CRAFT by Under My Host® Issue No. 18 Made in America: Part III | Page 86

W W W. C R A F T BY U M H . C O M
erals. “All of these factors are found here in Michigan, where we are close
to the Great Lakes,” Lester said. He explained, “We have these hills that
tend to run up and down the shoreline, [which are] comprised of mineral
rich clays and stones, which give the vines lots of nutrients. Our latitude is
the 42nd parallel, so that’s the same latitude as the border of Oregon and
California, and the same latitude as Rome, Italy. We’re further South than
the entire country of France here.”
“The growing [period] that we have from spring to the time of harvest, is
almost identical to what you find in Bordeaux and Burgundy in France,”
Lester said. “We have some challenges, but thousands of years of human
experience show that the vine tends to make the best wine when it has to
struggle a little bit.”
Lester believes the cooler climates like the Midwest and Northeast
create fresh fruit in the aroma and flavor, whereas similar plants
grown and matured in a very hot climate might express their fruit
with raisiny or pruney notes. Where Frost applauds fresh and innova-
tive approaches to grape selection without the need to replicate tradi-
tional styles, Lester believes, “Nature does it best. There are grapes you
just can’t improve on. We should find places to grow those grapes where
they feel at home, [and] make great wine out of them. That’s been the
worldwide search in the New World for the last twenty years.”
In addition to grape selection, there is also the distinction of wheth-
er or not the winemaker is growing their own grapes, making “es-
tate-grown” wine. It’s an economic reality that many wineries are
buying fruit and juice from somewhere else and turning it into wine,
which begs the question, “How important is whether the wine is es-
tate-grown?” Frost weighed in, “While focusing on just one part of the
process, rather than adding the prospect of farming to the effort can be an
advantage; if you want to understand how to make the best wine, you’re
going to have to work with the same fruit over and over again.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Richland Rum
Germination Bed
PHOTO CREDIT: Blacklands Malt
Lester added, “The best thing about being a grower, is the control ele-
ment. Maybe it’s an illusion, but I like to think I have more control over
grapes on my property, grapes that I see every day. I’m going to do the
best I can, because they’re my grapes. I’m not going to over crop them, I’m
going to take care of them better.”
According to Lester, “A grower, who is simply selling their fruit...is do-
ing everything they can do to maximize tonnage. The problem with that,
is that high tonnage yields don’t make the best wine. A winemaker who
is just a winemaker, is more likely to get fruit that was over cropped, than
a winemaker who is growing their own grapes. That’s why all the best
wines in the world come from estate grown fruit.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Richland Rum
Sprouted Grain
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