Broad Run Vineyards

I spoke with Robin ahead of time for this since it is a bit self serving.

I did a piece on InsiderLouisville that appeared this morning on Broad Run. I am particularly interested in sharing this because of my previous reluctance to indulge in a local winery experience. This visit made me see things differently. Anyway, for anyone interested--enjoy.

http://insiderlouisville.com/lifestyle_ ... t-stories/

Nice article. I have never been there even though it is close to where I live. I will change that shortly, even though I am not much of a wine lover.

We love this place! The owners are lovely and could not be more hospitable. They do a spring and fall "bring a side dish" community event & they provide the meat - wines are available for purchase by the glass or bottle. This May was BBQ chicken and in the past, the fall event was a pig roast. There is live entertainment and it is always so much fun!

I wish I could remember all the names, but there are a half-dozen local (Greater Louisville) wineries that offer weekend tastings, entertainment (bring your own dinner, buy a bottle of wine, and picnic to the music), and are really nice people with wine that shows promise (it's not there yet - takes at least 5--7 years before the grapes are sufficiently mature). A couple of years ago we took a class thru Bellarmine that visited a dozen Greater Louisville wineries, and many of them offered "events" each weekend during the summer!

Evidently (and please correct me if I'm off here) wine and tobacco grow in similar environments, and Kentucky is investing fairly heavily in winery development as tobacco goes down the tubes. Some of the local new wineries have really dived into the field, going to school to learn more and getting involved in the consumer education and sales part of the business, while others are just "there" if anyone happens to drive by.

[Robin Garr]

Evidently (and please correct me if I'm off here) wine and tobacco grow in similar environments.

I'm not sure I buy that, exactly. The best environment for growing grapes, year-round, is found in places like coastal California and the Mediterranean (and a few spots in Australia, South America and South Africa with similar mild, dry climates). Second-best environment is someplace like Germany's Rhine and Mosel, which comes closer to our habitat, but not really close enough.

Kentucky's "distinct four-season climate" is not really ideal for great wines. Winters can be vine-killing brutal, and very hot, very humid summers - which you don't get in Germany or the California wine country - are terrible for grapes.

Yes, the state is putting effort and money behind encouraging vineyards to replace tobacco bases, primarily because vineyards are value-added - you can make a lot more money by growing grapes, making wine, and selling the wine than you can by growing and selling soybeans or corn. But it's challenging work, in the vineyard and in the winery; it takes years, decades even, to bring a new winery up to its peak if you're growing your own vines. And sadly, Kentucky - along with the Eastern and Southeastern US in general (*) is not an ideal place to do that.

But there's a plus: Small-farm wineries can tap into the tourist trade to find the REAL bucks, and to be brutally honest, you don't have to make Napa-level wine to do that. It just has to be drinkable, and if you can come up with a wine that even roughly replicates White Zin, or even sweet non-grape wines like blackberry wine - you're golden.

(*) You can find an exception to the "Eastern US doesn't make good wine" rule if you look for places where the "lake effect" mitigates frigid winters in a setting that looks something like Germany. New York's Finger Lakes, Michigan's Lake Michigan coast, and Ontario's Niagara Peninsula are the exceptions that proves this rule.

I find most of the local wines to be at best passable and at worst undrinkable. There are a few exceptions, but most of those use grapes imported from the places Robin listed. In fact, most of the local wineries import a majority if not all of their grapes. I've seen people try to grow grapes here. It's a difficult and unrewarding task.

Having said that, some of the sweeter wines are passable. The ones made with various fruits are ok if that's what you are looking for.

Buying grapes from California, squeezing and aging them and then charging $20 a bottle for wine that should be < $10 is not my idea of a well run local business that I feel the need to support. Again, there are exceptions, but we should stick with making bourbon. There is a reason the best bourbon comes from KY and the best wine comes from someplace else... we're never going to make really good wine here.

Though I guess spending a few hours pretending you are touring Napa without having to leave the metro area can be good. Even if the actual wine isn't.

Evidently (and please correct me if I'm off here) wine and tobacco grow in similar environments.

I'm not sure I buy that, exactly. The best environment for growing grapes, year-round, is found in places like coastal California and the Mediterranean (and a few spots in Australia, South America and South Africa with similar mild, dry climates). Second-best environment is someplace like Germany's Rhine and Mosel, which comes closer to our habitat, but not really close enough.
.

I had always thought that (although we love some of the Niagara region wines), but then we heard the identical story from several wineries! They said that the hilly countryside left the soil relatively dry (they actually quoted exact moisture numbers to the nth decimal point!), and while we do get four seasons they are not unlike Germany . I wish them luck. As I mentioned (and you did too), in another dozen years or so we can revisit this, open some bottles, and decide for ourselves!

I have had some great ice wine from Quebec and upstate New York, but that is a different thing, I guess. I wish we made more cider in this region, but I've heard it takes such a long investment of time to grow the trees that few want to risk it. Also that the best cider apples are not really useable for anything else (correct me if I heard wrong). I had a pretty good cider in Madison, IN, though. Forget the name, but I try to support it when I can.

I second what robin said. Some law changes in Frankfort a while back allowed small time wineries to become a decent business in KY. I'm all for it if it attracts more tourists and gives us a sense of pride in our state.

Onto the actual wine. As robin said, most are sourcing grapes from more traditional wine growing regions. Sweets tend to be the dominant style.

Last time I checked, there were more than 85 "small farm" wineries in KY. Most haven't planted a single grape. Don't let that get in the way of enjoying yourself. When having a good time, the crowd and surroundings are as important as the liquid in your glass.

Brooks Hill Winery is having a 4 July party this weekend.

I don't know them, but got an e-mail today. It appears that you bring a picnic dinner, and they will provide entertainment & sell you a bottle of their wine.

Check out http://www.brookshillwinery.com/.