Sparkling Vidal Blanc Ice Wine from 12 Corners
Last fall I finally made a pilgrimage back to Michigan. While there, I did a fair amount of shopping. Including, of course, a lot of wine. A Total Wine had semi recently opened in the city I tell people I’m from and I’m afraid I had a bit too much fun there. I bought a lot wine from Italy, Spain, France, New Zealand…got excited over the Greek and Lebanese wine selections, and of course was disappointed by the lack of Turkish wines.
Not disappointing, the selection of local wines on offer. I enjoyed several Michigan wines during my visit. The only one to survive the week and get packed for Istanbul though was a Sparkling Vidal Blanc Ice Wine from 12 Corners.
12 Corners
Located in Benton Harbor, Michigan 12 Corners was started by a small group of Michigangster friends. They created a 115 acre estate in the Twelve Corners neighborhood (ergo the winery name) in Benton Harbor, Michigan. A variety of both vinifera and hybrid grapes (which do well in Michigan) grow on their estate; including Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Chardonnay, Traminette, and Vidal Blanc. 
The winery itself is located in Benton Harbor, but 12 Corners also has tasting sites and shops in South Haven and Grand Haven.
Sparkling Vidal Blanc Ice Wine
While 12 Corners’s website lists a Vidal Blanc ice wine, it doesn’t say anything about the sparkling version I found. Which, since there weren’t any bubbles when I opened it, makes me wonder if they put this in the wrong bottle…but onto the wine!
Vidal Blanc is a hybrid crossing of Trebbiano and Rayon d’Or (a hybrid itself). The grapes stayed on the their vines long past the regular harvest time. 12 Corners didn’t pick these until December 10! (2013) after they’d frozen. Slow fermentation resulted in 11% abv with 14.2 g/l of residual sugar.
In the glass, the wine showed a beautiful deep gold…but it did not sparkle. At all. Despite the bait and switch, I did enjoy the wine quite a lot. Aromas of apricot jam, honey, ginger, candied citrus, and blond nuts burst from the glass. The palate delivered mouthcoating flavors of apple with lots of spice, and ginger with a lingering, lemony finish. Viscous with vibrant acidity.
In my experience, Michigan wine can generally on the sweet side, but it’s nice to find a deliberately sweet wine of this quality there!