The lake view from Dr. Frank's Winery

 

America Is Bubbling Up In Many New Places

 

           The Wine Institute indicates that California produces the bulk of the sparkling wine in the US.   When I read this it peaked my interest to discover other places apart from California that produce sparkling wine and learn a little about them and their places.   This short survey will begin in the Northeast and move clockwise around the country covering Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington.    We shall see by the awards and good press that good sparkling wine is coming from many places in America.

Westport Rivers Winery—Massachusetts

         A nearly 60 miles drive south of Boston on the border of Rhode Island lies the Westport Rivers Winery located just outside the town of Westport, MA and only 20 miles from Newport, RI.   Their address is:   417 Hixbridge Road, Westport, Massachusetts 02790.   This 200 acre, family owned farm stretches along the Westport River and is nestled in the so called Heritage Farm Coast of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.   The Heritage Farm Coast consists of a group of coastal towns dedicated to highlighting the wonderful natural resources of the area with the historic character of southern New England.   This area truly shows the beauty of New England with small coastal towns, harbors filled with fishing boats and many farms.   The oldest winery in the area, Sakonett Vineyards, sits just across the border in Rhode Island.

            The area surrounding Westport Winery is blessed with a great microclimate due to the proximity of the Gulf Stream.   The Gulf Stream moderates the weather extremes.   The cooling effect of wind off the Atlantic Ocean helps create daily temperature differentials that are beneficial to producing great wine.   This area is similar in temperature and number of growing days to the great wine producing areas of Burgundy and the Loir Valley of France.

            In 1982, Bob and Carol Russell bought the Long Acre Farm in Westport, inspired by Carol's family's earlier association with the wine industry to make wine.   Carol's father was the second-generation owner of Germaine Wine Cellars in Hammondsport, NY when she was a girl.   The Russells searched far and wide to find a suitable location to build a winery.   With the belief that the climate and soil in Westport was perfect for growing vinifera they founded Westport Rivers Winery.

            The Russell's eldest son Rob left his job in 1986 to renovate the historic buildings and properties at Long Acre Farm and begin to plant 44,000 vinifera vines over the next two years.   This made Westport Rivers the largest all vinifera winery in New England since the 1700s.   He learned vineyard management working with Dr. Konstantin Frank's grandson Fred at Villa Banfi's vineyard on Long Island in New York.

            Bill Russell, the younger brother of Rob, began work at the Westport Rivers Winery during the fall of 1988 following graduation from Boston College with degrees in philosophy and filmmaking.   He studied winemaking with Eric Fry of Lenz Winery on Long Island.   Bill strives to balance fruit and acidity to produce distinctive wines.   He appears to be succeeding; right from the start earning a gold medal for a chardonnay made in his first year.  

            Westport Rivers produces a number of sparkling wines in the method champegnoise and still wines:

Westport cuvée RJR—this brut is made from estate grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. ($19.95)

Blancs de Blancs—made with 100% chardonnay ($22.95)

Blanc de Noirs—made with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier ($22.95)

cuvée Maxmillian ($84.95)

Imperial Sec—a sparkling Riesling ($22.95)

            Many honors and accolades including glowing write-ups in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and the The Wine Enthusiast have been given to Westport Rivers Winery.   Additionally many medals have been awarded such as gold from the American Wine Society for the 1990 Westport Rivers RJR Brut cuvée.

            Westport Rivers hosts tours, festivals and a variety of food and wine education programs throughout the year.

 

Chateau Frank—New York

 

            Chateau Frank Champagne, the sister winery of Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinefera Wine Cellars, overlooks the beautiful Keuka Lake in Central New York.   The address is: 9749 Middle Road, Hammondsport, New York 14840.   Keuka Lake is in the Finger Lakes region of New York.   This region of New York boasts a number of long, narrow lakes that were created by glacial action during a previous ice age.   The glaciers cut deep grooves into the earth, which eventually filled with water leaving behind scenic lakes, deep gorges with cascading waterfalls, and steep hills that plunge directly into the lakes.   Seneca lake, the largest of the Finger Lakes is 38 miles long and over 600 feet deep.   The lakes and the natural beauty of the region make this a popular vacation destination.   In all there are eleven lakes in the Finger Lakes region with many wineries on their shores, many of which produce sparkling wine.

