grapes flown across the country? Bewildering.

Consumers have the right to enjoy these warm weather varieties (and as a previous person mentioned the guys in/around Cincy including Kinkead have better luck with these.) Northern Ohio wine makers should focus more on the things the area does best - dry riesling, cabernet franc, pinot gris, chardonnay, merlot, pinot noir! The sweet wines (concord, niagara, catawba) are the backbone of the state's industry, but I was pleased to leave the state knowing that many growers were moving towards other European varieties.

If you get the chance I'd recommend Laurello, Harpersfield, and St. Joseph in the Grand River Valley AVA.

Cheers!

[Evan Dawson]

Ryan -

Good stuff, and thanks for the specific recs. Certainly it's important for emerging regions to key in on what varieties are best suited to local growing conditions. Fun to be part of that evolution - cheers.