Tasting the Whitecliff Vineyard 2013 White Rose - Hudson Valley, NY @WhitecliffVino

A Delicious, Vegan, Hudson Valley Wine. 

This month on #winestudio we are discussing and tasting the Hudson Valley wine region of New York. Each Tuesday evening we are tasting a different wine. Last Tuesday we sampled the Whitecliff Vineyard 2013 White Rose.

The 2013 White Rose is a Traminette dominant vegan wine, vegan because Winemaker Michael Migliore prefers it that way and it doesn't impact quality. No gelatin was used in fining this wine, instead flotation was used. Nitrogen was used to float the particles to the surface for clarification. All reds and the 2014 vintage will be almost 100% vegan. I wonder if more wineries will adopt this interesting technology?

What is Traminette? 

Admittedly, I am relatively new to Traminette, my first exposure was in November last year. Traminette is a hybrid varietal based on a cross of Gewurztraminer and the French-American varietal Johannes Seyve 23-416. This cross was made in 1965 at the University of Illinois. It was not officially released until 1996. It is growing in popularity due to cold weather hardiness, partial resistance to several fungal diseases and depth of flavor. I'm becoming a fan.

The Hudson Valley Region

Beginning just one hour north of New York City, the Hudson Valley is the oldest wine region in the United States. French Huguenots planted the first vines in New Paltz (Ulster county) in 1677. The first winery was established in 1837 because of the need for sacramental wine. The Hudson Valley has a shorter growing season of 180 to 195 days compared to the Finger Lakes wine region with 190 to 205 days. Wineries in this region tend to be family owned, farm wineries. Today there are 25 wineries in the Hudson Valley.

Map - New York Wine Regions - Uncork NY

"The Hudson River Region AVA is the oldest continually-productive wine region in the United States.  Though most people refer to this wine region as the Hudson River Valley or the Hudson Valley, on July 6, 1982 the BATF—in its wisdom—granted the AVA but chose to call it by another name in order to avoid confusion with a winery that already bore the name, Hudson River Valley Winery (no longer in production)." Source: Wine, Seriously "Viniculture in the Hudson River Region-background"

You can follow along with our Hudson Valley twitter tastings using #winestudio - we are on twitter Tuesday evenings at 6 pm PST if you wish to participate or lurk.

Tasting Notes Whitecliff Vineyard 2013 White Rose

Color: Straw with green highlights.
Nose: Pretty, floral, orange, mineral, light toast in background, peach/apricot, after 15 minutes some musky-melon-lemon on the nose. Very cool.
Palate: Sweet? Citrus. Mineral/oil on the crisp finish. Woo... major cool acid on the finish emphasized citrus (orange/tangerine). Seductive feminine nose, with a lively dance on the tongue, racy finish. Sweet fennel and herbs with food (humus + chips).
At 35 minutes: As it warmed broader on the palate. Savory citrus finish too.
At 50 minutes: Incense on nose, oudh/amber. Lovely. Rockin' acid finish. Sexy racy my friends.

Day two: Floral perfume, orange blossom, spicy mineral, October rain. Nice weight, river rock, steely round, white peach, bite of unripe nectarine, fresh orange, acid front palate, peach honey slide into the finish.

Day three: Enjoyable honey citrus, still bright, melon citrus finish, mineral.

Thoughts: I am becoming a fan of New York Traminette. This Whitecliff Vineyard White Rose has only reinforced my affection for Traminette driven wines. A wonderful first tasting of a Hudson Valley white wine. Add the Hudson Valley wine region to your must visit list. Strongly Recommended.

Stainless fermented
Blend: 75% Traminette , 25% Gewurztraminer, All Estate Grown
Closure: Nomacorc
ABV: 12%
RS: 0.75%
SRP: $18
Production: 100 Cases, limited production
Sample provided by the winery

Whitecliff Vineyard
331 McKinstry Road,
Gardiner, NY 12525
Phone: (845) 255-4613
www.whitecliffwine.com
@WhitecliffVino

About Whitecliff Vineyard

Whitecliff Vineyard Winemaker Michael Migliore is an organic chemist by both degree and experience, with an experimental attitude. Total production at Whitecliff Vineyard is 7,000 cases. Built in 2011, their new facility is geothermal powered, unique to the Hudson Valley. The Migliore family includes winemaker Michael, wife Yancey (who does their distributing) and their son Tristan. They are one of the largest vineyards in the Hudson Valley with over 20 varieties of grapes planted.

Establishing the vineyard has been an ongoing process since 1979. While they opened for business in 1999, twenty years after the first vines went in the ground, it was still years ahead of schedule. Michael had planned on running the winery in his retirement, which didn't come until 2006.

Today Michael works closely with Cornell Cooperative Extension testing new grape varieties, and pushing the envelope on the quality of grape growing in the region. In that capacity he also serves as president of the Hudson Valley Wine and Grape Association.

Located at the base of the Shawangunk Mountains, there’s visible evidence of washout and conglomerate rock from the glacial action. There are glacial deposits of shale, slate, schist and limestone form the soil throughout the region. Any rock climbers out there? Shawangunk Cliffs is the most important rock-climbing site on the East Coast! Learn more about "The Gunks" climbing areas.

Hudson Valley Resources

• Michael Migliore, Whitecliff Vineyard and the Floatclear machine - video
• Tantalizing Traminette - Grapes of the Hudson Valley
• Hudson Valley Wine Country
• Hudson Valley Wine and Grape Association
• Best of Hudson Valley 2013: Restaurants, Food and Drink
• Uncork New York - New York Wines

Growing wine regions need your help. I encourage you to visit local wineries and to buy from small producers. All 50 states produce wine. When you are traveling, seek out the local producers and give them a taste. You could be surprised and impressed by the quality you discover.

Cheers!