Catawba

Not loaded up with free time today, we decided to take a quick trip up to the Lake Erie region of Ohio to drink what has become one of the local wines, Catawba. It's a hybrid grape in a number of ways, but predominantly in that wine geneticists believe it to be a cross between vitis vinifera (most of the well-known wine grapes of the world) and vitis labrusca.

Catawba was once the most planted grape in the US, probably mostly because it can grow in nearly any climate and its uses are fairly broad. In addition to being somewhat of a wine grape, it's also widely used in grape jelly and grape juice. Welch's, for example, is perhaps the largest user of Catawba grapes in the world.

It's a particularly hardy vine and grape. Icy cold winters ... no problem. Hot, humid, rainy summers ... no problem. Largely because of that, Catawba is grown mostly in places where traditional wine grapes may not be grown or may not even be able to be grown.

The wines produced from Catawba are generally pinkish in color. They are somewhat, but not horribly acidic and typically off-dry; that is, they have some residual sugar, but not enough to be considered sweet.

They do taste a lot like the inexpensive grape juice or even grape jelly that you buy in your local supermarket. So, pair your Catawba wines similarly. Serve with toast, peanut butter, or a fast-food burger and fries.


Comments

Post a Comment

I'd like your feedback and questions.

Popular posts from this blog

Gruner Veltliner

With some time to kill and wanting to see the countryside, but obviously not able to drive ourselves, we hailed an Uber to go from northern Italy to Wachau, Austria right on the Danube (little did I know that I would need an additional credit card for this trip). We're going to drink wine from the most widely planted grape in the country, Gruner Veltliner. As we arrive on the east bank of the river, we see a number of bottles set out for us. But, something is odd. None of them are the traditional 750 ml bottle that we are used to. No, the wine sometimes affectionately known as Gru-V is bottled in chubby, almost cylindrical with their short necks, 1 liter bottles with crown (you need a bottle opener, not a corkscrew) caps. In Wachau, most Gru-V wine is grown on steep, terraced slopes that have almost no ability to retain soil. Winemakers believe that the stress from lack of soil enhances the flavor profile of Gru-V. Our wines are white with a slight very pale green tinge to them
Read more

Mount Veeder

Bordering Los Carneros and almost directly to the north, what a difference a few miles makes. Today, we are in the Mount Veeder American Viticultural Area (AVA). The ride here takes only 15 minutes and if there were a raod that would take us directly, it might be only 5, but the terrain. climate, soil, and virtually everything else about Mount Veeder makes it unique. Likely the single most unique thing about Mount Veeder AVA among the Napa Valley appelations is the slope of the hillsides. When we visit the other mountain AVAs within the broader Napa Valley AVA, we see some pretty steep slopes that grapes are growing on -- 10 degree grades, 15 degree grades. In the Mount Veeder AVA, that would be looked at as perfectly flat. And, that is what makes Mount Veeder different. The typical 30 degree grades make access difficult. When we think about what a 30 degree slope really means, consider what it is like to get mechanical equipment into the vineyards. For the most part, it's just not
Read more

Wineries and Wine Clubs

Wineries treat their wine club members well. At least most of them do. And, they should.  Think about it. A wine club member is an automatically repeating customer. And, in being automatically repeating, these are not just any wines, these are the sought after, usually higher priced, limited production wines.  Wineries have three kinds of direct-to-consumer customers: those who come by the winery or buy through the winery website and buy once, those who are fairly frequent customers, but on their own schedules, and those wine club members who get multiple bottles of wine at scheduled times during the year and frequently buy more.  Frankly, it's a symbiotic relationship. The winery gets a group of loyal customers. It gets predictable purchases from a dedicated group. The wine club member gets access to wines that other might want and some other special perks. Some give occasional gifts, some give free shipping, almost all give discounts, and if you visit the winery, you likely get t
Read more