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Published May/June 2007 |
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Drink in a new wine trail in Indiana and lovely rose gardens in Illinois.
By Diana West |
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| “The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at play.” Johnny Mercer’s award-winning lyrics might also ring true for these fleeting, late spring and early summer days. Before our Midwestern summer wilts your desire to explore, take some time to discover a new wine trail in Indiana and smell award-winning roses in Illinois. From vine to fine wine Two hundred years ago, Swiss immigrant John James Dufour developed one of the first successful commercial wine operations in America in Vevay, Ind. His wine was presented to President Thomas Jefferson, according to “Indiana Wine, A History.” Today, you don’t have to be a dignitary to enjoy fine wine from southeast Indiana. Down the Lazy River, the newest Indiana wine trail that was launched last year, follows the Ohio River corridor and links six wineries in four counties. From a country estate to a pub-style setting, each offers a different experience. Ertel Cellars Winery opened last year south of Batesville in Ripley County, although the Ertel family has operated their vineyards since 1999. Last year 35 tons of grapes were hand-harvested from owner Tom Ertel’s 12 acres of vineyards. The spacious building at 3794 E. County Road 1100 N. features a full-service restaurant, lounge and tasting bar. Large windows in the restaurant overlook the cellar where 15 varieties of wine are made. Brian Ahaus, award-winning wine maker, says, “I have a lot more sweets and semi-sweets than I do dry wines because that’s what the public wants.” Sweet wines include Blush, Blueberry, Strawberry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Niagra, Catawba and Concord. Their semi-dry wine is Foch, and the dry wines are Chardonnay, Cabernet and Chambourcin. From Batesville, follow Highway 46 east to Highway 1 south, then west at Dover to Château Pomije Winery. Nestled on 72 acres of French-like countryside in Dearborn County, Château Pomije is the region’s oldest winery, having been open since 1982. They grow their grapes, barrel-ferment, blend and bottle 14 wines on site. The winery is known for its Gold Medal Chardonnay. The winery also features a full-service restaurant. Sit and sip In 1995, Tommy Demaree presented his first vintage to Ridge Winery guests. Today, using his 40 years of whiskey and winemaking experience, Demaree makes 10 wines that are offered at Ridge Winery tasting room, 298 state Highway 156 in Vevay. Demaree’s niece, Traci Pavy, and husband Greg, opened the tasting room in 2004. It’s a family affair with Traci’s 90-year old grandmother, Mary Smith, serving up samples. Situated on the river’s edge, visitors can sit and sip while watching boats and barges float by. From Vevay, take Highway 56 west to Madison in Jefferson County where three wineries await. Lanthier Winery, fashioned after European wineries, has been open since 1994. The winery is located at 123 Mill St. in what was originally a 1700s fort and has gardens that change color throughout the seasons. The winery offers four dry, five semi-sweet and four sweet wines. Special holiday wines are Rudolph Red, Snowflake White and St. Nicholas Blush. Owners Chris Lanthier and Tami Hagemier invite customers to taste, then select a wine to enjoy upstairs in the loft art gallery or outside in the French country garden. Thomas Family Winery, 208 East Second St. in downtown Madison, offers 10 wines and hard ciders made on site by Steve Thomas, a third-generation wine maker. Gale’s Hard Cider, named for Gale Thomas, Steve’s grandfather, is made from heirloom apples. The pub-style atmosphere invites visitors to join family and friends for an evening of relaxation and refreshment. Live folk, Celtic, or bluegrass music often is played on Saturday night. Located north of town, Madison Vineyards Estate Winery (1456 E CR 400 N.) also has a bed-and-breakfast inn on site that opened in 2005. Each of the four rooms occupies a corner of the house and overlooks the vineyards. Owners Sandy and Steve Palmer invite guests to relax and unwind while enjoying some of the 12 wines that are available in the tasting room. The newest release, Ba Da Bing Rosso, is a red table wine. The winery’s best-selling Black Dog is a sweet red wine named after Burt and Hobbs, two black Labrador mixes whose silhouettes appear on the label. Stop and smell the roses Each year, All-America Rose Selections (AARS) picks three or four winning roses, tested