Anne and Randall are back! In this episode, we dive into our current projects, share our experiences from recent conferences, and discuss the issue of declining vine vigor in our region. Stay tuned for our next episode, where we'll chat with Russ Funk of Carlos Creek Winery about Frontenac.

Conference Experiences (0:14)

• Recap of various conferences attended.
• Insights on generational wine purchasing habits and marketing strategies from the DTC symposium.
• Networking opportunities and the impact of weather on conference attendance.

Vineyard Vigor (9:14)

• Discussion on declining vine vigor in regional vineyards and potential causes.
• Importance of nitrogen levels (YAN) in grape and wine production, and the need for regular testing.
• Effectiveness of foliar versus ground-applied nitrogen for maintaining vine health.

Wine Projects (17:22)

• Discussion on bourbon barrel-aged wines and their fit in wine competitions.
• Anne's collaboration in hard cider production.

Grafted Marquette and Petite Pearl Project (27:06)

• Reasons for considering grafting grapevines.
• Challenges in sourcing cold-hardy cultivars that are grafted.
• Pros and cons of grafting grapevines.

Other Upcoming Projects and Competitions (38:44)

• Plans for tissue sampling in vineyards to evaluate nutrient levels and vine performance.
• Encouragement for wineries to participate in regional and national competitions for feedback and marketing

Many states have selected a state grape to promote, but Illinois has taken a different approach to that. Given the wide north to south geographic range, there isn’t one grape cultivar that is grown throughout the state. Due to this Illinois has focused on a wine style to promote, dry rosé.

In this episode we speak with 3 members of the Illinois wine industry to chat about the Illinois Signature Rosé series of wines.

• Lisa Ellis, Executive Director of the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance
• Peggy Harmston, Massbach Ridge Winery of Elizabeth, Illinois
• Scott Albert, Kite Hill Vineyards and The Holotype Wine Co, Shawnee Hills AVA, Illinois

Episode Notes

• 4:05 Illinois rosé in blind tastings with Whispering Angel
• 10:06 Background of the Illinois rosé project
• 15:18 Kite Hill Vineyards and The Holotype Wine Co. participation in the Illinois rosé project, making a name for Illinois wine, and friendly competition, varieties being used at rosé
• 19:53 How white Zinfandel has impacted the perception of rosé
• 23:00 Coroner elections in Illinois
• 26:50 How Massbach Ridge Winery began in NW Illinois
• 29:13 How rosé can be done successfully in variable weather, and it has a diversity of consumers
• 35:41 More talk about county coroner elections
• 37:09 Marketing the Illinois Signature Rosé project

Scott Albert, the winemaker at Kite Hill Vineyards and Holotype Wine Company joins the show to talk about Chambourcin and how the Shawnee Hills AVA in southern Illinois is unique.

In this episode we discuss the diversity of wine styles that Chambourcin can be made into, ranging from a rosé to a barrel aged red. While we often associate Illinois with flat fertile row crop fields, but we discuss how the Shawnee Hills AVA sets itself apart from northern Illinois. If you are a winemaker, Anne and Scott get into plenty of winemaking details!

In this episode

• Introduction to Scott and the wineries he works at
• 4:15- The versatility of the Chambourcin grape
• 8:00- Anne and Scott geek out about pét-nat production
• 10:40- What makes the Shawnee Hills AVA unique
• 13:43- Chambourcin as a rosé wine
• 17:10- Thiols in wine
• 17:55- Chambourcin as a red wine
• 22:06- Comparing Chambourcin to Norton
• 25:15- Weather variability
• 30:00- Important vineyard production practices to produce quality Chambourcin wine grapes
• 32:05-Reasons to visit the Shawnee Hills AVA
• 34:38- Hiking with wine: #hikewithwine
• 36:00- Information about Kite Hill Vineyards and Holotype Wine Company