Anthony Pierpont Wine Tips: Midwest Wines of Note

Everyone knows that California and Pacific Northwest wines rival their French and German counterparts with ease; but what about wines from the middle region of the country?

• Michigan started getting some attention a few years ago when the Michigan is rapidly approaching 50 wineries, with a growth explosion in wine production happening over the last decade.
• You might be surprised to learn that Ohio has more than 80 wineries. Ohio has experienced so much interest in wine making that the Ohio Wine Producers Association provides tips on starting your own winery. The Kinkead Ridge 2003 Syrah is a light red wine that goes well with anything from pasta to steak- a perfect choice for spring. Kinkead Ridge is completely sold out of their award-winning 2003 Viognier/Roussanne blend, but they’ve produced many other winners since.
• The Falconer winery in Minnesota produces a Frontenac Port that wins awards every year- the 2005 vintage seems to be the most noted, but every year’s been a good year for this dessert wine. Minnesota’s St. Croix Vineyards has won multiple awards for their Vignoles, made with a hybrid wine grape. The 2005 Vignoles is their gold medal winning wine and not to be missed.

This just scratches the surface of Midwestern wines. If you’re on a driving trip through the Midwest, check out the Web before you go to see if you’ll pass any wineries- they’re worth stopping for.

Anthony Pierpont Homemade Wine Tip of the Day: In an earlier blog, I talked about northeast ice wines, a unique dessert wine- and it seems like dessert wines are almost always a good bet when you’re buying Midwest wines, too.