Eagle Crest Vineyards Concord

Today we're going to talk about an interesting wine from one of my favorite wineries - Eagle Crest Vineyards in Conesus, NY.  Many of you know the name "Concord" - the standard purple grape juice that we see in America is that of the concord grape, one of the native grape varieties that we have in America.

Eagle Crest Vineyards' Concord.

Grapes grow all over the world, but there are different varieties which make different tasting wines.  Long derided as not being capable of producing excellent wines, Vitis Labrusca (also known as the "Fox grape") is now showing itself to be an excellent grape well suited to producing excellent wine.  The Concord grape is a Vitis Labrusca lineage grape, and it exemplifies the taste and smell that people associate with the "Fox Grape."  While many may turn their nose, many people find this grape to be delicious and quite suited to making a tasty wine.

The bottle's color reflects the deep pigmentation of the concord wine itself :)

Additionally, there are many hybrids that have been made with this Vitis Labrusca.  As I see it, the main issue with such wines is that very often the "fox" smell overpowers other more subtle fragrances in the wine, but with breeding, this is slowly but surely becoming less and less of an issue.  In future blog posts, I'll write some more about the Vitis Labrusca wines and their lineage, and about some of the other delicious varieties of wine that are produced from hybrids with said lineage - but for now, let's talk about Concord.

Finger Lakes Table Wine indeed- Eagle Crest makes delicious wine priced for every day enjoyment! :)

If you've ever had Welch's grape juice - or grape jelly - or anything that's "grape" flavored - you know what Concord tastes like.  It is your "standard" grape flavor that we see in America today.  It's rather tasty, and as it turns out, makes for a delicious wine.

This is a full bottle of the concord.  The one we were going to use.. is empty now :)

Concord makes a great starting point
if you're new to wine!

Eagle Crest Vineyards has taken the Concord grape and produced a varietal wine from it - Eagle Crest Vineyards Concord.  The color is the dark purple that you would expect from this grape, and being a pure 100% Concord, it has that typical Concord aroma - Kind of like a sweet strawberry with a musky, or as they say, "foxy" undertone.  This is the best way I can describe the aroma of the Concord- if you have a better description, please let me know :)

Now, I for one am a fan of dry reds, and more dry wines as opposed to sweet, but my lady loves sweet wine, and she LOVES Eagle Crest Vineyards' concord wine - she thinks it's the bees knees.  I asked her to write a little snippet so I could give you all a slightly different perspective and here's what she said:

Most of you had grape juice growing up: dark purple, kind of tart, very sweet, and definitively grape. Concord wine is grape juice for grown-ups. It’s made from the same type of grape as your typical grape juice and aside from the alcoholic notes, the taste is not too different. Most wine enthusiasts don’t think very highly of concord wines; indeed, many people in Europe  say that concord wines aren't even considered to be true wine. Being a fox grape enthusiast myself, I would not say that a concord is a connoisseur’s wine, but it’s great for someone who is just getting to know wine, doesn’t think they like wine, or just wants to enjoy something sweet and tasty.

Another picture of this delicious concord wine!

As concords go, Eagle Crest’s offering is top notch. The grape note is a pure, smack-you-in-the-face flavor, and the alcohol note is more of an undertone. If you remember that Welch’s grape juice commercial from a million years ago where the woman talks about rolling the juice around on her tongue, this makes you want to do just that. Drink this concord cool but not ice cold to allow your taste buds to explore the flavor. It’s comparative candy as wines go, so if that’s what you like, this does not disappoint. Careful, though; it’s still wine!

So that's her take on it.  All in all, if you're new to wine and love grape juice, sampling some of Eagle Crest's Concord wine would be a very safe place to start in your wine tasting journey.  Go grab a bottle from Eagle Crest and let us know what you think!


Eagle Crest Vineyards is located at

4107 Vineyard Road
Consesus, NY 14435

Their phone number is (585)-346-2321.

If you're not local, be sure to visit them at


http://www.eaglecrestvineyards.com 

Let me know when you try this delicious Concord and what you think!






To Life!