From Vine To Wine: Kickapoo Blush

Harvest Notes With an early spring and even hot days lasting all summer, the grape harvest in the Central Region of Illinois was ideal.  Early fall cooling may have contributed to a drawn out harvest taking over 3 months instead of the normal 2.  Frontenac Gris came in at a whopping 24 brix yet still maintained its characteristically high acid levels. 

Winemaking Notes Frontenac Gris grapes were  fermented after de-steming and light crushing on the skins for 24 hours in a small vat.  At 24 hours the juice was pressed from the skins at a vibrant pink color and allowed to finish fermentation naturally in steel tanks.

Seyval Blanc juice was fermented at cool temperatures in steel tanks for 7 days with an aromatic Riesling yeast that yielded wonderful peach and banana aromas during fermentation.  

During blending and tasting trials of the Frontenac Gris it was decided to add a little white wine before cold stabilization to add complexity and smoothness to the vibrant Frontenac Girs wine.   Residual sugar levels were brought to 3.5% before bottling to balance Frontenac Gris’ naturally high acidity.

Tasting Notes  Characteristic of Frontenac Gris, this wine exhibits apricot aromas which are enhanced by the peach notes of Seyval Blanc with a slight strawberry taste on the finish.  Because of the high acid of this wine, 3.5% residual sugar classifies this as Off-Dry, or Semi-Sweet in the taste category.

Appellation

Illinois River Valley
 Harvest Date

August 23 -  September 7, 2011
 Varietals

75% Frontenac Gris 25 % Seyval Blanc
 Fermentation

100% Steel 24hr Skin Contact
 Ageing

2 months sur lie in steel
 Release

Date January 2011

From Vine to Wine: Green Apple

What's your favorite apple? Is it green or red, Fuji or Granny Smith? We've taken America's favorite Fall time fruit and turned it into a crisp refreshing glass of wine. Although you might think Green Apple is a fruit to be celebrated in the Fall, apples actually start blooming in early Spring and are finished by late Summer.

Here at Kickapoo Creek Winery our Green Apple wine starts with a Prairie Star grape base and is naturally infused with Green Apple flavoring. The most surprising element about our Green Apple wine is how refreshing it is. Normally when you think Green Apple you think tart, take one sip and right away you'll notice the crisp, smooth, unique flavor and body this wine has to offer.

For the month of March Green Apple is 10% off in our Tasting Room. Come out to the winery, grab a bottle, sit on the beautiful patio and enjoy America's favorite Fall time fruit this Spring.

For a full list of our wines visit our website www.kickapoocreekwinery.com

From Vine to Wine: Chocolate Raspberry

When you're thinking about February what comes to mind? I bet Valentines Day crosses your mind. The tradition of Valentine's Day starts when we're younger passing out Valentine's to our friends at school, as you're older you might associate Valentine's Day with red roses and of course chocolate. We couldn't think of a better choice for our February wine of the month than Chocolate Raspberry.


Unlike a lot of other chocolate wines ours is made from a red wine base not a chalky milk base. As you look at the wine you'll notice right away it looks like a light bodied red, but the aroma will instantly tell you this red wine is chalked full of chocolate. After you take your first sip you'll taste chocolate followed by a refreshing raspberry finish.

 Not only is Chocolate Raspberry 10% off in the Tasting Room all month long it's also a 2012 Silver Medal winner in the Finger Lakes National wine
competition.

No matter how you spend your Valentines' Day you have to pick up a bottle of this perfect dessert wine.

Employee Spotlight: Brandt Brooks

Meet Brandt!

Brandt was born and raised in Peoria, IL where he still lives today. He is a graduate of Woodruff High School. Brandt is married and the proud father of two boys and two girls.

Brandt has been at Kickapoo Creek Winery for over five years and really enjoys the laid back and smooth work environment. His favorite Kickapoo Creek wine is Chocolate Strawberry and favorite lunch from the Tasting Room is our Turkey Reuben. One day, Brandt hopes to one day host an event for Outkast. His admiration for Outkast runs deep; Brandt loves to rap outside of work and his rap name is Kastout.

Brandt is always up for a good laugh and he makes those he works with laugh with him.

Best advice he's ever been given: Never give up, no matter what people think.

From Vine to Wine: Jubilee Gold

This month we're featuring Jubilee Gold as our wine of the month. Back in October when we featured our Red October we told you where we got the name, Jubilee Gold is no different. Named from it's beautiful golden color after the Royal Golden Jubilee Hosta. You may wonder why we've named so many wines after Hostas. Before Kickapoo Creek Winery started making wine we were a Hosta nursery. For the first few years we were open we still sold Hostas and Dave Conner thought it was the perfect homage to our beginning to name the wines accordingly.


Jubilee Gold is perfect for those who like a sweet white. The body is similar to that of a Moscato without the bubble. In this perfect sweet white, Traminette and Lacrosse grapes are blended perfectly which gives it, it's floral and grape aroma that is fun and delicious.


Come out to our Tasting Room this month as we feature Jubilee Gold our award winning wine 10% off for the month of January. Try it with a our Spicy Jambalaya Pasta or paired with our Salted Caramel Mousse Cake. For those who are looking for the perfect, fun, and delicious sweet white, look no further.

 

Buy Jubilee Gold Online Today!

Employee Spotlight: Gaye Sulka

Meet Gaye!

Gaye lives in the Peoria area and is a Peoria High and Illinois Central College Graduate. Gaye is married to Jim and they have one son Sky; three dogs and one old cat.

Gaye has been at Kickapoo Creek Winery for just over four years. You'll find Gaye in the Tasting Room Thursday-Sunday. Gaye always has a smile on her face and her bubbly personality is contagious with her fellow employees and guests. Gaye has a way of making you feel like you've known her for years.

While Gaye's not at work she enjoys water-skiing, boating, and beaching with the dogs. Gaye's favorite food is Ko-Gane Yaki at Ron of Japan's; and her favorite Kickapoo Creek winery is Two Berry.

Best Advice she's ever been given: "Don't sweat the small stuff" from her dad

From Vine To Wine: St. Croix

Kickapoo Creek Winery has many beloved sweet wines, ripe with fruit flavor and vibrant in color, but don't forget about our St. Croix. Our driest , most complex red may not be as popular as the Dave wine, but it is the favorite of the Dave. It is also most popular among California wine drinkers.

A quick swirl of a glass of St. Croix open up incredibly rich cherry, vanilla, and oak aromas. The subsequent sip reveals an unraveling experience on your palate: A distinctively dry feeling and acidic flavor rolls over your tongue, turning ever so slightly sweet at the end, right before finishing clean.

St. Croix would pair excellently with red meat, particularly a nice steak, but it's also great for enjoying with friendly conversation.

As you may have guessed, our St. Croix wine is made from St. Croix grapes. It's a sweet bluish-red grape, excellent for medium bodied wines. 

Our St. Croix is 10% off every bottle in the Kickapoo Creek Winery Tasting Room all of December! It makes a perfect gift for the dry wine lover in your life.

To purchase St. Croix online visit our shop site (shop.kickapoocreekwinery.com)