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Everything Broad Ripple HomearrowRandom Ripplings Homearrow2007 07 13arrowColumn

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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v04n14)
The Wine Scene - by Jill A. Ditmire
posted: Jul. 13, 2007

Wine Scene header

in my bin...

2006 Martin Codax Albarino, Spain - fresh, supple, dry white with enticing aromas and flavors of citrus, white peach, minerals.
2005 MAN Vintners Chenin Blanc, South Africa - crisp, dry, fresh white with vibrant flavors of lime and honeydew melon. Balance of flavor and acidity throughout and lovely lingering fresh, clean, citrus finish. Delightful diversion for you Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio drinkers.
2006 Firestone Vineyards Central Coast Riesling, California - Another year, another sure-thing delivered Firestone when it comes to handling this varietal. Lovely, fresh, fruity, mostly dry white that offers ripe flavors of honeysuckle, white peach and apricot. Balanced acidity makes the softly sweet finish linger nicely and not cloying. GREAT VALUE!!

YOUR HONEY-DO LIST

If you want a taste of Indiana summer, then you need to try a mead wine. It's made from different styles of honey. Clover and orange blossom are popular fermentations and sometimes-fresh berries are added, such as raspberry or blueberry. Surprisingly, most meads are silky, fruity and sweet, but not with a cloyingly sweet finish. Instead, it's more of a lip-smacking, "Mmm, I'll have some more," kind of experience.
Honey wine is all they make at one of the state's newest wineries. The New Day Meadery in Elwood is eco-nique as it's the only winery of Indiana's 34 to offer an all-mead lineup and one of the most dedicated to practicing sustainable farming and (when possible) organic practices.
"We want to show people that you can create a successful business by supporting sustainable practices. And having high ethical standards makes your business more successful, not less," Tia Agnew said. Agnew, along with husband Brett Canaday make, sell and promote this unique style of wine.
New Day Meadery combines Indiana raw honey and Indiana-grown fresh fruit to create one of the closest back-to-nature bottles of wine you can find in Indiana.
"Just because something is labeled 'organic' doesn't guarantee that its quality is better. A certified organic raspberry picked prior to ripeness (so it wont spoil in shipment) and trucked from several thousand miles away is not going to yield me the best tasting Mead. Plus, the additional environmental costs of such a long transport only further diminishes the value of the end product," Agnew knowingly said. "Gathering fresh fruit picked at the peak of ripeness from just an hour or two away gives me much more nutrient content and a better flavor profile. I get to meet my growers face to face and know exactly how they raise their fruit and honey."
The New Day Meadery plans for a future where all of its growers offer chemical-free product. Current demand for the wine is such that small, independent growers can't afford the time or money needed to produce a crop that is USDA Certified Organic. Consumers need to realize that buying local wine and food is a good thing but, to make it better, consumers need to voice their choices to the government, both state and federal, as there is where the ultimate power to produce organic, Terroir-driven, fresh, affordable food lies.
And affordable property taxes.
www.newdaymeadery.com



Jill A. Ditmire is an Omnimedia wine specialist, AWS certified wine judge, freelance broadcast journalist and 20+ year home owner in the Warfleigh neighborhood of Broad Ripple. Send your questions and comments to Jill at jill@broadripplegazette.com
Also on INSTAGRAM @jaditmire




jill@broadripplegazette.com
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