Marechal Foch

About an hour north of Detroit, Michigan, not far from the shores of either Lake Huron or the Canadian border, there is a surprising abundance of farmland. And when they plant, more than anything else, the locals plant grapes. There's not an ideal climate for growing the traditional grapes of vitis vinifera, but hybrids of vinifera and other grape species do quite well.

One such grape was developed in Alsace (France) by a viticulturist named Kuhlmann. As is not infrequently done with grapes developed through breeding, Kuhlmann named the grape after himself. Somehow, though, this was judged by French authorities to not be acceptable, and the grape was renamed after the Supreme Allied Commander of World War I, Field Marshall (Marechal) Foch.

It's a dark grape, extremely disease resistant and very comfortable with the sometimes frigid winters of Michigan. What makes it a bit difficult is its size. While ideal for the cold weather and making it less susceptible to molds, rots, and mildews, Marechal Foch fits perfectly within the beaks of many birds that summer near Lake Huron.

The grapes are used for a number of styles of wine, a rose produced by minimal contact with skins, a fortified wine similar in style to port, and a traditional dry red wine. We'll focus on the latter.

The better bottlings of Marechal Fock are often a bit gamey on the nose reminding hunters of trips into the wilderness. Perhaps surprisingly though, the palate is quite different with layers of chocolate, coffee, and vanilla, reminiscent of something your favorite barista might cook up for you. Add some dark black plum to that for variety and you have one of the better expressions of this interesting grape.

Marechal Fock typically has quite high acidity making it a food friendly grape. It is light enough to work with salmon, but rich enough to pair with chocolate mousse. And, especially in a gamier offering, pair it with anything that includes sauteed mushrooms.