Author wpawinepirate

Fero Estate Lemberger 2013

wpawinepirate 2 Comments
Fero Estate Lemberger 2013

Fero Estate Lemberger 2013

     I have written several posts lately extolling the virtues off the Saperavi grape as the “Next Big Thing” for Eastern winemaking.  I have never written one single post about the forgotten role that the late-ripening Lemberger grape has been cast to play in the evolution of the wine industry above latitude 40° north.  Fero Vineyards & Winery in Lewisburg, Pa produces a superb example of what can be done with Lemberger grapes that have been painstakingly cared for and expertly transformed into their Estate Lemberger 2013.  The beautiful garnet color is the first thing you notice about this Lemberger followed by the notes of oak.  Chuck Zaleski is a master at using oak to coax out the hidden flavors from his wine while adding a sophisticated complexity at the same time.  Chucks light-handed use of oak with this wine brings out the red fruit and spice (think black pepper) taste while adding depth.  A medium body carries the soft tannins into a long and lingering spicy finish.  This wine has good acidity which makes it pair well with red meat, barbeque and even red sauce.  Note: Winemaker Chuck Zaleski suggested I should let it breath.  I not only let it breath I used an aerator on a couple of glasses. His suggestion was right on the mark, the added aeration opened it up and added a little something extra.  www.ferovineyards.com  Update:  Fero Estate Lemberger 2013 won a Double Gold medal at the 2015 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (FLIWC).

Oak

wpawinepirate Leave a comment

     The flavor and aroma of oak in wine is only second to Red or White in dividing wine drinkers.  Many people simply will not give themselves a chance to appreciate how oak can be artfully used to enhance wine quality whether it’s Red or White.  I like the flavor of oak in any of its applications especially when it is used to shape a wine into a more complex version of itself. Wine makers have leaned on oak barrels for centuries to give their wine both structure and flavors.  The oxygen that seeps into the barrels helps mature the wine while causing the loss of a small amount of wine that is said to be the ” Angel

New Oak Wine Barrel

New Oak Wine Barrel

Share”.  Oak wood for wine barrels is grown throughout the world and has a distinctive flavor associated with each region from which it is harvested.  American Oak has a pronounced level of flavor that is imparted to the wine while French Oak is said to be more subtle (Let the arguments begin).  Coopers are able to give wine makers more control over their flavors by the amount of toasting they do to the inside of a barrel, mixing different kinds oak staves used to make a barrel and even making the oak wood in to chips or sticks that can be floated in vats of wine.  Today’s wine makers don’t have to paint the portrait of a wine using only broad brush strokes of oak, they can paint shadows of light and dark accents of flavors with the precision of an artist using small brush strokes to bring out all the nuances of a wine.  The organic compounds that are released into the wine give it structure and flavor while drawing out hidden flavors to add complexity to the wine.  When done correctly the addition of oak can produce a truly unique wine.  The difference that oak makes in the personality of a wine can be seen by tasting three different Chardonnay. The first being made entirely in stainless steel to preserve fruit flavors, the second aged in used barrels for texture only and the third aged in new oak to get a creamy texture plus an aromatic vanilla taste.  After tasting the differences in the three you will be able to the tell which methods you like the best.

2015 Pa Farm Show Wine Results

wpawinepirate Leave a comment

Congratulations and Thank You to all the wineries that participated in this years competition.  The entire palate of Pennsylvania wines that paint the portrait of this state’s evolving wine heritage were on display.

Double Gold: Best of Show Grape:  Penns Woods Winery 2009 Cabernet Reserve .           Double Gold: Best of Show Sweet/Dessert:  Happy Valley Vineyard & Winery 2011 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine                                                                                                                                       Gold: Best of Show Fruit:  Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery 2013 Guilty Pleasure

Other local wineries that received medals in recognition for producing high quality wine were:

Fero Vineyards & Winery                                                                                                                        Double Gold:  2013 Grüner Veltliner                                                                                                Gold:  2013 Pinot Gris                                                                                                                             Silver: 2013 Pinot Noir  and    2012 Riesling                                                                                      Bronze:  2012 Semi-Dry Riesling,  NV Spiced Apple,  NV Chocolate

