ONLINE: Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin (CHEW)
Hannah Smith
NSmith Wines owner Nick Smith.
Sure, a discussion about food is always better if you are at the lecture in person (samples, people, samples!) but CHEW is taking the high road and has moved its monthly presentations about Wisconsin food to Zoom. This month's talk is "Wisconsin Grapes: A tasting flight of history, present trends, and culinary opportunities," presented by Nick Smith, owner of NSmith Wines and an enologist and fermentation instructor at UW-Madison. Smith started as a homebrewer two decades ago and went on to study fermentation science at Oregon State University and he describes himself as "part mad scientist, part wine rebel." Find Zoom login information at chewwisconsin.com.
press release: “Wisconsin Grapes: A tasting flight of history, present trends, and culinary opportunities,” presented by Nick Smith, Owner of NSmith Wine & enologist and fermentation instructor at UW-Madison. 6:30 pm, Wednesday, November 4, 2020, online meeting via Zoom (see access info below)
Wine production is far from a new concept in Wisconsin and the Midwest. At the turn of the century midwestern vineyards were large producers of grapes supplying necessary fruit for thirsty markets in Chicago and the East Coast. Agoston Haraszthy was one of the first to attempt a commercial grape venture in Wisconsin. He would move to California and become one of the early pioneers in California winemaking. Wollersheim winery now its where Agoston once grew grapes and is among the largest independently owned wineries in the United States. Wisconsin is known by many for producing sweet fruit wines. Trends are changing and new producers look to change Wisconsin's reputation. The future of grapes in Wisconsin is not limited to wine as researchers and growers evaluate table grapes, raisins, and grape based culinary ingredients.
Nick Smith’s Bio: Almost 20 years ago I walked into a homebrewing shop near the University of Minnesota campus and discovered that one can make their own wine and beer. My mother, supporting type that she is, bought me a homebrewing kit for my 20th birthday. The process was and continues to fascinate me. A journey that started out with a few brews in my parent’s basement led me to study fermentation science at Oregon State University. An internship at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and a wine chemist position at Beringer Vineyards rounded out my west coast adventure. I was drawn back to Minnesota to study cold climate grapes and wine production at the University of Minnesota. During this time I was increasingly interested in the Wisconsin industry and in particular developments at the UW-Madison. In 2015, I accepted a position at UW-Madison and became their enologist and fermentation instructor. Along the way I have assisted and consulted with many different operations, waiting to take the leap myself. In 2018, I began work on my own label. With a few grapes from Highland, and a partnership with Indigenous Wines and Ciders in Stoughton, the first Mad Rebel vintage was born. Part mad scientist, part wine rebel, I strive to create cold-climate wines with dimension and nuance. The wines are dry, crisp, and true to the grape’s character.
To join the meeting, open this Zoom link on your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/
Meeting ID: 894 6751 0480
Passcode: 418013
For more information, visit the CHEW website at http:www.chewwisconsin.com/ or visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/chewwis To get on our mailing list, or for
additional information, email Joan Peterson at info@eatsmartguides.com or Terese Allen at tallen@gdinet.com
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