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• Grape Spotlight: Shelburne Vineyard Lake Champlain Marquette

  Posted: 2025-10-13 09:14

  

  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.

• Grape Spotlight & Effervescence Unleashed: Slavonija Sparkling Frankovka (Blaufränkisch) from Enosophia

  Posted: 2025-09-20 10:03

  

  The Slavonija wine region occupies the eastern inland third of Croatia, forming the largest wine-producing region in the country both in area and volume, with over 30 million liters of wine produced annually across 5,800 hectares of vineyards.

  It is located in the Pannonian Basin, bordered by the Danube, Drava, and Sava rivers. Slavonija features a moderate continental climate with cold winters, hot summers, and high sunshine hours, which is ideal for viticulture -- a practice since the Roman times.  Vineyards are found planted on free-draining soils that sit atop gneiss and granite base soils. The various river systems create alluvial deposits that are well suited to the cultivation of vines.

  There are six subregions of Salvonija: Daruvar, Dakovo, Feričanci, Kutjevo, Slavonski Brod and Orahovica. Enosophia (formerly Feravino) resides in Feričanci, a municipality in Osijek-Baranja County covering a total area of approximately 45.8 km² (17.7 sq mi) near the borders of Hungary, Serbia, and Bosnia. The winery itself is located in the village with the same name as the municipality. The name "Enosophia" is derived from Greek, meaning "wisdom of wine," reflecting the winery's deep-rooted tradition and its ambition to create a compelling wine story.

  

  The original cellar was built in 1804 with the founding of a winery by the Mihalovićs -- a Croatian noble family from eastern Croatia. The Fericeva region (western Osijek-Baranja County) is known for its Graševina and Frankovka (Blaufrankish) and shares a similar tradition as Villany Hungary.  The current winery was established in the 1960s, privatized as an independent company in 1996, and in 2015 merged with the current owners Osilovac d.o.o.  

  The Today Rosé sparkling wine is made from 100% Frankovka, the Croatian synonym for Blaufränkisch. The grape is grown widely in Central Europe and is also referred to as Lemberger, Kékfrankos, and Franconia. In the vineyard, Blaufränkisch buds early, ripens late, and delivers generous yields. It needs a warm environment to fully mature, which explains its distribution in wine regions close to the heat of the Pannonian Plain.  In general, the black-skinned grape provides juicy fruit with noticeable acids and tannins.

  
  

  The sparkling wine was made using the Charmat method for production for the secondary fermentation. This is a process used to produce sparkling wine by trapping carbon dioxide in a large, pressurized stainless steel tank, or autoclave. It is very fruit forward as bright citrus notes advance with noticeable yeasty texture providing roundness and a pleasant mouthfeel. Lasting effervescence. 
  

  The Today Rosé was purchased through Croatian Premium Wine Imports. 

• Popes, Saints, Kings and French Wine: A Journey through Champagne, Burgundy, and the Rhône Valley

  Posted: 2025-09-15 06:00

  

  I recently met Church historian and sommelier Steve Weidenkopf who is leading a curated pilgrimage blending sacred history, daily Mass, and world-class wine tasting across Paris, Reims, Dijon, and Avignon titled Popes, Saints, Kings and French Wine: A Journey through Champagne, Burgundy, and the Rhône Valley.

  Explore Notre Dame, venerate the Crown of Thorns, and walk through medieval monasteries and cathedrals. Along the way, enjoy tastings in Champagne, Burgundy, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape—all enriched by Steve’s deep knowledge of Church history and Catholic wine tradition.  

  The dates are November 5th - November 13th 2026, so anyone interested has a full year to prepare. As for all curated experiences, the price may seem high ($4,399 - Price per person, double occupancy) but includes hotel accommodations, most meals, luxury motor coach, local guides, and more. 

  For those in the Washington D.C. area, there will be an information meeting October 23rd, 7pm, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church and follow Capstone Vineyards for another possible information session.

  ITINERARY

  
  

  Day 1: Thursday, November 5 - Depart USA

  Begin the pilgrimage with independent overnight flights to Paris, France.

  
  

  Day 2: Friday, November 6 - Arrive in Paris

  Arrive in the City of Light and meet the dedicated French Tour Manager. Visit the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral to venerate the Crown of Thorns, then witness the stained glass of Sainte-Chapelle and explore the historic Conciergerie. Gather for a welcome dinner and overnight in Paris.

  
  

  Day 3: Saturday, November 7 - Paris

  Celebrate Mass at the majestic Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Visit the Chartreuse store and enjoy a guided walking tour. Continue to the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal and the nearby St. Vincent de Paul Chapel. The afternoon offers time to explore Paris at leisure—perhaps the Eiffel Tower, Napoleon’s Tomb, or the 

  Arc de Triomphe. Overnight in Paris.

  
  

  Day 4: Sunday, November 8 - Reims | Dijon

  Travel to Reims to celebrate Mass in its grand cathedral. Visit the Basilica of St. Remi and its museum, followed by a champagne tasting at a renowned maison. After a group lunch, continue to 

  Dijon for overnight.