Glades Pike Winery                                                                                                                                  Gold:  2012 Petit Verdot                                                                                                                      Silver:  2013 Spiced Apple                                                                                                                     Bronze:  2014 Black & Blue,  2013 Noiret

Narcisi Winery                                                                                                                                    Silver:  2013 Riesling                                                                                                                         Bronze:  2013 Rosabella,  2013 Noiret

The Vineyard at Hershey                                                                                                                  Bronze:  2013 Blackberry Portrait,  2013 Sweet Riesling,  2013 Pink Catawba,  2012 Merlot,  2013 Oaked Chardonnay

Christian W. Klay Winery                                                                                                                  Silver:  2013 Lavander Mist

For the complete list of medal winners at the largest indoor farm show in the U.S. just click the link.  www.pennsylvaniawine.com/node/2372

Fero Vineyards & Winery: Saperavi 2013

wpawinepirate 4 Comments
Fero Vineyards &Winery Saperavi 2013

Fero Vineyards &Winery Saperavi 2013

     I had the pleasure of drinking my first Pennsylvania grown and made Saperavi recently.  It strengthened my belief that the Saperavi grape has the potential to be developed into the signature red grape grown in the cool climate of the Eastern United States.  Fero Vineyards & Winery 2013 Saperavi starts by revealing its beautiful dark purple color, a trademark of this wine.  After admiring the deep color, aromas of red fruit with a hint of oak fills your nose.  Saperavi grapes are known for producing a full-bodied wine with good structure, Fero Saperavi 2013 fulfills those expectations on both counts with style and accuracy.  This East Coast Red has good acidity which complements a subtle note of oak that is carried well into a long finish.  I recommend buying three bottles of this vintage, drink one now and cellar the other two.  Open those bottles after aging them two years and five years, compare your tasting notes,  I am sure you will be impressed by how well this wine will develop over time. 

     Thanks to Chuck Zaleski the owner and winemaker of Fero Winery for pursuing a progressive strategy that is not only designed to grow his business but the quality of wine produced in Pennsylvania.  Fero Vineyards & Winery 965 Jpm Rd Lewisburg, Pa. www.ferovineyards.com   570-568-0846   Fero Saperavi 2013 will be judged at the Pa Farm Show this weekend  1/9/15  Update: Fero Saperavi 2013 has won a Gold medal at the 2015 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (FLIWC).

Merry Christmas

wpawinepirate 2 Comments

merry xmas     May all that brings you happiness and gives you joy be yours this holiday season.   Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

Fallen Stars

wpawinepirate 8 Comments

wine fireworks     After the latest attempt to get Pennsylvania out of the business of selling wine and liquor failed, I realized that I would miss the Chairman’s Selection program that offers some very good wines at a deep discount.  The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (P.L.C.B.) is the second largest purchaser of alcohol in the world so it has tremendous buying power.  The buyers at the P.L.C.B. do a great job sorting through the wine market to come up with plenty of interesting wines that would have gone unnoticed and bring them here at attractive prices.  If you live in or visit Pennsylvania often you probably have gotten accustom to the antiquated laws regulating alcohol sales within the state but if you are new to the state here is a quick primer.  Bottles of wine and spirits must be purchased from a P.L.C.B. store, no wait you can also buy wine produced in Pa. from the winery or a business associated with them.  Only full cases of beer and malt beverages can be purchased from a beer distributor and you must buy six packs from a bar or six-pack store. Now that everything is crystal clear I hate to tell you that is only the tip of the regulatory iceberg.  There are deals to be had in P.L.C.B. stores and I recommend visiting a “Premium Collection Store” for the best selection.  The P.L.C.B. website and smart phone app makes it easier to navigate the state store system in Pennsylvania.  I have listed the website and where to get their mobile app.  I recommend taking a look at the Chairman’s Selection section whether you are in the store or online for the best deals available. Happy Hunting!  www.finewineandgoodspirits.com  For free mobile apps  go to ITunes or The Google Play Store.

