Photo: Annie Corrigan/WFIU
Thanks to unseasonably warm temperatures in October, the folks at Creekbend Vineyard have been able to harvest Catawba grapes later this year than ever before.
Happy post-Thanksgiving, everyone! Since we’re completely sick of turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes, today’s show is about local wine making — no food in sight. The folks at the Oliver Winery were good enough to open up their facilities to us, so we’ll be following some grapes from the vine to the bottle. Cheers.
Holy Battered Bats!
America’s bats are in trouble. In parts of the Northeastern U.S., their numbers have decreased by 97 percent. Now researchers are bracing for the possibility of massive population declines in the Midwest as well, and as Harvest Public Media’s Tim Lloyd reports losing a big portion of Mother Nature’s pest control crew could prove costly for farmers.
Local Wine Making And Mulled Wine
Fall is usually a busy time at the Oliver Winery, with harvesting and wine making in full swing, but this year has been especially interesting because warm temperatures and sunny days have elongated the harvest season into late October and early November. Today, Vineyard Manager Bernie Parker and a slew of harvesters are picking Catawba grapes at the Creekbend Vineyard which will be processed into a rosé wine.
Wine maker Dennis Dunham says Catawba is one of the neatest varietals they grow. “The flavor is like a watermelon Jolly Ranchers, or sometimes I almost get a cotton candy flavor out of them.” The process of turning the grapes into wine (from running them through the crusher, the press and then cooling them in a tank) is a relatively quick one — he hopes to be bottling this wine in early December.
Then, your house will smell amazing by the time our mulled wine is ready to drink. And the best part? All those herbs and spices add some fantastic richness and flavor to your mulled wine, but they also do some great things for the body. Chef Daniel Orr suggests serving the wine in a caramel rimmed glass to really spice up your night.
News Stories In The Episode:
Stories On This Episode
Holy Battered Bats! Double Menace Threatens Farmers’ Helpers
America's bats are in trouble. In parts of the Northeast U.S., their numbers have decreased by 97. What does this mean for farmers?
Fall At The Oliver Winery, Part 1: Harvesting Grapes
Thanks to warm temperatures in early October, this is the latest the folks at Oliver Winery's Creekbend Vineyard have ever been able to harvest Catawba grapes.
Fall At The Oliver Winery, Part 2: From Grapes To Wine
Catawba grapes harvested from Creekbend Vineyards are transported 15 minutes away to Oliver Winery's wine making facility to be transformed into a rosé.
Warm Wine With Mulling Spices And Honey
Pick up a bottle of your favorite local red wine and make this yummy warm drink.
