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Experimental wines with Split Rail-2

Idaho, United States, Wine

21 July 2020

Wacky Wine Exploration with Split Rail Winery

Last Updated on August 19, 2020 by JaimeSays

Coronavirus fears and travel restrictions have everyone trying new things. While I haven’t started sewing or crocheting, I have been aggressively turning to my wine study. I picked up a Nez du Vin wine aroma study kit and have been sniffing and tasting everything. Not surprisingly, I’ve also turned to study more Idaho wines. By studying (and ordering) from these independent wineries, I’m supporting small businesses and supporting the state I love. Recently, I purchased a case of wine from Split Rail Winery, an experimental winery in Garden City, Idaho. While some of the wines were familiar, and most were delightfully delicious, what Split Rail specializes in is experimenting to make some really wacky wine!

What Makes Split Rail an Experimental Winery?

Split Rail Isn’t Trying to Make Consistent Wine Year Over Year

Many of the most popular wines of today are known for their consistency. Buy a bottle of The Prisoner, or Yellow Label Veuve Clicquot, and these wines should taste the same no matter what. That means, a bottle you buy in 2020 should taste the same as a bottle you bought in 2010. Split Rail is not in the business of making consistent wines. Instead, they aim to make wine that is different every year. They want to surprise you and challenge you to try new wines. How they achieve this is by using wine making methods you may not be familiar with, and grapes that are even less familiar. Visit their tasting room in Garden City, Idaho, and you’ll pick up on their rock and roll vibes from the jump off.

Split Rail Uses Some Wacky Wine Grapes

While there are certainly wines made with a variety of grapes that you know, Split Rail also likes to make wines using grapes that are quite unfamiliar. This year, they released several wines using Counoise. Counoise is known as one of the 14 grape varietals used in blends for Châteauneuf-de-Pape, and not much else. This thick-skinned, black grape is lighter in body than one may expect, and not easily found in American wines. Additionally, they made an orange wine using Malvasia Bianca grapes. These are a very dry floral tasting grape found in areas of the Mediterranean.

Split Rail Uses Some Wacky Wine Fermenting Techniques

Well known methods of wine fermentation include using stainless steel tanks or wooden barrels. With the addition of commercial yeasts, these wines are watched until they reach a specific brix level before bottling. Instead of following the norm, Split Rail often allows wines to wild ferment with wild yeasts picked up from the environment. This sort of a “wing and a prayer” method of fermentation can be tricky because A) it both takes longer to commence and to complete, and B) you can end up with some very weird flavors depending on what floats into the fermentation area.

That’s not where it ends in terms of wacky wine production. Split Rail also uses concrete tanks and large Italian Amphoras for some of its fermenting. And then there is the carbonic maceration method, which ferments whole clusters of grapes in a tank filled with carbon dioxide and without yeast. This method of fermentation is most typical of wines from Beaujolais.

Experimental wines with Split Rail-1
A Dry Rosé of Syrah is the most “common” wine of all the offerings I purchased. Also, delicious.

But is Wacky Wine Any Good?

When wineries like Split Rail decide to make experimental products rather than standard bottles, they are taking a great risk. In the time of COVID-19, that may not be the easiest gamble to take, but if previous years’ output is any indication, the folks at Split Rail will be just fine. The wacky wines of Split Rail Winery far exceeded my expectation.

2019 Daft Pink Pétillant Naturel , $22/bottle

I had to take a screenshot of this from Split Rail’s website because I so quickly drank my initial allocation up. Having never tried a Pét-Nat wine before, I was so pleasantly surprised by the pronounced fruit, high acid, and delightful carbonation. It did not have any of the scary “earthy” qualities I’d heard about in discussions on Petillant Naturel. Instead, it was juicy and satisfying for a picnic on a hot day.

Bored with the same old wines? Check out the Wacky Wine of Split Rail Winery in Garden City, Idaho! @IdahoWines @SplitRailWinery #AmericanWine #SupportSmallBusiness Click To Tweet
Orange Wine
Malvasia Bianca Orange Wine, $16/bottle

Another first for me: Orange Wine! This is white wine that is made in the same style as red wine; that is, crushed with the skins on the grape. This creates a tannic wine that is more akin to red wine than white.

