01/10/2010
Reknown ice wine juice from Niagara is now available through M&M Wine Grape Co.. Customers can now purchase the authentic juice in varieties such as Riesling, Vidal, and Cabernet Franc. Juice will be available in January and M&M Wine Grape Co. is accepting orders. If you are interested, there is a small window of opportunity for 2010...Please call for more details.
09/03/2009
Sangiovese has been commanding much greater respect in recent years, as it has found an ideal home at vineyards like Sutter Ridge and Vino con Brio. The vineyards have the right growing conditions and the right clone to produce Sangiovese to admire as a stand-alone wine or as the main element of a California rendition of a Super Tuscan or Chianti. Sangiovese has come on strong and with its excellent fruit, delicate tannins, and suitability toward many types of cuisine, this grape is becoming a must-do grape amongst winemakers. When ordering seek out the vineyards mentioned here for the finest quality Sangiovese wine grapes!
09/03/2009
Like the salt of the earth, a conversation with Don Lucchesi reveals a sort of modesty one would only expect from an individual who knows nothing other than to do what he does best. That best would be to produce his 69 year-old Zinfandel from his head-pruned vineyards that lie in the Mendocino benchland. This Old Clone Zinfandel on St. George rootstock is a "new for 2009" addition to the M&M Wine Grape line-up. Yet another great wine grape option for your winemaking endeavors. This item will also be part of the 2009 frozen must program.
09/03/2009
Don't know Potter's Valley in Mendocino? No problem. Let us introduce you...
Mendocino's Petter Valley Makes Great Grapes!Courtesy of www.sfgate.com
Courtesy of Calwines.com
Bill Domenichelli owns Iron Oak Vineyard in Potter Valley. His vines are grown in red, oxidized soil. They only yield about two to three tons per acre.
Domenichelli’s Iron Oak Vineyard provides Merlot to Dasche Cellars. Dasche is located in Sonoma and is best known for Zinfandel. But the winery could not pass up Iron Oak’s beautiful Merlot berries which are grown on meticulously maintained vines.
Michael and Anne Dasche both worked at other wineries for years before starting their own operation. They make small lots of hand crafted wine using the best fruit they can find. It is therefore quite telling that the couple buys grapes from Iron Oak.
The Dasche Iron Horse Vineyard Merlot is aged in French oak and blended with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The Cab was grown in Alexander Valley and adds structure to this well balanced wine.
09/03/2009
This Mendocino Pinot Noir grown along the head-waters of the Russian River is known for its structured mid-palette and strawberry overtones. A preponderance of which used commercially in
Handley Cellars 2006 Pinot Noir gleamed:
BEST OF CLASS GOLD MEDAL - West Coast Wine Competition
GOLD MEDALS - Long Beach Grand Cru, North of the Gate Wine Competition
Now this superb Pinot Noir is available to M&M Wine Grape customers through our relationship with Iron Oak's owner Bill Domenichelli. Call now for this limited quantity offering!
05/22/2009
As part of our ongoing mission to get commerical grade and variety of products into the hands of all winemakers, M&M now offerers many of the most popular winemaking products in convenient sizes and prices for your smaller scale winemaking needs. It is a time intesive process to properly repack product into the smaller sizes, but the product of that works has opened a whole new world of winemaking possibility to our ever-growing winemaking community. The next time you're looking for those special wine additives you needed to buy bulk from California or overseas,or you are looking to take your winemaking to the next level, do not hesitate to consider M&M for volume appropriate options and the support you need to use these products to make world class wines.
Two years ago we announced Project Get Grapes To Distant Places. It wasn't a sexy name, but we clearly laid out our intentions. To date, we've gone a long way toward being able to offer shipping options to home winemakers for premium winemaking product throughout the year. This past year, we did what we set out to do. We provided great shipping services to people across the country. Now, to move onto phase II...
This year we decided to develop a program whereby we take the cream of our Fall harvest and make it available in frozen form; must for red grapes and cold settled juice for whites. This Fall program spans three states and two countries, with DOCG Certified Frozen Must coming direct from Piedmont,Tuscany, *Friuli, and *Le Marche. (*=New This Season!)
For those of you who have a real desire to make wine from great grapes, but perhaps are too busy during the season or live in an area where obtaining small quantities of premium wine grapes is a impossibility, this program is for you.
For those of you who cannot bear to only make wine in the Spring (Chilean) and Fall seasons, this program is for you.
For more information on Frozen Must from M&M,
click here.
