Youngblood Vineyard Brings Innovative Michigan Wine to Detroit Metro Area

Premium wine comes to Motor City – and the selection of grapes will surprise you.

By Dave Nershi, CSW

Vino-Sphere Publisher

Motown, Mo’ Wine

Michigan’s reputation for producing outstanding wine is on the upswing. Perhaps the state’s best known wine country is up north in Traverse City and wine lovers shouldn’t overlook wineries in the southwestern corner of the state on the shores of Lake Michigan.

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Despite more than 140 state wineries, there have been few cries to jump in the car and visit the wineries in Detroit. A new winery in the Detroit metro area is changing that.

Youngblood Vineyard, located in Ray, Michigan, is a sustainably-farmed vineyard that’s uncorking excitement and award-winning wines. It may be time to gas up the car and head to Motor City.

Bringing Wine Country To The People

Dave and Jessica Youngblood have lived in the Pacific Northwest and Virginia, some of the most beautiful wine country in the nation. In 2015 they returned to the 46-acre family farm in Michigan and decided to try their hand at winegrowing.

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We fell in love with wine country when we lived in Virginia,” said Jess Youngblood, the winemaker who with her husband are the forces behind the winery. “It’s a long four-hour drive to get to wine country from Detroit. It just makes sense to make some wine where the people are.”

Standing Up To The Chill

Not being in the main Michigan winegrowing areas, where the winter temperatures are moderated by large bodies of water, presents challenges. Winters are harsher and unpredictable. The summers are hotter.

To help ensure success, the Younbloods took an unconventional route. They planted cold-hardy grape varieties developed by the University of Minnesota that produce flavorful wines, but can stand up to the harsh Michigan winters. Grape varieties include Marquette, Frontenac, Frontenac Blanc, Prairie Star, Petite Pearl and Itasca.

These varieties can withstand temperatures of 30 below and still produce a full crop. The last polar vortex created some problems and the deluge of recent precipitation caused the loss of a couple hundred vines in low-lying areas. All in all, Youngblood terms the cold-hardy grapes “fantastic.” In fact, Youngblood Vineyard is the largest exclusively cold-hardy vineyard in the state. At 25 acres under vine, the size of the vineyard is in the top 20% of all Michigan vineyards.

Farmers First

The support of the first winery in the Detroit metro area has been tremendous, with plenty of publicity including features on the local television network affiliates. A winery in a major metro area seems a natural fit, so why hadn’t anyone done it sooner? “It’s hard and it’s expensive,” says Youngblood.

Wines from Michigan are more fruit forward with greater acidity and lower alcohol than their California counterparts, she says. The southeast Michigan locale also varies from other parts of the state. Riesling, which thrives in other Michigan wine regions, doesn’t do well in southeast Michigan.

The key to success lies in the vineyard, according to Youngblood: “We are farmers first, growing great fruit.” Paying close attention to the chemistry and harvesting at just the right time is crucial. Youngblood Vineyards only produces wines made with their own estate grapes. Their debut vintage is 2018.

The results speak for themselves. The 2018 Youngblood Vineyard Marquette was just named Best of Class Dry Red in the 2019 Michigan Wine Competition. The accomplishment is an impressive one for any winery’s first vintage.

Tale Of The Tasting

We recently had the opportunity to taste the 2018 Marquette and the 2018 Frontenac Blanc. The Frontenac Blanc was paired with a dinner of ham, corn on the cob and Hassleback potatoes. In the glass the color is lemon with green highlights. On the palate there are notes of peach, apricot and honeysuckle. The finish is semi-dry, adding to its refreshment. The low alcohol (11.8% ABV) keeps it balanced and light.

We sipped the Marquette before the results of the Michigan Wine Competition were known. After finishing the bottle, we agree with the judges. It’s an outstanding wine.

We paired ours with Black Angus skewers with black pepper teriyaki sauce, couscous with sun-dried heirloom tomatoes and green beans with fresh tri-color peppers. The wine is deep purple in color and has a medium plus body. The first sip brings a rush of flowing raspberry, then it settles into a groove with luscious cherry notes. Some Michigan reds fail to develop big, bold flavors – not the case with the Youngblood Marquette. The depth of flavor is rich and rewarding. This is a smooth and stylish wine.

Youngblood Vineyard is a teaching and learning opportunity for area colleges and 4-H groups. It’s also a chance for wine lovers to expand their knowledge. Instead of monikers like “Midnight Symphony,” Youngblood Vineyards names its wines after the grape variety.

“We make beautiful wines,” said Youngblood. “We encourage you to try what you haven’t had before.” She adds that most people don’t even know what qualifies as a vinifera grape.

The winery is currently open on weekends and features a beautiful outdoor tasting pavilion in the vineyard. Visitors can taste the wine while viewing where the grapes came from. “Everything we serve and sell came from the vineyard. You’ll also have the grape-grower and winemaker pouring the wine.”

Detroit Wine Country is open for business. Stop in for a sip of inspiring Michigan wine.

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Full Disclosure: The wine was received as a marketing sample.

