August’s #Winestudio Session XVI has headed east to discover “Liquid Voices of the Hudson Valley.” August #Winestudio is being sponsored by Hudson Valley Tourism and made possible by Debbie Gioquindo, Hudson Valley Wine Goddess. Did you know some of the oldest vineyards in the US are found in the Hudson Valley? The French Huguenots planted the first grape vines in the Valley in 1677, a hundred years before any vines were planted in California. The Huguenots discovered a unique combination of soil, climate and sun that made for ideal growing conditions. The Hudson Valley wine industry has survived wars, revolutions, challenging climate and Prohibition. According to Hudson Valley Wine Country “The first commercial winery in the Hudson Valley, Jacques Brothers Winery, was established in 1837 for the production of altar wines. Renamed Brotherhood in 1885, the Washingtonville winery is the nation’s oldest continuously operated winery.” Today there are over 25 wineries in the Hudson Valley Wine Country. The first wine we explored was Whitecliff Vineyards 2013 Estate Bottled White Rose.

As always, #Winestudio takes participants on a global journey of wine education. If you have not yet entered into the #Winestudio class please follow the hashtag on Twitter each Tuesday evening at 8pm CST. A big thank you to Whitecliff Vineyard for providing me a media sample of your White Rose wine.

Whitecliff Vineyards 2013 Estate Bottled White Rose: This wine was crafted from a field blend comprised of 75% Traminette and 25% Gewürztraminer. It glistened a pale gold with light straw highlights in the glass. After being opened for about 30 minutes the chill began to wear off and lively aromas of lychee, melon, citrus and herbs cascaded through the nasal passages. The palate was met with ripe melons, lemon custard, grapefruit and honey. It offered a hint of sweetness wrapped in firm, mouth puckering acidity. This wine was harmoniously balanced with a medium finish. It contained 12% alcohol with an SRP of $18. This wine was a limited production for Whitecliff with only 100 cases crafted. I chose to pair the Whitecliff Vineyards 2013 White Rose with spicy salmon cakes with remoulade sauce and roasted corn, tomato chive and bulgur wheat salad. It was a delicious pairing, the sharp acidity of the wine provide excellent balance to the creamy remoulade sauce while at the same time rounding out the spiciness of the salmon cake. This wine would also pair well with Asian or Thai food as well as summer salads. The limited production of this wine makes it hard to find but I highly recommend it; additionally, if you are not able to locate the 2013 varietal then keep it in mind and order from Whitecliff when the 2014 becomes available. This wine was a huge hit with all #Winestudio participants; it is a wine you want to have in your cellar!

Whitecliff Vineyards is definitely an American independent spirit story. It is a family run winery from the ground up by founders and owners Michael Migliore and his wife Yancey Stanforth-Migliore when they began cultivating an empty field they purchased over 30 years ago. Their goal was “to establish a winery that is both thoroughly rooted in the agriculture traditions of the Hudson Valley, and recognized and respected as a producer of fine, complex, European-style wines.” Michael and Yancey have endured many trials and errors over the years in determining which grape varietals will thrive in the Hudson Valley. Today Whitecliff Vineyards is one of the largest vineyards in the Hudson Valley, growing over 20 different varieties of grapes. I encourage you to visit Whitecliff Vineyards web site to learn more about the winery and see their portfolio of award winning wines.

My Song Selection: The song I have chosen to pair with Whitecliff Vineyards 2013 Estate Bottled White Rose is Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right by Bob Dylan. I chose this song because the song demonstrates the soul and heart of Bob Dylan; it has a real American heartland feel. Dylan is an amazing story teller, a poet and at times a prophet. This particular song simply feels to me like a crisp, layered soulful white wine and that is exactly what Whitecliff Vineyards has produced.

*Vimeo does not offer the same sharing capacity as YouTube and unfortunately this song is not available on YouTube in its original recorded form; therefore, I am only able to provide you like. Please click the link below to listen to this great song so you will have a feel for this great wine. I apologize for the extra trouble.

http://vimeo.com/39267368

Get your own bottle of Whitecliff Vineyards 2013 Estate Bottled White Rose and let me know what song you would pair with it. Cheers!