Nearly every spring, Mother Nature gifts Minnesotans with a late season blizzard. Just when we think we’re in the clear – nature covers our hopes in a blanket of white. But unlike the snows of winter, which you know are going to hang around for a while, spring snow is fleeting, the air is warm, and we know summer is just around the bend! For many, summer is synonymous with white wine. Every summer we see a surge in demand for cold, quaffable, white wines. The great news for Carlos Creek customers is that we have a phenomenal selection of white wines – our largest offering ever – bottled for this season.
Facts about white wines
WHITE WINES COME FROM WHITE GRAPES. Not always!
Champagne in France is an example of a region that uses the red grape Pinot Noir, to make the white, sparkling wine the region is famous for. When using red grapes for white wines, it’s critical to limit skin contact during fermentation.
WHITE GRAPES ARE RARE. True!
Nature uses grape color to attract birds to fruit who then disperse seeds over a much larger territory than the vine itself could manage. In this way, white grapes are at a significant evolutionary disadvantage, and thus rarely occur in nature. It requires two distinct mutations to produce a white grape. Many wine researchers believe all cultivated white vinifera grapes can be traced to a single vine that was lucky enough to be noticed by humans!
WHITE WINES HAVE LOWER SULFITE ADDITIONS. False!
Since white wines contain less tannin (a naturally occurring antioxidant), they are more susceptible to oxidation. Since sulfites are added to grapes and wines to protect them from oxidation, white wines generally have higher sulfite additions than red wines, whose higher natural tannin levels give them more protection against oxidation.
So now that you have some key facts about white wines, we’d like to introduce you to the 2022 Carlos Creek white wine lineup.
2022 CARLOS CREEK WHITE WINES
(In order of sweetness)
White Sangria – Residual Sugar (RS) 3.5% | 10% Alcohol | Cinco de Mayo Release
- NEW FOR 2022! Made from Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat with additions of orange, pineapple, lemon & lime juices. Serve over ice with freshly sliced limes & oranges.
Wobegon White – RS 2.1% | 11.54% Alcohol | Available Now
- We’ve been making this customer favorite since 2009, and it consistently ranks as one of our most popular wines. Made primarily from Frontenac Gris which gives it its golden hue and stone fruit flavors. Also available in single serve bottles!
2021 Frontenac Gris – RS 2% | 11.7% Alcohol | Late May Release
- This 100% Frontenac Gris wine showcases the amazing apricot and peach flavors that are the hallmark of this U of MN grape varietal. A consistent customer favorite and quick to sell-out. Seriously one of the most flavorful wines anywhere.
SolMani White – RS .75% | 12.4% Alcohol | Available Now
- This off-dry wine’s blend of uncommon MN and California grown varieties, is former owner Kim Bredeson’s, favorite wine. Minnesota grown Itasca adds body, acidity, and structure while the lighter-bodied California grown Vermentino grapes add grapefruit and pears with a crushed, rocky, almost salty minerality.
2021 Petit Ami – RS .3% | 11.56% Alcohol | Available Now
- LIMITED RELEASE! Due to the dry Spring and low pollination, 2021 produced a very small Petit Ami crop – but a very fine wine. We pick this grape very early to preserve its crisp pear, citrus, and grass (think New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc) flavors. In great years, Petit Ami gifts us with a hint of apple blossom and roses. And 2021 was just such a year.
Itasca – Belmont Lake Vineyard Grown | RS .2% | 12.8% Alcohol | Early May Release
- NEW WINE – CASE CLUB ONLY RELEASE! This long-awaited University of Minnesota wine grape produces a Cold Climate white that needs no blending or residual sugar to balance its naturally low acidity. This is a full-bodied white, with more subtle fruit flavors than Frontenac Gris or Blanc. A dry white you can endlessly sip without palette fatigue.
2020 Viognier – RS .1% | 13.5% Alcohol | Available Now
- I like to describe this as a fruitier, non-oaked version of Chardonnay. It has a similar, full-bodied mouthfeel to Chardonnay, but more fruit-forward. Stone fruits with tangerine and a touch of honeysuckle this dry wine reads sweeter due to its fruitiness.
2020 Chardonnay – RS 0% | 13.6% Alcohol | Available Now
- One of our Head Winemaker, Russ Funk’s favorite wines! Varietal notes of pears and green apple are joined with vanilla and butter gleaned from 12 months in French Oak.
2018 Reserve Chardonnay – RS 0% | 13.8% Alcohol | Fall 2022 Release
- What’s the difference between our varietal wines and our reserve varietal wines? More aging time. Either in oak or bottle or both! 3 years in French oak add a lovely, buttered toast to apple and pear fruits. Absolutely yummy – and worth the wait.
300 Series 2017 Prairie Star – RS 0% | 12.5% Alcohol | 3rd Quarter Release
- Elmer Swenson, a former dairy farmer and hobbyist grape breeder, is widely acknowledged as the father of the Cold Climate grapes. He introduced Prairie Star grapes in 1980. This wine layers pear, butterscotch, and warm butter with sprinkles of spice. This wine was made for cool evenings around a bonfire – especially for fans of Pumpkin Spice lattes!
Ready to spring into delicious white wines? Visit our Tasting Room to pick up a few bottles or buy Carlos Creek white wine online. Stay in the know about our newest wine releases – sign up for our exclusive newsletter!
