Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/629061
February 2016 WINES&VINES 77 WINE EAST WINEMAKING made iced wines on a more regular basis. Pro- duction of such wines are profiled here, both frozen on the vine and in the freezer. Fulkerson Winery Dundee, N.Y. "Traditionally, ice wine is an opportunistic event," said Sayre Fulkerson. "It occurs when you have a surplus of grapes, and typically it involves your least-ripe vineyard. It's a problem looking for a solution, looking for an opportu- nity." The Fulkerson homestead close to the western shore of Seneca Lake was founded by Caleb Fulkerson in 1805, and it has been used by the family ever since for crops and fruit production. In 1975 Sayre Fulkerson graduated with a degree in pomology from Cornell University and became the sixth generation of the family to farm the land. He and his father Roger Fulk- erson expanded their vineyards in the 1970s, and in 1979 they purchased the Jensen Juice business from Glenora Wine Cellars. In 1988, following a major hailstorm, Fulkerson decided survival as a grower only was not feasible and began plans for a winery, which he opened in 1989. The estate presently has 100 acres of vineyards, and his wine production averages about 17,000 cases annually. Fulkerson's ice wine experience dates back to 1999, when his unpicked Vidal Blanc grapes froze Nov. 7—still the earliest he has ever har- vested frozen grapes. "I'm going to let Mother Nature tell me the date," he said, adding, "It's very important the fruit enters the press no warmer than 17 ° F." In 2008, when he harvested frozen Merlot and Cabernet Franc in late November, the fruit was 13°-15° F. These grapes, from a neighbor- ing grower, were mechanically picked into 1-ton Welch bins and immediately transported back to the winery, where Fulkerson and his crew hand-shoveled the grapes into a Euro- press membrane press set at its maximum of about 1.8 bars of pressure. He also has used a Puleo press for these wines. It takes 10-12 hours—and sometimes as long as 24 hours—to press a load of frozen fruit. "It's easier pressing naturally frozen grapes than pressing the ones taken out of the freezer," he said. This is because the freezer grapes are much colder and need to be spread out and warmed before pressing; the grapes on top soften and release their juice more easily. Re- gardless of how the grapes are frozen, "We end up with a very cloudy juice," he said. The sugar level in 2008 was 40° Brix with a very high acid concentration. Fulkerson wants yeast suited for high sugar levels and stuck fermenta- tions, and he uses Laffort Zymaflore VL1, iso- lated in Burgundy and known for its release of floral terpenes. The yeast is hydrated in water, and juice is added in stages so the yeast is not over- whelmed. Fermentation is done in a 250-gallon tank and will take all winter to complete. If the ambient temperature is too cold, Fulkerson might move the tank to an area about 50° F, but he prefers it to be cooler because, "I don't mind it sticking at 8%-9% residual sugar," he said. In order to clear the still relatively cloudy wine, Fulkerson added some pectic enzyme and filtered it with diatomaceous earth. For the 2008 Cabernet Franc ice wine, he added a small amount of finished still Cabernet Franc to give the ice wine some color. Fulker- son noted that this would be unnecessary if the grapes were harvested at the second or later freeze event, when the grapes would have broken down more on the vines. Although fermentation and finishing of cryoextracted fruit is basically the same as the naturally frozen fruit, Fulkerson identifies some major differences in producing both wines. "When we do iced wine, it's typically planned ahead," he said. Fulkerson has not produced an "opportunistic" vine-frozen ice wine since the 2008 Cabernet Franc, as he chooses to make a more consistent dessert wine less reliant on specific weather conditions. He also cited the smaller expense of production in the vineyard—little crop spoilage and bird damage, no need for bird netting and no winter labor costs. One additional cost is having the grapes frozen elsewhere. In 2014 he had 6.5-7 tons of Vidal and Riesling frozen in 27-pound lugs at nearby Lakewood Vineyards, which took five to six days and cost $900. Glenora Wine Cellars Dundee, N.Y. Seneca Lake's first winery, Glenora Wine Cellars, is located less than a mile from Fulkerson Win- ery. Started not long after the passage of New York's Farm Winery Act of 1976, Glenora now has a 30-room inn and restaurant, and current owners Gene Pierce and Scott Welliver also own Chateau LaFayette Reneau on Seneca Lake and Knapp Winery & Vineyard Restaurant on Cayuga Lake. Combined annual production of the three wineries averages about 75,000 cases. Steve DiFrancesco is the winemaker for Glenora and Knapp, and he has more than 35 years of experience in the Finger Lakes. After graduating with a degree in biology from Stet- son University in 1978 and working at two other Finger Lakes wineries (Gold Seal Winery and Bully Hill Vineyards), he began working at Glenora in 1987. DiFrancesco has remained at Glenora since then, except for 1991-95, when he was winemaker for Lucas Vineyards on Cayuga Lake. His first ice wine was made in 2008 from Knapp-grown Vidal Blanc with additional vine- frozen Vidal made in 2010, 2012 and 2013. He began making cryoextracted iced wines in 2009 and has continued producing these wines each year. Glenora's 2014 iced Vidal Blanc was made from grapes grown at Sawmill Creek Vineyard on the east shore of Seneca Lake. After freezing in Lakewood Vineyards' commercial freezer for five days, the lugs were loaded onto pallets, wrapped in a heavy tarp and transported to the winery, one 1.5-ton press load at a time. Sheldrake Point's Cabernet Franc is picked at 41.5º Brix on Dec. 12, 2013. STATISTICS AT HARVEST Wine Vineyard Date Harvested Gallons ° Brix at Harvest Time to Freeze ° Brix Before Fermentation Time to Ferment Fulkerson 2008 Cab. Franc Ice Wine Yates Cellars Nov. 22 Not available 40.0° Frozen on vine 40.0° All winter Glenora 2014 Iced Vidal Blanc Sawmill Creek Oct. 12 120 gallons 21.0° Five days 34.8° Three weeks Glenora 2014 Cab. Franc Ice Wine Sheldrake Point Jan. 7 Not available 46.0° Frozen on vine 46.0° 2.5 months Glenora 2014 Riesling Ice Wine Sheldrake Point Feb. 11 Not available 42.0° Frozen on vine 42.0° 2.5 months Sheldrake Point 2013 Cab. Franc Ice Wine Sheldrake Point Dec. 12 280 gallons 41.5° Frozen on vine 41.5° 59 days Sheldrake Point 2014 Riesling Ice Wine Sheldrake Point Jan. 28-30 340 gallons 40.9° Frozen on vine 40.9° 180 days Sheldrake Point 2014 Riesling Ice Wine (wild yeast fermentation) Sheldrake Point Jan. 28-30 300 gallons 40.9° Frozen on vine 38.0° Stopped fermentation June 13, 2014