Introduction
It seems that so many aspects of life have the natural force to come full-circle. A young boy leaves home because he finds it boring and sees little opportunity in the area. He travels the world, quenching his thirst for experience and beauty, only to return to his home and see it through new eyes. Then his home is full of rare beauty unbeknownst to the rest of the worst and a multitude of opportunities waiting to be cultivated.
I recently returned to my home state of Oklahoma and found, much to my delight, that there are now over fifty wineries across the state. The industry there is uncoordinated, fledgling and disparate, but a great diversity of grapes – it turns out – grow well and some great wines are made in Oklahoma.
My wife and I, forsaking filial duties for a couple of days during this Thanksgiving vacation, toured ten wineries throughout the state and picked our favorite wine from each location. The next series of wine blogs will document those ten wines.
Stone Bluff
About fifteen miles southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, atop rolling hills overlooking the Arkansas River valley, sits the Stone Bluff winery. Named after the small community about two miles away, this winery just had its ten year anniversary, making it one of the oldest wineries in Oklahoma.
Its owners take great pride in their knowledge of wine culture. They admit that Oklahoma wines are much younger than those of other states, they also humbly tell you that they know very little of the great wines of the world – but this winery has a culture and class all its own. From its brass countertops to its wood corks to its simple, clean labels, one is filled with a sense of satisfaction immediately upon entering the winery's tasting room.
The owners will greet you with a smile and mildly wait for you to ask for a tasting, at which point they will inform you that you may try four wines for three dollars – a charge that is retracted if you should purchase a wine. The deal seems fair, but once you try a wine, you realize that you got the better end of the bargain. At Stone Bluff, there is a wine for everyone.
The winery makes a great deal of its wines from its own grapes. Two such wines, which are worthy of mention, are the Cynthiana and the Viognier. Those were the wines that we decided to buy, after much deliberation. Their wines range from very dry reds to very sweet blushes and whites, and they even have a very nice port.
The first wine of theirs that I will tell you about is the Cynthiana. The Cynthiana, also known as the Norton, is a native American grape, which grows primarily in the Southeast, and is cultivated there for its resilience to disease, but also flourishes in the drier regions of Oklahoma and Texas.
It is a very unique grape, making it difficult to compare to any other grape you might have tried before. At first whiff, you will get a strong sense of cranberry recently harvested from the bush along with a hint of alcoholic spiciness. The smell, though unfamiliar, is quite intriguing. You just let it hit your lips – and again, that cranberry overture! It is sour and warm and sweet, with a bitterness that tugs at the tongue and spiciness that tickles the inside of your cheeks. Swish it around in your mouth and take a gulp – now there is a hint of something familiar, that warming sense of Merlot or the sweet, easiness of the Pinot Noir. But the aftertaste pulls you back – this is something new altogether.
A full glass later, your stomach is filled with the warm, fullness that it gets after a Bloody Mary. Your mouth may purse and tingle some from the cranberry taste that still lingers. All you can do is shake your head and smile – it is a taste unlike any other and quite fine once acquired.
A warning, however. Do not take the Cynthiana lightly. There are so many nice wines at this winery – the Terre Rouge and V, just to name a couple – that, if you enjoy easier, more mainstream wines like my mother, you might want to try those first. The Cynthiana, while lovely, is for more experienced wine-drinkers on a quest for the exotic.
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