First, Fred spoke about his relationship with Rotary. In 2017 he was a part of a Group Study Exchange to Australia. He toured fruit farms in New South Wales and Victoria for three weeks. There were farmers representing grape, peach, apples and other fruits. One interesting fact is that soils in Chautauqua County are 15,000 years old, while Australian soils are 240 million years old as it is the oldest continent.

 

Jennifer spoke about the vineyard. In order to be called an Estate Winery, the wine must be totally vertically integrated-grown and processed on site, following the European tradition. Johnson Estate Winery is the oldest in New York State.

 

Thirteen different kinds of grapes are grown on the estate. Some are native American grapes, some are French-American hybrids and some are European Vinifera. Interestingly, the terroir (environmental factors that affect the grape’s physical characteristics) along the Chautauqua ridge compares with the Mosel region of Germany. So it makes sense that the Rieslings are the “Prize Horse” of the vineyard, often cited as the best Riesling in North America with the minerality, fruitiness and crispness of German Rieslings.

 

A visit to the Johnson Estate Winery is well worth it. The homestead is over 200 years old. Fred’s grandfather purchased it in 1911. It was passed down through the generations and Fred and Jennifer bought out Fred’s siblings in 2010 to become sole owners. They retired to the vineyard in 2013. The land is a mix of vineyard, wood lot and cover, managed to improve the habitat and the soils.

They now produce 40 wines red, white and rose, dry to sweet dessert wines. In the taste testing there were two Ipocras, a red and a white. For those of us unfamiliar with the term, these are similar to English mulled wines and Swedish Glogg. The Johnsons provided much more information about the wines in the tasting as well as many other subjects. The Johnson Estate website is replete with information and family history.

 

When asked how the Pandemic has impacted their sales, they mentioned that they had to close the wine tasting area, but could still sell wine. Also, sales through the internet really picked up and they are now selling to 30 states.

 

We all thank the Johnsons and the committee for planning such an enjoyable mid-winter evening! And to Vickie McGraw for providing the pairings. Thanks also to all who attended.