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Ahead of the legendary gridiron clash, wine lovers in Michigan and Ohio assembled to determine whose wines would triumph in a head-to-head clash. Eleven of the top wines were chosen from each state and judged in both Columbus and Ann Arbor by panels of wine lovers, writers and professionals.
The State of Michigan reigned supreme in 2009 with the overall winning wine (Longview Winter Ice 2007) and four of the top five ranked wines. In order of ranking with number of first place votes:
- Longview Winter Ice 2007 (Dessert Wine) Leelanau Peninsula MI (4)
- 2 Lads Reserve Cabernet Franc 2007 (Dry Red) Old Mission Peninsula MI (2)
- Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Franc 2007 (Dry Red) Ohio River Valley OH (2)
- Gill’s Pier Cabernet Franc – Merlot 2007 (Dry Red) Leelanau Peninsula MI 2007 (1)
- Wyncroft Avonlea Pinot Noir 2007 (Dry Red) Lake Michigan Shore MI (1)
“I am honored and excited to win this award, our first regional award,” said Alan Eaker of Longview Winery and Vineyard from his vineyards in the middle of 2009′s harvest. “This is a great time for wines and wine lovers.”
The real winners are the consumers of Michigan and Ohio who have an array of quality local wines to enjoy. “The selection process was very hard and rigorous this year with so many quality wines from both states,” said organizer Andrew Hall, “Any of the entrants would be welcome on my table.”
Both Ohio and Michigan share a century-old tradition of viticulture which was wrecked by Prohibition but has re-emerged in recent times. From the Ohio River Valley to the upper shores of Lake Michigan, growers and winemakers are working hard to create unique and quality wines. This event was created in 2008 to showcase these local efforts and in the context of our storied local football rivalry. This is the only purely consumer-selected judging of wines in either state and is limited to wines from grapes grown in their respective state.
“There were a lot of good wines from both states,” commented one of the judges, “and I hope that people will give them a chance. Restaurants and consumers are starting to care a lot about local produce and wines should follow.” Another commented that it was a treat to taste the wines as neither state’s distribution system currently offers consumers any wines from the other state.
For further information, please visit OhiovsMichiganWineClash.com
“The real winners are the consumers of Michigan and Ohio who have an array of quality local wines to enjoy.”
And that, apart from giving these wineries the recognition they so richly deserve, is for me the best part of this awesome event!
Indeed. Well done!
Andrew – i realize it’s past for this year. but did this get much advertising (perhaps it did and I missed it). The in-laws are located up on the Old Mission Peninsula (2 Lads, Black Star, Brys, Bower’s Harbor, etc…) and thus we are quite the fans of wine from the Traverse City area and always have several bottles on hand.
i’m sad that Brys placed so low, but found the choice not to be the best representation. I think Coenraad can work with Pinot the best up there (2005, 2007 non-artisan in particular). But think that from the 2007 Artisan series, Cab Franc and Merlot really outshined the PG. Sadly the past 2 summers have been cool and expectations for reds are low. All that is to say, I’d like get involved in this for 2010, at least as a (drinking) spectator.
Dru — one quick note, “low” is relative: the 2008 Clash had far more wines (and more exhausted judges). Had there been as many this year, Brys would probably have placed middle of the pack; and had this been one of the big statewide tastings it’d be one of the very top wines. Other points, I’ll let Andrew speak to, but I thought that one should be emphasized.
Bear – thanks for the clarification. I was seeing that it was on the lower end of a relatively good pack – aka I noticed that St Julian didn’t have an entry and there was no rhubarb wine. The ability to focus on quality shows the direction regional wines are heading.
I wanted the Brys Artisan CF, but they were stone dry on it for any price. I wanted the Signature CF, but I think they were out of it as well. They chose Artisan Pinot. We always run into a tension between the truly best wines (which sell out quickly) and featuring wines which consumers will be able to buy after the Clash.
The red wines were strong across board as 2007 was an ideal year in both states. It is not that the Brys was poor – the other reds were really that strong. I felt the Brys was a very nice wine (and I liked the Signature Pinot when I had it earlier this year) but I am not a judge. My individual notes as well as judges’ notes will be up on the site over the weekend.
The judging event is a private event, thus the lack of publicity in advance. Ideally, restaurants, wineries, retailers and consumers will use the information from the event. We do hope to have a public event featuring the Ohio winners coming up. Next year, we will work on some more public events.
@Dru Send me a PM with your email address and I will add you to my list. My judges are an array of professionals and amateurs.
Thanks for the feedback!
A.
PS –
While Michigan was the winner, it should be noted that the top Ohio wine (Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Franc 2007) is half the price of the next-lowest priced Top 5 wine.
A.
yes. IMHO Kinkead Ridge is a real bargain.
I also really enjoy Meranda-Nixon’s lower priced cab which has become our go-to pizza wine at Spagio Cellars. It was good to see one of their wines on the standings.
Are any of the winning Michigan wines going to be available for tasting, or are they banned in Ohio like last year’s winners?
None of the MI wines are available for sale in Ohio.
They are not banned. No distributor is interested in carrying them and most of the wineries are able to sell out their wines at the cellar door so they do not seek out distribution.
Meranda-Nixon had a lower price for the previous vintage of the Cabernet Sauvignon. The ’07 in the competition is sold out and I suspect the release of the ’08 will see the same pricing. They currently do have out the ’08 Cabernet Franc which is a good wine.
A.