2020 Vermilion Valley Vineyards Pinot Gris
The Winery
From Vermilion Valley Vineyards Website
I recently did several stories on Vermilion Valley Vineyards and The Winerie at Sandusky (both labels are the same ownership and winemaker). The Vermilion Valley story was on how delicious their Pinot Noir and who knew this high quality of Pinot Noir could be grown in Ohio.
The second story was on a wine seldom seen in California and many have never tasted, Lemberger wine.
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2024/03/10/the-winerie-at-sandusky-2021-lemberger-wine
Vermilion Valley Vineyards has 100 planted acres in four different locations. With micro climates, this allows all his wines to be 100% estate grown. What is interesting about Ohio is that some 370 wineries exist but only 900 acres of grapes are planted! Doing some simple math, removing the five largest vineyards in the state, you are left with each winery having a one acre parcel! Thus many wineries in Ohio rely on importing juice from various areas like the Central Valley of California and Washington. That is one of many unique characteristics of Vermilion Valley Vineyards and their estate wines.
At a recent event I got a chance to meet Joe in person and had a brief but engaging conversation. His personal life story is very interesting, that is for him to share, but he has an undeniable infectious smile!
Photo from Facebook
Currently they produce the following red wines: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Dorsa, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lemberger, Chambourcin, Dornfelder, Nebbiolo, Malbec, Pinotage and Merlot. Ditto for their white wines producing: Muscat Ottonel, Riesling. Gruner Veltliner, Müller-Thurgau, Traminette, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Valvin Muscat, Ribola Gialla, Petit Manseng, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Albariño, Pinot Blanc and Arneis. That is a wide variety of wines and all estate grown!
You can read their webpage about their high level of sustainability incorporating land use and their buildings. Link at the bottom of the page
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The first thing is understanding that Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris have two different profiles but are the same grape. Where it is grown makes the significant difference. Pinot Grigio is the more popular of the two and can be found at many restaurants. The characteristics are that it has a “lighter body, is clean and crisp with citrus flavors” according to Wine Spectator. Pinot Gris has a touch more spicy tropical fruit aromas, low in acidity, higher alcohol and a richer texture. Another way of looking at the difference is that Pinot Gris is based on the French Alsace style, whereas Pinot Grigio is based on the Italian style lighter and crisper! Pinot Grigio is an early budding and ripening grape and is best suited to cooler climates.
The 2020 Pinot Gris from Vermilion exemplifies these characteristics. On the eyes a pale golden yellow which at first I was suspect it would be lacking a punch. However once on the nose, a floral bouquet of white flowers (jasmine & honeysuckle) and tropical fruits awaken the imbiber. On the palate, the cool refreshing honeydew coupled with the bright acidity provided a beautiful wine to be enjoyed. The finish continued with clean light citrus notes of lemon and tangerine flavors. An excellent summer time wine!
The Vermilion Pinot Gris is a dry white wine and is listed on their website for $20/bottle. This wine is 13.5% alcohol.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine was chosen this evening to be paired with chicken Piccata. The ingredients were ground black pepper, egg whites, whole wheat bread crumbs, butter, fresh lemon juice, white wine and capers. It was then served with fresh lemon slices to be squeezed on the chicken. Accompanied by cooked corn and a fresh garden salad. A very good food and wine pairing with the “soft citrus notes” in the wine coupling up with the citrus of the lemon in the chicken.
Sláinte,
Michael