Technorati Tags: Michigan wine,Drink Local,wine,wineries,wine tasting

Wine And Cider Fortunes Boosted By Oregon Collaborative Efforts

Busting into the craft beverage market, be it wine or cider, can be an expensive and daunting proposition. In Oregon entrepreneurial souls share resources, combine marketing efforts and collaborate for success.

All Together Now

Wine collaboratives are a common thing in Europe. Individual winegrowers don’t have the wherewithal to pay for all the equipment to vint or store their wine, let alone market it. So, these farmers become part of a commune or collaborative where the costs can be borne collectively.

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During our recent visit to Oregon we saw two impressive examples of cooperation.  Son of Man Basque cidery in Cascade Locks and the Southeast Wine Collective in Portland provide collaboration that is boosting craft cider and wine and feeding the entrepreneurial spirit.

Son Of Man… And Family

Jasper Smith is a cider maker, albeit an unconventional one. Not content to make your typical hard cider and open a tasting room in Portland, or say Hood River, he decided to focus on sagardo, a Basque-style cider. For his tasting room, he picked out a large warehouse building in Cascade Locks. The facility can easily accommodate 150 for events.

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Son of Man opened in the summer of 2018. Making sagardo requires four months of fermentation in oversized oak barrels called foeders. It is dry, complex and is a perfect complement for a good meal. Using wild fermentation, Oregon apples and no filtering or fining, Son of Man Sagardo is a tart treat.

But don’t just pour yourself a glass. Heavens no. To truly enjoy sagardo, you must use the “long pour.” Hold your glass as far away from the bottle as possible, or if you are at Son of Man, get ready to catch the stream of cider shooting straight from the spigot. The long pour aerates the cider and creates its signature bubbles.

As if this wildly successful cider startup isn’t enough, the Son of Man building also houses two small production wineries rapidly gaining notoriety: The Color Collector and Buona Notte. Bethany Kimmel is the owner and winemaker for The Color Collector (TC Collector to friends). Her focus is Gamay Noir, of which there is roughly 30 acres planted in Oregon. The grape is low in alcohol, but high in acidity and fruit. The small production runs are avidly sought by a growing circle of wine connoisseurs.The 2017 TC Collector Gamay Noir undergoes carbonic maceration before being lightly pressed and aged in neutral oak. It’s one reason Gamay is creating excitement in Oregon.

Graham Markel is the force behind Buona Notte wines, a critical favorite that is showing up in area wine shops such as Park Avenue Fine Wines in Portland. The wines are crafted from Italian varieties Sangiovese and Dolcetto with Sauvignon Blanc also offered. The Rosa Rosé of Dolcetto beautifully blends acidity and structure to create a perfect pairing with grilled fish. The grapes come from the Columbia Gorge AVA, which includes portions in both Oregon and Washington. The Cento Per Cento Sangiovese is another beautiful bottle showing graceful cherry notes with a dash of spice. Buona Notte also produces Vermouth, made from rosé of Pinot Noir with herbs and botanicals.

Son Of Man Cider is an appealing destination with cider, wine and special events. Although it is located in an unassuming warehouse building, the rear doors open to a beautiful view of the Columbia River and is close to the attraction of the Cascade Locks.

Keeping Portland Collaborative

With the cost of a single French oak barrel ranging up to $2,000, it’s no surprise that winemaking is an expensive proposition. Portland’s Southeast Wine Collective is helping wine creatives by sharing resources, trading knowledge and bolstering spirits.

The Southeast Wine Collective is an urban winery and custom crush facility that also features Oui! Wine Bar and Restaurant where you can taste the wines produced onsite. SWC was founded by Kate Norris and Tom Monroe and opened in 2012.

Division Winemaking Company is the winery of Kate and Tom and is based at the SWC facility. SWC offers state-of-the-art equipment and highly skilled staff needed for everything from harvest crush, fermentation, blending, and aging to filtration and bottling. At any given time, there are member wineries and others that utilize the custom crush services. After their launch, some wineries build their own tasting rooms or production facilities and move to the “alumni” category.

During our visit, Day Wines, Gamine, Viola Wine Cellars and Esper Cellars wines were tasted in addition to those from Division. Standouts included the Day 2018 “Babycheeks,” a rosé of Malbec, Tannat, and Cabernet Franc from the Rogue Valley; Gamine 2016 Grenache; a delightful Esper 2007 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley; Viola 2017 Aromatica Traminette, Columbia Gorge; and the Division 2012 “Deux” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley.

With so many member wineries and space at a premium in its urban location, keeping the wine production process flowing is a challenge. Production equipment, barrels and bottling must be tightly scheduled.  “We’ve learned to make wine by playing a grab game of Tetris,” said Monroe. “That’s the price you pay for having a winery in your neighborhood.”

The Southeast Wine Collective brings wine country to urban Portland, another example of how creativity and collaboration equal beautifully expressive wines in Oregon.

You may also enjoy:

Cross Border Cooperation Fuels Oregon And Washington Winemaking

Kiona Vineyards and Hightower Cellars Deliver Excellence In Washington’s Red Mountain AVA

Daring And Diverse Wine Flows From The Columbia Gorge AVA

Technorati Tags: Oregon wine,Rogue Valley,Willamette Valley,Pinot Noir,Traminette,Rosé,wine tasting,wineries