            Dr Konstantin Frank's Vinefera Wine Cellars was founded in 1962 by Dr. Konstantin Frank.   Dr. Frank single handedly changed the face of vinifera cultivation in the North East by proving that the North East can sustain vinifera and produce great wine.   This viticultural revolution opened the door for the now over 200 wineries growing vinifera in New York State; however, this is a truly full feature story to be told at a future issue.   Furthermore, Dr. Frank's son Willy, not content with these past successes, bought land on the shores of Keuka Lake in the early 1980s and planted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.   He shocked the wine world by producing sparkling wines in the method champegnoise that stood up to some of the great wines of Champagne.   He called his vineyard Chateau Frank Champagne.

            Visitors to the winery often note how unassuming the winery and tasting room are.   The tasting room is not slick but is filled with many articles and awards relating to their wine.   Don't let the unpaved road off of Route 54A deter you from checking out this great winery.

            Willy Frank is the winemaker for Chateau Frank Champage, which produces an impressive line of sparkling wines made from all estate grown grapes.   The following wines are made by Chateau Frank Champagne by the method champegnoise unless otherwise noted:

 

 

Vintage Brut Champagne—50% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 5% Pinot Meunier ($24.95).

Vintage Blanc de Blanc—86% Chardonnay and 14% Pinot Blanc ($31.95).

Vintage Blanc de Noirs— Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier

Chateau Frank Célèbre—100% Riesling Cremant Style ($19.95).

Chateau Frank Célèbre Rosé—100% Pinot Meunier Cremant Style ($20.95).

            The sparkling wines of Chateau Frank Champagne continue to be recognized for their exceptional quality with glowing reviews and numerous awards including a double gold for the Chateau Frank Célèbre Rosé at the New York Wine Classic.

 

Oasis Winery—Virginia

         Oasis Winery produces sparkling wine as well as a variety of still wines at its facility in Hume, Virginia, which is about 65 miles to the west of Washington, DC.  Their address is: 14141 Hume Road, Hume Virginia 22639.    Oasis sits among many other wineries in the wine district known as the Blue Ridge Wine Way.   The Blue Ridge Wine Way consists of wineries in the Blue Ridge Mountains including Oasis, Grey Ghost Vineyard, Mediterranean Cellars and others.   The beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains offer great outdoor recreation, great views, many restaurants and bed & breakfasts for the tourist or some one wanting to get away from the DC area for a day.   The entrance to Oasis Winery overlooks the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.   Skyline Drive is both beautiful and historic as it is one of the first of the national driving tours.   The drive meanders 105 miles through the Blue Ridge Mountains.   The mountains are usually 10 degrees cooler than the valley below offering cool respite in the summer.

            Dirgham Salahi is the sparkling wine maker at Oasis winery and the previous owner.   Tareq Salahi , the son of Dirgham and Corinne, who holds a degree in Enology and Viticulture from the University of California, Davis is the current owner.   Dirgham was a pioneer in the emerging wine industry in Virginia, planting the first Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the state in the mid ‘70s.   The original intent was to produce grapes for home winemakers.   However, the operation grew to the 100,000 gallon capacity of the winery today.   The first sparkling wine in the Méthode Champenoise at Oasis was made in 1980 with a 150 bottle production.   In 1986, the Salahis ventured to Eperney, France to purchase state-of-the-art bottling machines.   Following this the sparkling wines began to truly distinguish themselves.

            Oasis winery makes sparkling wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grown on their estate.   Their production and distribution is limited.   Only in exceptional years both in quality and quantity does Oasis make a sparkling wine.   But they do make a fine sparkling wine.   Their Brut, 60% Chardonnay & 40% Pinot Noir, was rated as one of the Top 10 Champagnes & Sparkling Wines made in the world by the Wine Enthusiast Magazine.   They also offer a Celebration Brut also made of 60% Chardonnay & 40% Pinot Noir.

