Grape Spotlight: Shelburne Vineyard Lake Champlain Marquette

The Marquette grape was developed at the University of Minnesota as a high quality, cold hardy, and disease resistant wine grape and through multiple cross breeding is a cousin to Frontenac and a grandson of Pinot Noir.  It is renowned for its resilience in harsh climates, capable of surviving winter temperatures as low as --36°F when fully dormant, making it suitable for extreme cold-climate regions. It is highly disease-resistant, showing excellent resistance to downy mildew, powdery mildew, and black rot, and moderate resistance to black rot, which reduces the need for chemical treatments in vineyard management. 

The grape produces medium-bodied, dry red wines with a complex flavor profile featuring notes of cherry, blackberry, black currant, and spice, often accompanied by hints of black pepper, earthiness, and leather. The wines are typically medium-bodied with balanced acidity, soft tannins, and an attractive ruby color due to the thick, dark-blue skins of the small berries.  Marquette wines are often aged in French oak, enhancing their complexity and structure, and can have moderate aging potential, with higher-quality, oak-aged versions developing further complexity over 5–7 years.

The Marquette grape was released by the University of Minnesota in 2006 and Vermont's Shelburne Vineyard immediately planted vines - making these plots in the Champlain Valley the oldest in the Marble State. The Champlain Valley's unique terroir is shaped by the moderating influence of Lake Champlain, which provides a microclimate that warms vineyards in winter and cools them in summer, allowing for the cultivation of grapes and other produce. 

The Shelburne Vineyard 2021 Marquette shows alluring notes of cherry, berry, black pepper, and spice on both nose and palate finishing with refreshing acidity. Cheers.

Book Review: "Wines of Vermont"

I have a soft spot for wine books that focus on the history of wine within a specific state *, so I was very enthusiastic about purchasing the recently published Wines of Vermont written by Todd Trzaskos. Full disclaimer, Todd is a friend that I've known for a number of years. And on occasion he has provided me with a couple of his excellent homemade wines that Deirdre Heekin mentions in the book's forward. That being said, this is an excellent resource, not only with it's portrayal of the past and present wine environment in Vermont, but more importantly, expanding upon the Green Mountain States' geography, history, culture, and agricultural industry. It's this expanded coverage which separates Wines of Vermont from similar books and provides an underlying basis for the rise of Vermont's unique wine culture. 

theCompass view of
Vermont's 30+
wineries & cider houses

The book starts with a detailed review of Vermont's geography from the birth of it's mountains, to the limestone soils, to the consequences of past glacier activity. One interesting fact is that the Taconic and Green Mountain ranges "represent the eroded remains of some of the first mountains on earth...".  Part II delves into Vermont's wine culture, from it's shared heritage with Quebec to the rise of the Farm to Table movement. Part III augments the Farm to Table culture by describing the plethora of fruit agricultural products grown in Vermont, finishing with a detailed description of wine grapes. Pay close attention to the Minnesota breeds. Part IV encompasses the Farmers and Winemakers who gave birth to and advanced the Vermont wine industry. I had expected the book to start with this topic, but by holding back this information, Trzaskos provides the reader with a clearer understanding of the risks and rewards experienced by these industrious entrepreneurs.  Who in their right mind would plant Pinot Noir in the shores of Lake Champlain? Or bases their winery operation on native yeast fermented Marquette and La Crescent?  The Wines of Vermont reveals this information and much more and forces the reader to admire and appreciate "the people from the little state of Vermont".

* Two recent books are Richard Leahy's Beyond Jefferson's Vines: The Evolution of Quality Wine in Virginia and Regina McCarthy's Maryland Wine: A Full-Bodied History (American Palate).

A Wonderful World of Wine at the Wine Bloggers Conference

Just stirring from dehydration and a hangover Sunday morning after four days (including Loudoun County pre-tour) of the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference and am overwhelmed by all the out of state bloggers who made the effort to travel to Charlottesville. Pretty damn awesome. Plus all the Virginia wine folks who shared their stories and wines to us. But it just wasn't Virginia wine, particularly in the after parties. There was Rioja, Chilian wine, Saperavi from the Republic of Georgia, Ohio Reisling, Texas Viognier, Missouri Vignoles, Rodney Strong single vineyard Cab, Austrian Blaufrankish (and Virginia Blaufrankish), Frontenec Gris from Vermont, Malbec from New Zealand, and plenty of Croatian Plavac Mali. The point is, there is a wonderful world of wine available out there. Think outside the box and try different varieties or even familiar wines, but from other regions. Cheers and thanks to all the attendees for sharing their experiences. WBC11 was way too cool.