Saperavi: The Next Big Thing?

wpawinepirate 4 Comments
Saperavi Grapes Photo Courtesy Wikipedia

Saperavi Grapes Photo Courtesy Wikipedia

     The Red Wines of the East Coast have never gotten the love that their White Wine counterparts have received over the years and in most cases for good reason.  But that may change if an old Eastern European grape can live up to its promise of becoming the foundation on which the future of eastern Red Wine is built.  The wine grape that I am talking about is Saperavi.  This grape variety originated in the Georgian Republic of Russia and features a dark skin with

Chuck & Daneen Zaleski Owners Fero Vineyards & Winery

Chuck & Daneen Zaleski Owners Fero Vineyards & Winery

pink flesh.  It is a teinturier variety of grape, meaning unlike most grapes that have uncolored flesh and produce clear juice a teinturier has red-tinted flesh that makes a vibrant richly colored wine. Saperavi vines are grown throughout the area connecting Asia and Europe know as the Caucasus and in various regions of the former Soviet Republic. Sapervai has long been viewed as an ideal ingredient for cheaper blended wines but in recent decades it has been proven to be capable of producing a varietal of high quality.  The best Georgian-produced Saperavi comes from the Kakheti Region that is near its eastern border with Azerbaijan.  These Georgian-made wines are available in the U.S. but you will have to do some searching to find them. The fact that this grape is late-ripening and thrives in a cooler climate while producing generous yields without sacrificing much in quality is the reason that vintners in the Finger Lakes and Central Pennsylvania are exploring its potential within their vineyards.  I have mentioned in earlier posts the pioneering work done by the Standing Stone Vineyards and Winery with Saperavi but I have recently learned of a producing vineyard in Lewisburg, Pa.  Chuck and Daneen Zaleski owners of Fero Vineyards and Winery have produced a varietal from Saperavi grapes grown in their Central Pennsylvania vineyard and made exclusively in their Lewisburg winery.  Chuck Zaleski at Fero and Marti Macinski at Standing Stone are on the cutting edge of this exciting reinvention of an Old World stalwart.  I am excited to have the chance to follow the evolution of the Saperavi wine grape in the Eastern United States from the persceptive of the wine makers themselves. For more information about these two fine wineries visit their websites at: www.standingstonewines.com  and  www.ferovineyards.com

Tom & Marti Macinski Owners Standing Stone Winery Photo Courtsey:Examiner.com

Tom & Marti Macinski Owners Standing Stone Winery Photo Courtsey:Examiner.com

thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

wpawinepirate Leave a comment

There’s a New Kid in Town

wpawinepirate 2 Comments
James and Rebecca McCeney celebrate Bridges Wine Co.

James and Rebecca McCeney celebrate Bridges Wine Co.

     There’s a new kid in town and that kid is James McCeney.  James has established his Bridges Wine Co. in the Point Breeze section of Pittsburgh on the second floor of a former warehouse at 6901 Lynn Way.  McCeney married a local girl and settled in Squirrel Hill after leading the life of a wine vagabond.  James was thirteen when he started working summers at a winery which eventually lead him to Napa Valley, California where he attended the University of California, Davis studying viticulture and enology.  To take part in two harvests a year he split his time between California, New Zealand and Australia but with his wonderlust still not satisfied he managed to find time to work in Burgundy, France.  You are probably are wondering how McCeney produces his wine from the second floor of a warehouse in the East End of Pittsburgh.  Bridges wine is fermented in Sonoma, California and shipped to Erie, Pennsylvania for bottling then delivered to Pittsburgh.  James hopes to someday consolidate his operations entirely here in Pittsburgh.  Bridges Wine Co. has two initial offerings, a 2012 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and a 2012 Sonoma Valley Zinfandel , both are available online at www.bridgeswineco.com. The 2012 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is dark, rich and well-balanced with a nose of raspberries, strawberries and vanilla.  The palate of spicy cherry is carried on refined tannins and a lively acidity into a long fleshy finish.  2012 Sonoma Valley Zinfandel is a deep purple wine that delivers with aromas of plum, black cherry and Asian spice that leads into flavors of ripe fruit.  The structure is one of firm tannins and focused acidity with a hint of French Oak on the finish.

     B.W.C. will soon be offering a Muscato that is now in the fermentation stage and is progressing as planned.  James wanted to let everyone know that the tasting hours at his Point Breeze tasting room will be 12 pm – 6 pm Wednesday – Saturday and free shipping will be offered for the holidays.

I am happy to welcome James McCeney and his Bridges Wine Company to the winemaking family of Western Pennsylvania and as it is with any large and boisterous family there is always room for one more at the table.