Biltmore Estate and Winery—North Carolina

         Nestled in the North Carolina mountains is the Biltmore Estate and Winery. The winery is on the grounds of the Biltmore estate, which is the largest private home in the world. The Biltmore Estate and Winery is located at Biltmore Estate, 1 Approach Road, Asheville, N.C. 28803. The estate was fashioned in the beginning to resemble a French Chateau, so it is fitting that today it is home to large a winery and vineyard.   A quote about the Biltmore estate by Sarah Whitman in 1894; " Not even all that has been said, prepared me for this place, its beauty, its splendor, its amazing possessions! I have walked about it and measured its towers thereof and it is one long tale of delight."   Winemaking did not begin until the estate was nearly one hundred years old.

         In the 1880's George Washington Vanderbilt, visited Asheville, North Carolina for its views and mild climate. On one of his daily carriage rides he spotted a plot of land that to him held a majestic view.   That spot today is home to the Biltmore Estate. Mr. Vanderbilt liked the area so much that he bought 125,000 surrounding acres and that land included Mt. Pisgah.   Mr.Vanderbilt hired the best architects and landscapers.   The area around Asheville reminded Mr. Vanderbilt of the Loire valley in France.

           In the massive construction of the home Mr. Vanderbilt, built a hospital, factories, a railroad running to the town, shops, schools, and a post office. The Estate was opened in 1895 and named Biltmore. In 1914, Mr. Vanderbilt died and willed a majority of his grounds to the state of North Carolina. Today that donation is called the Pisgah National Forest. Along with the national forest in the land willed to the state came the first Federal Forestry department in the country.   The Biltmore Estate not only represents a marvel of an estate but also a visionary feat that produced jobs, highways, parks, and modern day Asheville. In the Estate's visionary fashion, the winery and vineyards were added in 1975.

           The winery started as a project in 1975. By 1980 the winery was open for business. Experiencing a major boom in interest, the winery took on a new shape in 1985 opening a 90,000 square foot, twenty-four hour a day operation. The new facility boasts all the state of the art equipment in wine production. Only the sparkling wines are still strictly produced by hand. Visitors to the winery can view the process twice a year.

         On the west side of the estate are acres of vitis vinifera. The vineyards have expanded to a total of one hundred and ten acres. Biltmore Estate produces about 75,000 cases of wine each year in about 15 varieties. Biltmore wines have been awarded gold and double-gold medals in prestigious national and international competitions. The Biltmore now produces 5 different sparkling wines:

Biltmore Estate Méthode Champenoise Blanc de Blancs–Brut
Biltmore Estate Méthode Champenoise Blanc de Blancs–Sec
Biltmore Estate Méthode Champenoise Brut
Biltmore Estate Méthode Champenoise Blanc de Noir
Biltmore Estate Château Reserve Méthode Champenoise–Brut

 

Cap*Rock Winery—Texas

          In 1992 Texas took a new perspective on the wine industry. That year marked the debut of the Cap*Rock Winery. This winery opened up in west Texas outside Lubbuck. Their address is: Route 6, Box 713K, Lubbock, Texas 79423 .   Easily distinguishing itself from of the west Texas flatlands, this enormous mission style winery emerges from the land. The Texas High Plains area consists of caprock--an impervious stratum or resistant rock usually at the summit of a mesa.  The caprock extends from the Great High Plains to the northern part of the Texas Panhandle and also lends its name to the winery.  The Texas High Plains has in recent years distinguished itself as an excellent terroir for the growing of vinifera.   Lubbock, considered the center of the South Plains, is a city of 201,212.   Lubbock's official elevation is 3,256 feet.    Cap*Rock Winery stands at a slightly higher elevation, 3,400 feet.   This elevation allows for warm days and cool nights with low humidity, which are favorable conditions for bringing our varietal character.

