Demarest Hill Winery & Distillery - The Everything Store for Craft Beverages

Francesco Ciummo is a pioneer - yes they still exist. He learned how to graft vines at 17, moved to Belgium at 20 to work as a coal miner, then emigrated to Venezuela and learned the auto body trade. In 1961, at 26 years old, he came to the United States eventually purchasing a body shop in Bergenfield, NJ. Ciummo retired at 55, and soon afterward purchased 135 acres in Warwick, NY where he planted a vineyard. He opened Demarest Hill Winery in 1998 then started tinkering in other craft beverages such as distilled products in 2006 and hard cider more recently. Not satisfied with a limited portfolio, Ciummo has explored the boundaries of wine, spirits, vinegar, and flavorings currently offering over 90 distinct products for sale - 33 of which are distilled spirits and liquors.

During a Christmas Break visit, we sampled many of these offerings with a keen interest in the unique distilled products. For instance, Ciummo distills a rather tasty Clear Grappa but also sells versions augmented with honey, raisins, or figs. He follows a similar pattern with grape brandy, selling versions aged in Cherry Tree wood and our favorite the Triple Tree Plus Brandy ($22) – aged from maple, oak, apple, cherry and cedar trees from his property. I also enjoyed the Dandelion Brandy ($22) distilled with a dandelion flower mash and serves as a suitable digestif. The Sherry is suggestive of Jerez and the Tropical Liquore - a version of the Dominican drink "Mamajuana" is a blend of rum, red wine, and honey aged in the bottle with tree bark and herbs. And his fruit brandies, Cherry and Peach are sweet - but loaded with flavor.

As for wine, a majority of the products are on the sweeter scale but there are several dry offerings that are pleasant. The estate Dry Aurora - a white hybrid grape variety produced by Albert Seibel - is complex and interesting. And the off-dry Riesling comes across drier as the acids enable a crisp and clean finish. For reds, the Bacchus Noir made from Baco Noir was our favorite followed by the Warwick Black Pearl and Warwick Red Deer composed of De Chaunac and Marechal Foch respectively. For a final, try the Apple Cider and Rum ($14) which is only 2% alcohol but provides a delicious and deep apple flavor.

The United Grapes of America - Minnesota's Alexis Bailly Vineyard Voyageur

Minnesota wine was present last month at the annual Wine America Congressional Tasting through the Alexis Bailly Vineyard Voyageur ($29). The wine is a blend of Minnesota grown Marechal Foch, Leon Millot, and Frontenac. The first two grapes are French hybrids whereas the later was developed by the University of Minnesota in 1996 as an extreme cold hardy wine grape for northern growers. The wine itself, as well as the winery, is named after their 4th great grandfather, Alexis Bailly, who along with a handful of other French/Canadian pioneers (voyageurs) paddled their way through the St. Lawrence Seaway to Hastings, Minnesota. And the Marechal Foch and Leon Millot were part of the original vineyard when, in 1973, David Bailly planted the fist modern vineyard in the North Star State.

StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America

The vineyard was inspired by not only Bailley's interest in wine but also a desire to start a business where he could deduct wine trips to Europe. I can relate to that sympathy. In 1967 he tasted the Boordy Vineyards Red from the historic Maryland winery and realized European styled wines could be made in the east. Further research lead him to Millot and Foch and over time he concluded that "the Léon Millot has made the best wine and the Maréchal Foch has been the most winter hardy".

The Voyageur is dark, both in color and black fruit forward flavors; stressing the fruit forward nature of this wine. Ten months of oak treatment comes in play during the mid-palate and outweighs the fruit, whereas the wine finishes with plenty of acids and a slight tannic coating. This wine shows well, a bit pricey in the world market, but more reasonable in the drink local market. Cheers.

