Talking points:

1) Good Fight is an Alsatian style Gris. It is Alsatian style because the wine is made more in line with the French method than the Italian method of the Grigio. Flavor profile is that of a more ripe fruit; nectarine, honeysuckle, ripe apple compared to that of a grigio which has a more citrus profile, green apple, spice and minerality. Our acid levels are a little higher for an Alsatian style, but the pH is a bit higher which adds to its medium body and along with the palate it more truly emulates a Gris style.

These more ripe fruit bring out the notes of nectarine/peach and floral notes of honeysuckle (honey/floral aroma), almond, cream. These aromas may deceive the consumer into thinking they are perceiving sweetness when they are actually perceiving something else that we associate with sweetness, like honey or butterscotch aromas. Tasting room sale point: Some sweet wine drinkers are afraid to try anything else on our menu besides the Rieslings. However, when I describe the Pinot Gris as a dry wine that tastes perceptibly sweet because of the flavor/aroma profile I have convinced them to try it and 90% of the people who try it have really enjoyed it and have even made bottle purchases. This is a win/win. The sweet wine drinkers perceptions are changed and we have a new fan of another dry wine.

2) Gris vs. Grigio: Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are two names for the same grape variety, there tend to be major style differences depending on the labeling of the wine. Pinot Gris is a genetic mutation of the red-skinned Pinot Noir grape. Pinot Gris is the French name for the grape variety (“Gray Pinecone”) and the French style of producing this wine yields rounded, medium bodied, and sometimes oak-aged. Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for this grape variety (grigio is the Italian word for gray). It’s style tends to be crisper and higher in acidity and never oak aged. Typically a wine is labeled based on the style in emulates. 

3) Alsace is the most important French region for Gris today. Our Leealanau AVA Pinot Gris is grown at Woodenfish Vineyards on Honky Rd. in Lake Leelanau. It is a 15 year old vineyard and is undergoing some changes under Soul Squeeze management. The vineyard no longer uses herbacides, good canopy management and crop thinning are practiced to offer the highest quality fruit, and wooded lots around the vineyard have been cleared and maintained for good air drainage. We hope to see these changes make positive impacts on future vintages.