         The winemaker at Cap*Rock Winery is Kim McPherson.   Kim was trained in enology and viticulture at UC Davis and also worked extensively in Napa Valley.   To assist Kim in making the best wines possible, Cap*Rock winery built a very modern facility. The main building in the facility is 23,000 square feet. The winery at present produces 45,000 cases of wine. The facility however is equipped to produce even greater amounts. The winery is well equipped with a German stemmer crusher, German presses, and also an Italian bottling line.  

          Cap*Rock winery is extremely diverse and equipped to take on any avenue of wine production and manufacturing. The quality of Cap*Rock's winemaking shows in its frequent awards, most notably, the 2003 San Francisco wine competition and the 2003 Jerry Meads International Wine competition.

         Cap*Rock Winery utilizes grapes produced on their estate as well as other vineyards around Lubbock and beyond.   The Cap*Rock Sparkling wine utilizes an unique blend of 50% Pinot Noir from Cap*Rock and 50% Chardonnay produced in Kim's brother John's vineyard in California.   The production of this wine is apparently limited and not found outside of Texas.

         The beautiful tasting room and winery at Cap*Rock makes this a great destination to go and try some wines from West Texas.

Gruet—New Mexico

          In the southwest, New Mexico is home to the Gruet Winery. The wine is fashioned in the tradition of the French method of Champagne. Gruet Winery is located at 8400 Pan American Freeway N.E.Albuquerque, NM. The Gruet family had successfully been producing champagne in France since 1952.   In 1983 the Gruet family was vacationing in New Mexico where they met with fellow European winemakers who had found great success growing vinifera in the area.

           Gilbert Gruet, who had been successfully been producing wines of all sorts in Bethon, France since 1952, was now starting his New Mexico experiment. The winery was built in 1984 just south of Albequerque. The only crops planted were Pinot noir and Chardonay grapes. Nathalie Gruet and a family friend, Farid Himeur, moved to New Mexico to run the operation.

           New Mexico's climate was a major factor in the success of the family's American venture. Today the vineyards are some the highest in America in some places soaring 4300 feet. The New Mexico days can reach very high temperatures, on occasion into the hundreds, but at night the temperature drops nearly thirty degrees on average. This temperature drop slows down the maturing process of the fruit. The desert atmosphere of New Mexico helps the quality of the fruit, in two different ways. Bugs and damaging fungi are not part of the climate, which, in turn, eliminates the need for pesticides, allowing a chemical free product of a higher quality.

            The Gruet Winery has expanded its production since its beginnings. In 2001 the Gruet winery distributed fifty thousand cases of wine to thirty-five states. Gruet has become a player American sparkling wine market. The Gruet family's project in the New Mexico desert, that was inspired by growers before them, has in turn led to many other wineries and vineyards in the region. The pricing on the wine is very reasonable. This is due to cheaper production costs in rural New Mexico. The winery now produces five kinds of sparkling wine:

Gruet Methode Champenoise, Brut, non-Vintage ($13.00)

Gruet Methode Champenoise, Blanc de Noirs, non-Vintage ($13.00) 

Gruet Methode Champenoise, Demi-sec, non-Vintage ($13.00)

Gruet Methode Champenoise

Blanc de Blancs ($22.00)

Grand Roseé Vintage, 1999 ($30.00).

 

Van Duzer Winery and Vineyards—Oregon

            The Van Duzer Winery and Vineyards is a family owned winery located just west of Oregon's capital, Salem.   Their address is:   Van Duzer Vinyards, 11975 Smithfield Road, Dallas, Oregon 97338.   The vineyards are located just outside the Van Duzer Corridor in the Willamette Valley.   The Van Duzer Corridor is an ancient forest with old-growth Douglas firs.   The forest is filled with salmon, deer and Roosevelt elk.   The Willamette Valley, just north of the Van Duzer Corridor, stretches from the south of Eugene to the falls at Oregon City.   The Willamette Valley was the promised land for many of the emigrants on the Oregon Trail.   It is a fertile valley in the heartland of Oregon with a tremendous amount of crops being grown.   All in all the location and area surrounding the Van Duzer Winery is well worth a visit.   There are several recreational parks and scenic areas as well as other wineries and attractions.

