Tag Archives: Lemberger

What we’re drinking: Bainbridge’s Perennial Vintners

Brynn writes:

Perennial Vintners’ 2011 Lemberger: This is winemaker Mike Lempriere’s first red wine under his Perennial Vintners label, and what a great way to bring his winery over to the “dark side”.

Lempriere has traditionally made white wines from grapes grown on Bainbridge Island, but the last couple of years of bad weather forced him to branch east of the mountains to get grapes from vineyards that weathered the poor conditions better than his estate vines.

While he’s still making his island-grown whites and raspberry dessert wine, Lempriere has expanded his selection, adding a lemberger.

Sourced from Kiona Vineyards on Red Mountain, Lempriere’s lemberger is made in the old world style. Instead of letting this wine spend time on oak, Lempriere turned it around quickly, producing a fruit-forward young wine that packs a lot of flavor for its light body.

With only 12 percent alcohol the fruitiness of the wine is able to shine, making it a great choice for summer barbecue season.

*This is part of a series of reviews of Bainbridge Island wines recently tried at the Bainbridge Uncorked event, which featured the island’s winemakers.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Weekly wine defined: Lemberger

Brynn writes:

This week we’re defining not a wine term, but a wine itself.

So what is Lemberger? If you’re thinking it sounds German, you’re right. Want an even harder German word to try and pronounce? Try this one on for size: Blaufränkisch.

That’s the name of the red grape variety that is also referred to as “Lemberger.” Which, according to Wikipedia: “The German name Lemberger derives from the fact that it was imported to Germany in the 19th century from Lemberg in Lower Styria in present-day Slovenia and then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.”

The grape itself is a late-ripening variety that is typically rich in tannins and can offer a spicy character. It’s fairly prevalent in Eastern Europe, and has been said to be called the “Pinot Noir of the East” because of how widely planted it is.

Interestingly here in North America Washington is one of the few major wine regions that has significant plantings of Lemberger. This is mainly in the Yakima Valley, but also on the Olympic Peninsula. Smaller amounts are also grown in New York, Colorado, Ohio and Virginia.

I first tried Lemberger at last year’s Kitsap Wine Festival. Kiona Vineyards and Winery had it as one of their samples. I had it again this year and was reminded of what a versatile wine it is. It can be paired with everything from steak to pizza.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post