The United Grapes of America - Wisconsin - Wollersheim Winery Domaine du Sac

It's difficult to procure wines from across the United States; you either need to travel or pay shipping fees. But fortunately through the virtues of Protocol Wine Studio's #WineStudio twitter forum (focusing on The Independent Spirit | Wines of the USA), I was able to receive a Wisconsin wine from Wollersheim Winery. This was their 2013 Domaine du Sac ($14), a blend of French-hybrids Marechal Foch (90%) and Leon Millot (10%) from the Lake Wisconsin AVA. There are actual two AVAs (Lake Wisconsin and Wisconsin Ledge) within the Badger state as well as parts of the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA which spans parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin,  Illinois, and Iowa.

Wollersheim has a compelling history. The land was orginally planted with vines by Agoston Haraszthy in the 1840's. You may recall that Haraszthy would become the Father of California Viticulture by introducing more than three hundred varieties of European grapes and founding Sonoma's Buena Vista Vineyards - with Charles Krug as the winemaker. According to wikipedia, Haraszthy is also "remembered in Wisconsin as the founder of the oldest incorporated village in the state. He also operated the first commercial steamboat on the upper Mississippi River". One fact I never knew is that he died in Nicaragua while trying to develop a sugar plantation and rum distillery.

In 1972 Bob and JoAnn Wollersheim purchased the former Haraszthy Wisconsin property from the Kehl family who had possessed the land since Haraszthy sold it to Peter Kehl, his original vineyard manager. In 1899, a bitter frost destroyed the grape vines and the farm was converted to dairy and livestock. The Wollersheim's replanted grape vines immediately, soon opened the winery, and in 1985, hired the current winemaker Philippe Coquard. In the 1970's, Wollersheim experimented with viniferia varieties based on advice from Dr. Konstantin Frank and Hermann J. Wiemer - with no long term success. Today the winery has 27 acres of hybrids and native labrusca grapes - mostly Marechal Foch, as well as Leon Millot, St. Pepin & La Crosse. 

StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America

The  2013 Domaine du Sac is made in the Beaujolais style - cold soak and whole berry fermentation in order to express the grape character without the stem and seed tannins. The wine spends five months aging in American or French oak before bottling. The result is a juicy blackberry-blueberry flavored wine with a wet barnyard earthy aroma; finishing with a spicy, acidic character. And there are still a few tannins to balance the wine - and it is balanced. To a few of us, the wine resembled an Austrian Zweigelt - not bad for a Foch wine. Pair with Wisconsin's Bon Iver. Cheers.

The United Grapes of America - Maine's Savage Oakes Vineyard and Winery Maréchal Foch Rosé

Savage Oakes Vineyard and Winery opened almost a decade ago as Elmer and Holly Savage looked for ways to augment income from their Barrett Hill Farm. While principally raising Belted Galloway cattle, the couple also sold blueberries that grew wild in their fields. Since they had a natural source of fruit, Mr. Savage spent 4 years researching wine making and grapes that excel in northern climates. The family toured several wineries throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York to determine which grapes were suitable to Maine’s climate. They chose Seyval Blanc, Cayuga, Frontenac, St. Croix, St. Pepin, Leon Millot, and Maréchal Foch.

Ironically, when the winery opened in May 2006, there were not enough wild blueberries to produce blueberry wine, which was the original impetuous for the winery. Instead the winery opened with five grape wines, with almost all produced from grapes grown in their vineyard. One of these was the Maréchal Foch Rosé. The grapes were cold pressed with little skin contact, then aged in stainless steel tanks. The result is a rather tasty wine that has the flavor profile and texture of the Foch grapes as well as being light and refreshing. Your summer picnic or pizza wine.

StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America

Forks of Cheat Winery

From Deep Creek Cellars, I headed west into Morgantown West Virginia, to visit one of our favorite wineries, Forks of Cheat Winery. We first tasted their wine at last year’s Berkeley Springs wine festival and fell in love with their fruit wines and the Foch based -Black Jewel Port. Today the winery was hosting Red Wine Tasting and Sales event which included entertainment from the bluegrass group, Weedhawks. Forks of Cheat is owned and operated by Jerry and Susan Deal, and their son Eric. The family is extremely hospitable and friendly, ready to engage in conversation and discuss their “hobby”. The winery opened in 1990, and it is best to quote why: “Who would have thought that getting caught stealing grapes would lead Jerry Deal to ownership of one of West Virginia’s foremost wineries? Well, that’s just what happened! When a neighbor chastised Jerry for eating grapes from her vines (on his side of the fence), he planted his own. In no time at all, the grape vines were so prolific that eating them all was out of the question. Wine making was the next choice. After several years of home wine making, recognition in amateur competitions, and the support of his friends, Jerry Deal decided to turn his hobby into a business. And so, Forks of Cheat Winery was established in July of 1990.”

The hobby struggled initially since selling wine in a small state, where 98% of the population doesn’t drink, was extremely difficult. And of the 2% that did drink, they preferred beer and liquor. But eventually advice from a UWV professor changed this situation. This professor told the Deal’s that their business model was flawed, instead of selling wine, Forks of Cheat sells gifts. Even if someone doesn’t drink, they know someone who does, so buy the wine as a gift. To facilitate this model, Eric has design award winning labels and custom labels for special occasions. The result, the winery now sells 2 dozen types of wine, and they just became the state’s third bonded distillery.

After hearing Mr. Deal explain the tax situation, I wonder why they started the distillery. The Federal government taxes the whiskey based on bulk product and proof. Thus, if the liquor is 150%, then the feds tax it 1.5 times. Then the state taxes the wholesale product at 28%, and the retail tax is 11%. How will they make a profit? We will see because the liquor will finally be available by the end of this month. The brandy (Peach, Pear, Blackberry, Cherry and Apple) will have low alcohol levels, since they want to market the wine to older women, who prefer a less alcoholic brandy. And eventually Forks of Cheat will produce Grappa, made from the second fermentation of skins, stems, seeds, etc from the wine grapes.

Even though Forks of Cheat is located just on the outskirts of Morgantown, it seems as if it is situated far into the countryside. The winery overlooks a small valley, with the vines planted on the sloped below. There are two decks; the larger surrounded by beautiful landscaping and Koi ponds. Even without today’s music, this is a great environment to share a glass of wine, relaxing in the sun or shade.

Since it was a red wine tasting event, that’s all I drank. These wines included the viniferia Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and the hybrid DeChaunac, Chambourcin, Baco Noir, and Leon Millot based Burgundy as well as the sweet Van Buren. The Van Buren is similar to Concord and is one of the winery’s best sellers. I really enjoyed the hybrids; all are medium bodied wines with low tannins which provide a smooth finish. The Chambourcin is slightly spicier than the Baco Noir and Burgundy, but each had a unique, drinkable flavor.

When visiting a winery, look for products that you normally do not have access to. Forks of Cheat produces plenty of these, such as their Niagara - Watson’s White Port, Bad Cat Catawba blush wine, the Baco Noir, DeChaunac, Leon Millot, and my favorite, the Foch – Black Jewel Port. And soon, you will have access to fruit liquor and Grappa. Quite a range of “gifts”.

Before leaving Morgantown Jerry recommended I purchase a bottle of Mountain Moonshine, distilled by his friend and West Virginia’s first distillery, the West Virginia Distilling Company. The whiskey is a clear corn whiskey made from 20% corn and 80% neutral grains. The whiskey is very clean tasting, with a slight sweetness; but be prepared, this whisky is strong.

Forks of Cheat Winery - Black Jewel Port

Forks of Cheat is located in Morgantown, West Virginia and specializes in making wine from hybrid and labrusca grapes. One of these is a port-styled wine made from Marechal Foch: Black Jewel Port. Forks of Cheat justly advertises that this wine won a bronze medal at the 2000 San Diego National Wine Competition and also a gold medal and best of show at the 2000 West Virginia Wineries Competition.

We opened a bottle this weekend and what a surprise. The wine is sweet, but not sugary - with a great cherry flavor. We drank it in the glass and over ice cream. And at around $17, this wine is a great value.