for beauty and vitality. This year’s winners–Moondance, Rainbow Knockout and Strike It Rich–can be seen in public rose gardens in Illinois. Joel Anderson, rosarian at Nan Elliott Memorial Rose Garden in Alton’s Gordon F. Moore Community Park off state Route 140, says weekly carillon bell concerts are held each Sunday evening from Memorial Day to the end of September. The carillon tower also plays every half hour so anyone visiting the rose garden can enjoy the music. Anderson says most of the 1,600 roses are AARS winners. He has given tender loving care to the rose garden for nearly 10 years, and has been recognized by the AARS with an outstanding garden maintenance award for the past nine years. Carillon bells can also be heard throughout Washington Park Rose Garden, 1740 W. Fayette, in Springfield. Director Chad Scaife says the visitors from all around the world come to hear the carillon and take the quarter-mile walk around the gardens. He says some of the 2,600 roses have been there for 25 years. The Krasberg Rose Garden has been part of the Chicago Botanic Garden since 1985. The focal point of the rose garden is a fountain in the shape of a Tudor rose. The 5,000 roses are arranged on the three-acre tract so that pale colors are nearer the fountain and darker shades toward the main entrance. The Old-Fashioned Rose Walk has a history of rose cultivation and is lined with both old-fashioned roses and new English varieties. A lovely cedar arbor on the east end is adorned with climbing roses. In all, the garden features 367 rose varieties. To combine wine and roses, visit the Chicago Botanic Garden during its Wine Festival June 2–3. Vendors will present more than 250 wines, and there will be cooking demonstrations and wine seminars. The entry fee is $25, which includes a souvenir wine glass and wine tastings. The garden is at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe. Whether you spend an afternoon or several days wandering along the Indiana Wine Trail or around award-winning roses in Illinois, you’re sure to have a wonderful wine and roses experience. Diana West is a contributor from Joplin, Mo. |
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 The Gladney Rose Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden was established in 1915. Missouri Botanical Garden photo |
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Missouri Botanical Garden showcases 2,600 roses
in two separate gardens. By Diana West |
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| Henry Shaw, founder of the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis in 1859, loved roses. Indeed, in his 1882 book “The Rose,” he wrote: “Human art can neither colour nor describe so fair a flower.” Today, the Missouri Botanical Garden has two rose gardens with more than 2,600 roses. The Gladney Rose Garden, established in 1915, has hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas and climbing roses planted in a wagon-wheel shape around a central fountain. The Lehmann Rose Garden, open since 1974, has a bushy mix of hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas, shrub roses, old garden roses and miniatures planted on three tiers. The middle terrace is an All-America Rose Selections (AARS) test site, one of 24 centers nationwide where extensive trials are conducted in a two-year testing process. Two or more individual plants of 50 new hybrids are planted annually. After the first year, the bottom 20 percent are dropped. Copper-colored zincs designate entries for the present year. Second-year markers are silver-colored zincs. Both have the proper identification engraved on the zincs. Rosarian Sarah Anderson cares for and evaluates the roses during the growing season and grades them on criteria such as vigor, fragrance, disease resistance and flower production. At the conclusion, she submits her scores to the AARS. Based on scores for all the judges, the AARS members will vote to determine which roses they will name the best of the best as winners. The AARS is a non-profit association dedicated to the introduction and promotion of exceptional roses. Since 1938, the AARS seal of approval has been awarded to new rose varieties that have withstood the two-year tests. Winners for 2007, Strike It RichTM and MoondanceTM may be seen in the Gladney Rose Garden and Rainbow KnockoutTM in the Lehmann Rose Garden for one year before they are available to the public through retail outlets. The American Rose Society’s national convention, which will be in St. Louis Sept. 13–17, will include tours of the Gladney and Lehmann rose gardens. |
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