Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/230154
both the wine and the experience. "We're growing grapes where the 'experts' said we couldn't, and we're doing it organically," Alexander said. "I believe Foch and Leon Millot can stand with the best wines when they're grown correctly and made to perfection." Among the winemaking techniques Alexander uses are extended fermentations, no filtering or sulfites, and barrel aging. OTHER PROMISING HYBRIDS In the Puget Sound region of Washington, both vinifera and hybrid wines are common. Of the interspecifc hybrids in northwest Washington, one of the most promising is regent, a red variety that has chambourcin and Muller-Thurgau in its parentage. It was bred in the 1960s by the Geilweilerhof Institute in Germany to be resistant to downy mildew and powdery mildew. Hollywood Hill Vineyard was among the first in Washington to produce regent, around 2007, before it moved from the Puget Sound to its current location in the Seattle suburb of Woodinville. Winemaker Steve Snyder is currently testing a few rows of regent in Woodinville to see how it does. "You never know when you're going to get a crappy fall," he said. "Regent likes cooler, wetter conditions. You can let it hang until October and it won't rot." According to Snyder, regent produces a dark wine with bluish tinges. It can be a little "grapey," he said, but it also has some of the qualities of a Cru Beaujolais. "It's a very fruity wine that takes well to oak and ages well." In Oregon, Cayuga white is attracting attention. Kenton Erwin of Kenton Wines in Portland calls it a "superhero" in his small vineyard in west Portland. (He also planted the variety in 2013 at his other vineyard in Woodland, 30 miles north of Portland. According to Erwin, this coldhardy grape, released in the 1970s by New York's Cornell University, makes a great off-dry wine when ripe and is like a "hypothetical riesling-viognier blend." Irwin said early ripening and early harvest are advantages for hybrids in areas with cool, short summers. "The question is whether consumers will accept hybrids," Irwin said. "I've been introducing my retail wine customers to great hybrid wines and the adventurous and open-minded wine lovers here are finding hybrids make some pretty good wines." Mark Ganchiff is the publisher of Midwest Wine Press in Chicago. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. You Store Your Barrels Here Not Just Because Of The Cost Savings You Store Your Barrels Here Because Of Quality Our Service Allows You To Manage The Details of Your Winemaking While Allowing You to Focus The Most Important Goal Selling Your Wine Your Trusted Cellar Master www.BarrelCare.com | 707-254-1985 1075 Golden Gate Drive | Napa, CA 94558 72 V I N E YA R D & WINE RY MANAGEM ENT | Jan - Feb 2014 w w w. v wm m e d i a . c o m