            The Willamette Valley region is cooled by Pacific breezes coming in through the Van Duzer Corridor.   The area is known for the contrast of hotter days and colder nights.   This contrast of hot to cold stresses the grapes and adds complexity to the wines.   The region and the wine it produces is very often compared to the Burgundy region in France—instead of their southern neighbors in Napa, California.   The area receives a large amount of rainfall with 40” being its yearly average.

            Carl and Marilynn Thoma purchased the vineyards in 1998, naming it the Van Duzer Vineyards and Winery.   Carl Thoma is managing partner of Chicago-based Thoma Cressey Equity Partners.   Marilynn, his wife, is known for her leadership roles with Chicago Shakespeare and Chicago Humanities Festival.   The Thoma's enthusiasm for wine began 30 years ago when they both attended Stanford University to study for their MBA's.

            The winery is truly set in one of the more beautiful regions of the country.   There are lush, rolling green hills and many rivers and ponds.   The vineyards are actually grown on hillsides with elevations between 245-447 feet.   The winery offers a gift shop as well as tasting room.

            In 1994 Jim Kakacek was named winemaker.   He came to Oregon via California.   He was the youngest vintner to be named a winemaker in Napa Valley.   He is a graduate of the University of California, Davis.   With a degree in enology (wine making).   Jim not only is the wine maker but has worked extensively with the vineyard manager, Norber Fiebig, since the winery's beginning, and since has really developed Van Duzer's wines from scratch.

            The Van Duzer Winery grows their own grapes.   They practice sustainable farming and has been endorsed by internationally recognized LIVE (Low Impact Viticulture and Enology) and is salmon safe.

            While the majority of Van Duzer's wines are Pinot Noirs with many of them receiving rave reviews and notoriety they do make a sparkling wine named Van Duzer Oregon Sparkling Wine, Brut.   Their sparkling wine is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.   It costs $14.99, which makes it a great wine to try and serve at many occasions—particularly larger groups.   Their other wines, consisting primarily of Pinot Noirs range in price from $32.00 to a very reasonable $10.00.

            The Van Duzer Vineyards and Winery was the exclusive wine sponsor of the Vail Film Festival (Vail, Colorado).   The winery's Estate Pinot Noir and Sparkling wine were poured at all the official events including the awards ceremony.

Mountain Dome—Washington

          Moving to the further north in the great northwest, sparkling wine making has found a home in the foothills of Mt. Spokane. The Mountain Dome winery started up in 1984 when Michael Manz set out to make his and his wife's, Pat's, favorite type of wine—sparkling wine.   The winery pressed one ton of grapes that were grown in the Columbia River basin. Mountain Dome used a classic proportion of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.   In 1988 the winery started to ferment exclusively in small French oak barrels. Over the years the Manz family has continued to build up the winery including the construction of their namesake geodesic dome that houses the winery.   Today the Mountain Dome winery's current production is 3500 cases a year, making Mountain Dome the second largest sparkling wine producer in Washington State behind Domain St. Michelle. This winery is entirely a family-run operation. The grapes used in the production come from vineyards in different parts of eastern Washington from the Columbia River valley to very near the Canadian border in the southern end of the Okanogan Valley.   Mountain dome winery produces exclusively sparkling wines in the method champenoise. Mountain Dome produces the following sparkling wines in method champenoise:

Vintage Brut—65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay ($24.95).

Brut Rosé—multi-vintage made in the French “saignee” method ($19.99).

Non Vintage Brut--65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay ($12.99).

Tete cuvée-- 50%Chardonnay, 49% Pinot Noir and 1% Pinot Meunier, made only in great years ($27.99).

            Mountain Dome fine sparkling wines in the method champegnoise as evidenced by the triple gold medal their NV Brut earned at the San Diego International Wine Competition.

Well, the journey is over but the survey is by no means complete.   We should all look around from time to time even in our neighborhoods to see if some vintner has tried to take on the great work of producing sparkling wine.