You may be wondering what we do in between seasons? Well, try our Flash Frozen Grape Must certified and shipped direct from Italy's best Wine Grape Regions - Friuli, Marche, Piedmont and Tuscany! Modesty aside, this partnership M&M has formed delivers the absolute best wine grapes from Italy right to your winemaking cellar. For those who have prayed for access to wine grape product like this from Italy - we are here to say "dreams do come true". For the 2009 season, we have expanded offerings to include white wine grape juice from the famous Friuli and Sangiovese from Marche. Varieties will include Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, and Sangiovese harvested, processed, and flash frozen the same day straight from vineyards certified by the D.O.C.G. to produce the likes of Barolo and Barbaresco. We will also have Pinot Grigio frozen juice and Sauvignon Blanc frozen juice from the famous Friuli region.
U.S. Winemakers are going to take Italy by storm...or is it the reverse? So, we were sitting around and thought - "You know, getting the best grapes in the form of frozen must simply isn't good enough..." Sure, we could have waited another year, but NOOOO... So, here you have it, FRESH ITALIAN GRAPE straight from Puglia (Apuglia) and Sicily.
Cabernet Sauvignon,
Nero D'Avola,
Merlot,
Lambrusco,
Montepulciano,
Shiraz,
Trebbiano
Fresh grapes are available in 24.2lb lugs (estimated 1.5 Gallon conservative yield per lug)
M&M's shared venture into Puglia represents an investment into a viticultural area that has historically been limited from favorable perception as a result compromise winemaking and viticultural practices. Today, the winemaking blood in Puglia is seeking to redefine that perception and we now see commercial successes here in the US in the form of imports from Antinori and a wine that has adorned better wine shops for many years under the name "Salice Salentino". Now that's Italian!
When it comes to Fresh Authentic Italian juices, there is simply not a better supplier in quality and support than Mosti Mondiale. How do we know? Well, we've been our own customer and we've been more than impressed. Have you tried the Mosto Fresco Nero D'Avola? If you haven't...
We understand that for many winemakers, juice is simply the best option. With Mosti Mondiale's Mosto Fresco Italian Juices, your Italian winemaking experience is sure to meet all expectations.
Mosti Mondiale's Italian Juices are Premium Grade juices and so you will notice they are priced a bit higher than the select juices that may be offered by other suppliers. Having the responsibility of identifying the products that we believe will facilitate your ability to produce great wine on a consistent basis, we at M&M are confident that the extra money spent on these Italian juices will return tenfold in the superior quality of the wine you are able to produce. At an estimated $3 per bottle of Italian wine Mosti Mondiale's Mosto Fresco is the right choice for your Italian winemaking with juice experience.
Got Cab? We do... Go into just about any wine cellar and you are almost sure to find some Cabernet Sauvignon. It is quite possibly the most utilized grape variety by home winemakers and wineries alike. Knowing this, M&M Wine Grape Co. makes sure Cabernet options are bountiful. This Fall, we have no less than twenty Cabernet options available to you from Napa to Paso, hillside, rocky, Valley...Cabernets for all tastes.
Did You Know? Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are not bound by one standard. When planning your Cabernet purchase, consider what kinds of Cabernets you like and the exact attributes you like about them. Your M&M representative knows a good deal about the grapes and vineyards from which they come. He or she may be able to match you to the Cabernet Sauvignon (or other variety) that best suits your preferences.
Set in the Yakima AVA and sub-AVA of Rattlesnake Hills is an award winning vineyard and winery. At first glance, this vineyard and winery would not appear to be much different than any other. If it were not for the brothers who run it. Like our growing and packing partners in California, Matthew and Patrick Rawn of Two Mountain Winery & Estate Vineyard are looking to share the fruits of their meticulous labor and finished wines with those who would most appreciate it, our customers.
The Rawn Brothers have identified themselves as the type of partner M&M Wine Grape Co. desires to ensure we bring you the best wine grapes, must and wine products that Washington State has to offer.
This Fall we are debuting Two Mountain's wine grapes in our frozen must program. We are excited to be working with the Rawns and equally excited to be able to offer premium Washington State grapes to our customers.
2009 Grapes Will Be Here Soon! See Harvest Bulletin for Update and Specs!
Glacial fruit. What's that? It is what both the Finger Lakes and Long Island have in common. Both are viticultural areas that have benefited from the renants of a receding glacier. In the Eastern U.S., New York has long had success in both growing and producing wines from both vinifera and other grapes, in particular - french hybrids.
