2019 Silver Crest “Grand River Valley” Cabernet Franc
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Winery
Photo from Silver Crest Cellars website
Silver Crest Cellars is located northeast of Cleveland, Ohio in Madison Ohio near the edge of the Grand River. They opened the winery in June 2018 by local grape growers and uses grapes from their family vineyard which dates back as far as the 1930’s and other local vineyards.
Today they make a variety of wines besides their Cabernet Franc including Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dornfelder and Chardonnay.
Map from The Stories | Crushed Grape Chronicles
Ohio grows a broad range of grape varieties and today they boast between 450 – 500 wineries in the state. This makes them one of the top ten wine-producing states in America. In Ohio there are five recognized viticultural areas: Lake Erie, Isle St. George, Grand River Valley, Ohio River Valley and Loramie Creek.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Besides winning the Best of Show at the 5th Annual Cabernet Franc Competition from the People’s Choice Judges for their 2018, they have also won the following awards:
• International Cabernet Franc Competition – BEST OF SHOW
• San Francisco Chronicle: Silver Medal
• San Francisco International: Bronze Medal
• Dan Berger (formerly Riverside) International: Silver Medal
• American Wine Society: Bronze Medal, 86 points
Their 2019 Cabernet Franc was grown at their Schubert-Ferney vineyard on the south side of the Grand River Valley. Here at this warm climate site, it allows the Cabernet Franc grapes to fully ripen with red fruit, spicy flavors and very typical of Loire-style Cabernet Franc.
On the eyes a medium dark reddish brown brick coloring. On the nose fragrant aromas of violets. On the palate, soft tannins and reserved fruit flavors. On the finish a little tart cherry and rhubarb. With a soft and mild finish.
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
The wine was specifically selected for tonight’s dinner to go with one of our wintertime comfort foods, a jalapeño infused meat loaf. The meatloaf consisted of both 85% and 93% fat free ground beef. Ingredients included panko breadcrumbs, egg, 6-8 minced jalapeño peppers (1/2 with seeds), minced garlic cloves, shredded sharp cheddar, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, honey and chili powder. The traditional approach is to have a solid tannic wine to “cut” the fat of the hamburger meat. It also would pair well with the tomato sauce in the recipe. Accompanied with a baked Russet potato and a fresh southwest salad. While the red was very good, the pairing of the spicy meatloaf which is one of our favorites, was just a bit too strong for the wine. Back to the drawing board!
Sláinte,
Michael