French-hybrid wine grapes grow at Johnson Estate Winery in far Western New York's Lake Erie wine region.

Grape jelly to fine wine

Here's a surprise about the rolling farmland and forests around Buffalo and Niagara Falls, N.Y., where Lake Erie's waters roar over Niagara Falls on their way down to Lake Ontario: Drive through the highways of this region and along the lakeshore through a bit of Pennsylvania and on into Ohio, and you'll see mile after mile of healthy vineyards.

So many vines grow in Chautauqua County, N.Y., I'm told, that it ranks among the nation's leading grape-producing regions. Erie County, Pa., and the grape-growing counties of Northeastern Ohio aren't far behind.

So why don't you hear much about the region's wine? Most of these grapes aren't destined for wine. Commercial farms growing Concord, Catawba and other American native grape varieties supply much of the world's thirst for grape juice and grape jelly; most of these farms produce fruit for major food corporations.

Indeed, it's possible to make a sort of wine from native grapes. Some producers have done so for generations, including traditional kosher-wine makers like Manischewitz and Mogen David, as well as quite a few small-farm wineries. But the flavor that made Welch's famous draws grimaces and expressions of disgust from many wine lovers, who describe such wines with the tasting term "foxy" and do not mean it as a compliment.

For many years, the conventional wisdom was that this region wasn't suited for growing fine wines because it's too cold. Unlike the winter-hardy native grapes, traditional European wine grapes (vitis vinifera) don't thrive in harsh winters and deep freezes. Over time, some wineries made "country-style" wines with native grapes, grape-jelly aromas notwithstanding; and some people learned to enjoy them.

Later, like their counterparts throughout much of the Eastern U.S. and Canada, more serious growers began experimenting with "French hybrid" grapes, unfamiliar varieties created in nurseries by crossing vinifera grapes like Riesling or Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon with native varieties. They hoped to achieve an offspring that combines native hardiness with European flavor (and hoping that they wouldn't get the reverse). Hybrids, too, achieved a following as some people became accustomed to them, but frankly, many wine lovers find their unfamiliar flavors difficult to enjoy.

More recently still, winery pioneers have continued pursuing the grail of quality vinifera in the East. Along the southern shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario (and on the eastern edge of Lake Michigan), the moderating temperature influence of large bodies of water and "lake effect" snows give some vineyards near the coast a critical edge over neighbors in colder microclimates. This seems to work best with varieties from colder European regions: Riesling from Germany, and Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley, and Pinot Noir from Burgundy and Champagne. The lure of great but winter-tender red grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah continues its $iren $ong, but the combination of winter kill and the "green," herbaceous character of wine from underripe grapes makes this a challenging venture.

We visited two of Western New York's top wineries over the weekend and found good wines but very different approaches at each. In Chautauqua County in New York's far Western tip, wine maker Jeff Murphy came on board at the 45-year-old Johnson Estate Winery four years ago, and he is making exceptionally clean and varietally correct wines from hybrid and native grapes, primarily, although he's planted some Riesling with an eye to the future. He also buys vinifera grapes to make wines under an alternate label, Freelings Creek.

In Niagara County, just a few miles off Lake Ontario's southern shore in the shadow of the Niagara Escarpment just to the east of Ontario's Niagara Peninsula, Warm Lake Estate is drawing attention for wine maker wine maker Michael VonHeckler's decision to plant Pinot Noir, only Pinot Noir and nothing but Pinot Noir on his attractive, sloping property. He argues that warm air circulating between Lake Ontario and the escarpment endow on his property a consistent microclimate that makes it a "banana belt," suitable for growing tender fruit. He likens the weather and the minerally soil to Burgundy and declares that he intends to make a Burgundy-style Pinot. What's more, he's sufficiently cheeky (or maybe just sufficiently proud of his wines) to charge startling prices for them, demanding - and getting - up to $40 for his top bottling and, remarkably, selling out "futures" of coming vintages for prices in the $20s.

As soon as I have all my notes and photos assembled, I'll publish a more comprehensive report on these and other wines of the region. For today, here's a quick look at many of the wines our small group tasted during visits to the two wineries. The short summary is simple: These producers, at least, are making excellent wines that amply defend the assertion that Western New York isn't just about grape juice and grape jelly any more.

