I’ve visited some out-of-the-way wineries up here in the frozen hinterlands. Right off the top I cannot recommend enough, with all my heart, a wine that totally shocked me and made me a devotee is the 2005 Late Harvest Vignoles from Fenn Valley Winery in Fenn Valley Michigan. We are growing a ridiculous amount of grapes here on the Fourth Coast, and I know that people would really like the complex and delightful 2005 LHV. You can even have some fun with it because you can also taste the regular Vignoles as well, it’s a wonderful contrast.

I’ve also had the pleasure of visiting a itty-bitty (maybe 100 acres) little burp of a winery in of all places, Minnesota. Morgan Creek Winery puts out some surprising product for what amounts to being a USDA Zone 2 to 3 growing region. Specifically their blend wine St. Winceslaus is a cherry jam fruit hydrogen bomb and their Relativity is a huge surprise. It’s a winery that exists for sheer willpower and science – there is a nasty vile little grape that grows throughout the entire region, all the way up into Manitoba – the University of Minnesota crossed this vile little monster (which can survive -40F) with it’s more cultured and tastier bretheren and they’ve got vines that for the most part can survive a Zone 2 winter. It’s no Napa Valley award-winner area, but if you like to explore and you are curious what a Zone 2 wine might taste like, you can’t beat it. Morgan Creek is a stones throw outside of New Ulm, Minnesota.

Southern Arizona is making some great wines. Callaghan Winery is by far the best of the bunch. They make a Petit Verdot Gary so try to track it down for the show. I’d send you some, but it’s 115 degrees today and I’m sure you don’t want to taste vinegar.

I’d check Missouri wines. HUGe state-funded wine program. Fits into the question of the day. My favorites are Stone Hill’s Steinberg White. On red side, I love their full bodied Norton.

Giving a quick piece of love for Virginia wine….some hidden gems include Pollak, Gadino(even though they were ripped on an earlier episode)and Kluge…check them out…there is really good viognier and petit verdot being made out here.

QOTD – My favorite non CA, NY, WA, OR wine is a wine called Retriever from Silver Decoy Winery in NJ. Note that I liked last years offering much better than this years. Nice Cabernet Blend style that had a unique amber quality.

G-man,

Next time you do a wine show on Texas, you need to try Fall Creek’s Meritus, Patrick Brennan’s Viogyner (Brennan Winery), Bernhardt Winery Port, Llano Estacado Cab, and the other good ones. Dr. Becker has one problem with his wines….he sells them too fast and does not have the opportunity to age them to better them. Texans want Texas wines, BUT we just can’t produce them fast enough. As a result, there are too few Texas wines outside of Texas. See you back in Texas!

QOTD: Sakonnet vidal blanc, RI

QOTD: Long Island wine sporting 5 grape varieties. From Martha Clara vineyards, the O-Five (looks just like 05 on the bottle). It has an interesting poop/barnyard, dark cherries and cayenne pepper smell with a nice mouth feel and a great finish.

Agree with your comments on TX sports teams, none of them bring any excitement to me.
I lived in NC for a while and I used to like a couple of Bordeaux style blends from Ray-Len in the Yadkin Valley AVA (in Davie County, NC near Winston-Salem). They were Carolinius and Category 5 (named after the hurricane and the number of grapes in the blend).

As a proud Texan and wine enthusiast I can say that red wine in Texas has absolutely nothing going at this point. Although, as you noticed, there are some Texas wineries doing some nice things with white wine. Viognier seems to do particularly well in the Texas heat. McPherson Cellars does a fantastic Viognier.

I live in Lousiana, and there’s only a few I’ve tried locally and nothing to mention.

QOTD: Some of the wines from Newport Vineyards in RI are pretty good for a small company. Their sauvignon blanc is tasty!

Texas A&m class of 2003 Baby! Aggies shout it out!

I have had a few wines made in Southern Delaware, but it has been a while and they deserve to be drank and evaluated again.

Great show Gary! I love the episodes focused on the “other” states. QOTD, the Doukenie Winery Hope’s Legacy (formery Hope’s Raspberry Merlot) in Northern Virginia. Second runner up, Georgia’s Tiger Mountain Cabernet Franc.

Great show!!! QOTD, definitely Virginia. First up, Linden’s Late Harvest Vidal. Second, the Doukenie Winery (formerly Wyndham Winery) Hopeâ??s Legacy (formerly Hopeâ??s Raspberry Merlot). Lastly, Gray Ghost Vineyards Adieu, late harvest vidal blanc.

Link it up Mott!

Too bad you couldn’t have other options from those wineries.
In my opinion from Texas Hills Vineyards you should try the “Kick butt cab” and the pinot grigio… two very good efforts.
and from Becker you should taste the 100% malbec, or the Cabernet, or a great cab-syrah blend they have.

yay texas ! go texas ! im from HOUSTON ! i liked this one. . too bad i missed you gary when you were here. . . . man that sucks you didnt like those wines . .ive never had them. but wish that guy who sent them sent better ones. makes texas look bad. . thanks buddy

Im with you, Gary. HATE their sports teams, college or pro. The Cowboys are completely worthless and I celebrate everytime they fail ( Pats suck while I’m at it). Ouch for the wines… 1 – 4. Thats no HOF numbers, for sure. But once again, you have to call it like you see it. Hope in the future they can rock out a better product. QOTD: *shame* I dont think Ive had a wine outside of Washington, California, or New York. If I have it sure wasnt memorable.

Briana from Penoach Winery in Adel, Iowa. It’s a white blend, I’m not sure what’s in it, I’m sure mostly Americana varities, but it has a lot more body and more controlled sweetness than pretty much any other winery around here. Plus they run out of it every year before the end of the farmer’s market season which means other people like it too….

I know Im a little late on this one, but being a Texan I felt I should ring in. I try to like Texas wines but usually have similar results to this episode. There are some good ones but, there sure are a lot of bad ones too. Ill recommend:
Flat Creek’s Super Texan
Mcpherson Sangiovese
Mcpherson Tre Colore
Alamosa El Guapo Tempranillo

That 94 Rockets Knicks series was awesome. And I’ll go ahead and say it before football season kicks off. The Longhorns are going to take the National Championship this year.

This is all great to know your experience.

I couldn't agree more! Becker is notoriously one dimensional and needless to say…way over-hyped (and over priced for that matter). I'm a fan of a few of the Black Label Grape Creek wines.

Qotd: Black Ankle, out of Frederick MD, I’m excited about Arizona as well.

Yeah, Gary! How about some East Texas love? 17 wineries! It’s Kuh-razee!! http://ow.ly/cK6Sn