The Ballad of Kitty McStevens, $22/ 500 mL Bottle

A 3/4 sized bottle, this farmhouse style red wine has all of the barnyard complexity of something from the Old World. But this one is from right here in the good ol’ U.S.A.

What Else Can You Expect from Split Rail Winery?

If you find yourself in Idaho, certainly check out Boise and Garden City wineries. I’ve talked about Split Rail before here, but with a tasting room known for electronic and house music, throwback supper clubs, and experimental wine, even the most skeptical of wine drinkers will have a good time.

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JaimeSays
WSET Level 2 Certified Wine Lover, DuPage County Brand Ambassador. DME + Orthotics By Day, Adoring Home Life and Travel by Night.
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  • An Introduction to Rogue Valley Wines with Awen Winecraft - October 12, 2020
  • How to Spend a Weekend inNorthern Michigan - September 28, 2020
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Half the battle of dry January is just overcoming Half the battle of dry January is just overcoming the ritual of opening a bottle of wine or mixing up a cocktail. And sometimes, it’s just the taste you are after.  How incredible then, are the alcohol-free options from @dhosspirits ? This 0 proof, alcohol-free Juniper Spirit has the body, taste, and smell profile of a gin, without the alcohol, the calories, or the liquor tax! With only 5 calories per 1.5 Oz serving, you can reduce your caloric content for a gin&tonic by 96 calories per serving. Truly, this changes the game for at home cocktails and bar mocktails, beyond Dry January. •
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Cocktail vs Mocktail Round Two! Is the cocktail in Cocktail vs Mocktail Round Two! Is the cocktail in the rocks glass or in the coupe?  Would you believe that other than the additional of a clear spirit, the only difference in these two drinks is that one is shaken and one is stirred? Seriously! The composition is the exact same, just one uses the non-alcoholic parts as a base and the other makes it the main event.  What are your guesses?  -3.5 Oz @lacroixwater Limoncello
-.5 Oz Fresh Raspberry  Syrup
-A Squeeze of Lemon
-1.5 Oz @catanpisco (optional) #catanpisco is the first Female Owned Chilean Pisco brand in the US! Available at @target and @binnysbev, this #pisco is 100%  Pedro Ximenez grapes and, at 40% ABV, falls under the Pisco Reserve umbrella.  I added the liquor and ice to a shaker and strained out the final product into the coupe glass. It’s fresh, vibrant, with a floral note  and buttery mouthfeel that plays well with the fresh, hardly sweetened, Raspberry Syrup.
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Cocktail vs Mocktail Time! As you may have been ab Cocktail vs Mocktail Time!
As you may have been able to glean from my stories, I am using this month as a #dryjanuary.  First up, here is a cocktail vs mocktail recipe.  The White Cranberry Mimosa comes from Moersch Hospitality Group, the folks behind #SouthwestMichiganWineries like @taborhillwinery, @roundbarnwdb, and @freeruncellars. The mocktail is my alternative.  White Cranberry Mimosa:
1.5oz white cranberry juice
5oz Tabor Hill Sparkling Demi-Sec
Cranberries for Garnish  Cranberry Mocktail:
5 Oz Sparkling Water or Lemon-Lime Soda, depending on your preferred level of sweetness
5-6 Dashes @Feebrothersbitters Cranberry Bitters
Rosemary Garnish (optional)  #bartender #savesmallbusiness #southwestmichigan #lovewestmichigan #michiganwineries #lockdownsdontwork #winter #winelife #sommelier #sommstyle #sparklingwine #mocktails #alcoholfree #cocktailchallenge #michigan
I finally got to make a Riesling Holiday Punch wit I finally got to make a Riesling Holiday Punch with a Pear and Cranberry Ice Float for Christmas! 10 point deduction for waiting until it had been out a couple of hours and the perfect ring started dropping some cranberries. A great way to be festive if you’re having a pod NYE party: it’s low alcohol, tasty, and the recipe is in my 5 Ways to Enjoy Riesling Holiday post! •
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