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No. 17, The Gadding Vine, Spring 198604/01/1986The death of Brother David Petry, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Saint Meinrad, Indiana, is announced. He is described by Arnie Esterer as a “gentle, most unassuming man…and a knowledgeable winemaker and grape grower.” He was a friend and mentor to the winery in the early years. Arnie reflects on his visit to the abbey with Bill Worthy, then winemaker and wine owner of the Grand River Wine Company. Vineyard grafting experiments with Greg Johns of Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center's (OARDC) Ashtabula Agricultural Research Station described. List of recent wine awards received. |
No. 19, The Gadding Vine, Spring 198704/01/1987Thomas Schmidlin, Assistant Professor at Kent State University and climatologist, provides assistance installing an Orchard-Rite wine machine in the vineyard for a two year experiment. The 35 foot tower installation was funded by the Ohio Grape Industries Program through a $3 million dollar research grant. Published details on the experiment can be found here. List of recent wine awards received. Wine Notes Chardonnay: 1980, 1981, 1983 Johannisberg Riesling: 1983, 1984 Cabernet Sauvignon: 1979-1983 Covered Bridge: Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Picnic White, and Picnic Red |
No. 20, The Gadding Vine, Fall 198710/01/1987The stories surrounding the Ryhd-Garn-Wen, a bed and breakfast inn in Cardigan, Wales and its connection to Markko wines are told. Arnie reflects on almost 20 years of wine ownership. Announced are the winners of the Markko’s 1987 Chardonnay Cup Blitz Chess Tournament. |
No. 22, The Gadding Vine, Spring 198904/01/1989The label on the winery’s Excelsior champagne is explained. Wine Notes “In the production of vinifera wine, there is the occasional heartache when promising vintages fade before their time.” Thus is the fate of the 1986 Chardonnay and prices are reduced. New releases of Cabernet Sauvignon (1986, Lot 67) and Riesling (1988, Lot 892 ). |
No. 25, The Gadding Vine, Fall 199010/01/1990Harvesting and pressing with record rainfall and how this impacts the quality of fruit and the wine. Recent list of wine awards received. "Who says Ohio wines can't compete with the best in the world? Did you know that our '88 beat Modavi's $18.00 Chardonnay in a recent head-on challenge? No kidding. It did." |
No. 28, The Gadding Vine and Wine List, Spring 199204/01/1992Discussions on art of barrel-making and the advantages and the use of American Oak barrels at the winery. Eloquent description of the challenges of pioneering the modern wine industry in the late 1960s and 1970s and establishing European vinifera grapes on the shore of Lake Erie with Tim Hubbard. His experiments blending Cabernet Sauvignon, his spiritual values towards winemaking, and his personal satisfaction of doing meaningful work are explained. Commentary on what makes Lake Erie wines unique. Wine Notes Winery announces new bottlings of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon and character of each vintage highlighted. Excelsior Champagne: Chardonnay (1986), Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (1988) Chardonnay: 1988-1989 Cabernet Sauvignon: 1989 Riesling:1989-1990 Pinot Noir: 1989 Covered Bridge: Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Underridge White |
No. 38, The Gadding Vine and Wine List, Fall 199610/01/1996Challenges of operating a Northeast Ohio vineyard described such as unseasonable weather conditions combined with grape disease. Purpose and value of a quality wine library described. 1996 results of the Markko Cup, an annual Regetta race from Eastlake to Ashtabula. Wine Notes Character of each vintage highlighted. Chardonnay: Bicentennial Celebration, Library Reserve (1989), Traditional (1991 and 1992), Reserve (1991 and 1993), Select Reserve (1993), Pinot Chardonnay Reserve (1993) Cabernet Sauvignon: Traditional (1992), Library Reserve (1989), Reserve (1993) Riesling: Reserve (1994) Pinot Noir: Traditional (1990), Reserve (1993) Covered Bridge: Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon |
No. 46, The Gadding Vine and Wine List, Winter 199901/01/1999Release of the Excelsior Champagne and discussion on how the perfect mix of cool weather for grape harvest and a three year in-the-bottle ripening helps makes this vintage superb. Four vintages of Riesling released with an overview of the variation of each bottling. The mineral and earthy distinction of a Lake Erie Chardonnay eloquently described. Wine Notes Character of each vintage highlighted. Chardonnay: Homage (1995), Reflections of Lake Erie (1996) , Reserve (1995), and Traditional (1996) Cabernet Sauvignon: Traditional (1996 and 1997) Riesling: Kabinett (1995), Traditional (1996-1998) Pinot Noir: Reserve (1995), Traditional (1997) Covered Bridge: Riesling and Chardonnay |
No. 47, The Gadding Vine and Wine List, Summer 200007/01/2000The passing of Tim Hubbard of Markko Vineyards and Bob Gottesman of Paramount Distillers is announced and is accompanied by an overview on how each contributed to the Ohio wine industry. Of particular note are the travels of Arnulf Esterer and Tim Hubbard to Hammondsport, New York to graft vines with the legendary Dr. Konstantin Frank in the late 1960s and 1970s. Successful crop pruning techniques for the Lake Erie region explained. Wine Notes Character and quality of each vintage highlighted. Brut Methode Champenoise (1992) Chardonnay: Homage (1995), Reflections of Lake Erie (1996), Reserve (1995), and Traditional (1996 and 1997) Cabernet Sauvignon: Traditional (1996 and 1997) Riesling: Kabinett (1995) and Traditional (1996-1998) Pinot Noir: Traditional (1997) Covered Bridge: Chardonnay and Riesling |
No. 49, The Gadding Vine and Wine List, Spring 200104/01/2001Discussion of the recent must analysis research between Markko Vineyards, Harpersfield Vineyard and the Lake Erie Enology Research Center –a grant funded collaborative effort between Lake Erie wineries, Youngstown State University, and Cleveland State University. The mission of the group is “to help define the unique characteristics of the Lake Erie Appellation and its wine.” Successful crop pruning technique for quality grapes described briefly. Wine Notes Character and quality of each vintage highlighted. Brut Methode Champenoise (1992) Chardonnay: Homage (1995), Homage Select Reserve (1998), Muscat/Chardonnay (1998), Reflections of Lake Erie (NV, 1998), Reflections of Lake Erie Reserve (1998), Reserve (1997 and 1998), and Traditional (1996) Cabernet Sauvignon: Harmonious (1999), Reserve (1998), Select Reserve (1998), and Traditional (1997) Riesling: Canticle-Reserve (1999), Kabinett (1995), Select Reserve (1999), and Traditional (1996 and 1997) Pinot Noir: Reserve (1998), Traditional (1997) Covered Bridge: Riesling and Chardonnay |