Johnson Estate Winery

Freelings Creek Chardonnay $11.99
Not exactly a "second label" since pricing is competitive with the estate bottlings, Freelings Creek is Johnson's alternate label for wines made from purchased fruit, including most of its vitis vinifera varieties. This one is appley and fresh, with good, crisp green-apple flavors and a tart finish. No vintage is shown on the label, but Murphy said it's made from 2004 fruit.

Johnson Estate Lake Erie 2004 Seyval Blanc $9.99
One of the most vinifera-like of hybrid grapes, this Seyval could pass for a Muscadet and might serve just as well with shellfish. It's a pale straw color, with perfumed, floral aromas and a crisp, mouth-wateringly tart flavor that carries an attractive chalky minerality.

Johnson Estate Lake Erie 2003 Vldal Blanc $9.99
Another French-hybrid white, this one's made in a sweeter style. Pale straw in color, it's distinctly peachy on the nose and palate; off-dry but with good acidity to keep the sweetness in balance.

Johnson Estate Lake Erie 2005 Chambourcin $9.99
I'm less enthusiastic about red French-hybrid grapes, but to Murphy's credit, his red hybrids are about as good as it gets. Perfumed and floral, roses and red fruit, with a very tart acidic profile.

Johnson Estate Lake Erie 2004 Chancellor $9.99
Dark purple color. Appealing sour-cherry nose and palate, good body and structure. A relatively vinifera-like hybrid, somewhat like an Italian red in style.

Freelings Creek 2004 New York Merlot $13.99
The grapes for this vinifera item come from a friend's vineyard in Long Island, where the climate moderated by the ocean makes more sense for Merlot than the wintry Lake Erie short. The aroma and flavor is focused on plums, with a touch of smoke, over a good, balanced structure.

Johnson Estate Lake Erie 2005 Vidal Ice Wine $34.99/375 ml.
The hybrid Vidal is a major player in ice wines in both New York and nearby Ontario, and it works well here, with luscious honey-apricot aromas and flavors; it's intensely sweet, with fine acidity to provide balance.

Johnson Estate Lake Erie 2005 Chambourcin Ice Wine $34.99/375 ml.
A red ice wine is an unusual thing, and a red French-hybrid ice wine even more so. It's a clear light bronze-pink in color, with a distinct aroma of spiced raisins. Unctuous on the palate, berries and brown sugar and sufficient acldity for balance.

We also sampled a couple of Johnson Estate's native-grape wines. Although made at a mass-market price point, these are well-crafted wines, balanced and fresh, vinified so as to accept their native flavors while keeping them in balance.

Johnson Estate 2004 Lake Erie Delaware $7.99
One of the least "foxy" of the white native varieties. Pale brass color. Floral and jammy. Citric, softly sweet, nicely balanced with fresh-fruit acidity.

Johnson Estate 2005 House Red $9.99/1.5 liters
Made from Concord, perhaps the most well-known of all the native red grapes, it's a light garnet color, with a bright, fresh-fruit flavor that's distinctly akin to grape jelly but that, happily, avoids the grapey excesses of the full-throttle kosher-style Concord wines. It's even more palatable in the flavor, attractive red-berry fruit made off-dry but with crisp acidity for balance. I could get used to drinking Concord if it always tasted like this. Maybe.

Warm Lake Estate

Mountain Road 2004 Niagara Escarpment Pinot Noir $24.99
Made from selected purchased grapes and finished with barrel aging at Warm Lake, this second label is a fine Pinot by any region's standard. Pale ruby in color, virtually a rosé (not unusual for Pinot), it's classic Pinot Noir on the nose and palate, cranberries and strawberries and spice, intriguing Pinot aromas and velvety red-fruit flavors well-balanced by mouth-watering acidity.

Warm Lake Estate 2004 Niagara Escarpment Pinot Noir $39.99
Rosy bronze color, beautiful. Red fruit and spice and chalky minerality, beautiful structure, fairly described as "Burgundian." VonHeckler talks about what a poor vintage the 2004 was, but he could have fooled me. (On the other hand, a small barrel sample of the 2005 is certainly more intense and deeply fruity ... it should be quite a wine ... but it's already sold out.)

