Hey, I know. You love your Chardonnay. Mom can’t get enough of the California Pinot Noirs. Dad can’t drink anything other than a Pinot Grigio.
I want to explain Iowa wine to you. But, there’s something you need to be willing to do: expand your wine knowledge. Because, until very recently, Iowa wine has been discounted as “not dry enough”, “too sweet”, “too acidic”, and so on.
Now, I think we can all agree that sometimes it’s hard to find a truly dry Iowa wine for the dry wine lover. Accepted. But, when you’re shopping in those wineries that do specialize in the sweet, semi-sweet, off-dry, and dry wines– this guide is for you.
Now, I’m looking to explain this to everyone— so, please, educators and scholars in the field, don’t judge me too harshly.
Many Iowans know that we have a rather harsh climate in Iowa. Hot one second, snowing the next. So, it shouldn’t surprise you that we can’t grow the grapes that can be grown in California (with a beautifully long growing season), France, Germany, Italy, and so on. Our grapes are called French-American hybrids. The American part provides the hardiness that is needed to grow in our climate, the French part provides the complex flavors that we have all come to know and love in our favorite non-Iowa wines. The American part also provides some very distinct flavors that you will not find anywhere else. Midwesterners, be proud! We provide something that few can! We are unique! (Turn to your neighbor and request a high-five, it’s appropriate.)
Again, let’s talk about climate for just one second. Consider the quick onset of spring and the shocking dive into hot and humid summer weather in Iowa. One may think this sort of weather would be hard on the grape and result in undesirable flavors or aromas. One would be wrong. The more stressed the grape, the better for the wine (typically). Obviously, you would want to tread the fine line between stress and death of the vine, but this is usually out of the Viticulturist’s control.
So, after these considerations, would you expect our Iowa grapes to exhibit different characteristics than the Pinot Noir/Cabernet Sauvignon/Chardonnay/etc that we are all familiar with? You would. So, let’s talk about those characteristics.
Farmers, agronomists, anyone else– is all soil created equally in Iowa? You’re right, the answer is “no”. We have everything from clay soils to loam soils to rocky soils. Soils make a difference in the flavor profile of the grape…. so much so, in fact, that you may find that a Frontenac from NW Iowa would taste quite different from a Frontenac from Central Iowa. And, of course, the climate of those regions makes a difference on the grape flavor profile.
So, what is the flavor profile of an Iowa grape?
Well, it’s many things, just like a wine from outside of the Midwest. At Soldier Creek Winery, we appreciate these flavors in our reds:
Another common question about our dry reds: Why doesn’t this dry my mouth out like a Chianti or Pinot Noir?
This comes down to climate and the varieties we grow– our growing season is so much shorter than other, well-known, regions that we could maybe dream of getting the sugar levels (sugar translates to alcohol, which translates loosely to dryness) they get, but we would be hard-pressed to get them. Here-in lies the reason why we can’t get the “dry your mouth out” tannins, but rather get a high-acid (tart) dry wine. If you looked beyond the dryness of your favorite Pinot Noir or Chianti you would notice the subtle tartness in that wine as well. One could look at it this way: all the dryness without drying your mouth out….so our dry wine actually quenches your thirst! (not actually) All the wine-os rejoiced!
What flavors do we appreciate in our dry white wines?
Again, you notice the tartness in a dry white wine in Iowa– but it’s much more reminiscent of a Pinot Grigio. I have to say, in Iowa, our white wines should be commended. The flavor profiles on these whites are just so beautiful, and I have to say, I have had some very floral wines made solely with Brianna in Iowa. I don’t know if you’ve ever drank a wine and had the Jasmine aroma just jump right out at you, but there is nothing to match it…anywhere.
Let’s talk about the sweet wine.
Some may be inclined to scoff at the sweet wine, but everyone deserves a little sweet sometime, for dessert…or after work…or anytime. But, really, what other wine do you know that tastes like Strawberry Jam? Cherry? Vanilla?
I think it’s high-time we stop looking down our noses at the sweet wines and accept them for what they are: a delicious treat!
Well, hopefully you’ve read everything to this point and understand that and Iowa wine could not possibly be compared to any other wine because it is something all it’s own! But, for the sake of ease, I will give you comparisons to our wine only, and these are loose comparisons, it’s really more of a “if you like ______, then you will probably like_____”:
And use your new-found appreciation for Iowa wine to savor the unique flavors of our region!
Until next time, with MidBest love,
Meg
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