While success with reds in the Finger Lakes remains relative to other wine producing areas that are exceptional at reds, like California, New York has excelled at producing many fine whites including Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and others like Traminette, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, and Cayuga.
On the other hand, Long Island has seen success in growing vinifera and some fine examples of Long Island reds are commercially available.
This year, M&M Wine Grape Co. will offer what we consider to be "The Best of New York". Cold settled white juices from the Finger Lakes growing area and fresh Merlot from the North Fork of Long Island.
We believe this is an excellent way to introduce people to New York State's wine grapes and we are looking forward to the lineup. All whites will be available as pailed or drummed frozen juices. The Northfork Merlot will be available in fresh and/or frozen form.
I remember it as clear as day. The M&M gang was sitting at the table discussing our plans for the season and in comes this young vineyard manager with a few bottles of wine he wanted us to try. Naturally, we received this wine bearing individual with open arms and began to taste and discuss just what he had brought. For the record, while the company was excellent, it was the wine that made the dinner so memorable. This vineyard manager had brought wines produced from the grapes harvested out of the vineyards he was managing. Words cannot accurately reflect the wines, but I will say that the Cabernet Sauvignon was complex, chewy, and bursting with layers of rich flavors rarely experienced in Cabernets. It was just an amazing experience and one similar to others I have had previously from the wines of Paso Robles.
It was that evening that we agreed that Paso Robles and the grapes from this vineyard manager's vineyards needed to be part of M&M's wine grape offerings. This Fall, we are pleased to offer Paso Robles wine grapes including the very same Cabernet grapes that went into the wine of that evening.
At well over fifty years old, the vines of Seibe ranch, an approximate 12 acre vineyard consisting of Zinfandel and Carignane in nearly equal parts rests peacefully in Solano County's Green Valley. A stroll through the dry farmed vineyard of 8x8 spaced head pruned vines invokes the thought of how the land, the people, and the community have changed around these vines, which have stood the test of time.
Managed by Lanza vineyards, Seibe Ranch's Old Vines now draw upon the richness of the land and give attention to maturing fewer clusters than in the "early" years.
This gem vineyard is another M&M exclusive and both the Old Vine Zinfandel and Old Vine Carignane will be available through M&M this Fall.
In Austria Julie Andrews was singing about the Hills Being Alive with the Sound of Music. In Suisun (Sue-soon) Valley, The Lanza Brother and Tenbrink Quintet are singing about serious Hillside Cabernets and these Cabernets are something to sing about. With Suisun Valley still representing an excellent price/quality ratio, these Cabernets are Napa comprable and at a fraction of the cost.
This season's Suisun Valley Cabernets are split out by block and/or hillside versus Valley. The availability of the Hillside varieties is extremely limited and coming from the Koch (pronounced Coke) Ranch and Wolfskill Ranch (see Vineyard Block Map under Lanza Vineyards in the Supplier Area of juicegrape.com). The good news is that the Valley Cabernet offered through Lanza Vineyards is also exceptional and because there are a greater number of acres, the price is more reasonable. Those who purchased Lanza Vineyards (Wooden Valley) Cabernet during the 2007 Fall Season know how good the Valley Cabernet truly is.
It seems that most every viticultural area makes a claim as to their signature grape and while the growers of Suisun have yet to make such a claim, arguably Petite Sirah (Durif) might very well be that grape. Petite Sirah is not necessarily high on the list of grapes used by home winemakers and even wineries for winemaking, but that is likely due to the grape performing better after considerable aging. Petite Sirah wines are typically deep in purplish color and put forth strong tannins amidst a spicy, plummy and even blackberry backdrop.
At M&M, we offer a number of Petite Sirah options, but there is clearly a buying trend that is pointing to Suisun Valley, and in particular, Lanza Vineyards Petite Sirah as being a must have grape for winemaking. M&M Wine Grape Co. will once again carry Lanza Vineyards Petite Sirah in both fresh and frozen must formats.
This seasoned block of what Cline Cellars affectionately refers to as "Ancient Vines" is
home to one of the most widely planted grape varieties. This silent variety is much like an elderly relative with whom we've neglected to spend time. It appears tired and not able to do much on its own, but given the time and attention, this wise vine will pour out its essense to you and leave you enlightened. Old Vine Carignane takes a winemaker on a trip down memory lane and reminds us of the winemaking lineage from which we come. In the spirit of Cline Cellars tribute to Ancient Vine Carignane, M&M's Old Vine Carignane is your opportunity to connect modern winemaking with the rich past of winemaking.
