This is the first I’ve had the opportunity to taste Minnesota’s new hybrid grape variety, Itasca, in a wine that is available to the public — it did not disappoint!

This medium-lemon color wine has a complex nose with medium intensity: yellow apple, chamomile, wild flowers, tart pineapple and a hint of sour cream.
On the palate, it is dry, with medium-plus acid, and medium-plus body. Flavors of tart pineapple, sweet meyer lemon, yellow apple, fresh apricot, dried yellow fig and a slight grassy note on a medium-length finish.

The wine was well balanced, with good complexity and intensity of flavors and aromas. Overall it was very good. Drink now or within the next couple of years.

Thanks to my friend and sommelier Staci Mickelson for helping put together these tasting notes! The wine was delicious enough that all I had left to photograph was the empty bottle 🙂

Schram Vineyards provided this sample at my request.