Grand River Valley : Vintage 2010
I have been tasting the wines from 2010 (they are still in barrels) and they are wonderful.

Ashtabula, Ohio really saw ideal weather conditions for our vineyards. We experienced some periods of very dry weather over the summer and near record heat. Harvest started way earlier than normal. We finished with over 3000  growing degree days, one of the warmest on record. Growing degrees (GDs) is defined as the number of temperature degrees above a certain threshold base temperature, which varies among crop species. The base temperature is that temperature below which plant growth is zero. GDs are calculated each day as maximum temperature plus the minimum temperature divided by 2 (or the mean temperature), minus the base temperature. GDUs are accumulated by adding each day’s GDs contribution as the season progresses.

California makes more wine than all other U.S. states combined, all that production reflects a big demand for California wine. Two out of every three times that someone in the U.S. grabs a bottle of wine to take home, points to a wine name on a restaurant wine list, or clicks on the computer screen to buy wine, that wine comes from California.

In 2010, California endured record-breaking low temperatures throughout the spring, which led to a late budbreak. Summer wasn’t much better. It was the second coldest July in 50 years in Napa, Sonoma and other regions. Rainfall in May was twice the historic average in Northern California. Some vineyards were going through bloom when the rains hit, stunting the size of the crop and creating loose and uneven clusters that matured unevenly.

I hope that the 2010 vintage will encourage people to reach for a bottle of Grand River Valley wines.

Guest Post – Queen of the Ice Wine: South River Vineyards and the Ice Wine Festival

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Kate Galo

I came to the sad conclusion a while ago that I’m incapable of exploring everything in Northeast Ohio. Case in point, I was really disappointed to have to miss the Geneva Ice Wine Festival this past weekend (and the coming weekend since I’m going to be in Chicago for this). Fortunately, Clue Into Cleveland guest contributor Kate Galo was happy enough to enjoy a day of wine tasting for me. Enjoy her writeup of the experience and be sure to check out the Ice Wine Festival this Saturday, March 19th (your last chance this year!).

 

I find that there are certain proposals that could be made to me that I will always say yes to.  Would I like to bring some food to a dinner party?  Would I mind asking that embarrassing question so my friend doesn’t have to?  Would I like to go drink some wine?

The answer will always be an emphatic YES.  So when Clue Into Cleveland was asked if we’d like to go to South River Vineyard and maybe try some ice wine, I said YES.  (And maybe threatened to knock Amanda and Elizabeth out of the way so I could go.)  I was already planning on making my way to Geneva and had no problem with visiting South River Vineyard first!

I learned from Gene Sigel, owner of South River Vineyard, that this is the 8^th year of the Ice Wine Festival for the various wineries around Geneva and Ashtabula, and that the three weekends in March are some of the busiest times of their year.  He chalks it up to cabin fever, and I agree with him, but I’d also say it has something to do with the fact that ice wine is delicious and sweet and gives you a feeling of doing something special in the end of winter when last weekend you were wearing 5 layers of clothing in your house and debating whether or not you could stand to get out from under the blanket to feed your stupid pets.

Gene Sigel of South River using a wine thief to draw wine from a barrel.

Learning more about ice wine just highlighted how little I know about wine making, and chemistry in general.  Ice wine is a specialty in places like Northeast Ohio since it needs to b 18 degrees Fahrenheit for the grapes to freeze, the grapes have to picked (sometimes by hand!) when they’re frozen, and pressed when they’re frozen in a giant bucket press.  If the grapes get warm, they get squishy (technical term), and then the chemistry changes and the kind of wine changes.  South River picked their grapes last December and made a Concord Ice and a Blush Ice wine.  The Blush Ice wine is fantastic!  Not too syrupy or overly sweet, it was clear and sweet and had very clear cherry and berry and lilac aromas.  The Concord Ice was very “jammy” as Gene put it, and he’s right – it was as if I had taken a bite of homemade grape jam.

First Runner-up Amanda Wight, Ice Wine Queen Stephy Gorgeny, Second Runner-up Sara Galbreath

 

 

To read the full blog: Please visit CLUE INTO CLEVELAND

About the Guest Author: Kate Galo
Long long ago, Kate Galo was a professional blogger at the now-defunct BloggingOhio.com.  Her writing style has vastly improved over the years, and she’s excited to sharing her thoughts about this city with the loyal readers at Clue Into Cleveland!

Ice Wine Festival

Deep Underground in the brick-lined wine caves of South River Vineyard, the first Ice Wine Festival Queen was crowned this Saturday during the 8^th annual Grand River Ice Wine Festival. The Festival began 8 years ago and was founded by South River and 4 other wineries in the Grand Rive Valley . Each March since then, customers take a progressive tour of the areas Ice Wineries and sample the latest vintage. Just as many festivals in Ohio have a “Queen”, South River Owners Gene & Heather Sigel felt the Festival had grown large enough to earn its own “Ice Wine Royalty.”

The festival Queen was to be 21 years old or over and compete based on written essays describing their interest in local wines, personality, and ability to promote Ohio grown wines. The Ice Wine Queen, Stephy Gorgeny of Grafton Ohio, is a self-described Locavore and wrote in her Competition essay that “I like most supporting my local region’s viticulture, people, and economy. The products produced here in northern Ohio are of award-winning quality….Locavores seek to consume foods produced within a 100-200 mile radius of their location.” Her runner up, Amanda Wight is a native of Ashtabula, and wrote that “The beautiful vineyards that surround the local area…and the people who work at each winery display a great love and pride” for the Grand River Valley. Second Runner up, Sara Galbraith of Erie P.A, wrote that “Wineries in the Grand River Valley have beautiful venues embracing the beauty of the vineyards.”

Ice Wine by law is produced by allowing the select grapes to freeze naturally on the vine, producing a sweet, dessert-style concentrated wine that can only be produced in areas with cold winters.

Gene Sigel lilke Wiggle South River Vineyards Ice Wine Tease

- Ice Wine Festival

- Ice Wine Festival


Join Debonné Vineyards, Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, Grand River Cellars Winery & Restaurant, Laurello Vineyards, South River Vineyards & St. Joseph Vineyards for Ohio's 7th Annual Ice Wine Festival, a progressive tasting of the ice wine produced in the Grand River Valley. Saturdays March 5th, 12th & 19th, noon-5 p.m.Patrons will visit each of the participating wineries and sample their Ice Wine along with a complimentary appetizer. Many of the wineries will also have a featured event including ice carving, jewelry shows, dog sledding demonstrations and much more. Cost is $5 per person at each winery, which includes wine samples, appetizer and special events. Bring in a canned food item and receive $1 off per person to help support our local food banks.
Address
Debonné Vineyards7743 Doty RoadMadison, Ohio 44057
Phone Number(s)
Local Number: (440) 466-3485
Hours
Saturday: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Special Hours:
Website(s)
www.icewinefest.com
Admission
Price per person: 5.00You must pay $5 at each winery
Events Dates:
3/5/2011 - 3/19/2011
Accepted Forms of Payment
Cash, Check, Debit Card, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Parking
FREE