2004 Niagara Escarpment Glacé Noir $19.99/375
A strong, sweet, dessert-style Pinot Noir made by adding sugar before fermenting fruit not chosen for use in the estate Pinot, this is an odd, offbeat sweet wine that attracts a lot of attention, but I have a hard time warming up to it. Pale bronze in color, it's strong, sweet and nicely structured, but I find its aromas on the funky side of earthy, reminiscent of musky, overripe melons.

WEB LINKS:
For information about the wines, including availability and distribution, see the winery Websites. The following link will take you to the Johnson Estate Website:
http://www.JohnsonWinery.com/

For the Warm Lake Website, click this link:
http://www.WarmLakeEstate.com/

TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE:
I've posted today's column in our Netscape WineLovers Community, where you're welcome to read the replies and add your own comments or questions at this link:
http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=4518

For more advanced wine-enthusiast discussions on this or any wine-related subject, you're welcome in our non-commercial WineLovers Discussion Group, where today's article is featured at this link:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=1484

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE
Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or other wireless device.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/print060612.html

Need a case of delicious wine for summer entertaining? Want to save up to 50 percent off normal retail prices? Check out the new Summer Selections category in the on-line Wine Store at www.cawineclub.com.

The California Wine Club has assembled some of their most popular wines for a convenient and easy way to shop. Choose from four different pre-selected cases: All Whites, Simply Reds, The Best Of Both, The Collector's Case and Worldwide Flavors. For more than 16 years, wine lovers have trusted The California Wine Club to deliver great-tasting, limited-production wines. Their new Summer Selections is just one more way they make your wine shopping easy! To order visit www.cawineclub.com or call 800-777-4443. As always, every wine is 100% guaranteed.

REMINDER - Father's Day is June 18. Give the Dad in your life a gift that is as unique as he is! Give a California wine adventure with The California Wine Club. Just $32.95/month plus shipping. Visit
http://www.cawineclub.com
or call 800-777-4443.

Some highlights of recent articles on WineLoversPage.com that I hope you'll enjoy:

• Hot topics in our WineLovers' Community
Our WineLovers' Discussion Groups are the best places online to ask wine questions and participate in the civil and intelligent discussion of good things to eat and drink. Our WineLovers Discussion Group (WLDG) is the Internet's original wine forum, a non-commercial venue intended for wine-related conversations that range from apprentice-level to wine professionals. Our WineLovers Community on the Netscape/CompuServe service is dedicated to wine education, a friendly place to get quick answers to your questions about wine, beer, spirits and all good things to drink.

What goes best with Pinot Noir?
Pinot Noir is one of the most versatile of food wines, so it's hardly surprising that this simple question has yielded an extended series of responses. Click to the WineLovers Discussion Group to read the recommendations, and please feel most welcome to add your own.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=1574

The Wine Advisor's daily edition is usually distributed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (and, for those who subscribe, the FoodLetter on Thursdays). Here's the index to last week's columns:

• More Merlot (June 9, 2006)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060609.phtml

• Disappointing book on American wine (June 7, 2006)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060607.phtml

• Merlot - Was Miles right? (June 5, 2006)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa060605.phtml

• Complete 30 Second Wine Advisor archive:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml

• Wine Advisor FoodLetter: Potato fish cakes (June 8, 2006)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tsfl060608.phtml

• Wine Advisor Foodletter archive:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/foodlist.phtml

SUBSCRIBE:
• WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free) 
• 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free)
• Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free)
• Wine Advisor Premium Edition, alternate Tuesdays ($24/year)

ARCHIVES:
For all past editions, click here

CONTACT US
E-mail: wine@wineloverspage.com

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
For information, E-mail wine@wineloverspage.com

To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, or for any other administrative matters, please use the individualized hotlink found at the end of your E-mail edition. If this is not practical, contact me by E-mail at wine@wineloverspage.com, including the exact E-mail address that you used when you subscribed, so I can find your record.

We do not use our E-mail list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail address to anyone. I welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. To contact me, please send E-mail to wine@wineloverspage.com

All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry.

Monday, June 12, 2006
Copyright 2006 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved.