I ran into this wine while at Eastern Wineries Exposition last year. But two books and a harvest intervened. However I was absolutely so impressed by these wines, I just had to write about them.
The Illinois Sparkling Company (ISC) is dedicated to perfecting bubbly wine. ISC wines are created on a lovely hillside overlooking the Illinois River. Founders Mark and Teri Wenzel founded ISC in 2011. While developing wines for August Hill Winery, Mark realized that the grapes in their vineyard were high in acid and low in tannins, similar to those in French Champagne. In 2007, Mark immersed himself in learning the Traditional Champagne Method from the masters. Though ISC’s grapes are not the same varieties used in Champagne, the winemaking method is. This combination creates a truly unique sparkling wine. Today, they make about seven different sparkling wines.
The first wine I tried was the ISC Brut (NV). This pale gold sparkling wine is made from a unique blend of Illinois-grown St. Pepin, Frontenac Gris, and LaCrosse. This is a lovely classic dry sparkling wine. It starts off nice, with a lovely wisp of fresh bred, and then gives way to bright, fresh zippy flavors of orange, peach, pear and apple. And the stone fruits, fresh ripe pear and green apple come though. A lovely creaminess in the finish. A terrific, delicious wine.
p.s. LOVE the back label
ISC Brut Ombre Rose was an absolutely lovely surprise. Firstly, this pale salmon-pink sparkling wine is made from 100% Illinois-grown Chambourcin! The lively, zippy wine starts off with a lovely salad of fresh strawberries and bright raspberries. This gives was to brisk acidity and a refreshing finish. A lovely, lovely rose sparkling!
Not only do I have to find out how to get my hands on more of this stuff, but you should to! I really really liked these.
Great job Marc and Teri!