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FeedWhen is a Wisconsin Wine from California?
I got a press release from Chateau St. Croix last week trumpeting their rosé’s “Best of Show” win at the Indiana State Fair International Wine Competition. Throwing aside the obvious things to be snobby about—Indiana wine award?—this brings up an issue that has confused me for years. Namely, even though Chateau St. Croix is in Wisconsin, this winning wine is a California one, because they brought in grapes grown in California with which to make their wine. So while the press release wants me to herald the story: “Wisconsin Winery Wins Prize,” the real story may be: “California Wine Better Than Others In Indiana,” which is not really news at all.
I had a spirited discussion with Nan Bailly, the winemaker at Alexis Bailly vineyards once about this practice of bringing in fruit, or just unfermented juice, to make wine. Her general argument was: It’s the same as bringing in marble for a Minnesota sculptor to sculpt with. (Bailly mostly makes wine with grapes she grows.) All right, I see that. Minnesota brewers may use imported grains, Minnesota painters use imported paints and canvas; Minnesota writers type on imported keyboards; Minnesota chefs cook with imported everything. And if you make a banana bread tonight, I’ll certainly think of it as Minnesota banana bread, and not, say, a Costa Rica banana bread. And yet, something about shipping grapes thousands of miles seems different to me—and, to be perfectly truthful, sort of pointless.
Right now that reaction is mostly a gut one. I understand that lots of California vineyards have no “bricks and mortar” winery on site. They ship their grapes elsewhere for vinification—though that place is usually a quick drive, not across the country. I also know that lots of California vintners have made lots of great table wine by bringing in tankerloads of South American juice, and blending them, adding oak, putting their mark on them etc., etc. I don’t know. Even knowing all that, I don’t feel okay about a Wisconsin wine made with California grapes. Wine to me seems like it should be connected to its land. The fancy name for that is terroir, which is a shorthand for the idea that a grape expresses the sun, water, and soil it comes from. And it seems different to me than, say, banana bread: There’s only grape juice in those bottles after all. But, I’m not settled in my thinking about this. Anyone else have feelings about California grapes being made into Wisconsin wine? Do you want to drink it, or skip it?
Posted on Friday, September 5, 2008 in Permalink
Comments may be edited for length, clarity, or appropriateness.
Reader Comments:
I understand your angst, but let your taste buds decide. I recommend trying all the wines at our local wineries (including wines from cold hardy grapes). If a local vintner can make a great chardonnay or pinot noir from shipped in grapes then they deserve awards and attention.
I’m not associated with the wine industry, so I can only guess that local wineries make wine from shipped in grapes because of economics, familiarity and the knowledge learned from making different wines. Economically, I think the market for buying local grapes is tight and it takes three years or longer to get grapes after planting them. If you have all your equipment and you need some return on your investment then you need juice sooner than later.
Using familiar grapes makes it easier to sell to consumers. Many people are looking for chardonnay or cabernet because that is what they know and like. How many people ask for a glass of La Crescent (U of M hybrid)?
Also, there is a lot of existing knowledge about how to make wine with vinifera grapes, while the local, tiny industry here is still learning about cold-hardy grapes and hybrids that haven’t been around for thousands of years.
I wish I could tell you that I’ve tasted a really good bottle of wine made with local grapes, but it’s going to take some time before that happens. That’s not to say that local winemakers aren’t a brave and industrious bunch. I have a lot of respect for people trying to make wine in Minnesota and Wisconsin.