  
  

  Day 5: Monday, November 9 - Dijon

  Begin with Mass at Dijon Cathedral and a tour of the Ducal Palace. Visit the historic Château du Clos de Vougeot and enjoy a wine tasting at Château de Pommard. Evening at leisure and overnight in Dijon.

  
  

  Day 6: Tuesday, November 10 - Cluny | Beaune | Dijon

  Journey to Cluny Abbey, once the spiritual heart of medieval monasticism. In Beaune, celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady and visit the famed Hospice. Conclude with a wine tasting before returning to 

  Dijon for the evening.

  
  

  Day 7: Wednesday, November 11 - Avignon

  Depart for Avignon, stopping en route for wine tastings in Ampuis and Tain l’Hermitage. Celebrate Mass upon arrival. Evening at leisure and overnight in Avignon.

  
  

  Day 8: Thursday, November 12 - Avignon

  Celebrate Mass at the Basilica Sainte-Perrie. Explore the Palais des Papes and the Pont d’Avignon. Visit the historic Châteauneuf-du-Pape and enjoy a tasting at Château La Nerthe. Gather for a special farewell dinner and overnight in Avignon.

  
  

  Day 9: Friday, November 13 - Return to USA

  Depart for Marseille Airport for return flights home.

• Grape Spotlight: Maryland Teroldego

  Posted: 2025-09-12 13:22

  

  Teroldego is an ancient grape and it most likely originated in the Piana Rotaliana -- a large alluvial plain located in northern Trentino, Italy, situated between the Adige River and the Noce River. Written documentation dated to 1300 attests to its use in this region. And the knowledge of this grape spread after the Council of Trent (1545-63) as Bishops and their attendants most likely consumed Teroldego wine during the Council and then returned back to their dioceses with samples of the wine.

  According to wine-searcher.com, DNA testing has revealed that Teroldego is a parent of Lagrein, and a sibling of Dureza, a parent of Syrah, thus making Syrah a "nephew" of Teroldego. The grape is known for producing deeply pigmented red wines with intense black cherry aromas, firm tannins, and refreshing acidity. It is characterized by high anthocyanin content, resulting in a dark color even in warm climates (anthocyanins are water-soluble vacuolar pigments). 

  Teroldego loves soils that are well drained and rich in minerals: in the Piana the soil is made up of limestone, granite and porphyritic stones brought downstream by the Noce river. Growers encounter some other issues – the late-ripening grapes do not always reach full maturity in the cool alpine climate, and are prone to falling off bunches easily, especially in windy sites. In humid years, botrytis bunch rot can cause problems.

  Outside of Vini del Trentino, Teroldego is planted in Tuscany; Sicily; Veneto; Lodi, California (see Peltier Winery and LangeTwins Winery); Clarksburg, California (Silt Wine Co. and Heringer Estates); the Finger Lakes, NY (Red Tail Ridge Winery); and in Maryland at Six Wicket Vineyards and and vinified at Catoctin Breeze Vineyard.

  Six Wicket Vineyards is located in the Middletown Valley at the foothills of Maryland's Catoctin Mountains. They planted Teroldego in 2019 at 975 feet in elevation on weathered greenstone soils. Greenstone belts are ancient geological formations primarily composed of metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks, predominantly altered basalts, which have a characteristic green color due to the presence of minerals like chlorite, epidote, and actinolite formed under heat and pressure. 

  The Catoctin Breeze Vineyard Teroldego 2020 is made from grapes sourced from Six Wicket Vineyards where the 2020 vintage was considered a very good year.  With no September rain, the grapes were able to ripen on the vine into mid-October allowing for optimal phenolic ripeness which the winery suggests "is proven in the delicate tannins and balanced acidity". After fermentation, the wine was aged for nine months in 37% new French oak.  The nose starts with noticeable spice and herbaceousness which is followed by a more delicate body than I had expected, soft tannins, and favorable acidity.  A charming wine. 

• Grape Spotlight: Mljet Mrkuša & Hazdovac Meleda 2022

  Posted: 2025-09-20 10:04

  

  Mljet is the southernmost island in Croatia, located between Dubrovnik and the island of Korčula,  It's nickname, the “Green Island”, is derived from the dense forest of Alepski Bor (Aleppo Pine) that extends from the sea’s bed to the highest point of the island. This Aleppo Pine (also known as the Jerusalem Pine) was brought to Mljet before the time of Christ and is conserved through the Mljet National Park.

  There are also a few autochthonous grape varieties planted in the northern part of the island near the village of Kozarica and courtesy of the Hazdovac family.  Over a century ago Baldo Hazdovac planted  Kuljenača and Mrkuša vines from land acquired from the Church. Viticulture and winemaking skills were passed down through four generations. About five years ago brothers Baldo, Mateo and Martino, along with their parents Marijo and Pavle, transitioned to a commercial entity: Hazdovac Winery.

  I recently tasted their Hazdovac Meleda 2022 ($32) which was purchased through Croatian Premium Wine Imports.   Online information on the Mrkuša grape is sparse but it can only be found on Mljet - and perhaps only through Hazdovac Winery. Some AI generated searches confuse the grape with Maraštinae, a light-skinned grape variety.  The wine's name Meleda refers to an older name for the island.  The wine shows bright acidity with bright cherry fruit with an herbaceous and lasting finish. 

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