Thomas Jefferson
Vermont will succeed at making great wines. I have very little doubt this will come to be. Marketing hype aside, here’s my theory.
Vermont was built on agriculture. Since the mid 1700s Vermonters have been farming the rich glacial soils left behind by the last ice age. Our soils are magnificent, loamy, well-drained soils that formed in Wisconsin-age glacial till. With thousands of years of decayed organic material (and a few hundred of horse, cow & sheep poop), your soils would be fabulous too! In fact, our soils are rich and excellent for growing nearly anything – except hot peppers and egg plant. I never could get them to grow properly here. But that aside, we have fabulous soils and we have lake effect.
Lake Champlain, the largest body of water in the State (we actually share it with New York – divided right down the middle), is largely responsible for temperature moderation in the Lake Champlain Basin. The temperatures around the lake are moderated by the lake itself. That large body of water helps to keep the surrounding land a bit warmer during the cold winters we get here and a bit cooler in the summer. Why is this important? Grapevines prefer temperate climates – warm, dry summers and mild winters. Winters with sustained periods of freezing temperatures can kill grape vines.
Now outside of just surviving the winters, weather also influences the grape’s flavor as it develops and this helps deliver a great wine. Good weather combined with excellent soils and grape varieties that not only grow but thrive in their micro-climate, and we have the makings of a great wine! The ingredients, however, are just one half of the equation for making a great wine. The other half depends upon people.
Vintners in Vermont are relatively new to their craft. Don’t get me wrong, they produce some really fine wines, but they’re still leaning. Some of our wineries own their own vineyards and are learning both how to grow better grapes and how to make better wine. Producing a great tasting wine depends upon the skills and experience of people to monitor and manage the growth of the grape AND the making of the wine. With a bit of Yankee ingenuity, they can also take advantage of those cold winters. As it so happens, that cold weather we’re so used to here in the northeastern United States happens to be good for something beyond skiing and hot chocolate. Have you tried Ice Wine?
Ice Wine is made from grapes left on the vine until frozen. Only the water freezes in the grapes while the sugars and other solids do not. This means that more flavor than water comes from frozen grapes resulting in a smaller amount but more concentrated, very sweet wine. I highly recommend you visit a winery and taste some ice wines for yourself. You will be pleasantly surprised.
With our agricultural experience, fabulous soils, cold-hardy grape varieties and drive to learn and adapt to the strengths of our weather, Vermont wineries will keep learning and expanding their knowledge and ultimately, produce better and better wines. Sooner or later our wines will earn their place among the great wines of the world.
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