Isn’t Wisconsin the opposite of good wine country, with our cold winters and short humid summers? Not any more. Even The Sacramento Bee is touting Wisconsin wines — and that’s a newspaper in northern California, the heart of America’s wine country. Grape hybrids developed to be cold-hardy are making it possible for wineries to produce a variety of styles here from homegrown grapes (although deep reds like pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon remain impractical). While many more wines are crafted from Wisconsin-grown grapes these days, others are made here using imported fruits.
Back for a second year, Isthmus Uncorked is a showcase for wines and wineries and how well they pair with great food, says Isthmus events coordinator Brodie Birkel. Wines will be served from more than two dozen wineries and Madison chefs will again be providing sit-down pairings.
Bailey’s Run Vineyard of New Glarus is representative of many contemporary Badger State wineries. Bailey’s Run grows more than 80 percent of the grapes used in the 14 wines they make, according to the winery’s event coordinator, Julianna Boczkiewicz. “We’ll be bringing some of our more popular wines, including top-seller Edelweiss, a crisp, off-dry white made from the edelweiss grape variety,” named for the alpine flower and grown at the winery, Boczkiewicz says. Bailey’s Run will also be offering a dry red from Chilean-grown grapes and a sweeter rosé made with Catawba grape juice from New York.
Tickets ($50) include unlimited 2-ounce pours and cheese samples from Metcalfe’s market and treats from Atwood Avenue’s Nutkrack. Gail Ambrosius will be offering limited chocolate pairings.
Those interested in more specific pairings can pay an additional $15 for three-course food and wine pairings from four Madison chefs — Andrew Vogel (Merchant) is teaming with Cambridge Winery; Gilbert Altschul (Grampa’s Pizzeria) with Lewis Station; Matt Pace (The Great Dane) with Bailey’s Run; and David Heide (Liliana’s) with Fisher King Winery. Or go your own way and buy food from vendors Ian’s Pizza, Melted and Salads Up.
Isthmus Uncorked is May 18 from 3-6 pm at McPike Park, 202 S. Ingersoll St. Tickets are available through isthmusuncorked.com.
