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.